Monday Memo - Staff receives advocacy award

Monday Memo

News for the week of April 1, 2013

Contents

National News

Arizona News

Family Story

Featured Resources

Events and Activities

Quote of the Week

Join Our List

Mom and baby in swimming pool

We are excited to congratulate Jeanne Hollabaugh, in our Tucson office, for being honored with the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Advocacy Award.

Raising Special Kids is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization.

National News

autism awareness ribbon

April is Autism Awareness Month

Since the 1970s, April has been known as Autism Awareness Month in the United States as well as other parts of the world. As April begins, Family Voices would like to acknowledge and honor all of the people who are working to create greater awareness of the needs of children and youth living with autism, and their special families and caregivers.

Doctor Offices Not Accessible to People with Disabilities

Care2.com

A recent survey in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that 22 percent of doctors in five metropolitan areas are turning away individuals with disabilities. The reason is one of basic access: many physicians' offices do not have accommodations for individuals with physical disabilities.

Congress Tweaks State Special Education Spending Mandates

Education Week

States that run afoul of federal rules for special education funding will be punished - though not forever - under a technical, but important tweak to state maintenance of effort under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

House Committee on Ways and Means, Social Security Subcommittee Hearing

"Challenges of Achieving Fair and Consistent Disability Decisions" was the topic of a hearing held by, the House Committee on Ways and Means, Social Security Subcommittee on Wednesday, March 20. You can view the hearing, read testimony, or submit comment at this website for the Committee on Ways and Means.

Arizona News

Down Syndrome Clinic Opens

The Phoenix Children's Hospital opened the first and only Down syndrome clinic in Arizona. The clinic was four years in the making, and will be housed at the Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Preparing Students for the Journey to Adulthood?

How well are we preparing students with disabilities? It's a question we need to ask young people with disabilities who have left school and are trying to make it in the adult world.

About a year after leaving school, young adults in Arizona who had Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) will be contacted for a survey. Are they enrolled in college? Are they pursuing some kind of job training? Have they found competitive employment?

The information is used to improve how we prepare youth with disabilities to move from high school to adulthood - a big step for any student.

Locating former students can be a challenge, however. Young adults tend to be quite mobile so it's likely that at a student's final IEP meeting, schools will ask students for accurate telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for family members - and others who know the student well - before they leave school.

States are required to collect this information under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in order to develop strategies to improve the number of former students with disabilities who are enrolled in higher education or are competitively employed. All answers are confidential and the responses are anonymous. The results are included in the Annual Performance Report to the U.S. Department of Education. Arizona's most recent progress report is available online. Find it at http://www.azed.gov/special-education/files/2012/02/arizona-ffy-2011-annual-performance-report.pdf.

AzEIP New Referral Process Begins Monday April 8
On Monday, April 8, 2013, there will be changes in how children are referred to AzEIP and provided services through the new AzEIP Team-Based Early Intervention Service providers throughout the state. The new providers will begin accepting referrals and providing early intervention services. Information on Team-Based Early Intervention and how to refer a child to AzEIP beginning April 8, 2013 is at www.azdes.gov/azeip. If you have questions, contact the AzEIP office at (602) 532-9960 or outside of Maricopa County at 1(888) 439-5609.

Bills to watch:

HB 2047 - AIMS Replacement

Effective July 1, 2014, the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test is eliminated and replaced with a competency test adopted by the State Board of Education.

HB 2066 - Mental Illness Terms

Would ban offensive language regarding mental illness including removal of terms such as "idiot, lunatic". Passed the House and determined "proper for consideration" by the Senate Rules committee.

HB 2074 - Expedited Foster Home Approval

Passed the House and has passed the Senate Committees. Is awaiting vote by full Senate.

HB 2091 AHCCCS - Orthotic Services

Establishes the Joint Legislative Study Committee on Orthotic Device Coverage. Passed the House, is awaiting action in Senate Rules Committee.

HB 2458 - Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Fraud Prevention

Outlines additional policies that the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) can adopt to monitor fraudulent activity in Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) and details what constitutes fraudulent use of an ESA. Passed the House and passed the Senate Education Committee and is ready for action by the full Senate.

HB 2476 - Restrictions on Isolation Rooms in Schools

Beginning in school year 2013-2014, disciplinary policies for the solitary confinement of a student must include certain criteria including the size of the room and the method in which the student will be monitored. Passed House and Senate, awaiting action by Governor.

SB 1090 - Grandparents Caring for Children

Will restore a monthly stipend and other benefits to grandparents and great grandparents who are caring for their children. Passed the Senate and two committees in the House. Awaiting action by House Rules Committee.

HB 2350 Permanent Early Voting List - Notarization

Requires current and new voters signing up for the Permanent Early Voting List to register with a notarized application. Never moved out of House Rules Committee -bill is dead.

SB1208 - Foster Care Waiver for Post Secondary Ed

Establishes a five-year pilot program expanding eligibility for public university and community college tuition waivers to certain foster care persons. It has passed the Senate and passed the House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. It awaits approval by the Rules Committee before moving on to a vote by the full House.

