NLTS2 Database Training Seminar
Washington, D.C. January 13-15, 2009

A 3-day seminar on the use of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS2) database for education research and policy analysis will be held January 13-15, 2009 in Washington D.C. This seminar is open to advanced graduate students and faculty members from colleges and universities, and to researchers, practitioners, and policy analysts from research, education, and human services agencies and organizations.

For anyone interested in using these data, this training is not to be missed. Attendees will have the opportunity to work directly with the researchers who developed the data collection instruments and database. Future seminars on this topic have not been announced, and we cannot assume that there will be additional opportunities to receive this training.

There is no fee to attend this training seminar. Transportation, hotel accommodations, and training materials will be provided at no cost to the participants. Participants will be responsible for their meals and incidental expenses.

Participants must have knowledge and experience in either SPSS or SAS programming. Applications are due November 23, 2008. Application and registration information can be found at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/whatsnew/conferences/nlts2_training.asp

The NLTS2 includes a nationally-representative sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities who were 13 through 16 years old and receiving special education services when the study began in the 2000-2001 school year. NLTS2 is following these students for 9 years until the oldest subjects reach the age of 26. Data collection includes multiple waves of interviews and surveys with youth, parents, and educators; a direct student assessment; and student transcripts. The training will cover data from the first three waves of data collection, with the oldest subjects having reached the age of 20.

NLTS2 is designed to support research on a wide range of topics pertaining to youth with disabilities as they move from secondary school into adult roles. Cross sectional and longitudinal analyses can be conducted. The database includes over 10,000 variables related to youth and family characteristics, school characteristics, special education programs and services, academic and functional performance, adult services and supports, postsecondary education, adult adjustment and health, and adult employment.

PLEASE POST THIS INFORMATION AND PASS IT ON TO ANYONE
WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN THIS OPPORTUNITY.

For more information about this training opportunity, please contact Chonita Milner-Vaughn at Optimal Solutions Group, LLC at cmilner-vaughn@optimalsolutionsgroup.com or by phone at 301-306-1170


NLTS2 is administered by the National Center for Special Education Research within the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

The Brewing Best Practices in Transition Conference, will be held in Milwaukee Wisconsin on October 16-17, 2008. We are so excited to about the fantastic program. For details about the program or information on registration, please visit our website at www.dcdt.org. On-site registration will be available, so we hope to see you there!

DCDT is pleased to announce these new members to our board.  We are delighted to have such highly qualified individuals volunteering their time to serve our membership!  Their names, positions and a brief bio of each one follows:

Vincent Harper, the DCDT Graduate Student Representative, is a third year doctoral student in The University of Oklahoma's Special Education Program, has research interest in interagency and interprofessional collaboration. He earned a Bachelor's degree in elementary education from Southern University at New Orleans in December of 1995, and a Master's degree in Education Administration from California State University, Fullerton in May of 2000.  He has worked in elementary and secondary education for over 10 years, and has taught in Louisiana, Texas, California, and Colorado. 

Beth Swedeen, the DCDT Parent Representative.
My name is Beth Swedeen and I am excited to serve as the new parent representative on the DCDT Board! I am involved in statewide youth transition projects at University of Wisconsin-Madison's Waisman Center, our state's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. My major interests are in person-centered planning with youth, community asset-mapping, and inclusive school and community practices, particularly as they relate to transition. As part of earlier transition projects at Waisman Center, I helped develop resources, trainings and networks of support for youth, families and providers related to transition, including development of our statewide youth leadership network. I have two teenaged daughters, one of whom has a developmental disability. As a mom, I've witnessed the importance and value of effective school and community inclusive practices on shaping the lives of children with even the most significant disabilities. I'm currently in the midst of shifting personal roles, moving from advocate to coach, as I encourage both my daughters to develop more independence and effectively advocate for themselves.


Paul Fogle, the DCDT Youth Representative  currently resides in Middletown, Pennsylvania.  He is a 2007 graduate of Penn State Harrisburg, with a bachelor's degree in Public Policy. In Summer 2005, Paul interned in the Washington, DC office of Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS).  Over the years, Paul has served as a Councilor on the Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council and as a member of the Governing Board of the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network and National Youth Leadership Network.  In addition to serving on the board of DCDT, Paul serves on the National Council on Disability's Youth Advisory Committee. While at Penn State Harrisburg, Paul served in many student leadership roles.  Paul is currently enrolled in the Masters in Public Administration program at Penn State Harrisburg.

