Know Last night at Oakton High school at the Special Education Regulation there were at least 450  people  there to support The Arc of Northern Virginia.

The advocacy efforts regarding the proposed Special Education Regulations are really picking up momentum and this is truly thanks to YOUR help and hard work! We are pleased to report that across the Commonwealth, advocates of all ages and perspectives have been expressing concern to the Virginia Department of Education about the proposed Special Education regulations with the request that these regs be sent "back to the drawing board". 

Many thanks to all of you who have sent in public comment to VDOE, provided testimony at public hearings, worked with local press/wrote letters to the editor, and forwarded The Arc's action alerts to "get the word out"!

Dear fellow parents:
We know many of you are busy, stressed out and likely tired of fighting to receive services for your children, but we truly thank all the parents who came out on June 2nd.
Parents across Nova -- with our largest proportion of the state's population - were heard and accounted for by Virginia's education officials.  Fairfax County, for example, has the largest population of students in special ed in Virginia within a particular county (about 25,000), which means there are potentially 50,000 parents in Fairfax who stand to lose out if these proposed regs go through "as is."  However, the hearing on June 2 was not for just Fairfax residents.  Parents from all Nova locations -- Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Prince William and Loudoun -- attended and voiced their opposition to the proposed regs.
Except for the hearing held in Richmond last Tuesday (at which there were about 150 people) most of the other public hearings across the state have been poorly attended.  The one on Monday at Oakton HS had the best parent turnout. 
 Please don't let the VA Board of Education think that we don't really care about our rights in the special ed process.  If we didn't have the Virginia-specific guarantees for parental involvement that exist in current regulation, we would have even less say in our children's education than we do now.  In other words, if these regs are approved, things could become much worse for those of you who are currently struggling with your school to get appropriate services for your child.

 

Sincerely,

 

Erin Thompson 

 

Check out this accompanying article!

 

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/03/AR2008060302938.html
  
Great teacher gifts and party ideas:
http://family.go.com/holidays/pkg-schools-out/?campaign=ILC-FavClicks&link=t

 

The IRIS Center and the PACER Center have created an online module to help educators think about and improve family involvement, particularly involvement among families of children with disabilities. The interactive module provides participants with a scenario, information, and a self-evaluation tool. It also includes commentary from parents and an expert in the field of family involvement.
http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/fam/chalcycle.htm 
 

NOTE: Applications are due by 5 p.m. on June 20.

Customers with disabilities and senior citizens have a lot to say about
Metro service. More importantly, they have a lot of good ideas to share.
The Metro Elderly & Disabled Transportation Advisory Committee advises
Metro on ways to improve Metrobus, Metrorail, and MetroAccess services.
Senior citizens and customers with disabilities have a chance to
participate in making Metro better.

Metro is currently seeking applications from customers interested in
filling vacancies on the Metro Elderly & Disabled Transportation
Advisory Committee.

We encourage you to apply for membership if you:
1. Are a senior citizen or a person with a disability and Ride
Metrobus, Metrorail and/or MetroAccess and
2. Live in the District of Columbia, Prince George's County, Arlington
County, Fairfax County or the City of Alexandria
3. Are not employed by Metro or a Metro contractor and
4. Are not an elected official.
Go to the following link to apply:
http://www.wmata.com/accessibility/edApplication/apply.cfm

NOTE: Applications are due by 5 p.m. on June 20.

For additional information, please contact the Metro Elderly & Disabled
Transportation Advisory Committee Hotline at 202-962-6060.

 

All students, family members and other concerned citizens are strongly encouraged to share your concerns about the revised Special Education Regulations with your Delegate and Senator.
The Arc has been hearing that some members of the General Assembly (from both sides of the aisle) have either contacted DOE directly or have spoken at the public hearings. This is great news and we are asking advocates across the state to help build on these efforts by inviting your Delegate and Senator to be part of this movement as well!
TAKE ACTION today by using The Arc of Virginia's Action Center to send your legislator an email requesting his/her help in protecting the rights of children with disabilities in Virginia's schools. Please add a personal note about how these regulations could impact (or would have impacted) you or someone you care about. Click on the blue Take Action link to compose your letter now.
Thanks for your advocacy on behalf of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities! Your efforts are making a difference!