FCCPTA Special Education Committee

Minutes of the October 28, 2004 Meeting

Transition presentation:

Jeanette Baker, from Career and Transition Services, and Anne Marie Cook, Transition Liaison at Devonshire Center, presented a very interesting introduction to the issues of transition.

Jeanette started by telling us that it is never too early to begin transition planning. She recommends we do so as soon as our children are diagnosed, especially for those children who are going to need life long services. Even those with mild disabilities should start planning much sooner than their general education classmates. It takes four or five years to learn about and apply for community resources such as SSI and Medicaid. The Community Service Board (which serves only those with mental retardation and mental illness) has had its funding tremendously cut in recent years.

An updated version of the county's "Transition Guide," a very detailed book geared mainly toward teachers but very appropriate for us, will be published by the end of 2004 and available at the Parent Resource Centers as well as on the FCPS web site. A very short version, The Parent Tool Kit, is intended to show parents what questions they need to ask and will be distributed at middle school IEP's.

Anne Marie gave us a quick overview of resources that are available to us. The office of Career and Transition Services offers workshops twice a year. Details at http://www.fcps.edu/DSSSE/prc/prcwkshp.htm

A transition plan is included in every IEP starting age 14, or 8th grade, whichever comes sooner. Every high school has an employment and transition counselor. The web site http://www.fcps.edu/DSSSE/CareerConnections/index.htm, is definitely something everyone should check out. In fact, maybe everyone should sent out this link in their newsletters, because it is chock full of really helpful information, including on-line self assessment tools to help students choose a career path, job search skills, college admissions processes, summer opportunities, etc, etc - all very valuable information for both special education and general education students and their parents.

Work training opportunities in high school are less available than in the past because of the current emphasis on the SOL's. There are resources in every high school, though. WAT (Work Awareness and Transition) and OTP (Office Technology and Procedures) classes can be taken as electives and will give students work experience. These classes are geared mostly to the non-college bound children. On the other hand, 80% of students at the high school academies go on to college. The academies offer occupational training in a wide variety of fields. Your child would be bused from the base school to the academy for part of the day in eleventh and twelfth grade. Unfortunately for special education students, these programs are increasingly competitive to get into. Check out what's available at http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/OPTS/academy/

Marg

Special education representatives list:

I am grateful to all present for allowing themselves to be "volunteered" to help contact the other 160 or so schools to find the names and email addresses of any new PTA representatives. Without this laborious process, there is no FCCPTA committee.

 Special education parent email list:

In response to the clear need for the parents we represent to be able to reach each other for advice and information, we discussed a proposal to create Yahoo!groups for all special education parents, perhaps one group for each cluster or alternatively starting with one group then breaking up later (but keep in mind, there are 23,000 sets of eligible parents in this county!) This would be a very big project that needs a lot of thought. Each group would need a moderator to nurse it along. Publicity would need to be worked out. The internet format would need to be chosen (Yahoo? (free and easy). Listserv? Something provided by the county?) Ground rules for participants would also be important.

 Local PTA special education activities:

*One high school representative has been going through the books in the school library that are useful for parents and teachers of our students. The Parent Resource Center is helping her pick basic books. This brought up the idea that our group might want to work with the PRC to create a list of core parenting books that every school should have on its shelves; we could then publish it in the FCCPTA newsletter and encourage individual PTA's to buy them.

*Create a literature rack or kiosk in the school office.

*Lobby your PTSA to fund special education scholarships for graduating students.

*Send out information about parent conferences.

*One parent started a separate special education parent newsletter at her school that goes home to all parents (not just ours). She is publishing it monthly and may go to twice a month. They are also starting a separate web site.

*Send a letter introducing yourself to all the special ed parents in your school. One committee got the school office to address the envelopes for them (since the information is confidential).

*Set up a booth at parent nights.

*Have a parent meeting and invite your ombudsman.

*Inclusion week (Dec 6-): Ask the school librarian to showcase books that feature people with disabilities. Have community mentors (people with disabilities) come in to speak at your school.

 

Respectfully submitted

Margaret Fisher

 

 

 

 

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