:: INSOURCE Reports - Fall 2009
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Inside This Issue
Taking Pride in Success
 “When Matthew was three years old and first identified as a child with a developmental disability and a language impairment, we had no idea that he would be able to learn and succeed to the extent that he has,” said Barbara Campbell, Matthew’s mom and an INSOURCE Regional Program Specialist for South Central Indiana. Matthew is now enrolled at IVY Tech Community College in Bloomington and has, indeed, met with great success thanks, in great part, not only to his conscientious efforts to do good work, but to the good relationships built between Matthew’s family and school personnel with whom they’ve worked.
Having previously worked with child protective services, Barb was accustomed to participating in conferences as a professional. However, when she attended Matthew’s first case conference when he was in a developmental preschool, she recognized that she was there as a mom . . . not as a professional . . . and the conference took on an entirely different, and far more personal, meaning. She also felt that she was at a decided disadvantage because she was not knowledgeable about Matthew’s rights and the laws governing programs for children with special needs. Because she had the desire to be effective as an active and informed participant in the process, in 1997 when Matthew was in the first grade, she took INSOURCE’s training to become a Regional Parent Resource (RPR) and worked in that volunteer capacity until becoming part of the INSOURCE staff in 2003. Barb says that what she learned provided what she knew she needed to advocate on Matthew’s behalf and, in the long run, along with the constant support of her husband, Jeff, contributed greatly to Matthew’s success.
At the age of five, and while still in preschool, Matthew was identified as a student on the autism spectrum and he received special education services until his graduation from Bedford North Lawrence High School in May of 2009. A psychologist once told Barb that she couldn’t rule out the possibility that Matthew had a mild mental disability because he was non-verbal. While Barb strongly disagreed with this assessment, she had no idea that her son had the ability to learn to the extent that he has. Matthew developed more speech while he was still in preschool . . . and he learned to read then as well.
When Matthew was in first grade, Barb volunteered in his classroom and realized that he was doing as well as many of his peers in his general education classroom. Although when he was in the third grade and had a difficult time learning long division, he soon caught on and hasn’t had problems with math since. When he needed assistance with math, he would go to his dad, Jeff, for help, but, during his high school years, he began asking his teachers rather than his dad. Barb admits that she kept waiting for him to “max out,” but that never happened. He has proved to be a “whiz” in math and, in fact, received a math award for calculus! He has always taken school seriously and has wanted to please his teachers by doing good work. Not only did he excel academically, he performed in band in junior high school and in high school performed in the concert band, the pep band and the marching band.
 By the time Matthew graduated from high school with an excellent G.P.A., he had accumulated a list of impressive accomplishments. He was a member of the National Honor Society, the Beta Club (a national organization built on the ideals of honesty, service, leadership and academic achievement among high school students), Renaissance (an organization that rewards good conduct and good grades) and – when he had time in his exceptionally busy schedule – he participated in the Science Club.
Barb definitely credits Matthew’s good attitude and determination for his tremendous success while, at the same time, acknowledging that her working hard to build relationships with teachers, principals and other administrators played a great part in helping him succeed.
Comments from one of Matthew’s English teachers demonstrate that Barb was successful in building these relationships. Mary Pace of Bedford North Lawrence High School’s English Department said, “I had Matthew Campbell in my English class for two years. I often said to colleagues and his parents that if all of my students had the support and collaboration between parents and teachers that Matthew had, the educational system would flourish! His parents’ insistence on the absolute best education and their ability to help his teachers understand Matthew has been, I feel, the key to Matthew’s success in high school.”
The Campbells consistently attempted to work in collaboration with school personnel to explore creative ways to meet Matthew’s needs. Having learned about the special education process helped Barb to feel comfortable raising issues as they arose and participating in case conferences to work with school personnel as an important part of the team planning appropriate educational services for her son.
Barb has demonstrated her commitment to helping other families build collaborative relationships with school personnel in order to support the needs of students with special needs with the intended outcome of student success. While we have evidence that Barb’s efforts have been appreciated by the many families she has assisted and by school personnel with whom she has worked, the finest examples of her commitment are Matthew’s impressive accomplishments.
