The Family Resource Group
Happy Holidays
We hope you are looking forward to a wonderful holiday season. There are some wonderful things happening for family engagement and information. Take advantage of some opportunities: webinars or conferences and enjoy the resources! If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time. To be sure that you continue to receive all future updates, or information, directly to your email address, sign up on the Family Resource Group mailing list.
Erin Campion
Family Resource Group Editor
OCALI: the Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness
OCALI is a resource center based in Ohio. While all the material may not apply to families in Pennsylvania, it does have general information that you may find useful about deafness or blindness.
- They have a resource guide that "is designed to support families as they manage, access, and share medical and educational information concerning their children. The purpose of this guide is to help families build their understanding and connect important medical and educational information to make more informed decisions, so that their children who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) can grow and live their best lives. This guide is designed to support families and their children of all ages, at any point in their life journey."
- They have tabs on their website starting with the Hearing Screening and moving on to many additional topics like: assistive technology, Deaf culture, literacy, communication, transition, and more.
- In addition, they have a self paced course on promoting access: "Promoting Access for People Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Blind, or Visually Impaired is a free, self-paced training module designed to build confidence and comfort for anyone communicating or connecting with people with are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired."
Fire Drills: Considerations for Students with Disabilities
Fire drills are a routine obligation for all school kids, yet their execution often overlooks the unique needs of students with disabilities.
Teams need to reevaluate and adapt their approach to fire drills, ensuring the approaches are inclusive and considerate of all students, especially those with special needs. The Office of Civil Rights takes very seriously the need for all students to participate with fire drills. The blog offers tips for teams to consider for individual students.
From the Sped Law Blog, Author Dr. David Bateman
Students Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf-Blind: Safety Checklist for IEP Teams
PaTTAN has a safety list that is intended to guide discussions to determine needs and supports for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind during emergency situations.
FAMILIES to the MAX (F2MAX)
a family voice in Pennsylvania
FAMILIES to the MAX (F2MAX)
Learn how FAMILIES TO THE MAX has inspired members and changed what’s possible for their children and ALL children in PA. Families share the impact of presuming competence and having high expectations for children with disabilities and special healthcare needs. (The first video is in English and the second video is in Spanish. Both videos have a sign language interpreter.)
PA Department of Education Conference 2024
Making a Difference: Educational Practices that Work
February 28 - March 1, 2024 | Hershey, PA
Save the date for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special Education's signature event. This annual statewide conference offers an opportunity to learn and engage with nationally recognized presenters, as well as families and educators from across the state, highlighting effective instructional strategies and interventions designed to make an educational difference for all students. A limited number of parent scholarships will be available soon. Please regularly check the conference page for updates.
OSERS has a new blog series!
Expect, Engage, Empower: Successful Transitions for All
OSERS (the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services) is dedicated to working alongside families, students, educators, advocacy groups and policymakers to rethink transition services. We want students and families to have the tools and resources necessary for successful secondary transition experiences.
OSEP Releases Updated Technical Assistance Center Resource
The Office of Special Education Programs released a new resource (PDF) that outlines OSEP-funded centers, including the new centers funded in Federal Fiscal Year 2023, that help support the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and provide technical assistance services to families, schools, districts and states.
The document is organized by:
- Technical Assistance and Dissemination (TA&D) centers;
- Parent Training and Information centers;
- Educational Technology, Media, and Materials centers;
- Personnel Development centers; and
- TA on State Data Collection centers.
To find a center, refer to the Find a Center or Grant page on OSEP's IDEAs That Work website.
The mission of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who receive special education services.