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Plan family involvement events for February 7–13, 2010, and apply for an $1,897 Award to support your PTA in opening school doors to all families.

Today, about 50 million Americans, or 1 in 5 people, are living with at least one disability, and most Americans will experience a disability some time during the course of their lives. Anyone can have a disability. Some people are born with a disability, get hurt or sick and have disability as a result, or develop a disability as they age. Some people may have a disability that lasts a short time while other people have a disability that lasts a lifetime. Different kinds of disabilities affect people in different ways. 

If you are living with a disability or provide services for people with disabilities, learn about health care and health programs to support the overall well-being of people with disabilities.

52 weeks is a blog featuring People, Places and Issues that are part of the everyday reality of people with disabilities. At least once a week Disability Rights Montana will feature a person with a disability, a place that supports people with disabilities, or an issue that affects people with disabilities. The site is meant to promote dignity, equality and self-determination. It is meant to be interactive, allowing people to comment and discuss the topics posted. Join the conversation.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded more than 50 autism research grants, totaling more than $65 million, which will be supported with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. These grants are the result of the largest funding opportunity for research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to date

Access your free digital copy by clicking on the cover image

Read it page by page, click on links to advertisers, search by key words, download a PDF (note: 14 MB file). It's our way of saying "Thank You" for the support and encouragement we've received from members of the autism community over the last 10 years.

Wade Kuntz, a Libby native, poses with his guide dog, Casey. Kuntz attributes the support he received growing up in Libby to helping him succeed in life despite visual and hearing impairments.

The National Foster Parent Association is the only national organization that strives to support foster parents, and remains a consistently strong voice on behalf of all children.

What does a parent do when she suspects her child has learning difficulties? How can she advocate for her child when everyone keeps telling her that her child will "just" grow out of it, that he'll learn to read when he's ready? In this article, a mother tells her story about her struggle for success-and how she found the resources to identify her son's reading difficulties, as well as the supports he needed to succeed.

A Handbook for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities in National and Community Service Programs

Created in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service engages more than 2 million Americans annually in improving communities through service. The Corporation supports service at national, state and local levels through: Senior Corps, a network of programs that helps Americans age 55 and older use their skills and experience in service opportunities that address the needs of their communities. Senior Corps includes RSVP,The Foster Grandparent Program, and the Senior Companion Program. AmeriCorps, whose members serve with local and national organizations to meet community needs while earning education awards to help finance college or training. Learn and Serve America, which helps link community service and learning objectives for youth from kindergarten through college as well as youth in community-based organizations.

Kelly Camel comes to a halt, and the halls of the Adams Center fall silent. Stretching his arm toward a poster on the wall, he points at a member of the 1996 men's basketball team. "J.R.," he says, in his rudimentary speech.  It's the legendary J.R. Camel, whose athleticism and leaping abilities as a Grizzly were without parallel. His uncle. Kelly can't be like J.R.  He can't run.  He can't jump.  He can't make a shot or pass to a teammate.   But he spends every men's basketball game tucked at the end of the bench. He cheers for the team. He yells at referees. He mimics the gestures of head coach Wayne Tinkle. "He is like a little Energizer Bunny for us," junior forward Derek Selvig said. And although the basketball season is finished, the team's proudest fan is just getting started. Soon, Montana's biggest and most beloved supporter, known to all by his first name, will make fandom his business, opening his own company called Kelly Gear. Kelly was born on Jan. 3, 1978, 3 1/2 months early. He weighed 1 pound, 6 ounces. His chances of survival were one in 100.

In an increasingly paperless world, and with ever-greater student-performance demands in core subjects, state standards have gone silent on cursive. In Colorado schools where it is still taught, the time devoted to its practice generally has diminished, although pockets of avid supporters still enthusiastically defend its rightful place in the elementary curriculum.

What: This is an opportunity to relax and talk with other parents (grandparents/family members) of children on the spectrum in a relaxed setting. Since we will be discussing our children, it's probably best if we keep this just the grownups. When: Friday, April 15, 2011 9:00 -10:30am Mountain Where: The Montana Club 2620 Brooks Missoula, MT 59801

Parents and caring adults can play pivotal roles in creating a healthy school and community climate that is free of bullying. By working together, educators, parents, concerned citizens, business leaders, advocates, and community members can support the implementation of bullying prevention programs, reinforce bullying prevention messages, and advocate for bullying policies to be implemented.

