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March 2009, Volume 3 - Number 3 |
NEWS
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We are Happy to Announce the Launch of Parent to Parent of Miami's BRAND NEW Website
Please visit our brand new website at www.ptopmiami.org and checkout our new look! There are many great features such as Online Registration for Support Groups, Trainings and Workshops, a Picture Gallery, Videos of children with disabilities achieving their dreams, Staff Bios, Volunteer Opportunities, and many new creative ways to donate and help give back to Parent to Parent of Miami.
After months of not having our website due to a virus attack, we are happy to once again be up and running. Visit us and familiarize yourselves with all the new great features. |
Parent to Parent of Miami is now on Facebook!
For those of you on Facebook, Parent to Parent of Miami has
set up a Cause where you can view some of the latest PtoP news and follow our
progress with some of our fundraising goals. To view the Parent to Parent of
Miami Cause, click "Dream Big for Children with Disabilities", and log in with your Facebook
information. |
Donate 1 Cent to Parent to Parent of Miami for Every
Search You Make on the Internet!
What if Parent to Parent of Miami earned a penny every time
you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you
made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!
GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its
advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users
designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search
results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of
each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including
Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed
up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your
favorite cause.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com
and start supporting Parent to Parent of Miami today. Be sure to spread
the word!
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Beth Harry Speaks on Race and Disability in Schools at the 2009 OSEP National Parent Center Conference Held in Washington D.C. in January
 Beth Harry is a professor of special education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami, Florida.
A native of Jamaica, she entered the field of special education as a parent of a child with cerebral palsy, an experience that has been chronicled in her memoir, Melanie, Bird With a Broken Wing: A Mother's Story.
Inspired by her own experience as a parent, Harry's research and teaching focus on the impact of
special education on families from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Her studies have included Puerto Rican, African American, and a wide range of other cultural groups.
In 2002, Harry served as member of the National Academy of Sciences' panel to study the disproportionate placement of minority students in special education.
Her research on these topics have been published in numerous books and articles, most recently, two books: Why are so Many Minority Students in Special Education? and Case Studies of Minority Student Placement in Special Education.
In 2003, she received a Fulbright award to do research on Moroccan children's schooling in Spain, where she was based at the University of Seville.
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Superintendent's District Advisory Panel for Students with Disabilities
The mission for the Superintendent's Advisory Panel for Students with Disabilities is to assist the Superintendent in reviewing current status of special education, identify problem areas, develop goals and objectives, and recommend priorities for the provision of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for students with disabilities.
The panel advocates for students entitled to special education and their families by offering counsel to the Superintendent and the Administration of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) in all areas affecting education. The panel meets on the third Thursday of the month at the School Board Administration Building. For more information, please contact Parent to Parent of Miami at 305-271-9797 Ext 224.
You are invited to participate in the Committee for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
The meeting is to address educational issues concerning students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Location:
Training Room at FDLRS South
5555 Southwest 93rd Avenue
Miami, Florida 33165.
Please plan to attend and to be an important part of the collaboration, partnership and reciprocity of teachers, parents, community agencies and all individuals interested in providing successful opportunities for our students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Should you need the services of an interpreter or need other assistance please contact Barbara Chotiner at bchotiner@dadeschools.net |
Annual "Award of Excellence" Nominations
Sponsored by Parent to Parent of Miami
Deadline March 27, 2009
Each year the Superintendent's Advisory Panel of Students with Disabilities honors students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement. Applications are rated on student effort, student attitude, and progress/level of independence. Awards will be presented at the May 21, 2009 end of the year meeting.
The criteria for outstanding achievement may include: academic success, a special talent or ability, unusual success in a mainstream or inclusion setting, positive attitude (as demonstrated by level of interest, attendance, etc.), improved performance, demonstration of good character, community involvement, or other positive contributions. The determination of what constitutes outstanding academic achievement will be at the discretion of the sponsor submitting the application.
For more information, please visit: www.ptopmiami.org |
| MONEY MATTERS |
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Year 2008 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities
Parents of kids with a severe learning disability may be eligible for valuable tax benefits.
By Michael O'Connor, Monroe Seifer and Juan Pelayo.
If you have a child with a severe learning disability (LD), you may qualify for valuable tax benefits. If your child has ADD/ADHD or other physical, mental or emotional impairments, you may also qualify for tax benefits. Because tax laws are complex and many tax preparers often do not encounter these unique tax benefits often, families are at risk of losing refunds worth thousands of dollars. It's likely that 15% to 30% of families with a disabled child have one or more unclaimed tax benefits.
Read annual update. |
Habitat for Humanity Announces Homes Available for Sale
In the areas of: Liberty City, South Miami, South Dade.
0% Interest loan; Monthly payment = 30% of income or $650 per month (whichever is greater).
