PLUK eNews May
17-21, 2004
http://www.pluk.org/eNews/May_17_04.htm
Volume 2 Issue 45
Welcome to the weekly PLUK eNews!
(Download the printable pdf version at: http://www.pluk.org/eNews/May_17_04.pdf
)
We are proud to present news of interest for Montana families of children with disabilities and special health care needs, and for the professionals and educators who serve them; however, it does not constitute an endorsement.
The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain--until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life. -- Jane Addams
IDEA Passes in Senate
From DREDF http://www.dredf.org/rrn/briefing35.html
IDEA Passes in the Senate: The Senate approved its IDEA bill, S. 1248
(substituted as HR1350), today with 95 Senators voting yes and 3 opposed.
Senators Jeffords and Leahy from Vermont opposed the bill because it failed to
provide a mechanism for mandatory full funding. Senator Stabenow of Michigan
also voted against passage.
Amendments approved over the course of the two-day consideration:
- a prevailing party who is a State educational agency or local educational agency against the attorney of a parent who files a complaint that is frivolous or without foundation
- a state educational agency or local educational agency against the attorney of a parent or parent if the parent's complaint was presented for any improper purpose such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation
Failing Amendment:
On Wednesday, May 12, Senators Harkin, Hagel, Jeffords, Murray, Kennedy,
Carper, Baucus, and Corzine spoke passionately about the need to assist local
school districts with the costs associated with special education
implementation. Today, Senator Dayton admonished the Senate for failing to adopt
the Harkin-Hagel amendment. On both days the Senators gave compelling speeches
about priorities and the failure of Congress to live up to its promise.
*******************************************************
HR1350 (formerly S. 1248) must be reconciled with the House bill in conference.
The Conference Committee will be another battlefield where parents' voices must
be heard. We will continue to keep you informed on IDEA Reauthorization.
THANK YOU!
The response to our request to send letters to the Senate regarding enforcement
was overwhelming. We're grateful to those of you who wrote and called to share
your stories. Senator Kennedy read from several of your passionate and
compelling letters while on the floor today. He stated that over the course of
this reauthorization he has received thousands of letters from parents about
their child's educational experiences. Your letters illustrate the necessity to
implement and enforce this important civil rights law, which ensures that
children receive a meaningful education under the IDEA.
Please consider thanking those Senators who took your concerns forward and
particularly those who are working so hard to preserve the rights of disabled
children.
***********************************************
Enforcement and Monitoring. On May 12, 2004, the White House released a
statement that includes its position on the monitoring and enforcement
provisions of S1248: "The Administration strongly opposes the provision
that requires an unworkable and mechanistic enforcement system that would
automatically trigger a series of State sanctions. While State-level benchmarks
that address student achievement and school performance can promote
accountability and create incentives for improvement, the proposed system would
encourage low expectations and inappropriate sanctions. These provisions should
be deleted."
DREDF is concerned about the Administration's position and will keep you
informed of any developments in this area.
"Tools for Independence" training, May 19,
Kalispell
On May 19th Roger Holt will be presenting an all-day seminar in Kalispell on
Assistive Technology.
For more information on these technology sessions or to register, visit http://www.pluk.org/ATconf.htm
Cost is $120 per person or $50 for full-time students (new!). We still may have
some parent scholarships available for the Kalispell session. Call for
availability at 800-222-7585.
Free ADA Workshop, June 3, Billings
In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
and the 30th Anniversary of the Montana State Human Rights Act, the Billings Job
Service Employers Committee is pleased to invite you to a workshop on the
Americans with Disabilities Act. Get your questions about the ADA answered
directly from the EEOC.
Featuring: Jeanette Leino, Director of the Seattle District Office and Acting
Director of the Denver District office of the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission
Billings, Montana Holiday Inn Grand Montana on Thursday June 3, 2004
9:00AM-11:00AM.
Hope to see you there. No reservations required. No Charge.
Entrepreneurs, hire the disabled
May 4, 2004, http://www.matr.net/article-10772.html
o Dennis, Quality Controller, Receiving Department
o Lenny, Accounting Department
o Jay, Janitor, Maintenance Department
o Doug, Novelty Puller, Warehouse Department
o David, Warehouse clerk, Receiving Department
What makes all of these workers so special? All are disabled. All suffer from
"closed" head injuries, in which brain injuries have occurred, usually
as the result of an accident, the full impact of which cannot be detected even
with medical imaging techniques. And all of these workers are currently, or have
been, employed at my company, Global Products, Inc. in St. Peters, Missouri.
