The Missouri Department of Conservation is hosting their Youth Hunter Education Challenge on September 6, 2014 at Lake City Range in Buckner, MO.  This event will introduce kids with disabilities to the many outdoor activities through education, hands-on opportunities, and assertive technology so that they may choose to participate at their own ability level.

 

Skills that will be introduced during this day long event include rifle, bow and muzzle loader shooting at life-sized targets, wildlife identification, and map-and-compass orienteering. 

 

For more information and to register, Click Here.  

 

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The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) is currently seeking volunteers to assist in a Study on Family Involvement in Special Education.

 

To participate, you must be:

• A parent or primary care giver to a school-age student (K-12) in the Kansas City area.
• Your student must attend an urban or suburban public school or a charter school.
• You student must have an individualized education program (IEP).

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the key contract and plan for every student who receives special education services. But not all IEPs are created equal. Over the last decade, the IEP has been evolving. Some states now use a standards-based IEP, which is clearly linked to the grade-level curriculum and expectations for all students, per the state academic content standards. 

 

The standards serve as a framework for teaching and telling teachers what to teach but not how to teach it. With the 2013-14 introduction of Common Core Standards, most states will follow the same set of academic content standards for math and English language arts. 

 

A standards-based approach to developing IEPs blends the best of special education and standards-based education. A standards-based IEP, when properly implemented, results in several benefits to the student, his or her parents and teachers, and to the school district. 

 

Read the rest of this article and learn some of the benefits of a standards-based IEP on the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) Website. 

 

Families with a child who has a disability have special concerns and often need a great deal of information: information about the disability of their child, about early intervention (for babies and toddlers), school services (for school-aged children), therapy, local policies, transportation, and much more.

 

The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) has recently launched an updated website with information on these topics and more.  Some of the information is available in Spanish and other languages.  Check out ParentCenterHub.org today! 

 

The purpose of the Missouri Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) is to provide policy guidance on special education and related services and to carry out those specific and general functions set forth in the above referenced statutes. The panel shall: 

• Advise the State Education Agency (SEA) of unmet needs within the State in the education of children with disabilities.
• Comment publicly on any rules or regulations proposed by the state regarding the education of children with disabilities.
• Advise the SEA in developing evaluations and reporting on data to the US Office of Education under Section 618 of the Act.
• Advise the SEA in developing corrective action plans to address findings identified in Federal monitoring reports under Part B of the Act; and
• Advise the SEA in developing and implementing policies relating to the coordination of services for children with disabilities.
• Advise on the education of eligible students with disabilities who have been convicted as adults and incarcerated in adult prisons.

 

This is a reminder that Educational Surrogates are needed in Missouri. Responsible public

• have no identified parent;
• have parents who, after reasonable efforts, cannot be located by a public agency;
• are wards of the state and are living in a facility or group home (and not with a
• person acting as a parent); or,
• are unaccompanied homeless youth.

the Educational Surrogate website.

 

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.

 

 

 

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.