If you missed the ADAPT Community Network webinar “Turning Five: Moving from Preschool to Kindergarten for Students with Disabilities” on Feb. 8, you have another chance to get online training to help you prepare for your child’s transition from preschool special education to kindergarten.
The training is being organized by the Lower Hudson Early Childhood FACE Center, Mid-Hudson Early Childhood FACE Center and NYSED OSE Partnership.
Topics covered include:
Details
When: Feb. 13, 2024
Time: 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
The virtual presentation “When You Are Considering a Developmental Evaluation for Your Child: A Parent’s Perspective to Assist Your Visit” provides an overview of the parent’s perspective when planning for a child’s developmental evaluation.
This webinar will not be looking at specific tests or types of evaluations. Instead, parents will share some tips and potential suggestions that they have learned based on their own personal experiences. They hope that this provides you with information and ideas when planning for your own child’s evaluation.
It’s being organized by Parent to Parent of NYS.
Details
When: Feb. 15, 2024
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
A free screening of the film Everybody Should Be in a Band, presented by the Rockland County Disability Advisory Council, will be shown March 3, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., at the Lafayette Theater at 97 Lafayette Ave., Suffern, N.Y.
The documentary, about the power of playing music together to help us think and act differently, is based on the art therapy school Music for Life in Nyack, N.Y.
The screening kicks off the council’s “Think Differently” campaign. “Think Differently” is just getting started in Rockland, but both Orange and Dutchess counties have similar campaigns up and running.
A free resource and transition fair for students of all ages with and IEP or 504 Plan, families and professionals is being offered through Rockland BOCES and the Rockland Transition Consortium in West Nyack, N.Y.
The day will include:
Breakout programs include “Self-Direction for Individuals Eligible with OPWDD,” “Overcoming Barriers: Build Your Pathway to Employment,” “Social Security,” “Access-VR” and more.
Details
When: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Time: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Palisades Center Community Rooms (4th floor near the ice rink), 1000 Palisades Center Dr., West Nyack, N.Y., 10994
Drop in when you can. No need to register!
Questions? Contact Mary Ellen Urinyi at murinyi@boces.org.
Image: Palisades Center, Flickr
New York City’s special education woes, a Direct Support Professional speaks truth to power, children’s books recognized for stories about disabilities and more news to know for the week ending Feb. 3, 2024.
A shout-out to Disability Scoop, which has been on a roll the last two weeks with a handful of great articles, including the FDA’s expected ban on shock devices; the rebounding of special education disputes; coffee clubs for adults with autism; the Census weighing overhaul of disability questions after uproar on changes; and speech providers pushing back on insurance effort to cut rates.
Westchester school tests drive sports wheelchairs for Able Athletics events Students participated in athletics from the seat of a sports wheelchair. (lohud.com)
10,000 NYC students are shut out of programs for children with autism. Adding 160 seats is a start City officials said 95% of children who attend these programs graduate from high school, more than 30 percentage points higher than students with disabilities overall. (Chalkbeat)
Eric Adams boosted pay for special ed pre-K teachers. Now they face deep cuts. This article covers a lot of ground in terms of the state of special ed in NYC. Things are not good. (Chalkbeat)
Arizona Parents of children with disabilities receive funding and certified training to be Direct Care Workers In 2020 Arizona issued a temporary flexibility allowing for parents of minor children with disabilities to receive certified training to be Direct Care Workers for their own children. In 2021, it expanded the support beyond the COVID-19 flexibility window. (Arizona Illustrated)
Oklahoma sent bonuses to elementary and special education teachers of up to $50,000. Then it asked for them back What a fiasco. The bonuses were awarded under a program that is intended to help recruit new teachers for the most difficult jobs to fill. (Fortune.com)
Hundreds of Companies Legally Pay Disabled Workers Below Minimum Wage. This Needs to Change Teen Vogue tackles the subminimum wage. (Teen Vogue)
‘I’m Not Safe Here’: Schools Ignore Federal Rules on Restraint and Seclusion No federal law prohibits restraint and seclusion, leaving a patchwork of practices across states and school districts with little oversight and accountability. (KFF Health News)
FYI, from August 2023: New York Approves New Rules Limiting Restraint, Seclusion in Schools
