Group items tagged

The task of this week’s meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in Rockville, Md. was to approve an update to the IACC’s Strategic Plan for Autism Research. Most of the updated sections had been approved at earlier meetings, but the committee still had to grapple with the introduction, which contained several sticky phrases. The committee is a diverse group of people ranging from a parent who believes that autism is the result of injury caused by toxins in our environment to an adult on the spectrum who views autism as a natural part of our human diversity. Given the wide range of perspectives, words matter a lot.

What: This webinar series will arm educators, service providers, policy-makers and administrators with the information, skills and strategies needed to understand and engage culturally diverse populations. Each session tackles the complex issues associated with cultural competency, from the fallacy of equating diversity with cultural competency, to implementing cultural competency within organizations. Participants will explore the interplay of values, policies, structures, attitudes and behaviors and how they affect the ability to understand, reach out to and effectively engage populations who have traditionally been underserved.  When: March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and April 21  1-2:30 p.m. Mountain More Details Download Registration Form Register Online

This month, Dorfman, now 22, will graduate from St. Joseph's University. He's a film major, a former NBC intern, and a paid mentor at the school's Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support.

He's also part of the newest wave of diversity to reach college campuses. As a generation of young adults - the first to be diagnosed with Asperger's as children - comes of age, it is demolishing stereotypes about its condition and prompting universities to respond to its needs.

What: All Montana students require equitable access to a variety of resources, encompassing the breadth of human conversations and creations for academic achievement and personal growth.  By learning to access and evaluate information they gain an appreciation and respect for diverse ideas and creative expressions.  By using information literacy skills in all aspects of learning, students become empowered and engaged lifelong learners. To thrive in the 21st Century, students must employ a process of inquiry that can be adapted to any information need.  By learning strategies to manage and ethically use information, Montana students open the door to the world in all its diversity. Teacher librarians, in collaboration with other classroom and content area teachers, empower all students to become information literate. The Library-Information Literacy and Technology (LILT) will assist the state's school districts in meeting the Montana LILT standards by providing training to Montana educators. Registration: If you are interested in attending a training session you may register online at http://www.msubillings.edu/mcdregister/LILTregistration.htm.  There is no registration fee for this training but registration is required.   If you are interested in scheduling training on LILT or would like more information please contact John Keener, MRESA3 Coordinator, at john.keener@msubillings.edu or call 657-1743. There is no fee for this service. Current Training Schedule: We currently have training sessions scheduled for the following dates to be held at MSUB, College of Education, Room 122: April 11, 2011 5:00 to 8:00PM April 26, 2011 1:00 to 4:00PM May 3, 2011 5:00 to 8:00PM May 4, 2011 1:00 to 4:00PM

I started Hopeful Parents, a grassroots community where parents who understand what it's like having a child with special needs can connect. Consider it a pit-stop in the marathon -- where we can go for attention to our wounds, where we can re-energize our way back on track, where we can look right and look left to see others running too, where we can hear the roar of the crowds cheering us on. Hopeful Parents is a place of common ground. We'll introduce you to our diverse pool of talented, thoughtful writers who will share their stories, their feelings, their ups and their downs. You'll meet parents raising children with physical, psychological, emotional, neurological, sensory, behavioral, social, genetic, and developmental disabilities. Some parents are single, some are married. Some grieve the loss of their child; some grieve the loss of their spouse. You'll also meet healers -- the "medics" who help us through our run. People we can turn to in our pain; people who can help provide some relief.

Forty years ago, while preparing to become a special education teacher, I happily immersed myself in the study of thought leaders who viewed education as a process of developing the full potential of all children. I read Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, John Holt, and many others who filled me with excitement and the hope that I could really make a difference in the lives of students with special needs. Then, in 1976, I became a special education teacher, and all that changed.

A school in New York City is expanding the definition of diversity, and putting kids of varying developmental ability side-by-side in the classroom. The IDEAL School of Manhattan is breaking new ground on inclusion education, creating an environment where students with developmental disabilities are never pulled out of class, and are taught the same lessons as students without special needs.