SB1375 - Behavioral Health Services; Dependent Children

Transfers the behavioral health services for children in foster care from the Department of Health Services (DHS) to the Department of Economic Security (DES). It requires the Department of Economic Security, the Department of Health Services, and AHCCCS to determine the most efficient way to provide medical, dental and behavioral health services for children in foster care. Passed the Senate and unanimously passed the House Committee on Reform and Human Services and awaits approval from the Rules Committee.

Family Story

Check out the story, "To Wheel or Not to Wheel" written by Family Support Specialist, Nannette Salasek, for Faces of Spina Bifida Magazine.

Staff Member Receives Advocacy Award

Jeanne Hollabaugh receiving award Congratulations to Jeanne Hollabaugh for being honored by the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard with the Hearing Advocacy Award on March 22^nd.

Jeanne was honored for her contributions to the deaf and hard of hearing community in Arizona, but Jeanne began advocating for families in 1992 when she started the Special Education Advisory Council at her son's school district in Washington State and was appointed to the State Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities.

Upon moving to Arizona in 1998, Jeanne became a founding board member of Arizona Hands & Voices. She served two terms on the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and remains on the Deaf Education Task Force. She also served on Arizona Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Stakeholders and the Arizona team for National Deaf Education Project summit. She has presented at the national conferences of EHDI, Investing in Family Support, and Hands & Voices.

Jeanne and her husband are proud parents of three sons. She works as a Family Support Specialist at Raising Special Kids in Tucson, and holds a Master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from San Francisco State University.

Thank You - Arizona Gives Day

Thanks to all our supporters who took the time to make a donation to Raising Special Kids on the first ever Arizona Gives Day. Because of you, we raised $3,662!

Your gift goes a long way toward helping families find answers, support and resources for their child with special health needs. Check out our website at www.raisingspecialkids.org or call Kelly Watson at 602.242.4366 X 205 for more information.

Featured Resources

Article on students with disabilities attending college: Inclusive Higher Education: Its Time Has Come

Downloadable booklet from Family Voices: Activities & Accomplishments of Family-to-Family Health Information Centers

KASA

Kids As Self Advocates (KASA) is a national, grassroots project created by youth with disabilities for youth. KASA is currently accepting nominations for new Board and Task Force Members.

Children's Hospitals Today

The spring 2013 issue of Children's Hospitals Today magazine follows the theme "Vision Requires Courage." The theme is in children's hospitals' efforts to reform Medicaid to care for medically complex children; to design health care Exchanges that work for children; to structure healthy hospitals as role-models for their communities. You can download the entire issue as a PDF for your tablet or e-reader.

Of special interest are:

Improving Medicaid: A Shared Vision pg. 16

Health care exchange implementation pg. 24

COVERAGE OF HABILITATIVE SERVICES- health care services and devices that help a child attain and maintain skills and functioning for daily living--is one of the children's health care issues under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Events and Activities

April is Autism Awareness Month

Miracle League Accessible Baseball

Miracle League of the YMCA. Games are played at the Maryvale Family YMCA, located at 3825 N. 67th Ave, Phoenix 85033. (YMCA membership not required.)

Spring season is April and May of 2013

Free to all participants with any disability, ages 4+. Rubberized turf makes the field accessible to wheelchairs and walkers.

Contact Kelly Shingleton, Miracle League Director, at 602-212-6149, or

kshingleton@vosymca.org for information and registration.

Hopi Office of Special Needs Free Outreach Event

Learn how the Hopi Office of Special Needs Early Intervention Program can help you or a family member.

Monday, April 15, 2013

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Hopi Tribe Administrative Building, Vocational Rehabilitation Program

All are welcome.

For more information contact the Office of Special Needs at 928-734-3419.

Free Workshop in Hopi Tribal Complex: Transition from AzEIP to Preschool Special Education

April 16, 2013

10:00 am to 12:00 noon

Risk Management Training Room, Hopi Tribal Complex, Kykotsmovi, AZ

Presented by Raising Special Kids

For more information call the Office of Special Needs at 928-734-3419.

Free Webinar on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students with Autism

More Than Meets the Eye: An Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders

With Dr. Christen Szymanski

Thursday, April 18, 2013

12 noon to 1 pm Arizona time

Free Workshop in Tucson - Positive Behavior Support Strategies, Plans, and Life Skills

Thursday, April 18th,

6:00 - 8:00 pm

The Children's Clinic, Florence Manning Room, 2600 N. Wyatt Dr., Tucson 85712,

Limited seating.

Registration required: contact Pilot Parents at 520-324-3150 or email joann@pilotparents.org

8th Annual RAD Sock Hop - FREE

Friday, April 19, 2013

6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Chandler Community Center, 125 E. Commonwealth Ave, Chandler, AZ

Individuals with disabilities ages 16 and older are invited to attend this free event.

Sponsored by Recreation and Athletics for the Disabled and the City of Chandler Therapeutic Recreation Program.

