The Family Resource Group Sept 2022

We are excited for your child and for their learning during this school year! If you have any 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

ecampion@pattan.net

PaTTAN is looking for a Family member of a student with blindness or visual impairment to join their staff. A vacancy exists for a Family Support Specialist for Blindness and Visual Impairment (BVI) to work for the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit at PaTTAN - East! The Family Support Specialist will provide technical assistance and training related to blindness and visual impairment as part of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN).

Vision is an essential aspect of development and learning. This document provides an overview on vision therapy and visual impairment and describes how vision therapy is different from educational visual impairment services.

There are many conferences, through PaTTAN, during the 22-23 school year. Several of them offer scholarships for families to attend. Details will be on the separate conference pages.

• HELIX, November 14-16, 2022. HELIX has sessions specifically designed for students who are deaf, deafblind, blind, visually impaired, and hard of hearing . It is being held in a hybrid format with in-person sessions at State College and online sessions, too. Registration will be opening soon.
• PA PBS Implementers' Forum, November 29-December 2, 2022 at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center. The focus of the Forum will be on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to improve behavior outcomes for all learners. Registration will be opening soon.
• PA Department of Education (PDE) Conference, March 1-3, 2023. The PDE conference will be held in a hybrid format with in-person sessions at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center and online sessions, as well.

"Youth Ambassadors (YAs) are needed to impact the provision of services for students with disabilities from high school to college or work in the community. YAs will participate in local and statewide meetings, help develop employment programs in PA, help create youth engaging media and support students with disabilities in their communities."

For more information about this paid work experience, in your location, contact Krista Sloan 814.619.8512 or krsloan@pa.gov

Understanding Special Education Due Process Hearings: A Guide for Parents and Families is a helpful resource for those seeking additional information about a due process hearing.

This guide has replaced the Office for Dispute Resolution's (ODR’s) document Dispute Resolution Manual.

" 'I have never met a parent who doesn’t want the best for their child. However, it can be hard for families to know how to support their child’s education. Engaging with their educators is a good place to start. This tool provides families with questions to ask to work with educators to ensure schools are providing all students with an education that will prepare them for college and careers,' said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

The checklist follows the set of rights that the Department recently released outlining what families should be able to expect for their children's education. The rights follow the educational journey of a student—from access to quality preschool; to engagement in safe, well-resourced elementary and secondary schools that hold all students to high standards; to access to an affordable, quality college degree. The checklist suggests these “key questions” that parents should pose to their child’s educators."