Lori Y. Peterson, the DCDT Joint Southwest Regional Representative is an assistant professor of special education at the University of Northern Colorado. She actively researches in the area of self-determination and transition to postsecondary education. Dr. Peterson developed the Leadership Education for Advocacy Development (LEAD) project at the University of Oklahoma to assist university students with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders in developing self-determination skills aimed at supporting their academic success. She has co-authored several books chapters and articles promoting self-determination instruction and opportunities. Dr. Peterson has presented at state, national, and international conferences and workshops on topics such as curriculum supports and modifications, students with disabilities responsibilities and rights, IEP meeting participant's roles and perceptions, and college student with disabilities self-determination and success.

Jamie Van Dycke, the other half of the DCDT Joint Southwest Regional Representative is currently the Special Education Program Coordinator for Oklahoma State University, and is teaching special education coursework as an assistant professor at OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She has 30 years of experience as a family advocate, and 20 years of experience as a professional in the special education field. Dr. Van Dycke has worked as a special education classroom teacher, a family outreach coordinator for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Special Education Services, and as a consultant to various service agencies across the state. She has coordinated statewide research in the areas of secondary transition and self-determination, and has recently published in these areas. Dr. Van Dycke is an internationally recognized speaker in the areas of self-determination for individuals with disabilities and the family dynamic specific to sibling issues.

Ronald Tamura , The DCDT Representative Assembly Representative is currently an Assistant Professor at Southern Connecticut State University, in the Department of Special Education and Reading and teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses at in the area of developmental disabilities, collaboration, behavior management and transition. He is a former high school special education teacher in both public and private school settings. Ron also has worked for the Connecticut State Department of Education in the Bureau of Special Education as an Education Consultant. His research interests include personnel preparation, self-determination, transition, and positive behavior supports.

Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008
The Higher Education Opportunity Act was signed into law on August 14, 2008. The HEOA included a variety of new amendments that will impact the transition options for students with disabilities and provide expanded postsecondary opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities.  

The HEOA 2008:

• Allows students with ID, attending postsecondary programs to be eligible for Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and the Federal Work-Study Program.
• Authorizes the development of inclusive model comprehensive transition and post-secondary programs.   
  
• Authorizes the establishment of a coordinating center for the new model programs.
• Establishes a national center to provide support services and best practices for colleges, students with disabilities, and their families.

There are also significant advances related to

• Improving Teacher Quality
• Universal Design for Learning
• College Navigator information

The Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD)  provides detailed information about these new provisions on their Postsecondary Education Issues webpage including the materials from a recent Webinar and CEC's Analysis of the law.

For more information about the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) please visit their website www.aucd.org.

ADA Amendments Act of 2008
DCDT commends President George W. Bush's signing into law the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) on Thursday, September 25th, which amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The ADAAA 2008 clarifies and broadens the definition of disability and expands the population eligible for protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

This bill reverses the many judicial rulings over the years that narrowed the broad scope of protections for individuals with disabilities in the ADA. This momentous occasion was the result of compromises between disability rights groups, business interests and the diligent bipartisan work of Congress that passed the Act by unanimous consent in the Senate and by voice vote in the House earlier this month in September.

For information on the Americans with Dsiabilities  Act Amendments go to www.adabill.com.

 

 
The Idaho Subdivision is co-sponsoring the Tools for Life: Secondary Transition and Technology Fair March 2-3, 2008. The focus of the 5th Annual Tools for Life Fair is preparing and supporting individuals with disabilities as they transition from school to life.
 
 
101 Tips Request Brings in Huge Response   
Thanks to all of those practitioners from across the country who have submitted tips regarding their best efforts in transition. We've had an overwhelming response of over 240 submissions. From this large list of many interesting and creative practices, we are categorizing tips by transition domain area and determining if there are any that are similar and can be combined into one description. We might be contacting you if you submitted a tip to make sure we have enough information about your practice. We will be developing a short list of all of the best tips very soon and will have that available at the end of September. Look for amore detailed description of the 101 Tips, with who submitted it and more detail about how the practice is implemented at the DCDT Milwaukee Workshop in October, 2008. We will also be developing a searchable database of the tips that will be available online. If you have any questions about this effort, feel free to contact Mary Morningstar mmorningstar@ku.edu or Ryan Kellems rkellems@ku.edu.

 

The position DCDT Web Master is currently open. If you have  website development and maintenance skills and are interested in serving on the DCDT National Board, please send a letter of interest and a summary of related experience to Audrey Trainor, DCDT Publications Chair.