Monthly Events
Special Education Community Event Calendar
Advocacy Opportunity!
California State Board of Education is seeking six applicants for the advisory commission on special education. Preference will be given to applicants who are representatives of charter schools and parents of students with disabilities. The deadline for submitting the application and all required documents is 5:00 p.m on Friday, February 3, 2023.
Fri Jan 20 @ 12:00-1:00pm: La Ley Lanterman: Comprender y acceder a los servicios para su familia (Spanish Only)
(Apoyo a las familias)
En este taller, exploraremos los servicios del centro regional, con especial atención a la Ley Lanterman. Discutiremos la historia de esta innovadora legislación, así como los procesos, apoyos y servicios potencialmente disponibles en el centro regional, después del tercer cumpleaños del niño.
Fri Jan 20 @ 12:00-1:00pm: 蘭特曼法案:了解和獲得適合您家人的服務 (Cantonese only)
(對家庭的支持)
在本次研討會中,我們將探索區域中心服務,特別關注蘭特曼法案 。 我們將討論這項開創性立法的歷史,以及區域中心在兒童三歲生 日之後可能提供的流程、支持和服務。
Mon Jan 23 @ 10-11:30am: Educación Especial: Información Básica y Esencial - DREDF
Educación Especial: Información Básica y Esencial
10:00 am – 11:30 am
January 23, 2023
23 de enero, 2023
Una descripción general del proceso de educación especial, la Ley de Rehabilitación sección 504 y la Ley de Educación para Personas con Discapacidades (IDEA – por sus siglas en ingles)
Debe registrarse con anticipación para esta capacitación:
Mon Jan 23 @ 6:30-7:30pm: Protecting Youth with Special Needs from Bullying & Abuse
Presented by Kidpower via Support for Families (in English with Cantonese interpretation available)
In this adults-only online workshop, learn how to help young people with special needs be safe from bullying, abuse, and other harm.
We’ll practice ways parents & caregivers can teach young people of all abilities how to:
– Protect themselves from bullying
– Set and respect boundaries
– Move away from trouble before it grows
– Protect themselves from teasing and harassment
– Get help from adults – and persist until they get it
We’ll show how to adapt skills based on kids’ needs and abilities – and how to use the skills yourself in order to protect your child!
Thu Jan 26 @ 6:30-8pm: Special Education for Families of Color featuring Dr. Mary Bacon
Presented by the CAC
This month's presentation is on how parents and educators can advocate for students with a cultural lens perspective. Our presenter this month is Dr. Mary Bacon PhD. who has extensive experience addressing disproportionality, equity, and culturally responsive services. As a parent and as a special education administrator she brings a unique perspective to this work.
Please register for this meeting in advance:
- Virtual (Zoom) Registration Form
- If you would like to attend in-person, please see more detailed information and register here.
Wed Feb 1 @ 7-8:30pm: Dyslexic Design Thinking, When Neurodivergence & Creativity Meet
Presented by REEL (Resilience & Engagement for Every Learner)
Dyslexia affects as many as 1 in 5 people. Most people view it exclusively as a challenge with reading and writing - what they don’t realize is that dyslexic brains have many gifts and strengths! Join us to hear about Dyslexic Design Thinking, as Gil Gershoni shares how dyslexia offers a heightened advantage, what he calls his “hyper-ability.”
Learn how parents can find the hyper-ability in their child’s differences and foster these unique strengths to boost self-esteem, school/career pathways, and finding their place in the world. In the words of our speaker, we’ll talk about how we can “suspend the limiting connotations of a learning disability, so that neurodivergent people can recognize the liberating truth in front of their faces: that each human mind contains the potential for a hyper-ability just waiting to be discovered.”
Thu Feb 2 @ 5:30pm: Special Education Forum from State Council of Developmental Disabilities
The State Council of Developmental Disabilities will hold an open forum on the opportunity for growth within the special education system.
Sat Feb 11 @ 11am-2pm: Summer Resource Fair
Visit the Therapeutic Recreation table at the Summer Resource Fair on Saturday, 2/11 from 11am-2pm at the County Fair Building (1199 9th Ave).
