Nonprofit lays ground- work for putting patients at ease

Going to the dentist isn’t likely to top the list of fun ways to spend your time. But for people with cognitive, developmental and physical disabilities, the experience can be downright frightening, from the dental tools to the unfamiliar faces to the fingers poking around their mouth.

But with a little practice, a seat in the dentist’s chair doesn’t have to be a scary event. That’s the goal at Practice Without Pressure, a nonprofit organization in Bear that helps patients with disabilities and their families prepare for medical procedures.

Today, the U.S. Department of Education issued a publication that outlines principles for educators, parents and other stakeholders to consider when developing or refining policies and procedures to support positive behavioral interventions and avoid the use of restraint and seclusion.

The goal of this resource document is to help ensure that schools are safe and healthy environments where all students can learn, develop and participate in instructional programs that promote high levels of academic achievement.

Proposes New Justice Center to Prevent, Investigate and Prosecute Abuse and Neglect of Vulnerable New Yorkers

Albany, NY (May 7, 2012)

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled new legislation to establish the strongest standards and practices in the nation for protecting people with special needs and disabilities. Governor Cuomo's legislation will create a new Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, an initiative that will transform how the state protects over one million New Yorkers in State operated, certified or licensed facilities and programs.

Budget cuts in many school districts have some parents and teachers questioning whether they have the resources to support their students. NPR education correspondent Claudio Sanchez and Thomas Hehir of Harvard University talk about how to integrate special needs students into mainstream classrooms.

Even though many federal policies favor community-based employment for people with disabilities, a new report finds that most government funds go to sheltered workshops instead.

The report released Tuesday from the National Disability Rights Network looks at how money for disability employment flowing from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Rehabilitation Services Administration is utilized in the states.

June 11, 2012 (8:00 AM EDT US, 12:00 GMT)

Presenters:David Brewer, Nancy A. Edminster-Hinkley, & Arun Karpur

Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute

With rapid changes to the global economy come changes to the local workforce. How do we prepare youth with disabilities for jobs that may not currently exist? Participants in this webinar will understand the lifelong process of career development from an early age through secondary education, postsecondary education, and adult life. In particular, evidence-based practices will be profiled that advance career opportunities for transitioning youth with disabilities.

NYSACRA is very pleased to announce our next 90-Day session of the College of Direct Support that will begin on July 01, 2012. NYSACRA will serve as the College of Direct Support administrator, monitoring and providing agencies information about learners' progress. In the CDS, learners are offered two modules with a total of fifteen (15) courses from the College of Direct Support.  (Completion of both of the CDS modules, which essentially constitute the College of Direct Support Core Curriculum, would be accepted by NADSP towards its credentialing certificate.)  

www.nysacra.org

Webinar, May 24th 

12:00pm - 1:00pm

Universal Course Design (UCD) is a professional development concept that strives to make learning accessible to all students, no matter their individual backgrounds. This webinar will provide UCD strategies with a focus on the four key principles: curriculum, instruction, assessment and environment. Participants are encouraged to bring specific challenges they have experienced when trying to bring Universal Design to their work.  Attendees will leave with multiple UCD resources, including strategies to create cross-campus, sustainable initiatives for improving teaching and learning. 

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/923928222

This free presentation for the general public is provided through a partnership of the national Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Saturday, May 19, 2012 University of Rochester Medical Center Case Ryan Method Room, MRB Building Auditorium 1-9576 601 Elmwood Avenue Rochester, NY (Free parking for attendees in MRB Parking Lot)

Come join us for a group art workshop focused on social skills and having fun as a family. Any family with a child with a disability is welcome to join us and work alongside other families creating art and having fun. No art experience necessary. All art materials will be washable but please wear something that you aren't afraid to get a little messy.