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FYI Newsletter

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FYI Newsletter January 18, 2010

Quick Scan:

• Indiana Institute Open House
• Accessible University: Students with TBI
• Employment Specialist Training (EST) Workshop
• Vets Learn and Serve Appreciation Celebration
• Davis and Dixon Co-Author Book
• Collaborative Work Lab Session Highlights
• Library Corner

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UPCOMING



ACCESSIBLE UNIVERSITY: STUDENTS WITH TBI: Students with TBI (traumatic brain injury) are becoming more common on campuses and in classes. Because of this growing segment of the student population, IU-B's Disability Roundtable is sponsoring an Accessible University session in Bloomington to create awareness of how our campus can be as welcoming and supportive as possible to this student group.
 

• Welcoming and Supporting Students with TBI at IU-B
• Rebecca Eberle, Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Wednesday, January 20th
• Noon to 1:00 p.m.
• Indiana Memorial Union/Bloomington - Oak Room

 
Guest presenter Rebecca Eberle from the IU Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences will discuss characteristics of traumatic brain injury as they relate to learning style and socialization, and the issues individuals with TBI face while attending college. She will also share suggestions about ways to support them in their classes, in planning their programs of study, and in participating in other campus activities and events.
 
Bring your questions and concerns and join us for this timely and relevant discussion! Please also share this information with others who may be interested.
 
Requests for Accommodations

If you plan to attend this session and require a sign language interpreter, real time captioning, assistive listening system, another auxiliary aid or information in alternate format, please contact Alice Voigt, Accessibility Specialist, at the National Center on Accessibility, ajvoigt@indiana.edu, (812) 856-4422 (voice) or (812) 856-4421 (tty).
 
For More Information

Accessible University is a monthly series of presentations sponsored by the IU-B Disability Roundtable. The purpose of the series is to educate the university community about accessibility issues and methodologies to create a more accessible university environment fully inclusive of students, faculty, staff, and visitors with disabilities.
 
The Accessible University series is a collaborative activity of IU-B’s Disability Roundtable, coordinated by Vicki Pappas of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community and Alice Voigt of the National Center on Accessibility. For further information about the Accessible University series or the Disability Roundtable, please feel free to contact Vicki (cpps@indiana.edu) or Alice (ajvoigt@indiana.edu).



EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST TRAINING (EST) WORKSHOP: Are you a service provider who has worked as an Employment Specialist for one year? Know someone who is? If so, mark your calendars and plan to attend the first EST Workshop scheduled for February 2-4 and March 2-4, 2010 at Easter Seals Crossroads, Indianapolis.

EST workshops are designed to provide basic skills training. 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.

To date, EST has certified over 2,650 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!”

Additional training dates and locations for 2010 include:

May 4-6 and June 1-3, 2010
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Bloomington, IN

August 10-12 and September 14-16, 2010
Easter Seals Crossroads
Indianapolis, IN

November 2-4 and December 7-9, 2010
Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
Bloomington, IN

Act now and receive a $200.00 per participant discount toward the $300.00 registration fee while supplies last. For more information or to register, contact Kay Moore at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail moorel@indiana.edu.



VETS LEARN AND SERVE APPRECIATION CELEBRATION: The Corporation for National and Community Service has helped to bring service learning to thousands of Hoosier students over the course of the last ten years. Learn and Serve Indiana and VETS are both funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Learn and Serve Indiana is housed at the Indiana Department of Education and VETS is headquartered at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community.

On February 5, VETS will honor just a few of the programs and students who have benefited from their participation in this program in an Appreciation Celebration to be held in the Rotunda, Indiana Statehouse, Indianapolis, from 10:00-1:00 p.m. In addition to showcasing VETS and Learn and Serve Indiana projects, the ceremony will highlight Governor Daniel’s designation of February 5 as a Day of Recognition for the Service Learning.

The day’s activities will include:

10:00-1:00 p.m.   
Displays of participating programs
11:30-11:35 a.m.   
Welcome and special introductions
11:35 -11:40 a.m.   
Reading of the Governor’s Proclamation
11:40-11:50 a.m.   
Overview of Learn and Serve Indiana and Awards presentations
11:50-12:00 Noon   
Overview of the VETS project and Awards presentations
12:00 Noon       
Concluding remarks (Cake and punch will be served)

The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community is collaborating with similar partners in Vermont as they write and submit oral histories to the Library of Congress. VETS has submitted several hundred oral histories and developed strong partnerships with a number of local, state, and national partners. To view lasts year’s celebration visit http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/. For more information on VETS, see http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/vets/.

ACROSS THE COURTYARD



DAVIS AND DIXON CO-AUTHOR BOOK: Teachers, parents and caregivers who find themselves puzzled by persistently challenging behaviors of young children may find answers in a newly published book by two Indiana University authors.

Kim Davis and Susan Dixon, both of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, suggest that adults shift their perspective to consider the communication value of such behaviors. Their book, When Actions Speak Louder than Words: Understanding the Challenging Behaviors of Young Children and Students with Disabilities, has been published by Solution Tree Press of Bloomington.

The book provides information and tools to support all children whose primary way to communicate is through challenging behaviors. The authors address what behaviors children use to communicate, what kinds of messages they may be sending, and how adults can ask six critical questions to better understand and meet children’s needs.

When Actions Speak Louder than Words results from years of making technical assistance calls, providing communication intervention, conducting presentations and workshops, and talking about and with individuals with challenging behaviors. The authors use accessible language to explain how central nervous system disabilities and hidden issues can affect a child’s behavior and ability to communicate. They show how to create improved learning environments and offer proactive strategies to support more acceptable behavior alternatives.

The book provides enlightening and sometimes humorous examples of how children use behavior to communicate. Engaging exercises and end-of-chapter questions can be used by individuals or teams to examine and improve their current practices.

Davis is a research associate with the Indiana Resource Center on Autism and holds a master’s degree in adapted physical education. Dixon, a project consultant with the IU Early Childhood Center, has a master’s in speech language pathology.



COLLABORATIVE WORK LAB SESSION HIGHLIGHTS: Staff of the Institute’s Collaborative Work Lab facilitated a Planning Retreat with the Leadership Team of the Spencer First Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, January 9th. In these economic times and the need to move forward and get “everyone on the same page,” church members decided to use the CWLab to set a plan for the next five years. Prior to the meeting, they responded to an online SWOT Analysis, and in the CWLab, they identified and agreed to six strategic visions for the next five years. Participants completed their work by developing action steps for each of the strategic visions to guide implementation of the plan. CWLab staff, Vicki Pappas and Matt Norris facilitated the session.

Participant comments included:

“A very streamlined way to accomplish many tasks within a short time period while ensuring that all opinions were heard and valued.”

“Very conducive to group interaction. Process draws people out and encourages open participation without intimidation. Very rewarding, productive experience.”

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.

Brownlee, F., & Munro, L. (2010). Fuzzy buzzy groups for children with developmental and sensory processing difficulties: A step- by-step resource. London; Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Duncan, A., Kryza, K., & Stephens, S. J. (2010). Differentiation for real classrooms: Making it simple, making it work. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Jorgensen, C. M., Mcsheehan, M., & Sonnenmeier, R.M. (2010). The beyond access model: Promoting membership, participation, and learning for students with disabilities in the general educational classroom. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

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