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PLUK eNews September
22, 2004
http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Sep_22_04.htm
Volume 3 Issue 4
Welcome to PLUK's electronic
newsletter!
(Download the printable pdf version at: http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Sep_22_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.
Daschle's Blessing Allows Conference on IDEA
Reauthorization Measure to Proceed
CQ TODAY - EDUCATION, Sept. 21, 2004 - 10:39 p.m., By Bill Swindell, CQ
Staff
After four months of wrangling, the Senate agreed Tuesday night to enter
into conference negotiations with the House on legislation that would
reauthorize the main federal education program for the nation's 6.6 million
disabled students.
Senate Democrats had refused to agree to a unanimous consent request to go to
conference with the House on legislation (S 1248) to reauthorize the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act until they received assurances they would have a
meaningful role in crafting the final bill. The Senate passed the measure May 13
by a 95-3 vote.
The breakthrough came after Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., signed
off on an agreement for conference negotiations reached between Judd Gregg, R-N.H.,
and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., the chairman and ranking member, respectively,
of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Gregg and
Kennedy are the main sponsors of the Senate bill.
Every HELP Committee member has been appointed as a Senate conferee. The House
is expected to name its conferees soon.
Kennedy had fought for significant input in the GOP-led conference on issues
such as teacher qualifications, procedural safeguards for students, and federal
enforcement actions to ensure that states uphold the law, more commonly known by
its acronym, IDEA.
"I'm confident that this will be a very, very successful conference,"
said Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid, D-Nev.
The law (PL 105-17) - first enacted three decades ago and last rewritten seven
years ago - is as much a civil rights law as an education package. It guarantees
that special-needs children are able to obtain a free public education in the
"least restrictive environment." The IDEA measure also is the vehicle
for billions of dollars in federal assistance to states and school districts,
with $10.1 billion allocated in fiscal 2004.
The Senate bill has a few significant differences compared to a House-passed
version (HR 1350). The House passed its bill in April 2003 by a 251-171 vote.
The Senate bill maintains a requirement in the law that school officials
consider whether a disciplinary infraction resulted from a student's disability.
The House bill requires no such determination.
The Senate bill would give parents a two-year time limit to file lawsuits
against schools for not providing services required under the law, while the
House bill would provide a one-year time limit. The Senate bill also would allow
up to 15 states to apply for a waiver to reduce the paperwork educators are
required to file under the law. The House would allow 10 states to apply for
such a waiver.
Senate Democrats have blocked two other bills - a charitable giving measure (HR
7) and the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (HR 1261) - from
going to conference with the House because of similar concerns that their views
would be disregarded during final negotiations.
But lawmakers and aides said the IDEA bill had the best chance of the three for
clearing Congress this year because Gregg and Kennedy had conducted a sober and
respectful debate that contrasted with previous, more divisive IDEA
reauthorizations. Aides said the two lawmakers were mindful of demands placed
upon parents and teachers of special-needs children and kept partisan sparring
at a minimum.
In addition, education groups such as the American Association of School
Administrators and the National School Boards Association pressured Daschle and
Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., to reach an agreement to send the bill into
conference.
Free Children's Tickets Available to the NILE Rodeo,
October 13, Billings
PLUK has a limited number of children's tickets for the NILE Rodeo on
October 13. Call Bernice at the PLUK office 255-0540 if you are interested.
"Blue Coupon Book" Now on Sale in Billings
PLUK is selling the Billings Area Preferred Savings Guide commonly call the
"blue coupon book." The books sell for $20.00 each and contain 285
coupons for fast food, area restaurants, stores, hotels, car washes, oil
changes, etc. Buy one for yourself and extras for gifts.
If you are interested in purchasing a coupon book please contact Bernice at
255-0540.
Parent Support Group meeting in Kalispell September 30
All parents are invited to the first meeting at the Summit in Kalispell
Thursday Sept 30th at 7pm. Future meetings 2004 will be Oct 28 & Nov 18th.
For information, contact Stephanie at 756-6159.
