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AWAREness |
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February 2010
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This newsletter contains links to PDF files which require Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download Acrobat Reader, click here.
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Providing parents of children with disabilities with information, training, assistance, and support
1021 Delaware Avenue Palm Harbor, FL 34683 1-888-61-AWARE |
Florida Education Ranks Eighth in Nation Making a two-spot jump since 2009, Florida's education system is now ranked eighth according to Education Week's 2010 Quality Counts: Fresh Course, Swift Current. The annual report tracks state policies and performance across key areas of education and assigns each state with an overall point total to signify their education standing in the nation. Congratulations to Florida's teachers and students who made this ranking possible!
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In This Issue
Florida 8th in Nation
Q&A About Parent Involvement
Parent Involvement at Schools
SSI for Children with Disabilities
Hand of Angels
Hidden in Plain Sight
Guide to Restraint and Seclusion
Self Advocacy Tips for Teens
Florida Parents on Restraint and Seclusion
Kennedy Fellowship
IDEAL Magazine
Secretary Duncan’s First Year
IEP’s for Children with Behavior Problems
Facebook Update
CFPC Online Chat Information
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Questions and Answers About IDEA And Parent Involvement
Given the power that family involvement has to influence how our children achieve in school and in life, it’s not surprising that the nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), strongly supports parents’ right to be involved in the special education their child receives.
As IDEA states:
Almost 30 years of research and experience has demonstrated that the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by... strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families ... have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home.
How does IDEA ensure that families have meaningful opportunities to participate? That will be the focus of this Q&A— the solid foundation IDEA provides for parental involvement. The Q&A concludes with a Resources section, to connect you with information on parent involvement, including current efforts to build strong partnerships between schools and families.
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Parent Involvement at Schools
Too often administrators view parent involvement programs as neglected gardens. If by chance they grow and bear fruit, terrific. If they don't, it can't be helped. But a national institute says that, with some planning, all schools can grow parent involvement programs.
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for children with disabilitiesSSI makes monthly payments to people with low income and limited resources who are 65 or older, or blind or disabled. Your child younger than age 18 can qualify if he or she meets Social Security’s definition of disability for children, and if his or her income and resources fall within the eligibility limits. The amount of the SSI payment is different from one state to another because some states add to the SSI payment. Your local Social Security office can tell you more about your state’s total SSI payment. For more info on SSI, click here.
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Hand of Angels DeSoto County
“To promote inclusive communities where all people belong”. Our mission is to provide helpful information and resources to enhance the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities and the community as a whole. Our goal is for all people to be a part of what every person wants to be, INCLUDED. We want all people to understand that having a disability is but one small part of the whole person. We are more similar than we are different. Click here to visit Hands of Angels.
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Hidden in Plain Sight “Hidden in Plain Sight”© was developed by the Montana Advocacy Program (Montana P&A) to train poll workers and other individuals on disability awareness.
Editor’s note: The video offers very good information regarding working with people with disabilities (even when it’s not about voting). |
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Your Guide To Restraint And Seclusion A scathing report released one year ago brought unprecedented attention to the use of restraint and seclusion tactics in schools, documenting rampant examples of abusive and even deadly practices primarily involving special education students. Now Congress is set to consider legislation this year to institute the first-ever federal oversight regulating these tactics. |
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Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey. ~Tad Williams |
Government Website PublishesSelf-Advocacy Tips for TeensDisability.gov has published a variety of self-advocacy resources for teens that help them begin to express their needs and wants by participating in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. These resources assist teens in learning ways to talk about their disability to others, setting goals, and practicing other self-advocacy skills. |
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TALLAHASSEE — For a third straight year, Florida parents and special-education advocates are trying to get a law passed that would prevent school employees from holding students with disabilities face-down or shutting them in rooms to try to control behaviors associated with their conditions.
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Kennedy Foundation Public Policy Fellowship Program 2010-2011The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation is seeking exemplary professionals and family members of persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are currently working or volunteering in the field of inclusive services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for an intensive one-year Public Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C. The Foundation anticipates up to three fellowships will be awarded for the period July, 2010-June 30, 2011. The Fellowship starting date will be negotiated with the successful applicant. The application deadline for 2010-2011 is March 5, 2010.
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Looking to have some family fun? Why not try creating some holiday crafts? Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Gather the family around the table, break out the glue, and have some fun!
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Magazine is Created for Young People with Disabilities
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Education Secretary's First Year in Office Provides Template for Agency's DirectionA year ago, Arne Duncan was known as a long-serving urban district chief who had used his collegial management style to push innovation and close failing schools in Chicago. This week, he enters his second year as U.S. secretary of education pursuing a similar national policy agenda that could place him among the most influential leaders in his department’s 30-year history. Click here for the article in Ed Week.
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What You Need to Know About IDEA 2004: Question: Help! The school had my child with autism arrested. The charges were dismissed but I am afraid this will happen again. What can I do? Answer: You are wise to think this may happen again. You need to write a letter and request that the IEP team meet to review and revise your child's IEP, in light of the behavior issues that led them to have him arrested. Your letter should include relevant information about your child's history and your concerns. Click here for more on this Wrightslaw article.
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“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” Charles R. Swindoll |
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The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now In December, Facebook made a series of bold and controversial changes regarding the nature of its users' privacy on the social networking site.
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Have a look at the CFPC Online Chat Schedule Grab a cup of coffee, fire up your computer, and join us for Guest Chats and Informal Chats! Topics include Q&A about 504, Assistive Technology, Involving Dads, Parent Involvement in the IEP, and more! Click here to see the schedule.
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