Special Education Community Events and News

San Francisco's Free Adaptive Bike Program is returning this summer. In partnership with the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, we're providing free reservations for adaptive bikes in Golden Gate Park during the summer and fall months, with the program serving people with disabilities.

The program will take place on Saturdays at the Music Concourse behind the Golden Gate Bandshell (75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive) next to the accessible parking lot.

Reservations are required to participate. For program dates and to reserve a bike, contact BORP Cycling Center at (510) 848-2930 or email cycling@borp.org. For more information, click the link below.

More information

Back to School Series SY 24-25, August Workshops

Join our "Back to School" workshop series on Zoom! In these 3 workshops, we will explore the basics of special education, learn effective techniques to get organized for the new school year, and what can families with kids with disabilities do to work with their school's Individualized Education Program (IEP) team to prepare their child for a safety emergency at school.

• Aug 13: Basics of Special Education
• Aug 20: Get Organized
• Aug 27: Emergency Preparedness

Register here

Monthly on Thursday's: Individualized Education Program (IEP) Clinics

Presented by SFCD. Offered in English, Spanish and Cantonese. Learn about Special Education law, the IEP process, what to do when things aren’t working, and how to become a more active and effective team member.

To register, please call our Warmline at 415-920-5040, email info@supportforfamilies.org,
or click the registration link below.

Presented in Cantonese: 1st Thursdays; 6-7:00pm
Presented in English: 2nd Thursdays; 4-6:00pm
Presented in Spanish: 3rd Thursdays; 4-6:00pm

點擊這裡登記粵語IEP講座

Click here to register for the English IEP Clinic

Haga clic aquí para registrarse a la Clínica de IEP en español

Monthly Programs

Thursday, October 3 @ 6:00 - 7:00p & Wednesday, October 16 @ 12:00 - 1:00p: Volunteer Open House
Want to learn about ways to get involved and give back? Check out the Open House! Volunteers are at the heart of the NAMI SF mission and there are tons of ways to get involved. The Open House is a great space to meet staff and explore available positions. Monthly on the first Thursday and third Wednesday. Zoom. 

Thursday, October 10 @ 6:00 - 7:00p: In Our Own Voice Ft. Young Adult Voices

Signature NAMI program - all about community member storytelling - hear young adult speakers share their journeys with mental health conditions and how they navigate technology use and social media. Zoom.

Sunday, October 20 @ 10:00 - 10:45a: Community Art Class

NAMI SF is hosting free monthly art classes on the third Sunday of every month! Creating art can help focus, reduce stress, boost creativity, and is a great way to engage in community. Open to those of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Monthly on the third Sunday. Zoom. 

October Programs

Tuesday, October 8 @ 6:00 - 7:00pm: Know Your Rights: Mental Health Care Coverage and Parity Laws

Do you have health coverage through a private sector employer’s plan? Learn about how to access health care coverage through a private sector insurance plan and the health care parity laws supporting employees. Presented in collaboration with the Employee Benefits Security Administration. Zoom.

Thursday, October 17 @ 6:00 - 7:15pm: Parents as Allies & Advocates

Psychoeducation program focused on youth mental health - featuring educational content and the live testimony of a parent who has experience supporting a child with a mental illness. Part of event series: NAMI SF x Youth Mental Health. Virtual via Zoom webinar.
 

Thursday, October 24 @ 6:00 - 7:30pm: Third Annual Youth Mental Health Symposium: Your Child's Technology Use and Digital Safety

Third annual panel event featuring experts who will discuss youth mental health with a specific focus on technology use, social media, and digital safety. Designed to support youth mental health and provide practical information for families, caregivers, and educators. Part of event series: NAMI SF x Youth Mental Health. Virtual via Zoom webinar.

Join Special Olympics at SFUSD for this year's High School and ACCESS Soccer Tournament!

When: Tuesday, October 8th from 10:30am - 12:15pm

Where: George Washington High School

Learn more here!