Attendees are encouraged to wear 1950's style attire. Live D.J., Root beer floats, Memento photos, Special Surprise Guest, Unlimited fun!

For more information about this event, contact Cathy Yamashiro at 480-440-1913

More than Shared Classrooms - A One Day Conference for Parents & Educators

Sponsored by Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona, presentation by Michael Remus

Saturday, April 20, 2013

9:00 am - 4:00 pm

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Break for lunch (not provided)

Location: Mesa Student Services Building, 1025 N. Country Club, Mesa, AZ

No respite provided. Space is limited.

Free Workshop in Tucson - Introduction to Guardianship & Special Needs Trusts

Thursday, April 25, 2013

6:00 - 8:00 pm

Florence Manning Room, Children's Clinic, 2600 N. Wyatt Drive, Tucson, AZ

Registration Required - Call Pilot Parents 520-324-3150 or email joann@pilotparents.org with "special needs" as subject line.

Bridgeway/DEC Health & Wellness Fair

Saturday, April 26-27, 2013

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

DEC Campus, 5025 E. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85034 (map)

Bridgeway Health Solutions Presents the 4th Annual Disability Empowerment Center (DEC) Health & Wellness Fair. http://www.abil.org/wellness20132. or call David Carey at 602-443-0723.

Self Advocacy Conference 2013

"Find Your Independence"

Saturday, May 4, 2013

8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Disability Empowerment Center of Arizona Campus, 5025 E. Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034

Free for individuals with disabilities between the ages of 15 to 30, and their families and/or caregivers. It will provide advocacy tips and resources regarding healthcare, employment, education and social activities.

For questions regarding vendor opportunities, please contact David Carey at (602) 443-0723 or davidc@abil.org.

Previously Listed in Monday Memo:

IEP Workshop in Tucson

Participation in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Process

Thursday, April 4, 2013

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Howell Elementary School Library, 401 N. Irving Avenue (5th St. just east of Alvernon)

Arizona Department of Education/Parent Information Network

Provides information about best practices for creating a student's IEP.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 3rd at 10:00 PM to EPPTusd@gmail.com.

Questions only call 520-907-8222.

6th Annual 4cABA Conference

April 6-7, 2013

High Country Conference Center, Drury Inn and Suites, Flagstaff, AZ

Website for more information and to register.

SibShop - For Brothers and Sisters of Kids with Disabilities

For ages 7 to 14

April 12th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Hosted by Pilot Parent's of Southern Arizona

Children's Clinic, 2600 N. Wyatt Dr., Tucson

Call Joann to register 324-3153.

Disability Policy Seminar 2013

April 15 - 17, 2013

In Washington, D.C. Register online at http://www.thearc.org/page.aspx?pid=2173

Teleconference - Extracurricular Athletic Opportunities for Students with Disabilities: Understanding the Issues

April 16, 2013

11:00 am - 12:30 pm Arizona Time.

The presentation will have a written transcript as well as a digital recording

UCP Annual Conference
April 25 to 27

In San Diego, CA

Learn more about the conference and how to register.

Art Jam Social

Saturday, April 27^TH

10:00 am - 4:00 pm

SEEDs for Autism, 1345 W. McKinley Road Phoenix. 85007

Encouraging families and educators touched by someone on the autism spectrum to join the fun.

$5.00 per person, $10.00 per family suggested entrance donation.

For more information visit them on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SEEDSforAutism

Seminar on Autism and Bullying

Friday, April 26 - Saturday, April 27, 2013

Scottsdale Public Library Civic Center Auditorium, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Emergency Preparedness Class for People with Disabilities

Tuesday May 21, 2013

Make an Emergency Preparedness Plan - 10:00 am - 12 noon
Build an Emergency Preparedness Kit - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

The Disability Empowerment Center of Arizona

Conference Room, 5025 E. Washington St, Ste 200, Phoenix, AZ 85034

Registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2825480087# or call Liticia Hawkins at 602-443-0715.

Scientific and Training Symposium

The 2013 US Public Health Service's Scientific and Training Symposium

Renaissance Hotel in Glendale, Arizona

May 21 to 23, 2013. Register.

Evidence-based Practice in Disability Disciplines Conference

To supply professionals with resources to effectively implement evidence-based practices.

8:00 am on June 10^th - 4:30 pm on June 11^th, 2013

High Country Conference Center, 201 West Butler Avenue, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001

928-523-9521

For information and to register visit http://nau.edu/SBS/IHD/Research/EBP-Conference/

First Things First Early Childhood Summit

Pre-Summit: August 25, 2013

Summit: August 26 and 27, 2013

Venue: Phoenix Convention Center

For more information, visit azftfsummit.com.

Quote of the Week

"This is wonderful! I finally feel empowered regarding my children's needs and how to address them. Thank you again for providing greater hope to our family!"

Raising Special Kids works to improve the lives of children with disabilities and special health needs by providing parents with information, training and support.

This news publication contains links to information created by other organizations, and are provided only for the user's convenience. Raising Special Kids does not control or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information. The inclusion of links is not intended to endorse any views, products, or services.