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All application materials must be postmarked by March 1, 2010. Individuals may submit only one application per award period.

For more information, visit: http://lookingglass.org/scholarships/index.php

Student athletes with disabilities, their coaches and
teachers can win a trip to the
2010 Winter Paralympic Games

U.S. Paralympics is sending 18 people to the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.  Twelve student athletes and six adult coaches and teachers will be chosen.  You could be one of them, if you enter the Paralympics Experience contest!

Paralympic Experience Vancouver will be held March 11-17, 2010.  This is an all expense paid trip, including airfare, lodging, meals and event tickets.  See all the events and meet Paralympic athletes.

To enter:

  • Visit the Paralympics website and download a student or adult registration form:  http://u.nu/4t3p3.  If clicking the link does not work, copy and paste the link into your browser's address bar.
  • Students must submit a 500 word essay or a 90 second video about their participation in sports and how sports have impacted their life.  Adults must submit a brief biography or resume, a one-page essay describing their experience working with students, and a letter of recommendation from their supervisor.
  • Student and adult applications must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2009.  See the Paralympics website for complete rules and details.

 

ADA Amendments Act Broadens Employment Protections

The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 took effect Jan. 1, 2009, after being signed into federal law in September. The new law restores the U.S. Congress’ original intent to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and broadens protections against employment discrimination for people with disabilities.

Notice Concerning The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act Of 2008

Center for Possibilities Counseling Center Reopens

The Center for Possibilities has reopened the Center for Possibilities Counseling Services, funded through a grant from Community Partners for Child Safety and Prevent Child Abuse of Lake County.  The program is aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect of children with disabilities by addressing the stress and the strain experienced by their families and caregivers.  All services are free and include counseling, support group facilitation, parent to parent mentoring facilitation, parenting classes, and resource education classes for families in Lake County, Indiana, that have children with disabilities.  Additionally, the Center for Possibilities is also offering to provide free in-service education to the public about way to prevent child abuse and neglect of children with disabilities.

The mission of the Center for Possibilities is to improve the quality of life for young children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families.  In addition to the counseling services, the Center also provides a preschool and adult day program for individuals with development disabilities.  Please feel free to contact the Center for more information at (219) 962-5751.

Changes in IDEA Involve Parents’ Rights

New regulations of the federal Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) became effective Dec. 31, 2008, and include two changes of particular importance to parents of children with disabilities: a parent’s right to revoke consent for special education and related services, and representation of parents and schools by non-attorneys in due process hearings.

View the full text of the new regulations at PACER.org/legislation/news.asp.

Children's Special Health Care Services

The Children's Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) program is changing its eligibility income guidelines to 225% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines for new and re-applications to the program effective July 1, 2009 ($49,613 yearly income for family of 4).  Active CSHCS participants will not be affected by the change until their re-application date.  Families who apply before July 1, 2009 will be eleigible under the current guideline of 250% ($55,125 yearly income for family of 4) for the next year

Field Trip to "Fun for All"

Fun for All (FFA) is a play-based behavioral program offered by Behavior & Learning Solutions, LLC, www.behaviorandlearningsolutions.com.  We are located inside TNT Twisters, a tumbling and trampoline facility located at 3150 45th Ave., Highland, Indiana, 46322.  Our program is for individuals with developmental disabilities at any skill level.  Any child can attend, even children who have severe language and social skills deficits.

We provide a fun and safe setting in which children with developmental disabilities can learn some of the language, behavioral, play and social skills necessary for success.  Children can take turns jumping on the in-the-floor trampolines, participate in group activities, pair up with a partner for games and obstacle courses, and take part in craft and story times!

The program is designed for children who, due to their developmental delays, have trouble participating in social or play groups, and/or do not attend well or cooperate during activities such as: group play and games; circle times; story times; and various crafts.

Our programs are founded on the implementation of sound behavioral principles to teach play skills, communication skills, cooperation, and social referencing. Play groups, open gym and trampoline jump, and story and activity times are designed to be fun, but instructional. These classes are for children with disabilities. Behavior issues or skill deficits will not preclude them from attending. Children of any developmental level are encouraged to attend, even children who lack language or play skills. The purpose of these programs is to teach these skills.

Classes are intensive, with a high staff to student ratio. Open gym and trampoline jump have staff at each trampoline and “floating” staff to facilitate play and interaction. The instructional play group, and story and activity times have a high staff to student ratio, often one to one. This high ratio of staff to students guarantees ongoing opportunities for personalized, in context teaching.

