JUNE Disabilities Info

[LimitedRecourse]

ADA 20th Anniversary Celebration - Save the Date: July 26th, 2-4pm
Governor's Conservation Hall with First Lady Andrea Conte
RSVP Required at www.ada20thanniversary.eventbrite.com

For more information visit www.tndisability.org/adacelebration or write to [e-mail]

[LimitedRecourse]

www.ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/062110TitleIVEligibility.html

Posted Date: June 21, 2010

Author:
David A. Bergeron, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning and Innovation, Office of Postsecondary Education

Subject: Title IV Eligibility for an Institution’s Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

The Higher Education Act, as reauthorized by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), includes provisions related to the eligibility of students with intellectual disabilities to participate in the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study (FWS), and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG) programs. Institutions that offer a Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary (CTP) program, can apply to the Department’s Federal Student Aid office to have that program approved so that eligible students may receive Federal Pell Grant, FWS and FSEOG funds. To be eligible, an institution must already participate in the Federal student aid programs and offer an approved CTP program, as specified in 34 CFR 668.231 and 34 CFR 668.232.

The attached document includes the steps an institution must take to apply to have its Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary program(s) deemed eligible to participate in the title IV Federal aid programs.

If you have questions about the CTP program, contact Judy Shanley, OPE Coordinator, at [e-mail] or 202-502-7659.

Attachments/Enclosures:

Title IV Eligibility for an Institution’s Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Program for Students with Intellectual Disabilities, in Word Format, 41KB, 4 Pages

[LimitedRecourse]

Summer and Fall TRIAD training opportunities from the DOE:

1. TRIAD Summer Institute will be offered twice during the summer, July 13-16 and July 20-23, 2010. It will focus on Integrating Different Methodologies for teaching students with autism. Held in Nashville, each of the four-day Summer Institutes, sponsored by the Division of Special Education, is open to two, four-person teams from each grand region of Tennessee (24 participants in all). Each team will concentrate on developing a program for a particular student with autism in their school, and will receive a follow-up site visit later in the year. The team needs to bring information about the student's IEP, behavior plan, cognitive functioning, etc. Teams can consist of teachers, parents, paraprofessionals, SLPs, psychologists, etc.; or, any school personnel who provide direct service to the same child with autism.

2. The Administrators’ Academy is a two-day training taking place in each region of the state. It is open to fifteen participants in each session (a total of 45) and is geared specifically toward building-level administrators (e.g., principals and assistant principals) for the purpose of providing information on best practices for students with autism so that administrators may evaluate programs and provide teacher support.

East TN Knoxville September 8-9, 2010 Application Deadline: Aug.8, 2010
Middle TN Nashville Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2010 Application Deadline Aug. 30, 2010
West TN Jackson Oct. 26-27, 2010 Application Deadline Sept. 26, 2010

3. Training opportunity for Para-Educators who work with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the public schools. This two day training will take place in each grand region of the state and will be open to sixteen (16) trainees in each location.

East TN Knoxville August 25-26, 2010 Application Deadline: July 20, 2010
West TN Jackson Sept. 15-16, 2010 Application Deadline: Aug. 10, 2010
Middle TN Nashville Sept. 8-9, 2010 Application Deadline: Aug. 3, 2010

4. During the 2010-2011 school year, the TN DOE will again collaborate with TRIAD of Vanderbilt to provide hands-on teacher training to those staff who work with children with autism. The training consists of three days of lecture and experience with children who have autism, plus the opportunity to receive a site visit in the trainee’s setting within two months of their training. Please contact Linda Copas with the TN DOE for an application.

Basic K-6 September 22-24, 2010
Basic K-6 October 20-22, 2010
Basic Middle/HS November 17-19, 2010
Advanced K-12: January 26-28, 2011 (This training is open only to those who have completed the basic training and have been recommended for advanced training on the site visit written feedback).