New Support Group Starting in Missoula September 28
Missoula HOPE ABC is a support group for parents which will be starting this
fall. If you would be interested in helping plan the initial meetings, or if you
want to be notified of the first meeting, please contact Melanie Martin-Dent, mmartindent@yahoo.com
or 406/546-7006.
The name stands for "Helping Other Parents of Emotionally and Behaviorally
Challenged Children". We are beginning with our first support group meeting
Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 6:30-8:30 pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, at the
corner of Reserve and Sunset Lane.
ROC Wheels in Bozeman
ROC builds wheelchairs for people in developing countries. They go to
different countries and personally fit wheelchairs.
Some of the individuals, mostly children, have never been out of bed or been
mobile. They have been to Jamaica, Kenya, are currently in Ukraine, going to
Peru in Nov., Gaza in Dec. and Nepal and Kenya next year.
THEY ACCEPT USED WHEELCHAIRS FOR REFURBISHING.
To learn more, go to their website at http://www.RocWheels.org
or phone 556-8065/fax 556-8065.
Special Needs Technologies: An Administrator's Guide
By Terry Lankutis
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires every school to
provide its special needs students with whatever technologies are necessary for
a "free and appropriate education." Yet many schools struggle with the
task of identifying which technologies will actually work for this population of
students. Outside consultants can provide technical knowledge and experience,
but they may not know all the details of a particular student's needs, and
parents or school personnel may feel a solution has been forced on them without
their input. A better, and often less expensive, solution is for school leaders
to develop a systematic process that considers the input of all stakeholders,
calling upon the expertise of the entire Individual Education Plan team and
outside expertise as needed. The following steps will help you implement a
collaborative, long-term approach to selecting assistive technology, whether you
are starting from scratch or analyzing the effectiveness of your current
procedures.
To read the entire article, visit: http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=47204593
Looking for families to participate in research study
I am a doctoral student at the Boston University School of Education in the
department of Special Education, doing research for my dissertation. My research
entails looking at the social interactions of parents and their children in
homeschools. The population of children that I am studying is children who have
ADHD-inattentive type and/or hyperactive type. My interest in this population of
children stems from the struggles that my own son, now aged 21 has endured his
entire school experience, and the hope that my research will help other children
who deal with similar obstacles.
All children in the study must be homeschooled, between 7-12 years old, and
diagnosed to have ADHD-inattentive type and diagnosed by a physician, a
psychologist, school officials or according to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-TR-IV-R). Additionally, neither the parent nor
child can have another special needs diagnosis nor any psychiatric illness or
disorder. Each child and parent who participates in the study will receive
remuneration. Please contact me either by phone or e-mail if you know any
families who would be interested in participating in my research.
Esta M. Rapoport
61 Cowdin Circle
Chappaqua, New York 10514
Phone-914-241-3147
Cell Phone-914-629-4225
Erapoport1@aol.com
An ADA Guide for Local Governments
Making Community Emergency Preparedness and Response Programs Accessible to
People with Disabilities
One of the most important roles of local government is to protect their
citizenry from harm, including helping people prepare for and respond to
emergencies. Making local government emergency preparedness and response
programs accessible to people with disabilities is a critical part of this
responsibility. Making these programs accessible is also required by the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
For more information, visit http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/emergencyprep.htm
Cingular offers handset for blind
By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff September 17, 2004
In a first for the US cellphone industry, Cingular Wireless LLC yesterday
began offering a handset specially designed for blind and vision-impaired
people, with software that can convert virtually everything on the phone screen
-- including text messages -- to synthesized speech.
