July Newsletter

Upcoming Reading Module Webinar

The Access Center will be kicking off the start of the 2008 school year with a webinar presenting our latest professional development module on reading.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more details! 

Staff from the Access Center recently presented at the 2007 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference in Washington, DC.  Amy Klekotka and Stacia Rush presented a breakout session titled, “Personnel Preparation and Access to the General Education Curriculum: Providing Pre-Service Educators with Effective Strategies to Improve Results for All Students.”  Additionally, Anthea Medyn and Jeff Poirier presented a poster highlighting the Center’s professional development modules.  For further information on the information presented at these sessions, please email the Access Center at accesscenter@air.org.

NCLD Reports on Impact of NCLB and Students with Disabilities

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has released two reports on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and its impact on students who receive special education in our nation’s schools – almost half of whom have learning disabilities (LD). You can find the two reports: Rewards and Roadblocks: How Special Education Students are Faring Under No Child Left Behind, and State Testing Accommodations: A Look at Their Value and Validity, on NCLD’s web site. 

NCDB: Important Interactions with Children Who Are Deaf-Blind

The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness’ (NCDB) publication, Harmonious Interactions, describes the importance of teaching families and educators the techniques to create and maintain high-quality interactions with children who are deaf-blind.  The report is based on research and training activities conducted by Marleen Janssen, Marianne Riksen-Walraven, Jan van Dijk, and Bernadette van den Tillaart, and is currently available on the web at: http://www.dblink.org/pdf/harmonious-interaction.pdf   A print version will be available soon.

NICHCY Posts New Module on IDEA 2004
If you're not really familiar with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) but would like to get an overview of the special education process, this module's for you! The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities' (NICHCY) online module, The Top 10 Basics of Special Education, describes ten basic steps in special education, and explains five key acronyms: IDEA, FAPE, IEP, LRE, and TA&D.  An additional section is designed for more advanced audiences and those who seek a more in-depth understanding of how IDEA defines five critical terms: child with a disability, special education, related services, supplementary aids and services, and transition services.