By Rebecca Herwick, Global Products Reprinted courtesy of EntreWorld.org
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2004-04-15-entre-3-apr_x.htm
We Are Celebrating Brown v. Board of Education This
Year
Brown v Board of Education: First case to show that State and local schools
were under Federal Law
Brown v. Board of Education was decided 50 years ago. It was incredibly
important to all of our students because it was our first case to show that
State and local school districts were under Federal law.
Many think of Brown as simply the "desegregation case" but it was the
"Federalization case" that makes possible all our special education
laws. Local school districts had always claimed that the Federal government
could not look over their shoulders. Whatever our children got from their local
schools was governed by the local school district and state education agencies
were not very intrusive. The Federal government had no role.
Read more at: http://www.reedmartin.com/celebratebrownvboard.htm
Brown v. Board historic site: http://www.brownvboard.org/
What follows is a review of segregation of children based on disability.
The latest data from the U.S. Department of Education, which annually collects data on segregation of children based on disability state by state and submits it to Congress, presents the following data for the 5,594,431 students between the ages of 6 and 18 with disabilities:
A snap shot by specific disability classification shows:
A breakdown by State and by disability, graduation rates, drop out rates, etc. can be found at http://www.ideadata.org/PartBDataMeeting2004.asp.
New Tool (Autism A.L.A.R.M.) Helps Primary Care
Physicians Diagnose Autism Early
Source: AAP News - The following guidelines adapted from key policy
statements of the AAP and American Academy of Neurology, were developed in order
to establish standard practices among physicians, to simplify the screening
process, and to ensure that all children receive routine and appropriate
screenings and timely interventions. These recommended guidelines are critical
for ensuring that children stay on a healthy developmental path.
To download the guidelines go to http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/screening/Autism%20downloads/AutismAlarm.pdf.
To read a related article from the American Academy of Pediatrics go to http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/24/2/74.
Sibling Issues and Sibshops to be featured on 20/20 on
May 21st
The ABC news show 20/20 will feature a segment on siblings of people with
special needs and Sibshops during an upcoming show focusing on the sibling
relationship. According to our contact at ABC news, this show will air on May
21st with ABC correspondent Bob Brown http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/2020/brown_bob_bio.html.
It follows 16 year-old Melissa Garrison at home with her brother who has autism
and later as she attends her teen Sibshop at Good Samaritan Hospital in
Puyallup, Washington.
The FAIRNESS Act and Individuals with Disabilities
On February 11th, Representatives Conyers (D- MI), Lewis (D-GA), and Miller
(D-CA) introduced the Fairness and Individual Rights Necessary to Ensure a
Stronger Society: Civil Rights Act of 2004 (H.R. 3809) with 88 co-sponsors.
Currently, the House bill has 97 co-sponsors. The next day, Senator Kennedy
(D-MA), along with 18 co-sponsors, introduced the Senate companion bill (S.
2088). The Senate bill now has 23 co-sponsors.
The goal of the FAIRNESS Act is to reinforce federal civil rights laws whose
scope or enforceability has been limited by recent Supreme Court decisions. In
part, the bill would reiterate the federal commitment to equal access to
publicly funded services; provide students with necessary protections from
harassment based on race, gender, national origin, color, and disability;
provide victims of discrimination based on sex, disability or religion with
remedies equal to those available for other forms of discrimination; ensure
appropriate and effective remedies; and requires equal pay for women in the
workforce.
Civil rights advocates are working to get as many cosponsors as possible on the
FAIRNESS Act in the next four weeks in order to incorporate it into a press
event around the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Facts on FAIRNESS: The Civil Rights Act of 2004 http://www.civilrights.org/campaigns/civil_rights_act/facts.html
Free tutoring available on new website
The Supplemental Educational Services Quality (SESQ) Center launched a free
Web site http://www.tutorsforkids.org
to help parents of children attending public schools "in need of
improvement" take advantage of new, free tutoring opportunities provided by
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Tutorsforkids.org provides information and
tools to help parents, educators, policymakers, and program providers ensure
that eligible children get the free, extra academic help they need.
Tutorsforkids.org, and other services provided by the SESQ Center, help parents
to identify and select local providers to meet their needs, educators to inform
parents about their options and make sure they are receiving high quality
services, policymakers implement the program and evaluate its effectiveness, and
new and potential providers enter the "market" and improve their
services. The SESQ Center was established in late 2003 through a grant to the
American Institutes for Research (AIR) from the Office of Innovation and
Improvement of the U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/index.html.
AIR http://www.air.org is an independent,
not-for-profit, social and behavioral research organization that engages in
education research, development, evaluation, analysis, training and technical
assistance, communications, and assessment.