5. The Tennessee Department of Education and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center TRIAD are pleased to announce a new two-day focused workshop designed specifically for general education teachers. This free workshop will combine lecture, small group discussion, and the development of classroom materials to accomplish the following outcomes:

· Identify the characteristics of autism spectrum disorders and how these characteristics impact teaching and learning
· Identify evidence-based intervention strategies to address the unique learning needs of students with ASD
· Develop a plan to integrate these evidence-based intervention strategies into the classroom and school settings

Each two-day regional workshop will be able to accommodate thirty (30) general education classroom teachers. Admission will be by application only. Please do not apply if you are a special educator, administrator, or paraprofessional.

East TN session Sept. 28-29, 2010
Middle TN session Oct. 5-6, 2010
West TN session Oct. 12-13, 2010

I am passing this information along and cannot answer questions about scheduling, teaching, or acceptance to the trainings. Please contact Linda Copas with the TN DOE at 615-741-7790 or [e-mail] with questions or application requests.

Nicolette Bainbridge Brigham, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Director of Outreach and Training
Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD)
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
1211 21st Avenue South, Suite 110
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: [phone]/Fax: [phone]
Campus Mail: 110 MAB (1117)

Lynnette Henderson, PhD, IDDRC Research Registry and Recruitment Coordinator
UCEDD Associate Director of Community Services
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Research Assistant Professor in Pediatrics
Division of Developmental Medicine
Peabody Box 40
230 Appleton Place
Nashville, TN 37203-5721
MRL 235
[phone]
www.kc.vanderbilt.edu/StudyFinder
www.kc.vanderbilt.edu/RFP
tinyurl.com/vkcfacebook

[LimitedRecourse]

You Are Invited!! Tennessee Disability Pathfinder would like to invite YOU to our next Community Education Series featuring Advocacy Services.

What: The following organizations will share important information about the advocacy services that they provide: - Tennessee Disability Coalition - Tennessee Justice Center - Tennessee Human Rights Commission - Disability Law & Advocacy of Tennessee - The Arc of Tennessee - Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee

Where: Room 241 - Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/MRL Building

When: Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. *Light breakfast provided by Bagel Works & Perks*

Cost: Free

RSVP: Please register online at www.kc.vanderbilt.edu/registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details about available parking.
If you have any questions, please contact Megan Hart at [phone] or [e-mail]

[LimitedRecourse]

www.nyln.org/upcoming-conference/

The National Youth Leadership Network has created a curriculum unlike any other. This event is for young people, parents, siblings, friends, allies, teachers, community support providers, and more.
The curriculum shows teams of young people and allies how to build support systems through self-determination. The curriculum uses a popular education approach. (See: What is popular education?) The curriculum includes interactive tools like a self-advocacy rap video, storytelling circles, and skits.

Here are a few things that make this curriculum different than most:

Youth, family members, and adult allies learn together.
It was created by youth with disabilities with input from family members.
It is 100% hands-on!
It looks at the “big picture” and talks about power, community, and systems of society.
The curriculum comes in two parts:

Self Determination: This part of the curriculum covers all the things that shape our self-determination. It looks at the self-determination of individuals and communities. After this section, we hope young people with disabilities will see themselves as valuable contributors to a larger community. Young people will learn how to seek the supports they need so the community can know how to include us.
Building Our Support Systems: Often times our support systems look different from other people’s support systems. This may be because we are in foster care, because we grew up in different kinds of families, or because we have people outside of our family that support us. In this section, people map out the support network they have. Then they plan ways to make their support systems bigger and better. Everyone will plant and care for a “garden” that represents his or her support systems. We will all go through the “5 Ps” of “growing” a support system: Planning, Prepping, Planting, Producing, and Profiting.
What Are Support Systems?

Everyone has people in their lives that give them some kind of support. Sometimes for youth, our parents or family members give us a lot of support. A lot of people also get support from people outside of their families. For example, groups of friends support each other, people from your community who you see on a regular basis can support you, or maybe a teacher or neighbor helps you out with certain things. Support comes in a lot of different forms.

Many times when people talk about support systems for people with disabilities they are just talking about the people who help that person. NYLN wants to think about support systems in a different way. We know, as youth with disabilities, we have people in our lives that support us. However, we support people in our lives, too. We want to think about support systems as interdependent. That means that your friends and family help and support you, and you help and support your friends and family. The support is reciprocal. Everyone is giving support and everyone is receiving it.

