NEWS

QUICK SCAN

UPCOMING

Free Trainings on Arts Mentoring

The registration deadline for South Central ArtsWORK Indiana’s free training events on arts mentoring is Friday, September 1, 2012. The training series is designed for emerging artists, performers, and writers with a disability of any kind (including intellectual disabilities) in the greater Bloomington area. Attendees will participate in three brief sessions with hands-on exercises to help them understand what arts mentoring is, how it works, and how it can help them achieve their goals as artists.

Target audiences include individuals who:

Have an arts-related interest or skill they wish to develop;
Live in Monroe or surrounding counties;
Are age 18 or older;
Have a disability of any kind; and
Can attend all 3 training sessions.

Click for dates, location, and sponsor information. It is not possible to register for individual events, just for the series. Space is limited; participation is first come, first served. By September 10th, we will confirm that a place for the registrant is successfully reserved.

Contact Jane Harlan-Simmons at jeharlan@indiana.edu or call (812) 855-2167 with questions. Learn about South Central Arts WORK Indiana and its partner organizations.

JUST THE FACTS

Indiana Institute Fact Sheet: Center Highlights for 2012

Our mission is to work with communities to welcome, value, and support the meaningful participation of people of all ages and abilities through research, education, and service. 

Indiana Institute Center Highlights for 2012…

Early Childhood Center

Provided on-going evaluation of the First Steps Early Intervention System (Indiana’s Part C Program under IDEA).

Maintained the Early Childhood Meeting Place, a web-based gateway to information, services, and resources for Indiana’s early childhood professionals and families (9,700 visitors viewing 93,000 pages of events and resources).

Center on Education and Lifelong Learning

Worked with six sites in Indiana to develop a mode of culturally responsive positive behavior supports (CR-PBIS).

Provided teacher support in instruction to meet the needs of individual students, small groups, and/or whole classes through Instructional Consultation Teams.

Prepared school districts to create teacher evaluation plans through the Indiana Teacher Appraisal and Support System (IN-TASS).

Trained educators in designing units of study that respect learner differences through Universal Design for Differentiated Instruction.

Provided quality program evaluations for special and unified education programs.

Center on Community Living and Careers

Supported secondary transition education, services, and outcomes through the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC). 

Provided online training for Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation staff through the Vocational Rehabilitation Leadership Academy (VRLA).

Supported the work of Vocational Rehabilitation’s Employment Innovation unit.

Coordinated 11 Project SEARCH sites providing transition-aged youth with employment internship experiences (101 Project SEARCH grads have obtained competitive employment).

Trained statewide professional liaisons in benefit and work incentives (181 liaisons have reviewed 919 plans).

Established an asset development curriculum.

Developed educational opportunities for students with disabilities at Indiana colleges and universities.

Center on Aging and Community

Supported a state-wide initiative including web-based resources promoting long-term sustainability for communities.

Provided access to careers and mentorships in the arts through ArtsWORK Indiana, an employment-focused website.

Expanded the Building Leadership Training Series (BLS), a workshop series on self-advocacy and leadership, to include a focus on relationships and community membership. BLS has graduated 90 individuals with 16 completing the second series.

Indiana Resource Center for Autism

Builds local capacity in schools and districts to establish evidence-based programming for students across the autism spectrum. To date, 376 teams have been trained.

Provided 13 Indiana schools with technical assistance on evidence-based practices measuring program outcomes.

Maintained a Website of services, resources, and training opportunities for families and professionals.

Center for Planning and Policy Studies

Hosted audio conferences and webinars on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Coordinated ADA-Indiana’s Community Implementation grants.

Provided computer-supported meeting environments to facilitate collaborative planning activities such as state planning and public policy development.

Participated in Indiana University’s Disability Roundtable focusing on accessibility.

Center for Disability Information and Referral

Identified how to best support the research needs of students in IU’s School of Education.

Identified primary disciplines and researchers contributing to the field of special education to increase awareness of core research.

Maintained a lending library of over 5,000 holdings that are available to residents of Indiana and online through IU libraries.

WHAT'S NEW

ADA-Indiana Website Redesigned

Last month ADA-Indiana rolled-out it new website. The website features improved navigation and a more comprehensive listing of training opportunities locally, information about the ADA-Indiana grants program, and highlights of new  and existing resources in all areas covered by the ADA.

ADA-Indiana is funded by the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities and the Great Lakes ADA Center.

AT IU

Students on the Spectrum (S.O.S.) Club at Indiana University

Parents and incoming students, the Institute’s Indiana Resource Center for Autism announces its fourth year supporting Students on the Spectrum (S.O.S.) Club. SOS provides a safe place for students living on the autism spectrum to come and have fun, learn and connect with others who have had similar  experiences. All Indiana University students who live with an autism spectrum disorder are welcome!

S.O.S. meets every Tuesday starting in September. Meeting times run from 5:00-7:00 p.m. in the Tree Suites wing on the Mezzanine level of the Indiana Memorial Union. For more information, contact Marci Wheeler, S.O.S. Club Advisor, (812) 855-6508 or via e-mail at mwheeler@indiana.edu.

IN MONROE/LAWRENCE COUNTIES

Fish-Tival

The Southern Indiana Center for Independent Living (SICIL) is sponsoring an annual fishing event open to all people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers and supporters.

Fish-Tival will be held on Saturday, September 8, 2012 at the Paynetown Twin Oaks Shelter, 4850 South State Road 446, Bloomington. Activities will include boat rides, fishing and casting and wildlife lessons, live music, food and beverages, and more.

RSVP to SICIL at (812) 277-9626. SICIL is a non-profit agency  offering services to assist the elderly and those with disabilities while offering local employment. Click to visit the SICIL website. 

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.
   
Harris, S. L., & Glasberg, B. A. (2012). Siblings of children with autism: A guide for families, 3rd ed. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House. (Call Number: 20.3.H367 2012)

Robison, J. E. (2011). Be different: My adventures with Asperger's and my advice for fellow Aspergians, misfits, families, and teachers. New York: Broadway Paperbacks. (Call Number: 20.31.R66)

Storeygard, J. (2012). Count me in! K-5: Including learners with special needs in mathematics classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. (Call Number: 44.S8)