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AdastraSoft's goal is to provide a set of innovative, user-friendly mobile application solutions to assist those who have various special communication and education needs to realize their full potential. We design our products with community-centric model in mind: Your ideas and suggestions will help shape the content and presentation of our software.  We welcome you to explore our site, and hope you would become a contributing member of our software community.

Many years ago, at my children’s inclusive elementary school, I was asked to observe in a fifth-grade classroom, and to share my ideas on better strategies for Chris, a boy with autism. Chris received intensive adult support: a teacher’s aide usually sat right next to him. During a spelling test, Chris told her how to spell each word, and she wrote for him since his writing was illegible to everyone except Chris. But most of her efforts were to keep Chris in his seat. It was painful to watch as—every few minutes—Chris fidgeted and started to rise, and a gentle, but firm, hand on his shoulder kept him in his seat.

Spearheaded by a group of 20 teenagers, a national campaign is kicking off this month designed to reshape youth perceptions of inclusion and ideas about what’s “normal.” The “I am Norm” campaign is centered on online videos, social networking and a series of advertising buys slated for next year, which organizers say they hope will spark conversation about inclusion of people with disabilities and what it really means to be normal.

What:A group of moms of children with special needs of all types that meets monthly in Great Falls to share friendship, support, encouragement and ideas in dealing with their special needs families. Next event for Montana Special Moms-Great Falls group is on Friday, January 7, 2011 at 6pm. We’ll meet at Mac Kenzie River Pizza, 500 River Drive S in Great Falls, Montana. Group is open to Moms of kids with any type of disability or delay. Contact Jana at 406-727-2704 or jnjloo@yahoo.com for more information and to reserve your seat!

Click here to read:A Response to Intervention (RTI) Process Cannot Be Used to Delay-Deny an Evaluation for Eligibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

What:A group of moms of children with special needs of all types that meets monthly in Great Falls to share friendship, support, encouragement and ideas in dealing with their special needs families. Next Event: Friday, February 4 at 6 p.m Where: First Southern Baptist. 2925 9th Ave S. (We can use the alley door and we will be downstairs.) Bring along a snack and drink of some sort, if you have time to throw something together. There will be coffee provided. Contact: Jana at 406-727-2704 or jnjloo@yahoo.com for more information and to reserve your seat!

Click here to register for this event | Click here to download the full brochure (PDF) When: February 26 & March 5, 2011 9:00am to 1:00pm Mountain Where: MSUB College of Education, Room 122  Billings, MT What: Google Sites is a tool that allows students and teachers to create custom web pages. You can easily create and update these pages adding content, attachments, and embedded media from many other services, including Picasa Web Albums, YouTube video, and Google Apps. A site can be created for a class, a school, or any other group that needs to quickly share information and ideas—even a team or a club. The easy-to-use editor makes it possible to build a site in minutes using templates for specific types of pages, such as announcements, dashboards, file cabinets, or lists. You also have control over who has access to the page; share with everyone, or only specific individuals. The workshop will show how you can set up and maintain your own personal website in Google Sites with knowing limited HTML. Participants must bring a laptop computer.

What: Our monthly Autism Support Group Meetings have been a success with parents coming out to share stories and ideas. Please join us at the next meeting and help us grow our network of parents and caregivers. Because there will be an open discussion between parents and caregivers about daily challenges of autism, we ask children not attend the meetings. Also, visit our website for great information about autism as it affects Montanans and find us on Facebook under the name “Montana ASA”. Where: Summit Medical Fitness Center, Meeting Room #3 205 Sunnyview Lane in Kalispell, MT When: Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 7-9pm Mountain Contact: Tim Tepas Founder, Autism Society of America – Northwest Montana Chapter www.MontanaASA.org Tim@montanaasa.org (406) 257-8758

A parent had a question. She said she did not agree with the school's proposed IEP, the school refused to change the IEP, so she needed to file for due process. Her advocate advised that she could not file for due process until after the school provided Prior Written Notice (PWN).

She was right. She could have requested the due process hearing when the dispute arose, without waiting months for the school to respond.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan vowed Tuesday to abolish the so-called "2 percent rule" that obscures an accurate portrait of the academic needs of America's students with disabilities. In prepared remarks to the American Association of People with Disabilities gala in Washington, Duncan declared that students with disabilities should be judged with the same accountability system as everyone else.

