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MPACT Parent Training and Information |
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MPACT Parent Training and Information |
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| Celebrating 20 years of supporting Missouri Families! www.ptimpact.com | |
| Trainings |
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Entering
its 20th year of service as the IDEA funded statewide Parent Training
and Information center, MPACT serves children with disabilities and
their families throughout the state of MPACT offers a wide variety of services and programs. Volunteers are an integral part of our service delivery. The reasons for volunteering with MPACT are as diverse and unique as our volunteers themselves. Many people choose to volunteer with MPACT because our volunteer program is rewarding and flexible. Whether you choose to work directly with a family, a parent, or contribute to the agency's mission in a more indirect way, you will make a difference in the lives of others. As a MPACT board member, or a
member of a MPACT advisory committee, you would be in a position to make a
positive impact in the lives of children and young adults with disabilities in
the state of MPACT is currently looking for volunteers for our Board of Directors and for our Parent Mentor Program. If you are interested in either of these opportunities please contact MPACT by calling MPACT at 1-800-743-7634 or by emailing us at mpact@ptimpact.com.
Save the Date!!! Pete Wright presents Special Education Law and Advocacy Training May 15, 2008 ..more information coming soon... **Please RSVP to ensure that everyone will have have handouts and materials** Art of Effective Advocacy
Bullying
Disagreement Resolution
How to Write Measurable Goals and Objectives
IDEA Boot Camp (Special Ed Law, IEP Process, Disagreement Resolution Process) 4/23/08 Boot Camp Part 1** 5/7/08 Boot Camp Part 2**
IDEA Part C to B (First Steps to Early Childhood)
Positive Behavior Interventions
Special Education Law
Understanding ADHD
Understanding the IEP Process
Northwest Missouri Conference on Autism Save the Date!! Saturday, April 5, 2008 Missouri Western State University Download an Informational Flyer Here!
New Fact Sheets Available from MPACT
Check out our new Fact Sheets by visiting our Literature page at: www.ptimpact.com/resources/literature/literature.htm They include:
Doing What Works (DWW) found at http://dww.ed.gov/ is a new website sponsored by the U. S. Department of Education. DWW is dedicated to helping educators identify and make use of effective teaching practices. Much of the DWW content is based on the Institution of Educational Science's What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). The WWC evaluates research on practices and interventions to let the education community know what is likely to work. For each practice, it issues a guide and/or an intervention report that describes what the practice involves and what the research says. Then, DWW provides examples of possible ways educators might apply those research findings, but these are not necessarily the only ways to carry out these teaching practices. The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Office of English Language Acquisition, and other U. S. Department of Education offices help to disseminate the tools and resources so that research-based practices can be implemented in our nation's classrooms. Please become familiar with this valuable resource. National Job Site to Connect Employers with Disabled Workers Large gap between disabled unemployment rate of 44.2% compared to national unemployment rate of 4.7% TRENTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today marks the launch of a new national job board dedicated to including disabled employees in today’s workforce. AccessibleEmployment.org is designed to provide employers with one central place to post employment positions and search resumes of qualified disabled candidates. In addition, AccessibleEmployment.org also allows potential job candidates to post their resumes for review by prospective employers who have made a commitment to include people with disabilities in their workforce. People with disabilities represent the single largest minority group seeking employment in today’s marketplace. The unemployment rate of people with disabilities is ten times greater than the national unemployment rate. In fact, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, about 30 million Americans between the ages of 16-64 have a disability, and only 18 million are currently employed. This leaves a 44.2% unemployment rate within the disability workforce; a strong contrast to the national unemployment rate of 4.7%. Some employers might expect that hiring individuals with disabilities would result in significantly greater costs. The most common concerns focus on the cost of accommodation, additional cost to company health plans, job performance, quality and quantity of work, flexibility, and attendance. What many employers do not know is that the costs of accommodating a disabled employee are rather low. According to the Job Accommodation Network, the average cost of workplace accommodations in 2006 was $600 or less. Moreover, many employers can earn tax credits and experience a savings in health care costs when they hire a disabled employee because many individuals with disabilities are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, according to the U.S. Department of Education, workers with disabilities are rated consistently as average or above average in performance, quality and quantity of work, flexibility, and attendance. Many large and small employers understand that hiring disabled employees diversifies, enriches, and improves the culture of any workplace. Since the workplace is also becoming more demanding and workers will need top-notch skills, AccessibleEmployment.org seeks to increase employer access to available talent. Editor’s Note: For an interview opportunity with a disability workforce expert, please contact Michael Schneider at (973) 868-1000. NICHCY Resource - Assessment and Accommodations A new resource is now available through the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Assessment and Accommodations examines what the research has to say about providing students with disabilities with accommodations that support learning as well as their ability to show what they know and can do. Included are multiple examples of accommodations, guidelines to help IEP teams decide what accommodations a student needs, connections to federal guidance and requirements on this important topic, and links that will help you identify what accommodation policies your state has adopted to guide participation of children with disabilities in large-scale assessments. Assessment and Accommodations is available online at http://research.nichcy.org/accommodations1.asp.
