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If you read here, or write here, you know the challenges, in a way outsiders don't, of raising a child who is different from other kids. Some differences are more subtle than others, but the differences are there. Some people get it, others don't.

On Thursday, February 17, 2011, USICD Executive Director David Morrissey joined Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights for the U.S. State Department a "Conversation with America," on International Disability Rights.  The discussion was moderated by Cheryl Benton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Public Affairs and streamed live on DipNote, the Department of State's official blog.  You can view video of the discussion at: http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=795316932001 And read a transcript of the conversation at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/plrmo/cwa/156916.htm

What are manners? Years ago, I read a meaningful definition which described manners as “making another person comfortable.” Most of us probably try hard to have good manners, but many of us lose the art of manners when it comes to people with disabilities. While I was presenting the “History of Disabilities” at Idaho Partners in Policymaking, Howard (who is fifty-something) said he wanted to share how individuals had been treated and talked about in the past, based on their disability diagnoses.

Skype in the classroom is a free community to help teachers everywhere use Skype to help their students learn. It’s a place for teachers to connect with each other, find partner classes and share inspiration. This is a global initiative that was created in response to the growing number of teachers using Skype in their classrooms. Read more

As libraries evolve to meet the needs of their information-overloaded user base, the SirsiDynix development team actively expands its offerings for on-the-go library users. Among this development is the industry-leading SirsiDynix BookMyne™ iPhone application, bringing convenient, social-savvy library functionality into your users’ everyday activities. In addition to providing mobile access to in-demand library information, holdings and services, BookMyne 2.1 offers a myriad of patron-pleasing features including: Barcode scanning capability, so library users can scan the barcode of a book at a bookstore or friend’s home and retrieve availability information on the book at the patron’s library of choice; Social recommendation engine powered via Goodreads, enabling iPhone or iPod Touch users to search library holding for friend-recommended reads; New York Times best seller list cross-referencing, enabling users to immediately cross-check the best seller list with library holdings and place holds remotely; Enhanced account interaction, including the ability for library users to view fines and fees on their Apple mobile device.

Webinar - All About Apps for Education: Just the Apps and Nothing but the Apps Thursday, May 5, 2011, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Mountain – Web-Based Training, register Discover the wonderful world of apps for education. This webinar will help you navigate and maximize your use of the iPod/iPad. The presenters will take you on an app adventure and share a variety of apps in such categories as early childhood, literacy, autism, communication, organization, and more. Funding for this webinar is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education. The source of funding is from federal award, Grants to States-Special Education CFDA 84.027, P.L. 108-446 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Basic Vocabulary Organization in PRC Devices Monday, May 16, 2011, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mountain – PACER Center, Bloomington, MN, register This free workshop is for parents and professionals to learn more about Unity vocabulary organization included in all Prentke Romich Company PRC Communication or AAC Devices.  Participants will be introduced to the vocabulary options available.  This workshop will be held in the PACER computer lab where participants can bring their own device or use computer emulation software (Vantage Lite PASS software version 5.02).  The training will include hands-on experience to become familiar with how Unity supports creation of spontaneous novel communication, and to teach basic device operations such as customizing messages, changing icons, hiding keys, and backing up the device. The presenter is PRC Regional Consultant Helen Canfield.  The workshop is limited to 20 participants. Classroom Suite Version 4 Foundations Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain - PACER Center, register This workshop is designed for educators, SLPs, OTs, AT specialists, paraprofessionals and parents who are new to (or have limited experience with) Classroom Suite V.4. The goal of the Foundation Workshop for Classroom Suite V.4 is to enable educators to use Classroom Suite to teach early concepts, reading, writing, and math to students struggling because of learning difficulties or access issues. This workshop is sponsored by Cambium Learning Technologies. Registration fee $225. Kurzweil 3000 Version 11 Foundations Thursday, May 19, 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain - PACER Center, register This workshop is designed for educators, SLPs, OTs, AT specialists, paraprofessionals and parents who support students with learning disabilities and are new to (or have limited experience with) Kurzweil 3000. This workshop is sponsored by Cambium Learning Technologies. Registration fee $225.00. Putting LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) to Work: AAC Strategies to Promote Communication Friday, May 20, 2011, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain – PACER Center, Bloomington, MN, register Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) is a therapeutic approach based on neurological and motor learning principles.  The goal is to give individuals who are nonverbal or have limited verbal abilities or speech a method to independently and spontaneously express themselves.  This workshop is for parents, professionals, and SLPs and will give an overview of the LAMP treatment approach, discussion of the components of LAMP and how and why children with autism would benefit from using a voice output AAC device, and discussion of features that are beneficial for teaching language to children with autism and other disabilities.  Lunch will not be provided.  A one hour lunch break will be taken and maps to area restaurants will be provided.  This free workshop will offer 0.5 ASHA CEUs.