For more information you may attend the meeting at one of
the two locations:
Date: 04/25/09
Time: 9:30 AM
Locations:
North:
Hosanna Community Baptist Church
2171 NW 56 Street, Miami
South:
Jordan Commons Community Center
13075 SW 244 Street, Princeton (Miami)
Contact Information:
Call 8:00 to 11:30 am (305) 634-3628
www.maimihabitat.org
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| LEGISLATION THAT AFFECTS YOU |
| Autism License Plate Passes House Committee |
A bill creating a Florida license plate to 'Support Autism Programs' passed it's first House committee.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Rich Glorioso, Senator Thad Altman and others, will generate revenue for direct services and quality programs for children with autism and other developmental disabilities throughout the state of Florida.
House Bill 239 must be heard in two additional committees before it gets to the House floor for a full vote. The Senate companion, Senate Bill 642, has been referred to the Transportation Committee, but has yet to be placed on the agenda for a hearing. | |
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President Barack Obama Announces Agenda to Empower Individuals with Disabilities
"We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination.... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities." -- Barack Obama, April 11, 2008
Barack Obama and Joe Biden have a comprehensive agenda to empower individuals with disabilities in order to equalize opportunities for all Americans.
In addition to reclaiming America's global leadership on this issue by becoming a signatory to -- and having the Senate ratify -- the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the plan has four parts, designed to provide lifelong support and resources to Americans with disabilities. They are as follows:
First, provide Americans with disabilities with the educational opportunities they need to succeed by funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, supporting early intervention for children with disabilities and universal screening, improving college opportunities for high school graduates with disabilities, and making college more affordable. Obama and Biden will also authorize a comprehensive study of students with disabilities and issues relating to transition to work and higher education.
Second, end discrimination and promote equal opportunity by restoring the Americans with Disabilities Act, increasing funding for enforcement, supporting the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, ensuring affordable, accessible health care for all and improving mental health care.
Third, increase the employment rate of workers with disabilities by effectively implementing regulations that require the federal government and its contractors to employ people with disabilities, providing private-sector employers with resources to accommodate employees with disabilities, and encouraging those employers to use existing tax benefits to hire more workers with disabilities and supporting small businesses owned by people with disabilities.
And fourth, support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities by enforcing the Community Choice Act, which would allow Americans with significant disabilities the choice of living in their community rather than having to live in a nursing home or other institution, creating a voluntary, budget-neutral national insurance program to help adults who have or develop functional disabilities to remain independent and in their communities, and streamline the Social Security approval process .
Autism
President Obama and Vice President Biden are committed to supporting Americans with Autism Spectrum Disorders ("ASD"), their families, and their communities. There are a few key elements to their support, which are as follows:
First, President Obama and Vice President Biden support increased funding for autism research, treatment, screenings, public awareness, and support services. There must be research of the treatments for, and the causes of, ASD.
Second, President Obama and Vice President Biden support improving life-long services for people with ASD for treatments, interventions and services for both children and adults with ASD.
Third, President Obama and Vice President Biden support funding the Combating Autism Act and working with Congress, parents and ASD experts to determine how to further improve federal and state programs for ASD. Fourth, President Obama and Vice President Biden support universal screening of all infants and re-screening for all two-year-olds, the age at which some conditions, including ASD, begin to appear. These screenings will be safe and secure, and available for every American that wants them. Screening is essential so that disabilities can be identified early enough for those children and families to get the supports and services they need. |
| RESOURCES |
1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007
This Issue Brief provides estimates of the number and percentage of homeschooled students in the United States in 2007 and compares these estimates to those from 1999 and 2003. In addition, parents' reasons for homeschooling their children are presented. Estimates of homeschooling in 2007 are based on data from the Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey (PFI) of the 2007 NHES.1
More Information. |
Improving Basic Mathematics Instruction
Promising Technology Resources for Students with Special Needs.
Technology can help teachers support student understanding of mathematical concepts and increase achievement. This Technology in Action describes how educators can use technology to help students with disabilities succeed in standards based mathematics instruction.
More Information. | |
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Vanderbilt To Launch New College Program
For students with disabilities who are transitioning to adulthood, the options are increasing. A new program at Vanderbilt University will balance life skills training with traditional college courses, reports The Tennessean.
For clarification, this program is currently being designed for students who receive a certificate of completion from high school, not a diploma.
More Information. | |
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Parent to Parent of Miami
7990 SW 117 Ave. Suite 201
Miami, Florida, 33183
Tel: 305-271-9797
Fax: 305-271-6628
newsletter@ptopmiami.org
www.ptopmiami.org
Mission
To empower and support a network of parents of children and adults with disabilities.
Vision
All parents of children and adults with disabilities will have universal access to information, training, support and advocacy skills to ensure their children achieve their fullest potential, while leading the community on the rights of all children.
Above all, we respect your privacy. We will never rent, sell or share your information with anybody.
Changing your email? To update your contact information, email your changes to newsletter@ptopmiami.org
(C) 2008 Parent to Parent of Miami Inc. All rights reserved.
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Please help us help our families! |
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