Autistic Boys and Men Camouflage, Too Camouflaging is linked to public self-consciousness. (Psychology Today)
DSP Spotlight: Lawrence Discusses Hardship Imposed on Direct Care Workforce An excellent take from a DSP. “It is important for people to recognize the skills, training, and importance of our profession and how comparable it is to jobs with similar requirements.” (The Arc)
Making Information Accessible One Document at a Time YAI writes about “Easy Read,” a document format that offers pictures on the left side of the page and clear, short text on the right, and the work the agency is doing to help train others how to use it. (YAI)
Children’s Books Recognized For Stories About Disabilities The American Library Association named three winners and six honorees of its Schneider Family Book Awards this month. (Disability Scoop)
Mar Galcerán makes history as Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down syndrome The achievement was also a reflection of the decades Galcerán had spent working to advance the status of people with Down syndrome in Spain. (The Guardian)
Are you a BIPOC Parent of a child with special needs of any age? (BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) Parent to Parent of NYS is offering a safe and supportive space that recognizes the diverse experiences within the BIPOC community.
The one-time virtual session is being offered on a variety of dates (see below).
In the words of Melanie Baker, an advocate and parent who is running the panel, “I understand the realities of parenting our children with special needs while walking that tightrope of living on the margins struggling to be seen! Let’s address the high-pressure reality on us as BIPOC parents so we may begin to re-energize ourselves, re-focus on what’s most important, and re-up our enthusiasm to increase our effectiveness in our roles. As we share our paths forward together, the better off we will be for our journey ahead, emotionally and physically, and the better off our families will be.”
Details
Dates: Feb. 7, March 13, April 17, May 15, June 12
Time: 7 p.m.
ADAPT Community Network is offering a free webinar “Turning Five: Moving from Preschool to Kindergarten for Students with Disabilities.” Participants will learn about the kindergarten admissions process, how to get special education services in kindergarten, parents’ rights, advocacy tips and how to get help.
The presenter is Liliana Diaz-Pedroza, an attorney at Advocates for Children (AFC).
Spanish and Mandarin translations will be provided.
Details
When: Thursday, Feb. 8
Time: 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities has announced that new Front Door Information Session videos are now available for viewing on the OPWDD website.
The Front Door Information Session outlines the process of how a person can become eligible for OPWDD supports and services, the types of supports and services available and where they can get assistance. OPWDD stakeholders suggested that short videos that break out the steps to the Front Door process would be the most helpful for viewing and retaining the information.
These short videos provide easy-to-understand information about OPWDD services and how to get started receiving services. The videos are separated into segments that provide an overview of important steps in the process and will replace the practice of requiring Front Door Information Sessions in person or online:
Getting Started with OPWDD
The Front Door Process
Eligibility
Services
OPWDD Residential and Housing Supports
OPWDD Employment Services
Self-Direction
OPWDD Care Management
Assessment
Funding
These videos are currently available in English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese and will be translated into other languages over the next several months. Until those translated videos are available, OPWDD is providing translation services for anyone who needs a different language.
View Front Door videos in English
View Front Door videos in Spanish
View Front Door videos in Chinese
This webinar is part of the Transition Workshop Series from Rockland BOCES, which covers topics relevant to all New York families and students with disabilities.
The session is designed to assist parents and young adults who plan to pursue a college degree in understanding the differences that can be expected as students move from high school to any two- or four-year college setting.
Info will include:
Details
When: Feb. 7, 2024
Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
RSVP: Click this link or email Mary Ellen Urinyi at murinyi@rboces.org to participate.
Parents are integral partners in the special education process. Join a conversation that explores how parents can effectively prepare for the annual review and be effective members of the CSE. Learn about planning strategies, approaching differences of opinion, and keeping the focus on your child.
Details
When: Jan. 30, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Register here.
The organizer is WIHD Community Support Network.