Please take part in the IDEA National Survey, a survey of whether the rights of students with disabilities and their parents are protected.  The IDEA National Survey Project is sponsored by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), Autism Society of America (ASA), Autism National Committee (AutCom), and The Advocacy Institute (AI). The survey is at http://www.ideasurvey.org The survey looks at whether parents are treated as equal partners in their children’s education. Topics include whether the rights of students with disabilities and their parents protected throughout the special education process, including IEP meetings and IEP issues, eligibility (Child Find), Due Process hearings (impartial hearings), and other education issues.  All members of the community are welcome: parents; attorneys, advocates, other professionals; and self-advocates (people with disabilities).  We also welcome all disabilities, not just those our organizations focus on.  You can take the survey and read more about it at http://www.ideasurvey.org The survey will run March-May 2011.  The results will be compiled into a report about experiences under the IDEA that will be published this summer.   For more information, contact Jessica Butler, Coordinator, IDEA National Survey Project, at jessica@jnba.net

SEATTLE, Apr 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- (NASDAQ: AMZN)-- Amazon today announced Kindle Library Lending, a new feature launching later this year that will allow Kindle customers to borrow Kindle books from over 11,000 libraries in the United States. Kindle Library Lending will be available for all generations of Kindle devices and free Kindle reading apps.

We are pleased to announce a summer class presented online by Gail McGregor of the University of Montana on Standards-Based IEPS.  It is an excellent and reasonably priced opportunity for graduate credits and meaningful professional development for special education teachers, content teachers, special education directors and coops, and other educators who work with students with special needs. This course is designed to introduce general and special education teachers to the concept of standard-based IEPs and is organized around a series of five webcasts that have been created for the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI).  Supplementary readings and course assignments are designed to complement the information in the webinars.  The course syllabus and webinars are on the OPI website at: http://www.opi.mt.gov/Curriculum/MontCAS/MontCAS_Presents.html#gpm1_3  This course will be offered through the Office of Public Instruction and the University of Montana.  The Office of Public Instruction will provide the environment for the online learning communities that are part of the course.  The environment for the learning communities will be Adobe Connect webinars.  Students will need to have Flash Player and the Adobe Connect Add-in installed on their computers and have a microphone and speakers in order to participate in the learning communities.  OPI will assist participants in connecting and has microphones for check-out if needed.  Participants may take the course for renewal units through OPI or graduate credits through the University of Montana, and the grading option is a traditional letter grade.  Registration and payment for graduate credit is also through the University of Montana. The cost for two graduate credits is $135. We plan to offer this class in the summer, but need information from you regarding which session will work best for the majority of students that plan to take the course either for renewal units or graduate credits.  May 23-June 24..............................First Five-Week Summer Session June 27-July 29............................Second Five-Week Summer Session May 23-July 29.....................................Ten-Week Summer Session Please email Karen Richem if you are interested in the course and the session you prefer by Wednesday, May 11, 2011.  The session with the most interest will be offered.  Contact information for Karen:  krichem@mt.gov or 406-444-0748

There is no one-size-fits all strategy for determining which communication app will work the best. This webinar will provide ideas on how to determine the optimal fit. Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm Mountain Read More and Register

Cascading Style Sheets can help your website meet many accessibility guidelines. Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm Mountain Read More and Register

Are you thinking about setting up your own online classroom? This webinar will explore how to more effectively serve your community through online instruction. Date:  Tuesday, May 10, 2011 Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm Mountain Read More and Register

New gadgets and mobile apps introduced in the past few years are making reading, writing and math more accessible to students with learning disabilities.

It's been painful to read the long and varied list of what people believe causes autism. In the beginning, I would investigate every possible lead like it mattered. Soon, I would learn to pick and choose ideas from the mass of information that seemed plausible, or even remotely possible. More recently, I have decided that it doesn't matter at all. It hurts more than it helps and knowing what may or may not cause autism won't change a thing about our perfect girl. There are some who would prey on our fear in order to profit from touting false cures. Some may truly believe what they are selling and some are the worst kind of predator. And some cause harm by jumping on one of these bandwagons to spread ideas that hurt our cause. I would like to address some of the more harmful propaganda surrounding causes of autism. When people posit or perpetuate some of the following ideas, it hurts our community irreparably.