Disability and Special Education in the News
Check out this round up of articles about the disability experience and special education. Looking for more news? Check out the Support for Families Blog or the University of Washington's Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) Disability in the News webpage for even more articles.
January 2023
- Black, Brilliant, and Dyslexic: Neurodivergent Heroes Tell Their Stories edited by Marcia Brissett-Bailey
- DSPS Accessible Theater Arts Teacher Sparks Creativity, Self-Confidence, and Self-Expression by Beth Lederer
- The Best Way to Explain Learning Disabilities to Your Child, by Rick Lavoie via ADDitude
December 2022
- Should We Say 'with Autism' or 'Autistic'? Here's Why It Matters
- New documentary "In A Different Key" follows first person diagnosed with autism
- Office of Special Education Programs Update - A Newsletter for OSEP Grantees and Interested Stakeholders
- Disability Rights Advocate Justice Maria Araujo Kahn nomination approved by Senate Judiciary Committee from Daily Kos
- By Rethinking How Reading Is Taught, Bay Area Schools Hope To Boost Overall Literacy by Ida Mojadad, The San Francisco Standard
November 2022
- Meet the Special Ed Advocate Who Ousted Ann Hsu for a Spot on SF’s School Board by Ida Mojadad
- Confronting Ableism on the Way to Justice by Keith Jones from Learning for Justice
- Inclusive Education Benefits All Children by Mellanie Willingham-Jaggers and the Glsen Team from Learning for Justice
- Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong hosted by Emily Hanford
- Unified Sports Level the Playing Field for Students With Disabilities by Sarah D. Sparks from Education Week
- SFUSD pleads for drivers to obey traffic laws after car hits school bus, flees scene by Lyanne Melendez, ABC7 News
- How to Document and Resolve Issues With the IEP Team from Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
October 2022
- “I am a Neurodivergent Black Woman — and I am Filled with Hope.” By Alyssa Tundidor
- Ensuring All Students with Disabilities have a Pathway to a High School Diploma in California from DREDF
- Roundup: Education policies passed, failed and vetoed in 2022 by Carol Kocivar
- New literacy standards for teacher candidates could be pivotal to improving student reading scores. by
Diana Lambert
September 2022
- **Year of the Tiger: Debut memoir by Alice Wong**
- NIH Awards $100 Million for Autism Centers of Excellence Program
- My Parents Are Hackers Out of Necessity: NY Times Opinion
- Office of Special Education Programs Seeking Input: Prioritizing Equity
- “Love on the Spectrum U.S.” Wins Multiple Emmy Awards
- Thomas the Tank Engine and Peppa Pig welcome friends with autism and 2 mommies
August 2022
- Dallas nonprofit aims to break down barriers that disabled people face
- Sonoma County teacher pens book celebrating her hearing-impaired students
- How to talk about disability sensitively and avoid ableist tropes
- Uber WAV provides affordable rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles, where available
Past Articles
- Why “Special Needs” is Not Helpful | medium.com
- Creating trauma-informed individualized education programs | American Psychological Association
- Parent-Teacher Conferences - What to Ask for Kids with IEPs from A Day in Your Shoes
- Changing the Conversation Around ADHD with New Documentary The Disruptors
- 5 Reasons Why Disability Issues Should Be A Higher Priority, Even Now | Forbes
- Nancy Armstrong Is Changing the Conversation Around ADHD with New Documentary The Disruptors. By Jessica Migala
- At a Loss for Words: How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers | APM ReportsU.S. Department of Education Announces Intent to Strengthen and Protect Rights for Students with Disabilities by Amending Regulations Implementing Section 504.
- Microsoft unveils new adaptive PC accessories with modular components.
- Watch My Disability Roadmap about Samuel Habib in the New York Times "Op-Docs".
- Self-Advocacy: Participating in Your IEP Meetings.
- 2 UC Berkeley students make history as 1st nonspeaking autistic graduates.
- Access SFUSD presents its Insider Guide
- 504 and Me By Meriah Nichols, from the Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund Blog
- AB 1663: The Probate Conservatorship Reform and Supported Decision-Making Act
- Slate.com: Why Are Special Education Teachers Quitting Across the Nation?
- Washington Post: Disability Community Pushes To keep Masks Aboard Mass Transit
This page was last updated on January 27, 2023