What: This webcast will introduce information for professionals on some of the emerging trends in biomedical research and health care environments that present new opportunities for partnership, collaboration, and support, as well as: Provide an overview of translational science, e-science and health information resources in electronic health records, including the related trends and issues affecting information professionals. Identify skills that information professionals need to work with researchers, information technology professionals, clinicians and community partners in these environments. Learn about community engagement in translational science research and roles for clinicians and information professionals in this arena. Address meaningful use of health information by patients accessing their electronic health records, as required by recent legislation to facilitate quality improvement at the point of care. The discussions at these webcasts are invaluable even if you are not in a medical library.  Please contact Tori Koch at 406-238-2226 or by email at library@billingsclinic.org if you are interested in attending. When: April 20, 2011 12:00 - 1:00pm Mountain Cost: Free

Click here to register for this event What: Ensuring School Readiness will explore how and why smooth transitions among early learning environments are critical for school readiness and are the first step toward preparing students for success in college and career. Presenters will focus on what it takes to foster continuity as children move from early learning programs to preschool to kindergarten, and will discuss the specific roles of early learning programs, schools, and families in preparing young children to enter school ready for success. This webinar will highlight innovative practices, explore the range of supports and services offered to young children and their families, and emphasize how to help families understand how to remain involved in their child’s education as the child moves into the early school grades. Jacqueline Jones from the U.S. Department of Education will discuss the importance of successful early transitions to education reform. Sharon Ritchie from FirstSchool, a research-based preK–3rd grade initiative, will discuss “seamless education” and how to use data to improve practice. Judith Jerald from Save the Children will talk about developing early childhood programming with an eye toward facilitating transitions. And Whitcomb Hayslip will discuss how a Los Angeles-based transitional kindergarten initiative uses deliberate collaboration between teachers and families to prepare children for school success. When: April 14, 2011 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Mountain Featured speakers include: Moderator: Tom Schultz, Project Director for Early Childhood Initiatives, Council of Chief State School Officers Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Early Learning, U.S. Department of Education Sharon Ritchie, Senior Scientist, FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Judith Jerald, Early Childhood Advisor, Save the Children Whitcomb Hayslip, Early Childhood Education Consultant and Former Assistant Superintendent, Los Angeles Unified School District Click here to view the webinar archive for this event series

Click here to download the full brochure with registration information (PDF) What: Behavior Management This academy is intended to give the paraeducator knowledge and skill in instructional methods that support students who have challenging behaviors in inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, elf-contained classrooms, domestic settings and the community. The module focuses on interactions that paraeducators have with students whose behaviors are challenging and on the role they lay in assisting the professional members of their teams with behavior challenges. Effective behavior management is a complex system of proactive strategies, positive reinforcements and natural or logical consequences. The most important concept to understand is that good behavioral management begins with the educator; that ultimately the only person anyone can truly control is him or herself. Our focus, therefore, must be on changing what we, as educators do, as opposed to attempting to make or force our students to change. This academy will address this issue and provide participants with a “tool box” of ideas and strategies that have been proven to encourage positive behavior in students. If your school is an MBI school, these strategies are consistent with the MBI philosophy. Number Theory and Rational Numbers This academy was designed to provide paraeducators with the skills and knowledge needed to assist students, grades 5-8, with mathematics skills taught in the classroom. The course content is designed and adapted from standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It includes the specific skill-building areas of number sense, computational techniques for fractions, decimals and percentages; and their related applications for intermediate and middle-school learners. Participants are encouraged and welcome to attend both days of training. When: June 8-9, 2011 Where:Robins Administration Building Upstairs Conference Room 425 6th Street Havre, MT Register: Register online at www.havre.k12.mt.us Click on the CSPD icon (upper right hand corner) Click on CSPD Calendar

What: The Rockin' Moms in Missoula is a group of moms who have children with all sorts of disabilties. We meet approximately monthly. It is a potluck at a member's home with $10 chair massages for everyone. Next Event: Wednesday, April 27th, at 7 p.m Where: To be Determined (Contact for more information) Contact: Interested moms can look for the yahoo group "Rockinmomsupport" or can email me at lisa.wilson@pluk.org or Jen Edgell at jedgell@bresnan.net

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan confronted difficult questions asked by special educators who are members of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), in a document released today.  Ask Arne: A Conversation with CEC Members and the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (found here) addresses the inclusion of students with disabilities and the professionals who work on their behalf in controversial education reform initiatives supported by the Obama Administration, including pay-for-performance and measuring student growth over time for accountability purposes.

Click here to register for this event What: Many school districts are focusing on creating more consistency in how they teach literacy to English-language learners across schools. Their efforts include: Reviewing research on best practices for ELLs Beefing up professional development on strategies to reach ELLs, and Creating district wide curriculum that addresses the needs of such students. Such efforts are particularly important as school districts consider how to implement the common core state standards for English-language learners. The Council of the Great City Schools has been a leading organization in advising and supporting school districts to form coherent and workable plans to serve this fast-growing population of students. Our webinar guests will discuss both the research on the most effective approaches to improving literacy for ELLs and how some school districts have tried to carry out those approaches. When: May 4, 2011 12:00 - 1:00pm Mountain