GCD - Student Poster and Journalism Contest The Governor's Council on Disability (GCD) is sponsoring a poster and journalism contest for all students in grades 7 to 12. The theme is "See the Disability." The purpose of the contest is to promote a greater awareness of people with disabilities among Missouri's youth. Students can either write a paper or design a poster depicting people with disabilities in a positive manner. Monetary and other prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in each category. Entries are due to GCD by February 29, 2008. Details on the contest and an entry form can be found at http://www.gcd.oa.mo.gov/pdf/2008P&JFlyer.doc. MYLF - Missouri Youth and Leadership Forum High school juniors and seniors with a disability will have a unique opportunity this summer to learn leadership skills and experience life at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Qualified students can apply now for the sixth annual Missouri Youth Leadership Forum (MYLF) scheduled for July 27-30, 2008. Youth delegates will learn about leadership principles, assistive technology, resource sharing, development and achievement of career goals, independent living, developing advocacy skills, and the disability experience. MYLF is a leadership and career development skills program for high school juniors and seniors with disabilities. The youth delegates will interact with mentors and staff who are successful adults with disabilities who share similar challenges. This framework provides an atmosphere of encouragement, helping youth realize their ability to pursue a successful transition from high school to college, employment, and becoming contributing members of their communities. Youths are selected through a statewide competition seeking students with disabilities ages 16-21 who are high school juniors and seniors this school year and show leadership potential. The program is available to the student delegates at no cost except transportation to Columbia. The Governor's Council on Disability and Missouri Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities are currently accepting applications for this event. The application is available at: http://www.gcd.oa.mo.gov/2008ylf.shtml. If you have any questions, please contact the Governor's Council at 1-800-877-8249. The deadline for submitting the application is May 15, 2008. Access Center: Improving Access to the General Education Curriculum K-8 The Access Center: Improving Access to the General Education Curriculum for Students K-8 is offering free training modules and information briefs designed to enhance content and pedagogical knowledge. The modules can be integrated into teacher education coursework and used for professional development. The information briefs are short documents that cover a range of topics (mathematics, reading, language arts, science, instructional and learning strategies, and universal design for learning) and include supporting research and suggestions for facilitating the application of research into practice. Many of the information briefs can be used in combination with the modules as additional research-based references or further examples of teaching and learning strategies. To access and download all of the Center's resources, visit their website at http://www.K8accesscenter.org.
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Source: Heidi Atkins Lieberman, Assistant Commissioner The video and Q&A of the January 4, 2008, webinar is now available at http://dese.mo.gov/divspeced/mnthlywebstrmHAL.html. The topics included VR eligibility, NIMAS/NIMAC, preschool relationship to the "private school" issue, caseloads, child complaints, and transition liaisons. For those of you who had been hoping for an answer to the question regarding LD eligibility (full scale IQ and use of the General Ability Index) as promised in the December webinar, I apologize again for forgetting that I was to cover it in the January webinar. Rather than make you wait for the February webinar for an answer, I have posted the answer to the question in the Q&A for the January webinar. See question #4. Please note that the video of each webinar is usually posted on our web site shortly after the webinar; you do not need to wait until you receive the SELS announcement about the posting before viewing the video, as the SELS announcement is really to announce that the Q&A has been posted. The next webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, February 6, 2008, from11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. A reminder will be sent closer to this date along with the web address needed to access the webinar. If you would like to submit a question or topic for a future webinar, please send to: lina.browner@dese.mo.gov (indicate "Webinar" in the subject line of the email). Please ensure your questions are not specific individual children questions, but rather are more systemic in nature. Thank you so much for your participation and feedback. Searchable Database / Missouri Resources (MORE)
Barb Gilpin, Interim Assistant Director, Effective Practices Our new searchable database, Missouri Resources, (MORE) is now available. MORE contains current resources that relate to special education outcome indicators under IDEA. The intent of this database is to make available current and relevant information about each special education results area. This database contains information on the following topic areas: Academic Achievement, Dropout, Dispute Resolution, Early Intervention Services (EIS)/Response to Intervention (RtI), Graduation, Least Restrictive Environment (preschool age and school age), Parent Involvement, Preschool Outcomes, Post-secondary Transition, and Suspension and Expulsion. Each topic offers eight information resources including academic literature, position statements, court rulings, definitions, evidence-based practices, exemplars, FAQs, and online resources. MORE may be accessed on the DESE Effective Practices webpage at http://dese.mo.gov/divspeced/EffectivePractices/ or at http://www.northcentralrrc.org/sppinformationsupportsystem/index.aspx. If you have questions or require additional information, please call Barb Gilpin at 573-751-7661. This Newsletter can also be viewed on MPACT's website at: www.ptimpact.com/resources/newsletters/newsletters.htm
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