Indiana Institute FYI

Week of September 1, 2008

Quick Scan

· Tucker Signing Strategies for Reading Workshop
· INDATA Demo Days
· Call for Nominations
· Website Redesign Launched
· Library Corner

Upcoming

Tucker Signing Strategies for Reading Workshop: The Institute’s Center on Education and Lifelong Learning is sponsoring a one-day workshop featuring Tucker Signing Strategies for Reading on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 in Columbia City, Indiana.

The workshop will provide participants with a powerful supplemental strategy for decoding that can be used in conjunction with a conventional reading program. Tucker Signing Strategies for Reading uses a system of 44 hand signs that prompt associations between letters or word chunks and the sounds they represent.

Readers see the letter, sign the sound and say the sound at the same time; this multi-sensory combination provides success to readers who have not succeeded before. This kinesthetic, tactile approach is a strategy that children enjoy, and appeals to reluctant readers, excessively active children, and those with learning disabilities as well as the average reader. To date, over 1,000 educators in Indiana have been trained. Data from many of these educators indicate that Tucker Signing Strategies improve decoding. Visit http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cell to review the report.

General and special educators, grades PK-!2, reading specialists, speech language pathologists, administrators, paraeducators, and parents should plan to attend. Registration fee is $100.00 for educators and $70.00 for parents. Registration deadline is Friday, October 3, 2008. Training funds for parents are available through the Family Involvement Fund at the Indiana Institute. Visit http://www.inf2f.org/F2F-FIF.htm. For more information or to register, contact Kay Moore at (812) 855-6508 or e-mail moorel@indiana.edu.

INDATA Demo Days: The INDATA Project, at Easter Seals Crossroads, is pleased to announce multiple opportunities to learn more about assistive technology related to vision or hearing impairments. If you have hearing loss or have a visual impairment, Demo Days will provide you with hands-on opportunities to experience various types of assistive technology at no charge.

To learn more about assistive technology for people with hearing or visual impairments, schedule an appointment by calling 1-888-446-1314 toll-free or visiting http://www.eastersealstech.com/. Site locations across the state include:

· Bloomington, IN
· Centerville, IN
· Evansville, IN
· Fort Wayne, IN
· Merrillville, IN
· New Albany, IN
· Richmond, IN
· South Bend, IN
· Terre Haute, IN

For Bloomington and Monroe County residents, Demo Days will be held at the Indiana Institute on Thursday, September 18 (low vision) and Monday, October 13 (hearing loss), 2008. INDATA is a state/federal grant providing device demonstrations, loans, recycled computers, reutilized assistive technology equipment, alternative financing resources, and educational trainings and conferences to Hoosiers.

Around Town

Call for Nominations: The City of Bloomington’s Council for Community Accessibility (CCA) is soliciting nominations for its annual awards ceremony. The group recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations that make the community more accessible for people with disabilities. The CCA advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, promotes awareness of the challenges faced by people with disabilities, and works to develop solutions to problems of accessibility in the community.

· Award categories include:
· Kristin Willison Volunteer Service Award
· Business Service Award
· Professional and Community Service Award
· Housing Service Award
· Self-Advocacy Award
· Mayor’s Award

Nomination forms are available in the Community and Family Resources Department in City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Suite 260, Bloomington, IN 47404. Forms are also available online at http://www.bloomington.in.gov/cfrd. Nominations must be returned by September 26, 2008.

For information about award nominations or the CCA, contact Craig Brenner, Special Projects Coordinator, via e-mail at brennerc@bloomington.in.gov or by phone at (812) 349-3471.  The Council for Community Accessibility meets monthly at City Hall.

Library Corner

Website Redesign Launched: The Institute’s Center on Disability Information and Referral is pleased to announce a redesign of its website. Two new pages that may be of interest are "Renew Online” and “Suggest New Materials” forms! Please let us know what you think! Visit http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cedir/.

New Items: The following new materials may be borrowed by Indiana residents from the Center for Disability Information and Referral (CeDIR) 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.

Doyle, M. B. (2008). The paraprofessional’s guide to the inclusive classroom: working as a team. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co.

Grinker, R. R. (2008). Unstrange minds: remapping the world of autism. New York: Basic Books.

Mather, N. & Goldstein, S. (2008). Learning disabilities and challenging behaviors: a guide to intervention and classroom management. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co.

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