What: The 2011 National Transition Conference will provide a forum for the development of an action agenda, bring together critical partners in the transition community to exchange innovative ideas and approaches; demonstrate knowledge gained from policy implementation; transition practices; research findings; and promote and facilitate the development of networks and relationships. The 2011 National Transition Conference will bring together: Youth and young adults Family members/advocates/caregivers Educators Vocational rehabilitation professionals Employment and training professionals Researchers State and federal officials Leaders in the transition community When: November 7-9, 2011 More info: Registration will be available online in the summer. Check the conference website at www.transition2011.org for conference news and updates.

Click here to register for this event What: Teaching students how to comprehend text remains a challenge in our nation’s school systems. Many of the efforts directed toward teaching reading comprehension focus on providing practice at answering questions, while neglecting to teach learners how to reliably answer those questions. In this presentation, we will describe a program that systematically teaches the fundamental strategies for reading success: inferential comprehension, literal comprehension, main idea comprehension, and derived meaning comprehension. These fundamental strategies comprise the core of reading comprehension as it is assessed in standardized tests. More importantly, they provide learners with flexible tools that can be used to comprehend any text regardless of subject matter or reading level. When: June 15th, 1pm (Mountain) Guests: Joanne K. Robbins, Ph.D., a co-founder and executive director of P.E.E.R. International and Principal of Morningside Academy, an innovative school that uses procedures derived from the learning sciences to help children reach their full academic potential. Dr. Robbins has over 30 years of experience in program development, curriculum design, and teaching and supervision of programs for children and youth, in both educational and mental-health settings. Dr. Marta Leon, Director of Instructional Development for Headsprout. Dr. Leon has significantly contributed to the design and development of the Headsprout Reading Comprehension program and its accompanying materials. Before joining Headsprout, Dr. Leon was an instructional designer at Morningside Academy.

Registration is now open for this premiere regional conference on special education and the law. Please join us! Benefits: Learn from special education law experts from around the country Build professional relationships and network with colleagues Stay current on recent legal decisions and interpretations of special education law and litigation Expand your knowledge on emerging legal issues and trends When: September 26 - Optional Mini-Courses September 27 and 28 - Institute Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Jonathan Mooney "Re-Drawing the Lines - Neurodiversity: A Compass to a Changing World" Mr. Mooney is a writer and activist with dyslexia who learned to read when he was 12-years-old. He has since earned an honors degree in English Literature at Brown University and has written and published two thought-provoking books. The Institute will feature four keynote presentations at General Sessions and offers sixteen workshops on current topics such as Discipline Under the IDEA, Untangling Manifest Determinations, and Avoiding the Pitfalls in the IEP Process. Pre-institute Mini-Courses will provide an in-depth view of special education law applicable in public schools. We are pleased to announce that the 2011 Institute will be held in downtown Portland at the Portland Hilton and Executive Towers. The hotel has offered an excellent, discounted guest room rate. More information is available on the website. Register Now for the 28th Annual Pacific Northwest Institute on Special Education and the Law, September 26-28, 2011, at the Portland Hilton and Executive Tower, in Portland, Oregon. Complete details available at www.uwschoollaw.org

Click here to register for this webinar -- $39 What: Switch Blitz v.2011 is an idea generating session, a blitz of many items and strategies yet in a step by step format that will help you get started with switch use, motivate the stagnate switch user and progress the present switch user to higher levels. Switch Blitz v.2011 is a session with plenty of demonstrations and information that will take you from assessment to implementation. First we will touch on basics, and then progress to assessments, tools, strategies and resources. You will see demonstrations of switch software as well as FREE online switch resources. Participants will enjoy seeing video case examples of successful kids using their switches at the computer and for powered mobility. When: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time Presenter: Cindy Nankee, OTR/L, ATP, Universal Technology for Learning & Living (UTLL) Full Abstract – Including speaker biography and learning points

More than 30 years after passage of the Individuals With Disabilities

Education Act, schools are still working on including students with disabilities in all facets of public school. And in many places, they remain segregated for at least part of the day, says Wayne Sailor. "This has been a major uphill battle," Mr. Sailor, a professor of special education at the University of Kansas, told a group gathered in Arlington, Va., this week during a conference hosted by the U.S. Department of Education's office of special education programs.