May Matthew enjoy and benefit from his postsecondary education experience at IVY Tech and continue to conquer more of life’s challenges along the way. We most certainly share his and his family’s pride in his success. We conclude with these comments from Kathy Hammel of North Lawrence Community Schools:
Matthew Campbell was a student in my third grade classroom in 1999-2000.
It was the first time I had worked with a student with autism, and I cannot emphasize enough how valuable it was to have had the home-school connection that was there even before the first day that Matthew came into class.
I remember attending a meeting with Mrs. Campbell, all the special service people that were working with Matthew (OT, PT, etc.), and Matthew’s second grade teacher at the end of Matthew’s second grade school year. At that time we reviewed procedures that were already in place for Matthew and discussed possible changes that might take place if needed. Mrs. Campbell was very personable and knowledgeable on issues and special needs policies. She expressed to me that she would be glad to assist me in any way to help with Matthew’s educational successes. Throughout the school year, she was readily available when I had questions and also contacted me if she had any concerns.
. . . Matthew’s classmates were very close to him, and the bond that was already in place with his peers just continued to strengthen. That bond remains even today. What began as a year that I believed would be focused on attending to the special needs of a child with autism turned into multiple lessons of love and compassion.
His family has shown through their actions that they were going to do everything possible for Matthew. His successes are a result of what can be achieved when the family and school personnel stay connected and focused on the needs required to help a child to succeed. I have enjoyed watching Matthew grow and develop, both academically and socially, and look forward to his future successes. I also feel honored to be able to call the Campbell family my friends.
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From the desk of the Executive Director
Summer is nearly over. School has started. Time seems to pass so quickly and it is becoming more and more precious to me as I get older and the kids get older. With two in college and two in high school, I need for time to slow down…or maybe I need to slow down. Anyway…
In the last newsletter, I wrote about change and the anxiety, uncertainty, excitement and optimism that often swirls around change. I was frankly hoping that things would settle down a bit, but that has not been the case. Probably the most significant recent changes have occurred in personnel within our State Department of Education.
In the fall, Indiana elected a new State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Tony Bennett. Dr. Bennett replaced a Superintendent who had served for three terms. So, we expected that there would be changes in personnel. New leadership typically brings in staff who are better aligned with a different philosophy, different approaches and priorities, different personalities. We also expected that with budget deficits there could be staff reductions. All of that has happened. There are fewer staff and many different and new faces.
There has been significant reorganization in our State Department. There is now a Division of Student Learning. Within that Division, there is a section that focuses on differentiated learners and that is now where special education is located. Lee Ann Kwiatkowski is the Director of Differentiated Learners. Lee Ann is an experienced educator, and she has been with the Department of Education for several years with the responsibility for administering the Title I program and services. We believe she will do a fine job and we wish her well.
Dr. Dawn McGrath is the new Acting Coordinator of Special Education at our State Department. It is a different title for the position but for all practical purposes, Dawn is the State Director. We have known and worked with Dawn for many years. She is very smart and very capable. She has served in the classroom, she has been an administrator and she is a Mom. She has an advocate’s heart and I think you will like her. I believe she will do a fine job in this very important leadership position and we certainly wish her all the best. (I encourage you to read more about Dawn in the “IDOE REPORTS…” column of this newsletter.)
As is so often the case, welcoming new colleagues means saying goodbye to old and dear friends. I will soon be completing my 24th year with this organization. To this point, in those 24 years, Indiana has had only three State Directors of Special Education. It has been my privilege to know and work with all of them. All of them shared an absolute commitment to the success of all students including, of course, students with disabilities. They all recognized the right to, the importance and the value of, viable parent participation. They understood that the system was designed and works best when parents are partners fully exercising their rights, and when they understand and fulfill their roles and responsibilities. All of them supported our training, information dissemination and advocacy efforts. We have always felt, always experienced, a genuine sense of collaboration and partnership and we are grateful. Thank you, Gil. Thank you, Paul. Paul, your experience, wisdom and support has meant so much to us. Bob, you have been our leader, our mentor, our task master, our partner and our friend. I am better, our organization is better because of your leadership and support. Most importantly, kids, their families and their schools are better. For us…for them, I thank you.