The Bridgeport (Conn.) Board of Education last night unanimously passed a new parent-engagement policy for the Bridgeport Public Schools that was conceived of, written, and lobbied for by a diverse group of parents.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan paid a visit to Wilde Lake High School Tuesday and called the Columbia school a microcosm of the educational world: diverse and inclusive. Duncan and Assistant Secretary of Education Alexa Posny joined Wilde Lake Principal James LeMon and school system Director of Special Education Patty Daley in a round table discussion. They questioned a panel of about 20 students, parents, school staff and Howard County Public School System staff about inclusive practices for special needs students at the school.

Registration available here!What:Connecting to the work that has been carried on during the last five years to successfully andcomprehensively implement Indian Education for All across Montana’s diverse communities, the theme for this year’s conference will explore the importance of crossing cultural and community divides to establish strong and productive relationships. Please consider sharing your knowledge and experiences related to this topic by submitting a conference presentation proposal. The Call for Proposals form will be available until December 30. The Indian Education Division and Office of Public Instruction will also be soliciting nominations for an important opportunity – the Advocacy Award for Excellence in Indian Education for All, in honor of one of Montana’s finest educators, Teresa Veltkamp. Nomination forms for the award will be available December 15th at OPI Indian Education Hot Topics. Please give consideration to this opportunity to acknowledge anoutstanding educator’s efforts in the promotion of and steadfast support for Indian Education for All. When:February 27-28, 2012Where:Billings, MTCrowne Plaza HotelContact:Joan FrankePhone: 406-444-3694

For registration and more information click here! (PDF)What:Going Mental Over Math (a.m.)Participants will develop strategies for doing and teaching mental math, learn and apply mental math strategies, as well as plan for classroom implementation of mental math strategies.“Mental math provides both tools for solving problems and filters for evaluating answers. When a student has strong mental math skills, he or she can quickly test different approaches to a problem to determine whether the resulting path will lead toward a viable solution.”(NCTM President, 2005)Model Drawing (aka Bar Modeling) 101 (p.m.)Participants will learn how to adapt a Singapore approach to meet the needs of your American classroom, practice a strategy that appeals to diverse learners by encouraging students to reach the same answer in different ways,  learn how to develop the critical sense of number and number relationships , and learn how to help your students (and quite possibly you) conquer their fear of word problems.When and Where:February 28, 2012, Great Falls, MTHampton Inn February 29, 2012, Havre, MTFifth Avenue Christian ChurchContact:Region II CSPDPhone: (406) 265-4356 ext. 322

I believe it is not ranting or venting to make others aware of challenges that parents and caregivers face when supporting children and adults with diverse abilities. It is crucial that these stories are told to those who can help to bring back the spirit of inclusion, respect, acceptance, friendship, and unity that we so clearly saw during the games.

A pilot program seeks to keep Missoula children in mental health crises from repeated visits to area emergency rooms and from being sent to out-of-state treatment facilities.“We’re really trying to be a bridge,” said Ashley Marallo, the Youth Crisis Diversion Project’s coordinator.

Click here to download the full flyer for this training (PDF)As service providers you are in an important position to assist brain injury survivors throughout the many stages of recovery. Each person is diverse and each injury is unique; how do we deal with challenging situations and behaviors and still positively assist individuals in recovery? To learn the answers to this question please attend Brain Injury and Beyond: Effective Strategies for Challenging Situations, presented by the Brain Injury Association of Montana. This training will enhance your skills and provide strategies and tools that develop your work as a service provider working with people with brain injuries and co-occurring diagnosis. Please see the attached brochure for more information about the training and the presenter Ben Woodworth, MSW. Register here for Brain Injury and Beyond: Effective Strategies for Challenging Situations on August 10th (Billings, MT) and August 12th (Missoula, MT)

Let's keep IDEA PTA alive with renewed parent input and involvement.    The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Mary Hall of PLUK, which is located at 380 Keith, which is the NW corner of Keith and Hilda in the University area.   Several of our wonderful MT CAAN members have already brainstormed some exciting ideas as to how parents can unite with enlightened educators to utilize this group as an important vehicle by which:  Parents can gain the empowerment and voice they should have in the special education process and at school, generally; We can work together systematically to achieve the kind of meaningful changes, opportunities, and supports that we want and need to see in the school environment, so that all children, regardless of diversity, get the free and appropriate education they are due by law and that they deserve by human right.