Our 38th year of Superfest Disability Film Festival is coming to you this October! This year’s festival promises films and storytelling that bring depth and breadth to disabled lives and experiences. Our festival is hybrid with four days of virtual access on Eventive and one day of in-person screenings at the Exploratorium in the San Francisco on October 19.

This festival also marks an exciting new collaboration. Superfest this year will be co-presented by the Longmore Institute on Disability and the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center!

We are excited to announce our 2024 Superfest program schedule, film lineup, and just launched link to get your pass today all below! We look forward to sharing these incredible films with you in just over a month. 

Learn more and get your tickets!

Come join other caregivers and their children in community for a play date! Ages 0-6.

Play Learn Connect is a parent child interactive group where you as a parent/caregiver get to meet with other families, learn more about Support for Families' services, and enjoy play time with your child while you learn together and practice Early Literacy and Social/Emotional skills.

Agenda:

• 10:00-10:30am- Sign-in
• 10:30-11:00am- Welcome Circle/Reading
• 11:00-11:30am- Sensory/Socio-emotional activity
• 11:30am-12:00pm- Socialization Parachute Activity & Closing Circle

Learn more and register!

This training helps participants understand how to read and understand the IEP document and the importance of careful review before signing.

Register here!

CAC October Meeting- SFUSD Board of Education Town Hall

Presented by the CAC

Date & Time: Thursday, October 24, 2024 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location (Hybrid): Support for Families, 832 Folsom St Suite #1001, San Francisco, CA 94107

• Virtual option available- Register here for Zoom or in-person participation

Please join the CAC for a community discussion with the candidates for the San Francisco Board of Education.The meeting will be hybrid with all candidates participating virtually. Each candidate will introduce themselves and then answer questions from the community.

 If you are interested in submitting a question for the Board of Education candidates, please fill out this form.

Register Here

Please help us spread the word and share our flier!

Printable translations: English I Spanish I Chinese I Arabic I Tagalog I Vietnamese

RSVP Here

Join REEL's executive director, Abby Kirigin, to discover new strategies and ideas for supporting twice-exceptional (2e) students at school using the DEAR REEL model. We developed the DEAR REEL model to provide a more concrete way to provide guidance on working with the 2e. The model is based on academic research and best practices from experienced educators about what works for these learners.

The DEAR REEL model consists of four lenses:

• Develop Connection
• Embrace Flexibility
• Attend to Strengths
• Reframe Behaviors

This talk walks you step by step through each lens of the DEAR REEL model, including:

• an overview and definitions
• personal stories and examples
• suggested articles, books, blog posts, podcasts and videos
• additional online resources

We also include detailed lists of practical suggestions by grade level for elementary, middle, and high school. These suggestions do not all need to be used all of the time, but instead provide a menu of options for your consideration. Try strategies and see works for your community and classroom. We believe that you will find that it is not only 2e students who benefit from the strategies and ideas in this model; ALL students will benefit when the DEAR REEL model is implemented!

RSVP Here

Hosted by Support for Families of Children with Disabilities.

Presented by Disability Rights CA. In the Self-Determination program, you play a critical role as the person who makes decisions. You and your family get to choose the services and supports that will help you accomplish the goals in your IPP. This is an overview of the Self-Determination program, including information about eligibility and services provided under the Self-Determination program.

Location: Zoom

Register Here

More info – What is the Self Determination Program with Disability Rights CA

December 2023

• Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD by Tony Bravo via SF Chronicle
• Autism in the Classroom: One Mother's Story by Alycia Chu via The Special EDge
• A Student Wrote a Book About Her Learning Disability. Now, She Has Advice for Teachers by Sarah Schwartz & Jaclyn Borowski via Education Week
• Biden Administration Works to Increase Preschool Inclusion by Michelle Diament via Disability Scoop
• Which Accommodations Are Available for My Child With ADHD? by Liz Nissim-Matheis Ph.D. via Psychology Today
• Unravelling the puzzle Ultimately, illuminating the science behind learning disabilities helps shift narratives. It reveals minds that simply learn differently, with insights we all may benefit from. Aditi Subramaniam
  
  Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/features/unravelling-the-puzzle-2789206

November 2023

• Balboa Theater Hosts First Sensory-Friendly Movie in Partnership with SF Rec. and Park’s Therapeutic Rec. and Inclusion Services  by Beth Lederer via Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon
• Turning 18: What Parents & Teachers Need to Know
• Inclusive College Opportunities for Students with Disabilities from DREDF
• Designers Work To Make Playgrounds More Inclusive via DisabilityScoop
• An Open Conversation with Temple Grandin by By Anni Layne Rodgers via ADDitude Magazine
• Museum Makes Major Acquisition of Works By Artists With IDD by Tony Bravo via Disability Scoop/San Francisco Chronicle
• Honda Sees An Inclusive Mobility Future, From Wheelchairs to Battery-Electric Airplanes by Raymond Tribdino via CleanTechnica
• "My Disability Roadmap" Impact Report, American Film Showcase
• Longmore Institute on Disability November Superfest Newsletter

October 2023

• California’s K-8 Students Guaranteed Outdoor Time with New Recess Law
• Lost in translation: Parents of special ed students who don’t speak English often left in the dark
• Museum Makes Major Acquisition Of Works By Artists With IDD by Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle/TNS | October 27, 2023
• Non-Verbal Teen to 'Take on the World' With a Symphony Written in His Head by Sasha Khokha
• OSEP Releases New Fast Facts on Children Identified with Intellectual Disability
• 8 Dyslexia Resources for Educators: A Curated List from Lexia, October Dyslexia Awareness Month
• Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day with Special Olympics Athlete Ablaye Ndiaye from Special Olympics
• October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month from The Arc California
• US Department of Education Awards More Than $35 Million to Develop Personnel in Support of Children with Disabilities

September 2023

• The Evolution of ADHD: Examining the Last 25 Years — and the Future by Dave Anderson PhD from Additude Magazine.
• Exploring College for Students with Intellectual Disability: Families Make it Happen from thinkhighered.net/
• How Families of Children With Disabilities Can Find Support By Claudia Boyd-Barrett  from California Health Report
• What a Week Without Driving Can Teach by Anna Zivarts via Bloomberg
• Curiosity and Joy in Disability Advocacy by Meriah Hudson Nichols via DREDF The Blog
• RJ Peete isn't just a clubhouse attendant with autism. He's a central part of the Dodgers family by Steve Henson via the Los Angeles Times
• Developmental Dyscalculia: A New Understanding of Early Warning Signs by Daniel Ansari, Ph.D. via ADDitude Mag
• Practical Strategies & Tools to Help Kids with Dysgraphia by Lindsey Biel M.A., OTR/L via ADDitude Mag
• The Dyslexia-ADHD Overlap: Why Evaluators Confuse the Conditions by Cheryl Chase, Ph.D via ADDitude Mag

August 2023

• Managing Screen Time for Children with Autism from the National Autism Center at the May Institute.
• 10 Ways to Support Your Child’s Special Education Teacher from AmeriDisability
• The Autism Surge: Lies, Conspiracies, and My Own Kids by Jill Escher
• Behavior Problems at School: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents by Rachel Schwartz via ADDitude
• The IEP Process: Guiding Questions from East County SELPA

July 2023

• What is Disability Pride by Nancy DeVault from AmeriDisability
• Celebrating 33 Years of the Signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) from Disability Rights California
• Information is Power: California Now Requires Early Screening for Dyslexia a DREDF Special Education
• California Joins 40 States in Mandating Dyslexia Screening by Elizabeth Huebeck for Education Week
• [Video] Heumann nature: The life and legacy of disability activist Judy Heumann from the Ford Foundation
• Hope, What's the most important thing if your child is struggling with school or hasn't attended for months? by Dr. Naomi Fisher

