Dear Parents,

 Being the parent of a young child with disabilities can  

  be quite challenging. There is much we need to   

  know and learn about our child and his or her specific

  disability. We need to learn about early intervention

  and early childhood special education and how we can

  actively help our child reach his or her potential.

 The purpose of the family web page is to  

 answer some of your questions about early

 intervention and early childhood special

 education. It provides information about upcoming trainings and workshops, includes a list of resources and publications for further information and support, and a glossary of words and terms to know in "Jargon." To see what our Center is currently working on, visit the "Welcome" page or click the "New/Upcoming" button.

I am also the parent of a child with a disability and so, parent-to-parent, I welcome you to our web site and hope you find it helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know!   

Sincerely,

Cathy Beard                                                                     
beardc@indiana.edu

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH. Read more about it!

Down syndrome support group bringing together families from Bloomington, Ellettsville, Bedford, and surrounding areas of South Central Indiana. We're planning our 1st Annual Buddy Walk in Bloomington!
Saturday, October 18
in Bryan Park
Registration - 9 a.m.  —  Walk -10 a.m.

Learn more about our Buddy Walk

Parent Mentor Training Now Available - The Indiana Family to Family (F2F) Parent Mentor is a trained volunteer parent of a child with special needs, who is willint go give peer support to another parent whose child is currently in the First Steps system. Click on Parent Mentor to access the on-line training if you would like to begin the process of being considered as a Parent Mentor. Click here to learn more about parent mentors!

If you are currently in First Steps and would like to be matched with a Parent Mentor, contact the Indiana F2F Parent Liaison in your First Steps cluster. (Click here to find the contact information for your Parent Liaison.)

Read the September/October 2008 issue of FIRST WORDS - New Article 7 in Effect. Read other issues of First Words on the Family to Family Website.

Read theFall 2008 Fuse News!

Article 7 Trainings

What You Need To Know About
Changes to Article 7, October 6, 2008
Bloomington, IN For information, email:
ParentTeacherAdvisoryCouncilowner@ yahoogroups.com

Special Educuation/Article 7 Training

October 13 (6:00-8:00)

Clarion North Medical Center

11700 N. Meridian Street

Carmel, IN

To RSVP or get more information regarding this event please contact Sheila Wolfe by e-mail at sheilawolfe@ sbcglobal. net before October 10, 2008.

Article 7/Preparing your Child's IEP

October 25 (9:00 - 4:00)

Merrillville, IN

Register online at www.aboutspecialkids.org

Registration for the training will be closed on October 21, 2008

HEAR Indiana Educational Conference

November 14, 2008

Fort Harrison  State Park

Brochure

Questions about IEPs, case conference, or special education? Visit Wrightslaw Topics from A-Z! Also, sign up for their free Special Ed Advocate newsletter.

Read about the Family Involvement Fund . . . apply on-line or print an application form!

- Join the INF2F Listserv

Please visit Share Network Indiana A free, online, statewide resource directory!