If you have questions, e-mail BehaviorAndLearningSolutions@gmail.com, call TNT Twisters at (219)924-0837 and ask for Jill McNeil with the “Fun for All” program, or call Jill directly at (219)742-2803. Visit our website at www.funforallplaygroups.com for more information.

Indiana's Medicaid Waiver Program
Home and Community-Based Services for People
with Developmental Disabilities Video

The Arc has just released a video that provides an overview and information on Indiana's Medicaid Waiver program.  To view the video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYDUrhdFhSc.

New Guidance Announced to Help States and Districts Implement Public School Choice and Supplemental Educational Services

On Jan. 14, before leaving her position as U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings announced the release of non-regulatory guidance to assist states and local educators in implementing the public school choice and supplemental educational services (SES) provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. These provisions are intended to help increase academic achievement by giving parents of eligible students, in Title I schools identified for improvement, the options to transfer to another better public school in the district or to receive free tutoring.

You can view the public school choice guidance document at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/schoolchoiceguid.doc and the SES guidance document at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/suppsvcsguid.doc.

New Idea for Promoting Early Literacy Available Online

Interested in learning infant sign language, finding new finger plays for your toddler, or discovering ideas to encourage your preschooler to talk or learn letters?  Parents can find practical ideas online for providing young children with the building blocks for learning to read, write and talk, thanks to the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL).  CELL recently published 70 new guides to help parents and practitioners promote early literacy skills of children with disabilities or delays.  CELL is a research-to-practice technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Research to Practice Division.  Its goal is to promote the adoption and sustained use of evidence-based early literacy learning practices by early childhood intervention practitioners, parents, and other caregivers of young children, birth to five years of age, with identified disabilities, developmental delays, and those at-risk for poor outcomes.  CELL is a major initiative of the Center for Evidence-Based Practices at the Orelena Haws Puckett Institute.

Obama-Biden Education Agenda Posted on Web

The Obama administration has posted its education agenda on the White House Web site. For early childhood education, the agenda includes key emphasis on early care and education for infants; expanded funding for Early Head Start and Head Start; and affordable, high quality child care. The K – 12 agenda includes reforming No Child Left Behind, making math and science a national priority, and addressing the drop-out crisis. For students with disabilities, the administration plans to increase funding and effectively enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; hold schools accountable for providing students with disabilities the services and supports they need to reach their potential; support early intervention services for infants and toddlers; and work to improve college opportunities for high school graduates with disabilities.

Online Tools from the
Social Security Administration

Did you know that you can appeal a decision on your Social Security disability claim online? To be able to use this Internet process, a claimant must: 1) have applied for benefits; 2) have received a "Notice of Disapproved Claim", a "Notice of Reconsideration" or "Notice of Federal Reviewing Official Decision; 3) disagree with the disability decision; and 4) live in the United States or one of its territories. For more information, visit the SSA's website at https://secure.ssa.gov/apps6z/iAppeals/ap001.jsp. The SSA also has an online screening tool to assist with determining potential eligibility for any of the programs it administers. The online screening tool can be found at https://s044a90.ssa.gov/apps7/best/benefits/.  

Proposed Economic Recovery Package Would
Dramatically Increase IDEA Funding

U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) has introduced the $825 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Among its provisions, it seeks to increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Grants to States (Part B) by $13 billion over two years and $600 million over two years for IDEA's Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program (Part C). Visit pacer.org/legislation/resources.asp to find out how to contact your congressional representatives and share your opinion on this bill.

Click here for a summary of the bill.
Click here for the bill text.

Senate Stimulus Proposal Less Promising
For Those with Disabilities

Senate Democrats unveiled a portion of their economic stimulus proposal Friday, and it includes a smaller, one-time stimulus payment to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients than the House version. (From disabilityscoop)

Spanish Infant & Toddler Language
and Early Literacy Activities

The Washington Learning Systems has made available at their website Spanish language versions of birth-to-three parent/child activity materials.  These materials are free and may be reproduced. 

These materials include twenty home and community activities for adults and children (birth to three) that encourage early language and literacy development.  They are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as for children who are developing typically.  The files are in PDF Adobe Acrobat reader graphic format to allow for easy and secure downloading.  The materials were developed by Angela Notari-Syverson, Ph.D. and Kristin Rytter, Ph.D, with Judy Challoner, Faith Haertig Sadler, Young Sook Lim, Ph.D., Marilyn Sturm, and Rodd Hedlund (2005), and may be copies and distributed as long as they are not sold.

To download materials, go to www.walearning.com and click on the purple button that says "Free Parent Education Handouts" on the home page.

 


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Insource 2005