Summer 2011
Building Inclusive School Cultures in Boulder Valley School District
By Guest Writer Anna Stewart, Parent Liaison in Boulder Valley School District
The term ‘inclusion’ is kind of like the term ‘faith.’ We define it with our emotions, our passions, our beliefs and our knowledge. Many think it is about how much time a student with a disability spends in a general education classroom. It’s really much more than that. It is a basic human right of belonging, participating and being valued. Once you have those factors, then great learning and great relationships can take place. We now know from 30 years of educational research, that inclusive practices provide the best academic and social outcomes for students with and without disabilities. When teachers are given the support and training they need to implement best practices, they report significant gains from all students.
Advocacy 101 for Families with Infants and Toddlers
Some Advocacy 101 tips are shared in this quick, user-friendly article! Helpful topics include: what advocacy is, why it is important, characteristics of successful parent/professional partnerships, strategies to help achieve effective advocacy, addresses some frequently asked questions about advocacy, and shares several online and print resources! Enjoy!
What is advocacy?
The word advocacy can mean different things to different people. Quite simply, advocacy means to actively support an idea or a cause.
Abogacía 101 para familias con bebés y niños pequeños
¡En este rápido y fácil de usar artículo se comparten algunos consejos de Abogacía 101! Temas de gran utilidad incluyen: lo que que es abogacía, ¿por qué es importante?, características de una exitosa asociacion entre padre y profesional, estrategias para una abogacía eficaz, habla sobre algunas preguntas frecuentes acerca de la abogacía, y comparte varios recursos en línea y para imprimir! Disfrute!
¿Qué es la abogacía?
La palabra abogacía tiene varios significados. En este artículo, abogacía quiere decir apoyar activamente a una persona, idea o causa. (Abogacía es una traducción imperfecta de la palabra Advocacy, la cual no tiene traducción exacta al español. Significa defender, apoyar o interceder activamente por alguna persona, idea o causa.)
Para más información, por favor haga clic en el cuadro gris abajo (Read More).
Ask A Parent Advisor: Summer Fun!
Question:
"Summer is here and what’s available for my child with a disability? How do I find the special activities for my special guy?"
Answer:
Finally it’s summertime…now what should you do? There are many opportunities for kids and parents to have fun in the summer. First, think about your goals for the summer, and your child’s goals for the summer. Sometimes they are not the same, but camps and other fun festivities can help everyone’s goals to be accomplished!
Taking Charge: Person Centered Planning
By Beth Schaffner, Director of Special Projects, PEAK Parent Center
How important is taking charge of your own life? For most people, it’s a natural part of the “growing up” process. When you are young, you depend totally on adults for meeting your needs. Then gradually, as you develop competencies and confidence in yourself, you move away from total dependence and begin to make your own choices and decisions.
For young people with disabilities, barriers can get in the way of what should be a very natural process. Due to societal attitudes and restrictive support practices, instead of developing a sense of autonomy, power, and control, people often remain disempowered and dependent, relegated to lives of isolation, rejection and low expectations.
Assistive Technology for Equipping Staff with Disabilities
By Guest Writer Suzanne Robitaille, Founder of abledbody.com
When you’re looking to diversify your workforce, should you intuitively consider people with disabilities? In today’s global community, all signs point to yes.
Nearly one in five Americans has a disability, representing the third-largest market segment in the U.S. Providing work opportunities to people with disabilities helps you mirror your target audience and increases your opportunity to more effectively serve and expand your constituency.
The contents of this e-Newsletter were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H328M110023. However, those contents do notnecessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Carmen Sanchez.