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Families Together is pleased to have Dr. Sally Burton Hoyle present this important information to direct care providers who are working with adults with autism and parents of young adults with autism who are transitioning from school to community life. Dr. Burton Hoyle  grew up helping her brother with autism and, as an adult, she helped him have a meaningful life where he lived in his own apartment close to her family.   She will discuss the critical role of direct care staff in supporting self-determination for persons with autism.

Regional Transition meeting scheduled for Friday November 5th from 8:30am - 12:00pm.  The meeting will be held in the Developmental Disablities Conference room at 2121 Rosebud in Billings.

The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in Education presented by Cheryl A. Theis (MA), Director of the Foster Youth with Disabilities in Transition (FYDT) and Clearinghouse and Education Advocate for the Parent Training Information Center Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)

A New Concept in Accessible Mapping

If a blind or deafblind traveler wants to visit a new environment, such as a city park, mall, train station, or bus transit center, with independence, the options or methods that have been available to travelers to "learn about" such environments have been limited.

Sue Buswell is one of nine registered nurses who work for the Helena School District and was recently named the Montana School Nurse of the Year by the Montana Association of School Nurses.

Buswell describes her job as a provider of seamless transitions for students with acute and chronic health conditions into the school setting. She coordinates a team approach that includes family, school personnel, health care providers and the community.

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

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

McKenzie Tavary is on a mission to prove to the world that people with disabilities are smart. Although she doesn’t speak, “Mokn,” which she calls herself, communicates by typing on a computer and once wrote, “God put me on this Earth to be an Angel to show people how smart I am and other people with disabilities.” The world may soon find out. Tavary, 19, has been working for the past year since graduating from Capital High School to learn life skills. This fall she is set to start college at University of Montana–Helena, where she’ll be the first nonverbal student with autism to attend the two-year school.

Click here to register for this event What: Montana state government is hosting a one-day disability employment seminar for state employees and others interested in promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Jim Marks, Director, Disability Transition Programs, Department of Public Health and Human Services, will kick off the event at 9 a.m. The featured keynote speaker, Lois McElravy, will speak from her personal experience illustrating how the complexities of brain injury cause confusion and chaos with the simplest of tasks, like writing notes and making lists. Participants will gain a better understanding of how they can partner with employees with disabilities to identify accommodations needed to create a productive work environment. Other sessions include small-group exercises based on complex workplace issues, a presentation on reasonable accommodations by Anne Hirsch, Job Accommodation Network, a presentation on People without Limits, by Paul Gelderloos, People without Limits, and a panel of local experts will address commonly asked questions through locally developed case studies. The expert panel includes: Marieke Beck, Montana Human Rights Bureau Jim Marks, Department of Public Health and Human Services Anne Hirsch, Job Accommodation Network Michelle Pickell, Job Opportunity Based Services When: Thursday, May 26, 2011 9:00am - 4:00pm Mountain Where: Gateway Conference Center 1710 National Avenue in Helena, MT Registration: $50 and includes breakfast and lunch. You can register online at http://pdc.mt.gov/default.mcpx or call (406) 444-3871.

The information for this Tools for Inclusion came from a research study in Massachusetts. We interviewed 16 people with intellectual disabilities and their families and employment staff to understand how they make decisions about work and how their family members help them make decisions. "Family" can mean: two parents, one parent, step-parents, older and younger siblings, or extended family members such as aunts, uncles or grandparents.

Click here to register for this webinar What: The Real Lives, Real Stories webinar will give VR personnel specific, real cases of 3-6 transition age individuals with autism who have achieved competitive employment or are in the process of seeking and achieving competitive, customized employment. This webinar will address the stories and lives of at least 3 individual (Ian’s Story, Chelsea’s Story, Katelyn’s Story, Vincent’s Story, Ashley’s Story, and/or William’s Story) and will cover: An overview including video of the individual. The process of how their goals are decided and a description of the employment outcome. The personal supports each person needs and how they are provided. The paid supports each person needs and how they are provided. Where the person is now and plans for near future. It is expected that VR staff who participate the webinar will learn about the variety of interests, skills, and needs of individuals with autism and the possibilities for employment. In addition, staff will be given general; and specific information about specific types of paid, unpaid, formal, and natural supports individuals may need. When: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 10:00am - 11:00am Mountain Registration: Click here to register for this webinar Deadline for registration is Sept. 5, 2011 The webinar is free of charge.

Click here to download full flyer with registration information (PDF) What: The Northern Rockies Association for the Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind & Visually Impaired is holding its annual conference. Presentations include: Teaching Braille though Arts and Games ~ Jan Zollinger, Distinguished Educators of Blind Children Award, 2004 Stress and the Deaf-Blind Student: Enhancing the Work Environment ~ Robin Greenfield, Coordinator of the Idaho DeafBlind Project Using the Low Vision Assessment Effectively ~ a panel (O&M Specialist; Teacher of the Visually Impaired; etc.) Options for Driving with Optical Devices ~ Dr. Dwight Hansen, Low Vision Specialist Transition and Beyond ~ Dana Ard, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Blind Assistive Technology for Students with Multiply Impairments-Visual Impairments ~ Nora Jehn, Director of the Idaho Center for Assistive Technology Update on Accessible Technology for the Consumer (IPAD, Magnifiers, Notetaking Devices, Auditory Readers, etc.) Low Vision and Low Vision Devices American Printing House: new math and tactual graphics products Dog Guide Issues Where: Sun Valley Inn Ketchum, Idaho When: October 19-21, 2011

This knowledge path about caring for children and youth with special health care needs has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at developing systems of care that are family-centered, community-based, coordinated, and culturally competent. A separate section lists resources for families. The final part of the knowledge path presents resources that address specific aspects of care and development, such as advocacy, early intervention and special education, financing services, rehabilitation, screening, and transition. This knowledge path for health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, educators, researchers, and families will be updated periodically.

We are looking for examples of young people, age 18-30, in Montana who have a developmental disability according to the Montana definition (see attached information sheet) and have creatively organized their supports to: Live in the community (on their own or with family or friends) and/or Work in the community (including owning their own business) and/or Access inclusive education (high school, college, trade school, community classes) and/or Participate in recreation and leisure activities that are inclusive (that is, alongside people without disabilities)

Click here to download the flyer for this event (PDF) What: Learn about services to make your life easier after high school. Check into housing options, work and volunteer opportunities, and how to connect to your community!  Participants 18 and under who complete a Real Life Fair Passport will earn a chance to win a FABULOUS door prize! When: May 3rd, 2011 3 PM – 7 PM Where: Helena High School Cafeteria Target Audience: Youth with disabilities & their families

Click here to register for this event What: This is a repeat (and updated) performance of last year's tremendously popular webinar featuring young adult presenters organized by Summit Independent Living.  Join Ashlee, Michael, Mary, Mike, Barclay, Molly and Kim to learn about: The importance of considering healthy relationships as part of transition planning Friendships, dating, and marriage How to meet other young people How parents can help young adults make safe and healthy choices What resources are available to learn more about this topic   And much more! When: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 1:00-2:30pm Mountain After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

In the next 15 years, an estimated 500,000 autistic children like Dana will graduate out of school systems in the U.S. and into the unknown. Meaningful programs for them are scarce, and funding even scarcer. “We’re at the moment of truth to address the numbers of children aging into adulthood,” says autism activist Linda Walder Fiddle. “Their lives are hanging over a cliff, and we must not let them fall.”