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.
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).
Mon Feb 13 @ 7-8:30pm: Special Education: Advocacy Skills
Presented by DREDF (Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund)
Good advocacy skills help parents obtain the supports their children need. Learn skills to ensure that IEP members truly hear your perspective, take you seriously, and know that you understand the IEP process and your rights.
Thu Feb 23 @ 6:30-8pm: Community Conversations about SFUSDs Budget & Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Presented by the CAC
TOPIC: Community Conversations about SFUSDs Budget & Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
Please join us to discuss and help shape SFUSD’s Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). We will talk about family and community priorities and how families and community partners can help students and schools succeed.
Mon Feb 27 @ 10-11:30am: Educación Especial: Habilidades de Defensa
Presentada por DREDF (Fondo de Educación y Defensa de los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad)
Tener habilidad la habilidad para defenderse ayuda a los padres a obtener el apoyo necesario para sus hijos. Aprenda las herramientas necesarias para garantizar que los miembros del equipo de la escuela escuchen su perspectiva, le tomen en serio y entiendan que usted conoce el proceso de IEP y sus derechos.
Monthly Events
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.
February 2023
- 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
- 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
- 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
This page was last updated on February 2, 2023