June 2023

• Delta Developing Seat To Accommodate Wheelchairs In Flight by Shaun Heasley for Disability Scoop
• Dancing with the special stars: SF students show talents, art on and off stage by Lyanne Melendez for ABC 7 News

May 2023

• ‘Netflix For Neurodiverse’: World’s First TV Channel For Autistic Kids by John Jeffay, NoCamels
• Apple Previews iPhone, iPad and Mac Accessibility Features by Abrar Al-Heeti for CNet
• Why the ‘science of reading’ may be the next dyslexia battleground by Joe Hong | CalMatters
• Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Senate Confirmation of Glenna Wright-Gallo
• ‘Wings for All’ introduces flyers with special needs to Atlanta airport
• SMART IEP Pop-up Tool from Wright's Law
• Barbie’s Path to Inclusion - from the DREDF Blog
• How A First-Grader With Cerebral Palsy Helped Make His Playground More Inclusive by Zach Hammack,

April 2023

• "BART Has Local Kids with Autism Doing Station Announcements for Autism Acceptance Month" by Joe Kukura via SFist
• "I have an invisible disability myself: Edward Enninful and Sinéad Burke on their fashion revolution" via The Guardian
• Self-Advocacy Matters! Key Resources from DREDF
• "Special Education is Getting More Expensive, Forcing Schools to Make Cuts Elsewhere" by Mark Lieberman via EdWeek
• Autism in Girls & Women with Dr Donna Henderson by Dr Jeremy Sharp from the Testing Psychologist
• "Never Empty Nesters" Benefit From More Time to Love by Beth Lederer via The Guardsman
• What Does OCD Look Like in the Classroom? by Jerry Bubrick, PhD via the Child Mind Institute
• Autism now more common among Black, Hispanic kids in US by Mike Stobbe via AP News
• Thank You to Our Paraeducators! from SFUSD Communications
• ‘I thought I was dumb for not being able to pay attention…’: Cymeria Robshaw shares her experience as a neurodivergent young adult from Project Eye to Eye 
• Marion Joseph's literacy crusade for teaching phonics in California is paying off by Dan Walters in CalMatters
• A Reading Teacher Makes a Case for Early Dyslexia Screening by Elizabeth Heubeck via Education Week
• A New Pathway to a High School Diploma for Students with Disabilities from California Department of Education
• It’s Time for a Transition IEP Meeting- What should I do next? by Erin Mahaffey
• Autism Now Affects 1 In 36 Kids, CDC Says from Disability Scoop

March 2023

• It’s time to screen all students for dyslexia risks by Carol Kocivar from Ed100
• Despite union opposition, many teachers support dyslexia screening for all students from Cal Matters
• Special Olympics Celebrates Women's History Month
• “Could I Be Autistic, Too?” Signs of Autism in Women with ADHD
• 20 Signs and Symptoms of ADHD in Girls from VeryWell Mind
• Teens Are Struggling Right Now. What Can Parents Do? from the NYTimes
• What are SMART IEP Goals? from Support for Families of Children with Disabilities
• Using the IEP Meeting to Create an IEP that Works from Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
• Summer Resource Fair Features Enrichment Opportunities from SAN FRANCISCO RICHMOND REVIEW on MARCH 2, 2023 By Kate Quach

February 2023

• U.S. based Legoland Parks to become certified Autism Centers by spring 2023 from Fox5 San Diego
• Celebrating Black History Month from National Center for Learning Disabilities
• Black, Brilliant, and Dyslexic: Neurodivergent Heroes Tell Their Stories edited by Marcia Brissett-Bailey
• Black Women Leaders and Disability Justice
• 'Love on the Spectrum' shows what dating can be like for people with autism from NPR
• Learning to read by third grade requires evidence-based instruction, panel says from EdSource
• Five Step Emergency Preparedness in ASL from the Listos California Resource Hub
• Emergency Preparedness from the Cal OES (Governor's Office of Emergency Services)

January 2023

• 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
• IEP Progress Reports: What Should be Reported vs What is Reported, by Callie Oettinger via Special Education Action

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