Sometimes support systems happen naturally, but other times it is hard to find the support you need. This is especially true for youth with disabilities. Having a disability can make you feel like you are all alone. Oftentimes youth with disabilities rely on family or paid supports. We think that is important that youth with disabilities, with the help from family members, spend time thinking about what kind of support systems they want to have. This may include making changes to the way their support systems have been set up in the past. The best kinds of support systems usually don’t just happen. Bringing them together means making a plan for creating your support system. It also means spending time shaping your support system to make it work the best for (and with) you. The Reap What You Sow: Harvesting Support Systems curriculum takes youth and family members through that process. The Institute will give you an image of how that can be done.

What is Popular Education?

Popular education is a way to teach and to learn. It has a history connected to a lot of social change movements where people needed to teach each other what was unfair about the way their community was being treated. We think popular education is a good fit for The Reap What You Sow: Harvesting Support Systems curriculum because it is accessible for many different learning styles. It is also a kind of learning that is fun and not anything like school.

Popular education is:

An active way to learn. Everyone learns from each other. There isn’t a teacher, just a facilitator who helps things run smoothly. Instead of the teacher being the expert, everyone is the expert. Learners teach each other from their own knowledge and lived experiences.
A way of learning that’s hands on. Instead of learning from textbooks, you learn through activities. You share experiences and interact with other people. That means that every learning experience is different depending on who is there.
Learning that uses a lot of different kinds of tools like poetry, art, storytelling, and acting. It involves creativity!

[LimitedRecourse]

A Program for Parents, Caregivers and Guardians of Persons With a Disability

Thursday, July 15, 2010: 7 pm @ Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 14615 Hwy 194 South, Oakland, TN 38060

Guest Speaker: Ned Andrew Solomon, Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities

Topic: “Learning to Speak Up for Ourselves, and Others in Our Community” & Information about two free, statewide disability and leadership training programs: Partners in Policymaking AND Tennessee Youth Leadership Forum

8:30 – 10 pm will be for Networking and Refreshments

For more information, please contact: Monica Neely 901.465.1823/[e-mail]

**Ned Andrew Solomon: Since December of 2000, Ned Andrew Solomon has been the director of the Partners in Policymaking Leadership Institute and the Tennessee Youth Leadership Forum for the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities. Partners trains persons with disabilities and family members to develop their leadership, advocacy and self-advocacy skills. YLF is a mini-Partners, geared toward high school students with disabilities.

[LimitedRecourse]

The Center for Independent Living of Middle Tennessee currently has two job openings: Employment Assistant and Independent Living Specialist. Per our organizational structure and mission, those with personal disability experience are strongly encouraged to apply. For downloadable, complete job descriptions and an application, please visit our website. (www.cil-mt.org; staff; open positions) Please distribute this to those who may be interested. Applications will be accepted through June 30th, but may be extended if needed. For more information, please contact me by e-mail at [e-mail]. Applications may be mailed to 955 Woodland St., Nashville, TN 37206- Attn: HR Hiring or faxed to 866-791-3647. If accommodations are needed to aid the application process, please contact us.

JOB TITLE: Independent Living Specialist
JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY: This IL Specialist is responsible for all aspects of the CIL-MT programs to include IL skills instruction and imparting the independent philosophy to consumers seeking services, conducting peer support sessions, and providing community education training. The Coordinator will work within the IL Philosophy to encourage consumers to embrace advocacy and inclusion.

JOB TITLE: Employment Assistant- Working to Independence Program
JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY: The Employment Assistant is responsible for all aspects of the CIL-MT employment network program to include presentations at Work Incentive Seminars, job fair participations, outreach, and all administrative/ record-keeping aspects of the Ticket to Work Employment Network program. The Assistant will work within the IL Philosophy to encourage consumers to embrace advocacy and inclusion.

