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March 15, 2014
Celebrating 26 Years of Excellence
Serving Missouri Families!
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Did you miss an issue of the MPACT ENews? Delete it by mistake? Wish you could find a past article? Well you can! To view current and past issues of the MPACT ENews visit our website.
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| MPACT Needs Your Assistance |
MPACT Needs Your Assistance! Please help us gather information that will assist us in providing support, information, and training to parents and family members by taking part in our Family Needs Assessment. Your answers will provide data that will be instrumental in planning how we can best meet your needs.
The survey is available online.
As a thank you, all participants completing the survey will be entered into a drawing for a $25.00 gift card. Thank you in advance for taking the time to assist us in meeting your needs.
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| Disability Rights Legislative Day 2014 |
You are encouraged and invited to attend an important event for people with disabilities across the state of Missouri. Please save the date to make this year's 13th anniversary rally the largest ever! This year's event will be held on April 2, 2014 at the Capitol in Jefferson City.
The purpose of the Disability Rights Legislative Day is to bring Missourians with disabilities, family members and those who care about them to the Missouri State Capitol to talk to legislators about issues impacting their lives each and every day. The goals of the day is to increase awareness among legislators that people with disabilities simply want what all people want: the possibility to pursue hopes and dreams throughout life with dignity and respect.
The agenda for the day is available online. If you would like more information regarding this day or the organizations participating please call Becky Dickey at 573-634-3223, or Andrew Lackey at 800-500-7878.
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| Bryce's Law |
At its January meeting, the State Board of Education approved final rules related to the implementation of section 161.825 commonly referred to as Bryce's Law. The law establishes a process for charitable organizations to become scholarship granting organizations for issuing scholarships to individuals birth to age 21 diagnosed with autism, Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome, or cerebral palsy. Entities interested in becoming a scholarship granting organization should review the proposed rules published on the Secretary of State's website.
The rules will not be finalized for several months, but to be able to have the scholarships available for the 2014-15 school year, some of the initial administrative processes should be started now. DESE will adhere to proposed regulatory deadlines in subsequent years. If after reviewing the proposed regulations you have questions or wish to have a copy of the application/statement of intent which you will need to file to be considered as a scholarship granting organization, please send your request to: Bryceslaw@dese.mo.gov
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| DESE Announces New Superintendent for Missouri School for the Deaf |
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is pleased to announce that Mr. Ernest Garrett has been selected to head the Missouri School for the Deaf.
On July 1, 2014, Ernest E. Garrett III, M.S., M.S.W., will become the first deaf superintendent of the Missouri School for the Deaf (MSD) since the school was established by an act of the Missouri Legislature in 1851. He is a native of St. Louis, MO. The immediate past President of the National Black Deaf Advocates, Inc. (NBDA), Mr. Garrett is a recipient of the "Advocate of the Year Award" from NBDA (2009) and the "Lasting Impression Award" from Special School District of St. Louis County (2011). He is currently the Executive Director of the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
The entire news release is available on the DESE website.
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ODEP and CNCS Issue Guidance Letter on Service Learning for Youth
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The Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) have collaborated to issue a guidance letter on volunteerism and service learning as a pathway to employment for youth, including youth with disabilities. The letter highlights the benefits associated with service-learning experiences. For example, voluntary and paid work-based learning experiences are recognized as critical components in preparing youth with disabilities for the transition to adulthood. Youth can gain benefits through service learning, such as increased community involvement and enhanced problem-solving skills that contribute to improved transition outcomes. The letter also describes new research findings released by CNCS that show an association between volunteering and employment. This research finds, for example, that volunteers without a high school diploma have a 51 percent higher likelihood of finding employment than non-volunteers. Finally, the letter recognizes that youth with disabilities and their families may be concerned about the interactions between service learning and receipt of disability benefits. In response, the letter identifies income exclusions for service-learning stipends that are available to Social Security disability beneficiaries participating in AmeriCorps programs. The letter concludes with links to further resources on service learning
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Video Message from Commissioner of Education
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Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro discusses Missouri's improvement plan for school districts, an overview from the February State Board meeting and a pair of Missouri students who were honored for their volunteer work.
View via YouTube or webstream. A written transcript of the video is also available.
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| Does Your Child Receive First Steps Services? Visit MPACT's First Steps Page | |
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MPACT Parent Mentor Program
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MPACT Parent Mentors are available to offer support and guidance to parents of children with disabilities throughout the IEP process. Parent Mentors are volunteers who receive 24 hours of initial training, ongoing monthly training, and technical assistance from MPACT staff with regard to special education law, the IEP process, conflict resolution, and effective communication. Their goal is to help parents build a collaborative partnership with the school district so their child may receive an appropriate education. Click here to view the list of current MPACT Parent Mentors.
If your school district has had a MPACT Parent Mentor in attendance at an IEP meeting, please take a moment to complete a brief online survey if you have not already done so. A separate survey should be completed for each mentor who has provided services to parents in your district. These surveys assist MPACT and DESE with identifying and addressing areas of success and improvement with the Parent Mentor Program.
For more information about MPACT or if you have questions regarding the status of a Parent Mentor, please contact MPACT by telephone at (800) 743-7634 or by e-mail at info@ptimpact.org. You can also view the MPACT website at http://www.ptimpact.org.
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FREE Online Trainings offered through MPACT
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Our free online trainings will help parents to understand the special education process in the state of Missouri. You can access the MPACT online trainings listed below by going to the Training page on our website and clicking on Online Training.
- Extended School Year
- Special Education: What I Need to Know
- IDEA Transition Requirements
- Transition to Post Secondary Experiences (Part 1 & 2)
- Connecting Goals to Coordinated Activities and Services for Transition
- Transition Resources - Disability Disclosure
- Soft Skills
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Free MPACT Trainings
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MPACT trainings are provided free of charge to parents of children with disabilities. To sign up for an upcoming training, follow the links below, then click on the 'SIGNUP' button located next to the training name. Fill in your name, email address, phone number, the name of the training you wish to attend and the date it is being offered.
While registering for a live training is not mandatory it does ensure that the trainer has an adequate amount of handouts. This also allows MPACT to contact you should a training need to be cancelled or rescheduled. To view a comprehensive list of all trainings provided by MPACT go to http://ptimpact.org/Training/Training.aspx.
Please be sure to double check the website training pages for any updates or changes to trainings offered.
The Art of Effective Advocacy
Special Education Mediation
Steps to Success: Family Record Keeping
Understanding the IEP Process
Understanding the IEP Process for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Give the Gift of Knowledge - Donate to MPACT
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MPACT welcomes donations in any amount and will acknowledge all donors in our Annual Report and on our MPACT Facebook page. Agency, organization and business donors making a contribution of $200.00 or more will be recognized by placing their name and logo on our website's donation page. Individual donations of $50.00 or more will be added to our Friends of MPACT list. Donations may be made by credit card through PayPal on our website or by sending a check to the state office: MPACT, 8301 State Line Rd., Ste. 204, Kansas City MO, 64114. Every donation will receive a receipt for tax purposes.
Please help us to continue to provide the support that families of Missouri's children with disabilities are requesting by making a donation to MPACT. MPACT is a 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.
MPACT Donation Letter
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Question? Comments? Suggestions? Send them to info@ptimpact.org or
contact the MPACT State Office at 1-800-743-7634. |
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