Making hockey accessible
Sled hockey gives disabled athletes chance to compete
By BRIAN SMITH, Special to The News Journal, 05/07/2004
Tom Godfrey was painting the tank on a water tower in August 1986 when a
cable on the scaffolding snapped. Godfrey's safety harness ripped and he
plummeted 80 feet to the ground.
He came out of the accident as a T-12 paraplegic and no longer had use of his
legs. But he hasn't let the accident prevent him from being involved with
sports.
Godfrey, 42, coaches sled hockey, a sport designed for people with physical
disabilities. He coaches the Vineland Sled Stars in Vineland, N.J., a youth team
that plays in a league with five other sled hockey teams from the Mid-Atlantic
region.
Read the complete article at: http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/sports/2004/05/07makinghockeyacc.html
PRESIDENT'S NEW FREEDOM COMMISSION ON MENTAL HEALTH
REPORT
This report, on the status of America's mental health system, concludes that
the nation's mental health system is broken and in need of immediate attention.
Among a number of recommendations, the report emphasizes early intervention,
ongoing supports and services for people with mental illness, and a
recovery-oriented frame of reference. It can be found at http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/FinalReport/toc.html
INTEGRATING AGENDA FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS INTO
THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PRESIDENT'S NEW FREEDOM COMMISSION ON MENTAL HEALTH
This Center Brief Report identified ways that mental health services in
schools can contribute to implementing the recommendations of the President's
New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The report discusses ongoing research,
training and technical assistance activities and explains where mental health in
schools fits into the commission's goals and recommendations. For more
information go to http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/newfreedomcommission/newfreedbrief.pdf
RESOURCE SYNTHESIS TO HELP INTEGRATE MENTAL HEALTH IN
SCHOOLS INTO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PRESIDENT'S NEW FREEDOM COMMISSION ON
MENTAL HEALTH
This resource aid synthesizes a set of accessible, online, noncommercial
resources relevant to integrating the various agendas for mental health in
schools into the commission recommendations. For more information go to http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/newfreedomcommission/resourcesynthesis.pdf
NEW POLL SHOWS ONE-THIRD OF FAMILIES HAVE CHILDREN WITH
LD OR MENTAL ILLNESS
One in every three American families has had to cope with a child with a
learning disability or a mental illness, and most people believe such problems
are increasing, according to a poll by Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio
University. For more information go to
http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=CHILDPOLL-12-16-03.
Reflections from a Different Journey: What Adults with
Disabilities Want All Parents to Know
Edited by Stanley D. Klein, Ph.D. and John D. Kemp ISBN: 007 - http://www.disabilitiesbooks.com/reflections/
Most parents of children with disabilities lack personal experience with
adults with disabilities. Hearing from people who have lived the disability
experience can provide all parents with essential information about the
possibilities for their children. Reflections from a Different Journey includes
forty inspiring and realistic essays written by successful adult role models who
share what it is like to have grown up with a disability.
Brimming with a wealth of life-affirming lessons, Reflections from a Different
Journey offers many specific suggestions for parents as well as older children
with disabilities, family members, and the education and health care
professionals who serve them.
ACP Foundation and National Library of Medicine launch
National Consumer information program for internists and their patients
Think of doctors' prescriptions, and you probably think pills. But a new
program encourages the nation's internists to write a prescription from a
trustworthy Web site of free medical information, http://www.medlineplus.gov.
The program is jointly sponsored by the American College of Physicians
Foundation (ACPF) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), an arm of the
National Institutes of Health.
ACP's 115,000 internist members will be encouraged to "prescribe"
information for their patients from MedlinePlus http://www.medlineplus.gov
using a special "prescription pad" during office visits.
MedlinePlus has information on more than 650 diseases and conditions, and links
to pre-formulated searches of the MEDLINE database to allow viewers to find
references to the latest professional articles on health topics. Under each
topic, patients will find information on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment,
current news stories, research studies, clinical trials, helpful graphics, and
interactive tutorials. MedlinePlus accepts no advertising and most information
is available in Spanish.
Keeping track of Medicaid waivers
The National Assoc. of State Medicaid Directors keeps track of waiver
programs. This is a very informative website that contains all sorts of
information, data, and statistics. It also contains data on children enrolled in
MR/DD 1915c waivers by state, age and program. http://www.nasmd.org
Gifted Education/Dual Exceptionalities Resources
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education - FAQs, digests,
fact sheets, mini-bibliographies, discussion groups, links, and programs in your
state that relate to gifted students and children with learning disabilities. http://ericec.org/gifted/gt-menu.html
Organizations That Can Help Gifted Children
Ed.gov's Education Resource Organizations Directory - Organizations that
provide information or assistance related to gifted children. http://bcol02.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/queries/erod_by_subject.cfm?SUB=Gifted
Inclusive Post-secondary Education: Is It a Reality?