[LimitedRecourse]

Health Education Network is bringing Partner's Grad Dena Gassner, MSW "home" for a four city tour of her nationally renown presentation "Demystifying Asperger Syndrome for Success." The Center for Understanding provides system navigation supports to families and individuals with Asperger Syndrome in the greater Nashville area. C4U also provides a teen recreational group for transition age teens (14 and older), a recreational cross disability support group for mothers (Margarita Mom's) and is home to the Nashville GRASP chapter. C4U was also just awarded a contract to implement the Transparency Project which helps low to no income adults with Asperger Syndrome obtain entitled supports with state agencies. Dena is an advisory board member for the Autism Society of America and a board member for GRASP the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership. Cities and dates are as follows:
07-23-10 - Franklin, TN
07-30-10 - Memphis, TN
08-06-10 - Knoxville, TN
08-13-10 - Chattanooga, TN

To register, go to www.health-ed.com.

Dena L. Gassner, MSW
Program Director - Center for Understanding - www.centerforunderstanding.net

[LimitedRecourse]

MAKING THE MOVE TO MANAGING YOUR OWN PERSONAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES (PAS)
A Toolkit for Youth With Disabilities Transitioning to Adulthood

Can be found at:
www.ncwd-youth.info/sites/default/files/pas-toolkit-052610-print-final.pdf

and the main website: www.ncwd-youth.info/ also has a tremendous amount of other resources too.

[LimitedRecourse]

Institute on Disability Seeks Artists for its 2011 Calendar

Are you an artist looking for an opportunity to get your work noticed? Do you know someone who is an artist and might be interested in such an opportunity? Every year since 2000, the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire has produced a calendar that features 13 original works of art. These highly anticipated calendars are distributed each year to thousands of people around the world who are connected to the IOD's mission of strengthening communities and ensuring full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons. The IOD is currently inviting artists to submit artwork to be considered for its 2011 Calendar.

The theme for the 2011 calendar is reflective of the quote: “Inclusion is a right, not a special privilege for a select few.” - Federal Court, Oberti vs Board of Education. If you would like to submit, here are some simple guidelines to follow: All artwork must be 2-dimensional (i.e. drawings, paintings). Unfortunately, we are unable to accept photography and sculpture.
Artwork for submission may be created for the purpose of this calendar or may be selected from an existing portfolio of work. Artwork should reflect the artist's interpretation of the quote above. Artists are encouraged to submit artwork with vibrant colors (see links to past calendars below). Artists are welcome to submit a maximum of three (3) works of art for consideration. Submissions must include the artist's name, phone number, email address, and title(s) of artwork. If chosen, the original work submitted will be requested and will need to be sent to the IOD. All originals will be returned to the artists.

Please do not send original artwork at this time. Digital copies (scanned or photographed artwork) for consideration should be sent as a JPG or PDF file to [e-mail] with “2011 IOD Calendar Art” in the subject line. If you would like to submit a printed copy (not an original) of your artwork via U.S. postal mail, please mail it to:

INSTITUTE ON DISABILITY / UCED
Attn: Matthew Gianino
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824

During the final selection process, the IOD may request the original artwork for further consideration in some cases. The 13 finalists will be asked to complete an Artwork Release Form. Please be sure you are able to comply with the terms of the release form prior to submitting. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 30, 2010. All artists whose work is chosen for the 2011 Calendar will be contacted by August 27.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the IOD.

Good luck and we look forward to your submission!

The IOD Staff

[LimitedRecourse]

Free Retreat Weekends available for families with children who have disabilities

DSAMT families may qualify for a free retreat at the recently completed Barren Heights Christian Retreat Center in Scottsville, Kentucky. Please review the enclosed information to determine if you would like to gather additional information or apply for a retreat session. Located near Barren River Lake in south central Kentucky, the facility is run by a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, Barren Heights Christian Retreat Center, Inc. The campus was built for the primary purpose of hosting mini-vacation style retreats for families who have one or more children with a physical or developmental disability. The retreats are free for qualified families.

Who… Barren Heights welcomes families who have a child or children with disabilities. Retreats are hosted by Board Members and other volunteers. The Retreat accepts applications on a first come first served basis.

