NEWS
FYI Newsletter
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FYI Newsletter: June 22, 2009
QUICK SCAN:
- City of Bloomington to Offer Free Workshops on Making Businesses Accessible
- Employment Specialist Training (EST) Workshops
- Your Chance to Make a Difference: Autism Needs Assessment Survey
- Vicker to Present at Conference on Isodicentric 15 and Related Disorders
- Volunteer Opportunities: Best Buddies International Conference
- Library Corner
UPCOMING
CITY OF BLOOMINGTON TO OFFER FREE WORKSHOPS ON MAKING BUSINESSES ACCESSIBLE: The City of Bloomington has received $1,276 in funding from ADA-Indiana and the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities to provide two workshops aimed at educating inspectors, builders, contractors, and architects on new federal and state regulations regarding people with disabilities.
Workshops will target those who approve plans and inspect construction, and those who design, build, and renovate buildings. The City’s goal is to help businesses and organizations understand how to be fully accessible early on, even as they design and construct their buildings.
The City’s Council for Community Accessibility applied for the funding for its project entitled Making Businesses Accessible: If We Build It Right, They Will Come! Workshops will be offered on Tuesday, July 28 for government building inspectors, and Wednesday, August 19 for architects, builders, and contractors. Both workshops begin at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall, 401 North Morton Street, Bloomington, and will include a free lunch.
Presenting will be representatives from the Great Lakes ADA Center, a program of the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and from the U.S. Access Board. The Great Lakes ADA Center provides information, materials, technical assistance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The Great Lakes ADA Center's service area is designated as Region 5 and is one of 10 regional centers funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Access Board is an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. It provides technical assistance and training on accessible design criteria and enforces accessibility standards that cover federally funded facilities.
For further information about the workshops, contact Craig Brenner, Special Projects Coordinator, City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department at (812) 349-3471 or e-mail brennerc@bloomington.in.gov. Additionally, you may contact Barbara McKinney, Human Rights Director, City of Bloomington Legal Department at (812) 349-3429 or e-mail mckinneb@bloomington.in.gov.
EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST TRAINING (EST) WORKSHOPS: The Indiana Supported Employment Training Team (ISETT) invites you to attend one of its three remaining Employment Specialist Training Workshops for 2009! EST is designed to provide basic skills training to service providers who have worked as employment specialists for less than one year. To date, EST has certified over 2,500 employment specialists in Indiana.
What do folks have to say about EST... "Speakers were very informative and easy to understand! They gave creative solutions to underlying issues we confront daily in this business.” "The materials provide excellent resources for me to use in doing my job. I am so excited to go home and implement everything I've learned." And finally, "Hands down the best training and most practical program I've ever attended!"
Attendees learn best practice in job and career development, employment support planning, ecological analysis, follow-along, and emerging industry trends. EST is a six-day training split into two sessions which are held one month apart. An exit test is required for participants seeking certification. Individuals who attend all days of both sessions and successfully complete the exit test receive a competency-based certificate from Indiana University. CEUs and CRUs are available.
Remaining training dates and locations include:
August 4-6 and September 8-10, 2009
Easterseals Crossroads
Indianapolis, IN
November 3-5 and December 1-3, 2009
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Bloomington, IN
Act now and receive a $200.00 per participant discount toward the $300.00 registration fee. For more information or to register, contact Kay Moore at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail moorel@indiana.edu.
AUTISM NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY
YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Every three years, the Institute’s Indiana Resource Center for Autism is legislatively mandated to conduct a Needs Assessment Survey. While state legislation does not specify what population needs to be surveyed, we have opted to gather information from families. We do this as part of our commitment to enhancing quality services and options for families and individuals across the autism spectrum.
The purpose of the survey is to allow families of individuals on the autism spectrum to discuss issues that are relevant, including quality educational programming, employment, Medicaid Waivers, insurance coverage, and other topics. Results of the survey are presented to the Indiana Legislative Commission on Autism and to other state agencies. The feedback you provide assists the Commission in evaluating the effectiveness of the current system and in developing additional policy and legislation.
While the survey is somewhat lengthy, we wanted to make sure to cover a range of topics that are relevant to families and individuals on the autism spectrum. The survey is available on the Web at www.surveymonkey.com/irca2009.
Unfortunately, because of urgency in gathering this information, on-line surveys must be completed no later than July 1, 2009. All information will remain strictly confidential. However, if you would like to attach a letter that can be shared with the Legislative Commission on Autism and others, please feel free to do so. The Indiana Resource Center for Autism realizes that your participation in this survey is voluntary, and thank you in advance for your willingness to help with this project.
If you have any questions about the survey, contact Scott Bellini, Assistant Director, Indiana Resource Center for Autism via email at sbellini@indiana.edu.
AROUND THE COURTYARD
VICKER TO PRESENT AT CONFERENCE ON ISODICENTRIC 15 AND RELATED DISORDERS: Beverly Vicker, Speech Language Pathologist with the Institute’s Indiana Resource Center for Autism, will provide two presentations at the Fifth International Conference on Isodicentric 15 and Related Disorders, to be held at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Indianapolis, on June 25-27, 2009. Vicker’s presentations are titled Communication is More than Talking Aloud and Moving on Beyond Echolalia. For more information about the conference, visit http://www.idic15.org/ideas_conferences.php.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
20TH ANNUAL BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE: Best Buddies, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, is seeking over 100 volunteers to assist with learning, leadership development, and fun, at the 20th Annual Best Buddies International Leadership Conference, scheduled to be held at Indiana University, Bloomington on July 24-27, 2009.
The conference will host over 1,500 high school and college students with and without intellectual disabilities from around the world. Best Buddies provides opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment opportunities. For more information, contact Rebecca Scherpelz at rebeccascherpelz@bestbuddies.org for more information.
LIBRARY CORNER
NEW ITEMS: The following new materials may be borrowed by Indiana residents from the Center for Disability Information and Referral at the Institute. To check out materials, contact the library at 1-800-437-7924, send e-mail to cedir@indiana.edu, or visit us at 2853 East Tenth Street in Bloomington.
Mahler, K. J. (2009). Hygiene and related behaviors for children and adolescents with Asperger spectrum and related disorders: A fun curriculum with a focus on social understanding. Shawnee Mission, Kan: Autism Asperger Pub.Simone, R. (2009). 22 things a woman must know: If she loves a man with Asperger's Syndrome. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Wagner, S. (2009). Inclusive programming for high school students with autism or Asperger's syndrome. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.