Hank, your advocate’s heart has inspired us, and the accountant in you has kept us out of trouble. Thank you…thank you.
Thank you, Sharon, for all of your help and support.
Thank you, Kylee for your help. (Know that we are proud of you.) For our youngest students and their families, thank you Sheron. For our older students and their families, thank you, Nancy.
Thanks so much to all of you. That seems inadequate, but please know that you have made a difference, an important difference to us, to our students and their families. Thank you…
Here is hoping we all have a great school year. Hug the kids for me, and…
As Always, Best Wishes!
Rich Burden
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IDOE REPORTS . . .
by Dawn McGrath, Acting Coordinator of Special Education
Indiana Department of Education
 In the last months, there have been many changes at the Indiana Department of Education. Many dear, familiar faces have retired or found dedications elsewhere while many new faces have arrived. As the new “Acting Coordinator of Special Education”, I fit into both the old and new categories.
For many years, I have been a friend to parents of students with exceptionalities. My husband, Steve McGrath, is a 7th grade math teacher at Belzer Middle School in Lawrence Township, Indianapolis. We have two sons, one who is a junior at Pike High School and one who is an 8th grader at New Augusta in Pike Township. The oldest son has an IEP due to autism and the younger son is in the gifted and talented program.
Beginning in 1983, I served as a special education teacher at a high school on the south side of Chicago and then a high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I spent five years teaching in a middle school in Miami, Florida and then two years at middle schools in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). My last teaching experience was at the elementary school level in Pike Township. For the last nine years, I directed the ICAN Project, a team that designed the alternate assessment, ISTAR (Indiana Standard Tool for Alternate Reporting); the early childhood assessment, ISTAR-KR (kindergarten readiness) and the state IEP, ISTART7 (Indiana Standard Tool for ARTicle 7 compliance). Last spring you may have met me if you attended one of the “Effective Goals Processes” workshops for which IN*SOURCE was a co-sponsor. Currently, I report to the Director of Differentiated Learners, Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, under the Division of Student Learning.
Parents with questions or specific issues are encouraged to work with IN*SOURCE to get the support and guidance that they need to navigate the best outcomes for their students. However, the staff at the Department of Education will be routinely replying to email sent to: specialeducation@doe.in.gov. I hope you find it reassuring to know that there are individuals at the Department who understand what it is like to be a parent of a child with a disability.
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NAVIGATING THE COURSE
 Navigating the Course: Finding Your Way Through Indiana’s Special Education Rules is the new document, replacing what many may recall as the former Live, Learn, Work and Play. The purpose of the document is to provide an overview and a practical resource to assist parents, advocates, school personnel and students to understand Article 7, Indiana’s special education rules. The document is not intended to be a substitute for Article 7, but it does provide information on all that Article 7 requires and provides links to a great number of additional resources. It is available from the following website:
http://www.doe.in.gov/exceptional/speced/docs/Navigating_the_Course.pdf. There is also a link to the document on the IN*SOURCE website at
http://www.insource.org/materialsIND.htm.
As stated in the introduction to the document, “understanding Article 7 helps parent(s), advocates, school personnel and students work together more effectively. When positive relationships are established between a parent(s) and the school, students with disabilities receive a better education and leave school better prepared to succeed as adults.”
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ON-LINE TRAINING MODULES
As part of our effort to use technology to reach parents more efficiently, INSOURCE has posted an online training on our website, www.insource.org. The training, Understanding Article 7, consists of four modules which combine video and PowerPoint slides to help parents understand Indiana’s special education law and how to apply it to their own situations.
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Module One provides an introduction to INSOURCE and to federal and state special education law. It also provides an overview of major concepts in special education law, procedural safeguards, parent participation and the special education process.