Click here to register for this event What: The successful use of devices for the school-aged child with special needs relies heavily upon collaboration of rehabilitation therapists in the private and school-based settings, as well as home. This course will explore assistive technology as a collaborative process and clarify roles of providers. Learner Outcomes Participants will identify devices designed to enhance the child's motivation, participation and quality of life. Participants will explore ideas for assistive technology funding and training across settings The participant will identify methods of collaboration for the family, private and school-based therapists to improve the child's successful use of devices. Session sign in begins at 15 minutes prior. This session requires you to call in to access the audio. When: Friday, July 22, 2011 10:00am Mountain

The Montana State Special Education Advisory Panel is recruiting potential members to serve a three-year term on the Panel.  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that each state establish and maintain an advisory panel for the purpose of advising the state special education staff regarding the education of eligible children with disabilities.  The panel meets four times a year in Helena. Our first meeting is scheduled for September 22-23.  Expenses are reimbursed. The panel has specific membership requirements.  We are currently recruiting the following member positions: Private School Representative State/Local School Administrator Representative of Other State Agencies Involved in the Financing or Delivery of Related Services  to Children with Disabilities Representative of Subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act Parent of a Child With Disabilities (ages birth through 26) Multiple Positions A majority of the members of the panel must be individuals with disabilities or parents of children with disabilities (ages birth through 26). Panel positions are appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.  If you would like to apply to become a member of the advisory panel, please submit a letter or e-mail of interest to: Dick Trerise Special Education Division Office of Public Instruction PO Box 202501 Helena, MT 59620-2501 Or dtrerise@mt.gov Please include a short biography, an indication of your interest in serving, whether you have a disability or are the parent of a student with a disability, and what insights you believe you possess that will benefit the work of the panel. For additional information, please contact Dick Trerise.

What: The COPAA Training Committee is proud to present this five part webinar series on Legal Issues in Special Education. Please note new pricing for webinars! We also have a brand new subscription option - you can now register for one session, one series or for one entire year! Legal Series (live sessions) Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 12:00pm - 1:30pm Mountain 2010 Annual Case Law Review Presenter: Judith Gran, Esq. Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 12:00pm - 1:30pm Mountain Legal Claims for Bullying and Harassment Presenters: Catherine Merino Reisman, Esq., Amy Carolla, Esq. Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 12:00pm - 1:30pm Mountain Litigating Claims for Unlawful Retaliation and Interference with Rights Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 12:00pm - 1:30pm Mountain Social Emotional Assessment: Meeting IDEA Requirements Presenter: Ann E. Simun, PsyD Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 12:00pm - 1:30pm Mountain Expanding Your Arsenal with Section 504 For a complete list of past recorded sessions (included in the subscription or available individually), please visit: http://www.copaa.org/conference-training/webinars/ Fees View Event Fees View Event Summary View Event Agenda Register for Event

Click here to register for this event What: The M-Enabling Summit, Global Summit and Showcase for Mobile Applications and Services for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities, is the first global program solely dedicated to participants in the emerging ecosystem for mobile accessible and assistive technologies, applications and services. Unlike any other conference or exposition, the M-Enabling Summit brings together all facets of the industry. Key stakeholders from across the globe that develop, market, create policy, and deploy the initiatives that are setting new frontiers for Mobile Accessible and Assistive Solutions will be in attendance. Participants at M-Enabling Summit will be able to: Network and exchange ideas with peers and experts from industry, service providers, and organizations of seniors and persons with disabilities Learn about the latest developments, innovations, market drivers and emerging opportunities Share perspectives with global policy makers and regulators See the latest products, services and applications in a showcase featuring companies and organizations driving innovation with accessible and assistive mobile technologies solutions Gain new insights from case studies by service providers, and public and private sector organizations experienced in marketing and services for seniors and persons with disabilities Who Should Attend: Mobile service providers Accessibility experts Organizations of seniors and persons with disabilities Application developers Telecom regulators Emergency response officials IT professionals Corporations using mobile communications with their customers Federal agencies and local government Academia and research centers When: December 5-6, 2011 Where: The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center Washington, D.C.

Click Here to Download Flyer for this Event (pdf file) What:Two day conference focused on improving student development and involvement in the transition process through innovative program structures. Participants will share ideas, plan for future OTIs, increase knowledge of effective secondary transition practices, learn how to enhance effectiveness of current transition education practices, and learn about new transition education instructional materials.  Click Here to Register Now When:November 2nd- 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)November 3rd- 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) Where:Metro Technology Centers1900 Springlake DriveOklahoma City, OK 73111