Kathleen Biersdorff, Patricia Bowman and Tim Weinkauf, STEPS-Forward
People with developmental disabilities and higher education just don't mix.
At least that's what most people have assumed-until recently. Now the word is
out about several programs that make post-secondary education a reality for
people with developmental disabilities. http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/4-04/STEPS4-04.html#top
Microboards and Microboard Association Design,
Development and Implementation
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the prospect of
establishing 'Microboards' for developing personal support services for
individuals with disabilities, for obtaining and managing direct, individualized
funding, and for engaging members of the larger community in purposeful personal
support networks. http://www.communityworks.info/articles/microboard.htm
The Center for Personal Assistance Services
The Center for Personal Assistance Services provides research, training,
dissemination and technical assistance on issues of personal assistance services
(PAS) in the United States. Personal assistance services (PAS) refer to help
provided to people with disabilities to assist them with tasks essential for
daily living. These tasks include bathing, dressing, getting around, toileting,
eating, shopping, remembering things, and other activities. PAS, along with
assistive technology such as wheelchairs, text readers, and hearing aides, help
people with disabilities to participate in activities at home, at work, and in
the community. http://www.pascenter.org
OPEN HOUSE May 25th from 3 - 5:30pm in the TRIC/PLUK
Library
The TRIC/PLUK Special Needs Library has existed for eight years. We've
scheduled this OPEN HOUSE as an opportunity to show off the collection along
with a new tool - the ability for library patrons to search on-line for
material! We're excited about the new capability and know that it will be a
wonderful tool for parents and professionals alike.
Please drop by on May 25th between 3 and 5:30pm and let us show you the library
and "search capabilities." We'll have refreshments and this will give
you the opportunity to meet PLUK's staff and Board as well. Call if you have
questions - 255.0540.
Watch for the link on the PLUK web site which will provide a tutorial and link
to the new searching function.
Birthday Time?
Does your child have a birthday coming up? Are you dreading the decorating,
food preparation and cleanup? If so, Contact Bill at Montana Candy Bar &
Deli at 294-2327. Montana Candy Bar & Deli offers birthday parties at their
store located at 111South 24th Street West in the Rimrock Mini Mall.
They will do the decorating, provide lunch, ice cream and activities for the
kids giving you an opportunity to sit back, relax and enjoy the party for a
change. Be sure to take your camera for great photo of all the activities.
AND PLUK will receive a portion of the proceeds!
Get your Albertson Community Partners card!
PLUK has joined Albertsons' Community Partners Card Program. This program is
designed to help non-profit organizations raise funds needed for their programs.
A percentage of your grocery total will be donated to PLUK. All that is needed
is to show your Community Partners card each time you make a purchase at
Albertsons. It does not cost you anything.
If you are interested in assisting PLUK in raising funds this way, please
contact Bernice at 255-0540 to get a Community Partners card.
1. Monday Morning in Washington, DC, http://www.inclusionresearch.org
2. Rocky Mountain DBTAC, http://www.adainformation.org
3. Transition Newsflash, Montana Center on Disabilities, http://www.msubillings.edu/transition
4. PEN Weekly NewsBlast http://www.publiceducation.org
5. Reference Points: Transition updates from the TATRA Project, http://www.pacer.org/tatra/tatra.htm
6. The American Indian Disability Technical Assistance Center Training Calendar http://aidtac.ruralinstitute.umt.edu/TrainingCalendar.htm
7. Rural Policy Matters, http://www.ruraledu.org/rpm/rpm.htm
8. Technology for Nonprofits: http://www.techsoup.org
Parent's, Let's Unite for Kids - PLUK
516 N 32nd St
Billings MT 59101-6003
800-222-7585; 406-255-0540; 406-255-0523 (fax)
plukinfo@pluk.org
http://www.pluk.org
Edited by: Roger Holt rholt@pluk.org
Proofed & condensed by: Elisabeth Mills scribe@pluk.org
Mission Statement: Parent's Let's Unite for Kids unites parents, professionals, families and friends of children with special needs to support one another, and share information for the benefit of their children.
Vision Statement: Given information and support, individuals with disabilities and their families will feel empowered to advocate for themselves and participate fully in educational and community opportunities.
Statement on accessibility: Today, we endeavor to be conscious of the need for making all electronic information accessible, as we are aware of physical accessibility issues in our community. For design guidelines visit http://ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom/guideline/.
Privacy Policy: We do not sell, rent, or lend the e-mail addresses of our subscribers.