:: INSOURCE Reports - Winter 2009
Download Winter 2009 newsletter PDF 
Inside This Issue
From the desk of the Executive Director...
I have often thought that relationships between parents and school folks would be enhanced if school folks were comfortable saying and parents could comfortably hear the phrase, “I don’t know, but...” I believe that all parents and schools want successful outcomes for their students, but there are so many variables. We are all different. I have four wonderful kids that are all very different one from the other. My wife and I are very different. In a typical classroom, a teacher might be looking at a group of students who have little more in common than their age and where they happen to live. Certainly in the past, but still too often today, we have viewed that situation through a bell curve lense. That allows us to understand that in that classroom some of the students will do very well, many will do well enough and some will not do well at all. Until fairly recently, that has been perfectly acceptable and interestingly enough, accepted even by those students and their families who did not do well.
Now, at least our public rhetoric says that it is no longer acceptable for some percentage of our students to fail to achieve successful outcomes. I cannot overstate the importance of that declared change in our expectations. Everything flows from that understanding, that paradigm shift, but although critically important, it is only the beginning.
Now we face the really hard work of helping every student realize successful outcomes. Such diversity, so many variables...education is certainly not a manufacturing process where at the front of the line, we know and can precisely control all of the necessary inputs that will have “built” a successful student ready for “shipping” at the end of the line. It is complicated, but over the years we have learned a great deal through research and practice. We can be reasonably confident that certain approaches, programs, interventions can be/should be effective in certain situations and environments, if we take the time to learn as much about each student as we reasonably can. (Reasonable is somewhere between an in depth profile for each student and the assumption that students who happen to be about the same age and live in the same general vicinity are the same.) If we understand where they are and where they need intervention and support and then apply those approaches that we have good reason to believe will be effective...we can make a difference.
Will we always realize the results that we were expecting to see? Maybe not. Will we always know why we did not see what we were expecting? Maybe not. Not achieving the outcomes we were hoping for does not have to mean that we have failed, that we throw up our hands and look for someone to blame. It should only mean that we haven’t yet found the keys to success, and we have more work to do. “I don’t know, but...maybe we need more time, or maybe we need to learn more about the student, or maybe we learned new information that will lead us in a different direction, or maybe we need greater intensity, or maybe we need to monitor homework more closely, or maybe we need a different approach or intervention, or maybe we need to enhance communication between home and school, or maybe...”
Education is not a manufacturing process. It is, however, a process that can effectively serve all students if we see students more as individuals and less as part of a homogenous group, if we target scientific research based programs and interventions to address needs, if we implement with fidelity, monitor performance frequently and consistently, if parents and schools communicate, communicate, communicate, and we believe that failure is not an option for any student.
Our offices will be closed during the holidays. We will reopen on Monday, January 4th. It has been a difficult year for too many of us. As we gather our family and friends around us this holiday season, I wish for all of us, the faith and stubborn determination to look to the new year with hope and optimism. May God bless us all.
Best Wishes for a joyous holiday season and a safe and prosperous new year,
Rich Burden
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IDOE REPORTS . . .
by Dawn McGrath, Acting Coordinator of Special Education
Indiana Department of Education
 Greetings from the Indiana Department of Education. Our special education team has gone through manychanges in order to serve families and schools in our state effectively and we are excited about these changes. We are working hard to streamline our team and will be updating our website this year to make it more user friendly. Look for our new updated Frequently Asked Questions page that will be launched soon.
Meet the people who work with me on the team in order to meet our goals –
Greg Cochran manages the communication process for both schools and the general public. Shawnee Ames works closely with Greg and manages our intake line (317) 232-0570. Shawnee is also responsible for assisting with the responsibilities of the Executive Secretary to the State Advisory Council and the on-site monitoring process.
Michael Craciunoiu is the grant supervisor and oversees programmatic funding and improvement activities. Michael is also the data steward who assures timely and accurate data systems.