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Module Two contains information about how students are referred, parental consent, evaluation, eligibility categories and the case conference committee process.
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Module Three provides information about IEPs, ISTART7, when parental consent is needed, how to challenge or revise an IEP and transition to adult life. This module also contains helpful advice on how to organize and manage information in your student’s home file.
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Module Four covers communication skills to help parents partner with schools in order to achieve the best outcomes for students. It also provides information on procedural safeguards and formal dispute resolution so that parents know how to proceed in the event that agreement cannot be reached through more informal means.
 While INSOURCE will continue to provide individual assistance as well as classroom training sessions, these on-line training modules, which are presented by INSOURCE program specialists, will be available for parents or professionals to view on their own schedule and at their own pace. The modules may be viewed individually, so parents can choose the modules they want to view, and they can view the modules multiple times. The PowerPoint slides can be downloaded for future reference or for notetaking. A message center is included so that individuals may ask questions at any time during the video. INSOURCE staff will review the message center daily and will respond to questions within 48 business hours. Additional modules will be added in the near future.
We encourage parents and professionals to check the INSOURCE website for more online training opportunities as well as for scheduled workshops throughout the state.
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INSOURCE PODCAST LIBRARY
INSOURCE has begun the development of a podcast library which can be accessed by anyone at any time directly from our website at www.insource.org. The following podcasts, averaging approximately 20 minutes each, are currently posted to the website:
Charter Schools in Indiana with Dr. Bob Marra, Special Education Coordinator in the Office of Charter Schools at Ball State University.
 Post-Secondary Education Programs with John Dickerson, Executive Director of the Arc of Indiana.
Extended School Year Services and Special Education with Kylee Bassett, Special Education Support Specialist for the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Riley Hospital
ISTART7/Electronic IEPs with Dr. Dawn McGrath, Acting Coordinator of Special Education for the Indiana Department of Education
The PATINS Project with Daniel McNulty, Site Coordinator for the PATINS Project which provides access to technology tools and instruction on Universal Design for Learning
Disproportionality in Schools with Shana Ritter, Project Coordinator of the Equity Project.
Additional podcasts will be added in the near future on topics such as Transition to Adult Life, the Autism Spectrum and Discipline. Readers of the newsletter and listeners to the podcasts are invited to check our website regularly for additional podcasts and to suggest topics of interest for potential future podcasts.
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INDIANA CONFERENCE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
The Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities will be hosting the fifteenth annual Indiana Conference for People with Disabilities. This year’s conference, “Invest in People and Share in the Profits,” will be on Monday and Tuesday, November 16th and 17th at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis. People with disabilities, their family members, caregivers and advocates are encouraged to attend. To register and for more information, contact the Council at (317) 232-7770 or e-mail gpcpd@gpcpd.org.
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HEAR HERE INDIANAPOLIS 2009
The 27th annual Hear Indiana Conference, presented by Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent, will be held on October 30, 2009 at the Junior Achievement Center in Indianapolis. For registration information, visit the Educational Conference page at www.hearindiana.org/hearhere. That website contains descriptions of the sessions to be held, financial aid information and a printable registration form. For additional information, call (317) 828-0211 or e-mail info@hearindiana.org.
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Transition Conference
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INDIANA DEAFBLIND FAMILY
LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM
A learning program for parents who have children with combined vision and hearing loss is being planned by the Indiana Deafblind Services Project. If you have a son or daughter who has combined vision and hearing loss and if you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you might consider participating in this program:
- Are you interested in learning more about deafblindness?
- Do you feel that it is time for you to identify some leadership opportunities for yourself?
- Would it be helpful to have the support of other families working on the same types of goals?
