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The third annual Transitions Conference was created for students in Springfield Public Schools' Business Associated Student Education program. BASE helps high school special education students gain employable skills by, among other things, job shadowing employees.

Agenda: Developmental Disabilities Services Who is eligible for Developmental Disabilities Services? What about youth with higher IQ’s but with substantial support needs? How and when do you access this system? What services are available? What happens to youth who receive Children’s Developmental Disabilities services when they leave High School? What is the waiting list? What do we do while we are waiting? What have other families done? Private Pay Options Using Social Security Work Incentives to support employment

This short summary describes the health coverage provisions contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, including the individual mandate requirements, expansion of public programs, health insurance exchanges, changes to private insurance, employer requirements and cost and coverage estimates.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is calling on special educators to take personal responsibility for the success of their students after graduation. “Today a significant gap exists between our aspirations and reality,” Duncan said of students with disabilities. “The graduation rate, postsecondary education rate and employment rate are all increasing but they are all still, frankly, far too low.”

This fund offers financial assistance to young adults with Down syndrome who want to enroll in postsecondary programs or take classes that will help them with employment, independent living and life skills. To date, over thirty students have received grants from the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) to help cover the costs of pursuing their postsecondary education and enrichment goals.  More information is available at http://www.ndss.org/

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JULY 16, 2010

The report from the National Disability Rights Network paints a glum picture of the jobs held by many Americans with disabilities that pay less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. In it, the authors charge that the segregated environments people with disabilities often work in are akin to institutions by “warehousing” people, limiting their opportunities and putting them in danger of abuse and neglect, all while providing financial gain for employers, some of whom earn six-figure salaries.

What: This six session series on Discovery will equip educators, adult service personnel and family members with the critical information necessary to facilitate discovery for persons with significant disabilities. This alternative to comparative assessment addresses the essential question so often overlooked by evaluations and tests, "Who is this person?" The sessions offer a comprehensive overview to discovery, the relationship to employment and transition from school to adult work, relevance to curricular outcomes and development of visual and written profile documents that capture the information learned during discovery.  When: April 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2, 9  1-2:30 p.m. Mountain More Details Download Registration Form Register Online

Click here to register for this event What: This webinar will present a general introduction and overview of Broadband—both as a public policy agenda and as a quality of life issue for people with disabilities. The training will take a look at the unique ways in which Broadband is redefining health care, education, employment, citizenship, and community participation for people with disabilities. When: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 11:00 AM –  12:00 PM MST Presenter: Martin Sweeney -- As a parent, activist and current AT professional, Martin Sweeney has over 25 years of experience in the field of assistive technology. As a training specialist, Sweeney is part of the Center for Accessible Technology team promoting Broadband awareness, access and adoption throughout California.

Click here to download the flyer for this event (PDF) What: Transitioning from life after high school is a big process. You are not alone! Come meet other youth, parents, teachers and professionals to see all the resources that are waiting to work with you. Transition Teams are encouraged to attend. Topics covered: Youth and Adult/Professional Tracks Resource Fair with vendors for independent living, Employment/ training, Recreational, Benefits planning, and more! When: November 9-11, 2011 Where: Heritage Inn Great Falls, MT For registration and additional conference details: www.montanayouthtransitions.org

Click here to visit AutismAfter16.com Autism After 16 is a website devoted to issues impacting the lives of adults on the autism spectrum, especially legal, financial, residential, employment and social issues. The site will focus first on the transition into adulthood that is very poorly understood by most families. The site will have short news stories, longer feature articles, guest commentary and regular columnists. It features a cadre of writers, some of whom are adults on the spectrum, who will look at adult issues from their own unique points of view.  If you have friends or family that would like to learn more about adult autism issues please have them visit: www.autismafter16.com

Click here to register for this webinar What: The Representational Portfolio was originally developed as a marketing tool for job developers to represent job seekers to employers. Portfolios are also used by youth to introduce themselves at their IEP meetings and to develop self-advocacy skills. During this webinar, you will learn how Portfolios can be an important piece of the health care transition for young adults. Through a Portfolio's concise text and photos, individuals with disabilities can describe the impact of their disability; list current medications and side effects they are experiencing; discuss seizures (what type, how often, etc.); introduce and explain medical equipment; share information about helpful accommodations and supports; and articulate what they want and need from their medical provider. Younger children can use Portfolios to learn to describe their own health care needs at an early age. Presenters will also share links to health care transition resources such as toolkits, web sites, and iPad apps that attendees may wish to explore. When: Tuesday, September 20. 2011 1:00pm - 2:30pm Mountain

The Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) invites you to participate in the United We Ride National Dialogue. This groundbreaking, web-based interactive dialogue is designed to allow a broader range of opinions and ideas to inform future policies, the CCAM Strategic Plan and to strengthen the CCAM's relationship with is vast array of partners and stakeholders, including state, local, and tribal governments, transportation agencies, human service agencies, healthcare providers, employment specialists, educators, and consumers.

Click here to register for this event What: Thousands of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have learned how to stay in control of their benefits while enriching their lives through employment. You can too. Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE) provide you and your family the opportunity to learn how to take advantage of Social Security Work Incentives, including Ticket to Work. When: April 7, 2011 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MDT MSU Billings/College of Education Building, Training Room #122 1500 University Drive Billings, MT  59101 April 14, 2011 9 :00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. MDT Best Western KwaTaqNuk Resort 49708 US Highway 93 East Polson, MT  59860 Register: Online or by calling 1-877-743-8237 (V/TTY).  Space is limited, so please register today! 

Click here to register for this event What: Thousands of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have learned how to stay in control of their benefits while enriching their lives through employment. You can too. Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE) provide you and your family the opportunity to learn how to take advantage of Social Security Work Incentives, including Ticket to Work. When: April 14, 2011 9 :00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. MDT Best Western KwaTaqNuk Resort 49708 US Highway 93 East Polson, MT  59860 Register: Online or by calling 1-877-743-8237 (V/TTY).  Space is limited, so please register today! 

What: Participants from around the world attend the TASH Conference to learn more about best practices in the field of significant disabilities, network and share information, and most importantly, stake their claim in a movement to include people with disabilities in all aspects of life. We hope you’ll join us! When: November 30 - December 3, 2011 Where: Atlanta, Georgia Who attends the TASH Conference? People with disabilities Parents, siblings and other family members Educators (General Education and Special Education) School Administrators Researchers College Professors Students Click here to learn more about submitting a proposal to present at the 2011 TASH Conference. Proposals are due by May 6, 2011, at 5 p.m. ET.

It’s hard to imagine with 8.8% unemployment that America will soon be facing a worker shortage as 77 million baby boomers begin retiring. Many businesses already face a skills shortage, unable to find qualified workers for positions that are open. There is a great untapped resource, however, to which these businesses can turn—individuals with disabilities.

Click here to register for this event What: Several parents will share their experiences about planning for their child's transition from high school to a full, rich life as an adult. How do they support a transition to employment? Inclusive recreation and leisure opportunities? How do they recommend other parents begin transition planning? When: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Mountain System Requirements: PC-based attendees - Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Mac-based attendees - Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Click Here to Register for this Webinar What: How do we plan meaningful work experiences for students with disabilities in rural areas? This webinar will address how to gain the most information out of each work experience: how to identify skills, abilities, and support needs that we can assess on each site and new skills and strategies to teach the student. Creative strategies to identify opportunities through networking, tapping into social capital and exploring self-employment will all be shared. When: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 1:00pm - 2:30pm Mountain

Title:    “Self-Determination Curriculum and Transition Resources”

The University of Tennessee Center for Literacy, Education & Employment conducts training and technical assistance in delivering a self-determination and career planning curriculum to school systems interested in assisting students self-determine their career planning at the point of transition from school to adult life. The self-determination and career planning approach curriculum is based on the principles of self-determination. Students receive instruction and opportunity to practice self and career discovery. The targeted participants are in an inclusive classroom with both regular and special education teachers co-teaching. The class objectives include providing students decision-making skills to increase self-discovery, planning for career and post-secondary outcomes, and participating in the IEP process.

Families will soon have the opportunity to enroll in health care plans, renew their plan, or change to a new plan in the Marketplace.  Open enrollment is from November 15, 2014 through February 15, 2015. Please note that families can enroll anytime if there have been “life changes” (e.g. lost employment and insurance) or if they are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.