Read the complete story at: http://www.boston.com/business/markets/articles/2004/09/17/cingular_offers_handset_for_blind/
PUBLIC, PARENTS POLLED ON LEARNING DISABILITIES;
WARNING SIGNS OFTEN IGNORED
According to a poll from the Coordinated Campaign on Learning Disabilities (CCLD),
working with the nation's seven leading organizations focusing on these
important issues, Americans say they are concerned about learning disability
issues among young children. But, both the general public and parents of young
children are often misinformed about the signs that identify learning
disabilities among children and feel that kids will "grow out of" the
problems. In fact, learning disabilities can be addressed, especially if
identified at an early age, but they are permanent. In addition, Americans say
they are concerned that standardized testing in the nation's public schools does
not adequately account for the one in 10 children who have some form of learning
disabilities.
http://www.focusonlearning.org/pollingrelease.htm
ELEVEN TIPS TO HELP PARENTS CREATE SAFER SCHOOLS
Because a safe school is key to helping students achieve, KSA-Plus
Communications and the National Crime Prevention Council have teamed up to
release "11 Tips to Help Parents Create Safer Schools." This is the
latest in a series of KSA-Plus tip sheets that help parents become more
effective advocates for their children and partners with their schools. Among
the safety tips: Help your child identify the early warning signs of violence;
and work with other parents to develop standards for school-related events. 11
Tips, as well as other parent-friendly publications, can be ordered for free at:
http://www.parents.ksaplus.com/framesplpubs.html
Study: ADHD Costs Americans $77 Billion in Lost Income
Reuters Health, By Dena Aubin, Friday, September 10, 2004
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder costs
Americans suffering from the condition about $77 billion in lost income a year,
more than the total costs of drug abuse or depression, a Harvard researcher said
on Thursday.
Usually considered a childhood disorder, ADHD also affects about 8 million U.S.
adults and is linked to job loss, lower income, higher divorce rates and more
driving accidents, said Dr. Joseph Biederman, professor of psychiatry at Harvard
Medical School. "It has been shocking to me when we calculate the economic
impact of this condition," said Biederman, speaking at an American Medical
Association briefing in New York. "ADHD is one of the costliest medical
conditions that we have."
By comparison, the direct and indirect costs of drug abuse are estimated at
$58.3 billion a year, depression about $43.7 billion, and alcohol abuse about
$85.8 billion, he said.
About 3 to 5 percent of adults suffer from ADHD and most do not know they have
it, he said.
"Unless someone asks the key questions to make a diagnosis, diagnosis is
impossible," he said.
Researchers' figures were based on the lower incomes reported by ADHD sufferers
compared with the general population and estimating the number of Americans with
the disorder.
Read the complete article at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_20024.html.
Easter Seals Project Action: Transportation Resources
America is home to more that 54 million people with disabilities who work,
play, shop, vote, pursue an education, raise families, and volunteer in their
communities. In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
the civil-rights law that ensures individuals with disabilities access to
employment, education, state and local government programs and services,
businesses, telecommunications, and public transportation.
Congress originally commissioned Easter Seals Project ACTION in 1988 as a
research and demonstration project to improve access to public transportation
for people with disabilities. With the passage of the ADA two years later, our
goals expanded to help transportation operators implement the law's
transportation provisions.
Check our their web site for transportation resources: http://projectaction.easterseals.com
Apple Products at the User Group Store
PLUK is an Apple User Group and you may visit the MUG store for special
deals. This month's highlights include:
* Brand new 15" PowerBooks with Combo for only $1499 (US)
* Factory Refurbished iPods starting at $179 (US)
* Brand new custom-configured iBooks with Combo for only $1188 (US)
* An exclusive $100 (US) rebate on any installed RAM in selected new Macs!
Don't forget our huge blowout and specials section, including great deals on
Bose speakers, Apple software and more!
Remember, always free freight, great deals on new and a huge selection of used
Macs, plus 1 percent back to your PLUK when anyone buys from the store.
Password for 8/1/2004 - 11/30/2004
User ID: xserve / Password: raid
http://www.applemugstore.com
PLUK trainings and activities planned for 2004-05
PLUK associate boards around the state are sponsoring a number of trainings
and activities this coming year. Mark your calendar if you are interested in
participating.
Go to http://www.pluk.org/training
for more detailed information and registration.
Statewide Interactive Videoconferences
Other Training Activities
Other Community Activities
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.
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