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Three weekend workshops are being planned and will be held in Indianapolis on the following dates:
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February 19-21, 2010 (Introduction to Family Leadership and Understanding Deafblindness)
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April 30-May 2, 2010 (Leadership within Different Systems, Understanding Systems within Indiana, and Advocacy)
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July 9-11, 2010 (Active Listening and Communication, Connecting with Families, and Negotiating Conflict)
 The Deafblind Services Project will provide family members with all training materials and will provide travel reimbursements for attending the weekend seminars. There will be scholarship funds available to be used for childcare while parents attend the on-site trainings.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity. If you are interested in participating, please contact Lisa Poff, Program Coordinator with the Indiana Deafblind Services Project; Lisa.Poff@indstate.edu; (800)622-3035. Lisa will send additional information as well as registration materials. Registration must be completed by October 25, 2009.
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THINK GREEN
 In an effort to do our best to preserve the environment, we are continuing to offer our readers the opportunity to receive our newsletter electronically. Many of our readers have taken advantage of that and many others read it as it is posted to our website at www.insource.org. We urge you to consider being added to our electronic mailing list. Simply contact us at insource@insource.org and join the growing list of those who are helping us THINK GREEN!
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IS COLLEGE FOR YOU?
 The guidebook, Is College for You? Setting Goals and Taking Action, is a 42 page publication of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) and was written to assist high school students and their families who are considering college as a future option. It contains basic information, tools and resources to help students make informed decisions about whether or not college is for them and it contains specific ways to assist them to plan for and make the necessary decisions about going to college.
The publication is free to Indiana residents and is available by contacting Susan Harris (skharris@indiana.edu) or Sherry Redman (sredman@indiana.edu) at IIDC or calling them at (812) 855-6508 or (812) 855-9396 (TTY).
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TRANSPORTATION SURVEY
Many of Indiana’s citizens with disabilities in Indiana face challenges when attempting to access transportation, a necessary support for those seeking employment, accessing health care and gaining access to community activities. With that in mind, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, in collaboration with the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities and Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services, is conducting a survey which asks Indiana citizens about the types of transportation they use to go to work, to go shopping and to participate in various activities in their communities. Participants will also be asked to suggest ways to improve transportation in their communities.
People with disabilities, their family members and their advocates are being invited to access the survey so that their voices can be heard. The 2009 Disability Poll on Transportation is available online at http://www.thepollingplace.org. For additional information, or to receive the survey in alternative format or for print copies, contact Dr. Vicki Pappas at 1-800-825-4733 or e-mail beheard@indiana.edu.
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"Some people strengthen the society just by being the kind of people they are."
--John W. Gardner
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SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY
 With the passing of Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy, the education community has lost a great friend and a champion for the cause of education for all citizens. During all of his 46 years in the United States Senate, Senator Kennedy was a strong advocate on behalf of children and adults with disabilities. He was a co-sponsor and a major force behind the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975, the predecessor to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). He was also a strong force behind the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act and he spearheaded the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act which helped to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities.
Few national leaders have had such a profound influence on the lives of those with disabilities. He has left a remarkable legacy and it seems appropriate to remember him by quoting his own words --
“For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”
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INSOURCE AWARDED NEW GRANT
We are pleased and proud to announce that INSOURCE has been awarded a new five-year grant to continue as Indiana’s parent training and information center (PTI). The new grant cycle for the Indiana Parent Training Program (known as IPTP) begins October 1, 2009 and continues through September 30, 2014. IPTP has been funded as a PTI by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs since 1980. Staff looks forward to continuing to enhance our efforts to provide information and training to parents and professionals and to examine ways to work more effectively and efficiently with our extensive volunteer network.
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 Connect with Other Parents on Facebook
 INSOURCE on Facebook
Connect with other parents through the INSOURCE Facebook Group. Weigh in on timely discussions, post comments on disability issues or ask other parents for assistance at the new INSOURCE Facebook Group.
Facebook members may join here. If you are not already a Facebook member, and you are interested in joining this social network, go to www.facebook.com.
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INSOURCE REPORTS is published three times a year by the Indiana Resource Center for Families with Special Needs, 1703 South Ironwood Drive, South Bend, Indiana 46613. INSOURCE REPORTS is funded, in part, through grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the Indiana Department of Education. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the funding sources.
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