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FYI Newsletter
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FYI Newsletter February 13, 2012
Quick Scan:
- New Training Opportunities in Early Education
- ADA-Indiana: Accepting Proposals for Funding for Local ADA Implementation Projects
- When Actions Speak Louder than Words Workshops
- Accessible University Training Series
- Disability Roundtable Website Launched
- Tangram Extraordinary Lives Celebration
- Low Vision Expo
- Library Corner
UPCOMING
NEW TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN EARLY EDUCATION: As we learn more about what constitutes the design of effective early education, we are asked to reexamine our planning and teaching practices in order to be most effective and to best help children prepare for kindergarten.
The Institute’s Early Childhood Center is pleased to offer a collection of workshops that focus on ways preschool teachers can enhance children’s learning and school readiness. Topics range from looking at the types of routines and learning opportunities children will experience in kindergarten, the importance of clear goals and objectives in designing your teaching, an alternative way of looking at children’s behavior and discipline, and appropriate teaching and language practices during free play and other common routines.
Training topics include:
- Reexamining the Classroom Day to Promote School Readiness
- Using Objectives to Guide Your Planning and Teaching
- When Actions Speak Louder than Words
- Rethinking Free Play- School Readiness Research to Practice
- Rich Language, Rich Experiences, Ready Children
Topics are presented as workshops or technical assistance. Each topic is available as a full-day workshop, half-day workshop, or a series of full- or half-day workshops. Watch our website for the availability of on-line workshops on these topics.
We have recently been using two nationally validated classroom assessment measures to examine the quality of children’s time in preschool and the quality of teacher-child interactions children experience - the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and the Emerging Academic Snapshot. We have used these tools to evaluate both individual classrooms and overall early education programs followed by more individualized inservice training. Talk to us about how we might bring these new resources to your program to improve the quality of your early learning environments. For more information, contact Sue Dixon at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail sudixon@indiana.edu.
ADA-INDIANA: ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR FUNDING FOR LOCAL ADA IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS: ADA-Indiana, in conjunction with Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, is pleased to announce that additional funding is available for the 2012 Keith Coros Community ADA Implementation Projects (four organizations have already received funding to complete an ADA Implementation project).
Funding up to $2,500 is available for projects submitted by social service agencies, local government entities, schools, businesses, or other community organizations interested in increasing implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Round II Proposals are due Friday, March 2nd. Visit ADA-Indiana’s website for the Request for Proposal. To receive information on how to apply for the grants, contact Matt Norris, Project Staff for ADA-Indiana, at (812)8 55-6508 or e-mail adainfo@indiana.edu.
These local community projects should target one or more of the Titles of the ADA. This may include training employers to increase their knowledge about the ADA and reasonable accommodations; working with local governments to make their programs, services, and activities accessible to people with disabilities; or helping business and non-profits become more accessible.
WHEN ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS WORKSHOPS: The Institute’s Early Childhood Center in conjunction with the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, will host three workshops designed to build an understanding of how different behaviors are communicative, to understand what their messages might be and how to begin to interpret those messages and to provide positive approaches for supporting behavior. Thinking about behavior as communication presents a different perspective to support our developmental strategies that encourage positive behaviors. This is crucial information to consider so that when an individual “misbehaves” we can learn to pause and ask, “What is this individual saying?”
Workshop dates and locations include:
- March 16, 2012 - Terre Haute, IN: Holiday Inn
- April 12, 2012 - Mishawaka, IN: John Young Middle School
- April 20, 2012 - Richmond, IN: Richmond High School
Certificates of Attendance for 5.25 instructional hours will be available at no charge and can be used for Professional Growth Plan points and Library Education Units. Registration fee is $125.00 per person. If you have questions about workshop content, contact Kim Davis (davisk@indiana.edu) at (812) 855-6508. All questions regarding registration should be directed to Donna Beasley (dbeasley@indiana.edu) at (812) 855-6508.
ACROSS CAMPUS
ACCESSIBLE UNIVERSITY TRAINING SERIES: In 2007, Easter Seals Crossroads partnered with the State of Indiana, Bureau of Rehabilitative Services, to establish the Indiana Assistive Technology Act (INDATA) Project, designed to increase access to and awareness of assistive technology.
INDATA core services available for university students with disabilities include information and referral, funding assistance, device demonstration, device loan, reutilized computers, and equipment reutilization.
Come and hear Nikol Prieto, Community Outreach Coordinator for the INDATA Project, present on both the clinical services offered and the assistive technology available for college students, and try out some of the equipment that is available on Wednesday, February 15, from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Oak Room, Indiana University Memorial Union.
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, contact Alice Voigt, Accessibility Specialist, at the National Center on Accessibility, ajvoigt@indiana.edu, (812) 856-4422 (voice) or (812) 856-4421 (TTY).
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 IUB’s Disability Roundtable, coordinated by Alice Voigt of the National Center on Accessibility and Sharon Hauss of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. For further information about the Accessible University series or the Disability Roundtable, please feel free to contact Alice (ajvoigt@indiana.edu).
DISABILITY ROUNDTABLE WEBSITE LAUNCHED: The Disability Roundtable is pleased to announce the launch of their new website. The Roundtable is a coalition of individuals on the IU-B campus who have interests in disability-related issues. The Roundtable provides a forum for exchanging ideas and resources about disability-related topics and proactively supports the University’s inclusion and accessibility policies. The mission of the Roundtable is to promote the full participation of people with disabilities in the IU community.
Indiana University has placed the Roundtable on IU’s Big List of university websites. Sharon Hauss (sahauss@indiana.edu) of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community and Alice Voigt (ajvoigt@indiana.edu) of National Center on Accessibility can be contacted for further information on the Disability Roundtable. checkout the Roundtable Facebook page too.
IN INDIANA
TANGRAM EXTRAORDINARY LIVES CELEBRATION: Tangram, a United Way community benefit organization serving adults and children with disabilities in the Central Indiana and the Greater Lafayette area, is hosting an Extraordinary Lives Celebration luncheon recognizing individuals, businesses, and organizations that have an extraordinary vision for individuals with disabilities on March 21, 2012 at the JW Marriott, Indianapolis.
Glenn Hultberg, Operations Manager for Walgreens, will speak on the exciting employment possibilities for individuals with disabilities. HR professionals, business owners, individuals with disabilities, their friends and family members, and other community members are encouraged to attend. Tickets are $40.00 per person or $400.00 per table. Visit Tangram to register or for more information.
LOW VISION EXPO: The Wabash Independent Living and Learning Center, Inc. (Low Vision Program) and Generations, will host a Low Vision Expo Thursday June 14, 2012 on the campus of Vincennes University in Vincennes, IN. This free event will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 pm. In attendance will be agencies and organizations that provide resources and assistance to individuals whom are experiencing vision loss. For additional information, e-mail info@thewillcenter.org or call (812) 298-9455.
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, visit us at 2853 East Tenth Street in Bloomington.
Bartlett, J., Black, S., & Northen, M. (2011). Beauty is a verb: The new poetry of disability. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. (Call Number: 18 .B2)
Schiltz, K. L., Schonfeld, A. M., & Niendam, T. A. (2012). Beyond the label: A guide to unlocking a child's educational potential. New York: Oxford University Press. (Call Number: 30 .S34)
Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press. (Call Number: 11 .W559)