What… Guest families will be invited to the retreat at no cost. Focus will be placed on quality family time, recreation, cooperation and the natural setting. Time will be allotted for group activities, individual family activities and worship. Seasonal options may include boating, fishing, archery, tennis and more.

When… Retreat sessions will be held from May through October. These retreats will run Friday through Sunday.

Where… Barren Heights retreat is nestled atop the gentle rolling hills of Allen County Kentucky, near Barren River Lake.

You can read an article about the retreats by DSAMT parent Anara Midgett in Able 2 Able at www.able2able.com/2010/06/go-to-barren-heights-its-worth-it.html. For more information about the retreat, including qualifications, applications and schedules, go to www.barrenheights.com/

[LimitedRecourse]

Free Education Workshops at Susan Gray School

The Susan Gray School is offering Knowledge is Power - Keys To Successful Education For Children with Disabilities, an informational series for families who have children with disabilities. These workshops will take place Saturdays, from 9am - 12pm in MRL Room 112.

June 26 - All Grown Up! The IDEA Part B and Special Education Beyond Preschool

July 17 - Empowering Families and Planning for the Future: What Parents Need to Know

RSVP to Susan Gray School at 615-322-8200. Childcare will be provided with advance registration.

[LimitedRecourse]

Family Voices of Tennessee offers workshop on Medical Transition Planning

Tuesday, June 29, 5-7pm

Youth with special health care needs or disabilities and their families need to plan their medical transition just as they do their educational transition. Early and intentional planning helps transitioning to adult medical services as successful as possible.

The Goal of Transition is to improve the health-related quality of life of all young people with chronic illness or disability and enable them to reach their true potential, allowing them to grow up healthy and able to fully participate and enjoy life! Components of successful transition include Self-Determination, Person Centered Planning, Prep for Adult health care, Independence/Work experiences, and Inclusion in community life.

This FREE session will take place at Vanderbilt Jr. League Family Resource Center - 2200 Children's Way, Suite 2125. Parking is free to families. Click here for more about the Family Resource Center.

For more information contact Julie Sullivan at [phone] ([e-mail])

[LimitedRecourse]

Where disabilities become possibilities

EAST TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS CENTER, INC.
4918 N. Broadway • Knoxville, TN 37918
[phone] • FAX [phone] • [e-mail] • www.disoveret.org/ettac

Public Service Announcement

Date: June 24, 2010
To: Community Calendar
From: Louise McKown---Public Awareness Coordinator
Re: Wanted: Teenagers with disabilities for development of adaptive toys

WANTED: the East Tennessee Technology Access Center is looking for teenagers with disabilities who would like to participate in the development of adapted toys, robots, and possibly even X-Box controllers. They will be working with a group of designers and super-duper techies at ETTAC’s Knoxville office, 4918 N. Broadway for one or two afternoons the week of July 12.

Students must be able to communicate with the Electronic-Techies about the toys, trucks, robots, and electronic games they need help playing with. Those who help will be the first to get newly adapted items! For more information, call Lois at [phone].

[LimitedRecourse]

Enrollment is still open for the East Tennessee Technology Access Center’s Junior Reporters and Writing Camp in July for students with and without disabilities. The four day camp will be focus on interviewing people with disabilities. These role models have been involved with promoting awareness in the community and understanding the laws that give everyone the same civil rights.

Junior reporters will be taking pictures and using video software to create their own story and stories about others, and they will be writing brief stories about the pictures they take and publishing them. Assistive technology will be available to those who need it to interview, take videos and write stories. They will receive a copy of the videos and stories at the end of the camp, as well as the “Learning About Freedom” curriculum.

Dates for the camp are July 15, 16, and 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and July 27 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. All sessions will be held at ETTAC’s Knoxville office, 4918 N. Broadway. To register, please call [phone].

[LimitedRecourse]

Lifecare Family Services is seeking a part time job coach. Contact person is Sean McPherson, 615/781-0013

www.CareerBuilder.com/Jobseeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?job_did=J8D5445ZB7CS1JSNJP1