Ryan Brown is the compliance monitor specialist who manages findings and the corrective action data base. Ryan also assembles the data and develops the narrative for the Annual Performance Report and the State Performance Plan.
John Hill oversees the disproportionality and the Transition IEP analysis process. He also supervises the parent survey and post-secondary follow up survey. In addition, John serves as the Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the National Alliance of Medicaid in Education.
Bill Luther manages desk audits and on-site monitoring visits to verify best practices around including students in the general education environment.
Susan Reimlinger manages the applications for residential and non-residential placements. Working closely with her are Trennie Waddell, who assists with the processing of applications, and Shawnee Ames, who works on the administration of funding the excess cost.
Jolly Piersall directs the ISTART7 project and assists on the monitoring team.
We are so pleased that we now have INSOURCE support at the IDOE office. Lesa Paddack, formerly the INSOURCE Regional Program Specialist for a portion of central Indiana, is now serving as a liaison to parents and as a participant in our on-site monitoring. Lesa, serving as an INSOURCE representative to the Indiana Department of Education, has been working at IDOE since October and can be reached directly at (317) 232-0892 or lpaddack@doe.in.gov.
If you have a special education question, please feel free to e-mail us at specialeducation@doe.in.gov or call us at (317) 232-0570.
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Welcome New Regional Staff
 Cindy Esteb
Indianapolis
(317) 245-7561
cesteb@insource.org
Cindy lives in Indianapolis in Franklin Township (Marion County). She and her husband, Chris, have four children . . . Tiffany is 16, Hannah is 13, Christopher is 12 and John is 8. Christopher sustained a traumatic brain injury as the result of a sledding accident six years. He has an IEP and receives special education services through R.I.S.E. Special Services.
Prior to Christopher’s accident, Cindy ran an in-home day care and was a nursing student. Following the accident, with the help of Lesa Paddack, another INSOURCE Program Specialist, Cindy devoted her efforts to assuring that Christopher would receive the necessary supports to succeed in school. Cindy claims that, thanks in great part to Lesa’s empowering her and her advice and support, Christopher is now thriving in his home school.
Cindy is now enjoying her work as a Regional Program Specialist (RPS) as she, in turn, supports families and shares information with them.
Cindy is assisting families in Johnson County, Southern Marion County (MSD of Perry Township, Franklin Township Community School Corporation), Morgan County, Shelby County and R.I.S.E. Special Services.
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Please Help Us Help Others
What parents say:
 “I am so completely thankful for INSOURCE. If it wasn’t for you people and the support and information that you give us parents with special needs kids, I would be so completely lost right now. Thank you so much for all that you do.”
“INSOURCE is one of the most valuable assets I have for helping our daughter through the complex special education laws. Without your help I fear she would have fallen through the cracks in our public school system. Thank you so much for your help.”
Those comments are just two of the many received from parents grateful for the support provided by INSOURCE staff and volunteers. This support helps families understand the special education process and work with school personnel to get appropriate services for their sons and daughters.
What schools say:
“When the INSOURCE representative is present at the case conference, it vastly improves communication and willingness to address needs constructively.”
“As an administrator, I came to see the information given children’s parents. This was presented in a positive manner . . . I have come away with a very positive opinion of the . . . presenters.”
These statements demonstrate that school and agency personnel value the support provided by INSOURCE as we assist families and schools to work collaboratively to yield positive results for Indiana’s students.
As a not-for-profit organization, INSOURCE provides no-cost educational advocacy services to parents of children with special needs throughout Indiana. Last year we assisted 13,269 families, attended 686 case conferences and reached 4,964 individuals through workshops, presentations and fairs.
Requests for INSOURCE’s services increase from year to year, creating a greater need for donations to supplement grant funding. We ask that you consider supporting INSOURCE with a generous donation so that we can help even more families next year. Thank you.
 Happy Holidays,
Richard Burden, Executive Director
All donations to INSOURCE are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
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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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