Lyle Lovett to Headline PACER’s Benefit May 8! Tickets on Sale Now!
Four-time Grammy Award winner Lyle Lovett and His Large Band will bring their irresistible music to PACER’s 28th Annual Benefit at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Saturday, May 8. With an inventive blend of folk, swing, blues, gospel, country, and jazz, Lovett has produced 13 albums and has been called “one of the all-time great American singer/songwriters” for his distinct musical style. See a preview of this exciting performer here. Reserve your tickets now! More
Creative Kids Contest is Feb. 27
PACER's fifth annual Creative Kids Contest invites children with disabilities to join PACER and celebrated artist Anthony Whelihan to let their imagination run wild. The winner will have his or her design made into the 2010 PACER greeting card, which will be sold online and at the PACER Benefit. The event is 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Bloomington Art Center. To register or to donate art supplies, e-mail Nicole Stanich at nicole.stanich@pacer.org or call 952-838-9000. Space is limited. More
Free Preschool Inclusion Series Now Available
The SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library has a new Preschool Inclusion Series. It contains four video programs, training scripts, and handouts in which classroom staff, administrators, specialists, and families share their perspectives on what makes inclusion work. The series is for early childhood professional development providers, faculty from colleges and universities, family leaders, and policy makers. Available in English and Spanish, these free materials come in a variety of formats and are made available with funding from the Office of Head Start. More
Dan Stewart to Present Manifestation Determination Workshop on March 16
Dan Stewart, supervising attorney at the Minnesota Disability Law Center, will present “Manifestation Determination: What Parents Need to Know,” a free PACER workshop for parents of children with disabilities and for professionals. Before a child in special education can be expelled, suspended for more than 10 days, or placed in a different school because of behaviors, the school must hold a manifestation determination meeting to find out if the behavior is strongly related to the child’s disability and if the behavior was caused by the school’s failure to implement the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). The answers to these questions determine what happens next. This important workshop is Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from 7 to 9 p.m., at PACER Center. Advance registration is requested. To register, call PACER at 952-838-9000 or 952-838-0190 (TTY). In Greater Minnesota, call 800-537-2237 (toll free) or visit PACER.org.
Information about Children’s Health and Disabilities is Online
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Web site for families offers reliable advice for parents and caregivers, including information on a variety of disabilities and more than 300 health care topics. It also includes interactive content on developmental milestones. More
Government Web Site Offers Self-advocacy Tips for Teens with Disabilities
Disability.gov has a variety of self-advocacy resources to help teens begin to express their needs and wants by participating in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. These meetings assist teens in learning ways to talk about their disability with others, set goals, and practice other self-advocacy skills. More
List Your Minnesota Youth Service Organization at c3online.org
Project C3 (Connecting Youth to Communities and Careers) offers an online database to help youth, families, and professionals find more than 1,000 Minnesota youth organizations that offer employment, transportation, housing, education, health, and recreation services. To join this free online directory, agencies can visit c3online.org, click on “C3MN,” then choose “Add a Resource.” For more information, organizations can call Andrea Moore at 952-838-9000.
Free Webinar Trainings Available
Webinars are Web-based seminars, and they are a convenient way to provide information and training to people at home, at work, or anywhere there’s a computer with an Internet connection. PACER Center’s archived Webinars deal with helpful topics such as using digital books to help struggling readers, addressing early childhood and cultural diversity, and—if you’re new to Webinars—even how to attend one. More
EX.I.T.E. Camp Applications Now Available
Middle-school girls with disabilities are invited to apply for the 2010 EXploring Interests in Technology and Engineering (EX.I.T.E.) camp at PACER Center. Space is limited to 30 girls. Applications are due May 1. Now in its eighth year, the free summer day camp takes place for five days in August. Through fun, hands-on experiments, girls discover scientific principles as they experiment, create amazing projects, and challenge themselves to investigate the world around them using technology. The camp is sponsored in part by IBM and local technology companies. To obtain an application, visit PACER.org/stc/exite/Camp.asp or call PACER at 952-838-9000 or 952-838-0190 (TTY). In Greater Minnesota, call 800-537-2237 (toll free).
College Preparation Checklist is Expanded, Updated
The U.S. Department of Education's popular College Preparation Checklist has been expanded and updated. The checklist provides a “to do” list, starting with elementary school, to help students and parents prepare academically and financially for education beyond high school. The publication also includes information for students getting a late start preparing for college, and adult students who have never attended or finished college. It’s free and available in English and Spanish. Find it here.
New Web Site Explains College Life to Teens with Disabilities
High school students with disabilities can learn about planning for college at this new site. Videos include interviews with successful college students with disabilities; activities help students explore more about themselves, learn what to expect from college, and equip them with important considerations and tasks to complete when planning for college. The site was developed by Virginia Commonwealth University under a grant from the Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education. Visit this site.
Publications
Updated! Working Together: A Parent’s Guide to Parent and Professional Partnership and Communication within Special Education
Helps parents effectively communicate with special education professionals as they develop their child’s educational program. 2009. One copy is free to Minnesota families of children with disabilities. For others, it’s $6 each, or $5 each for 10 or more copies. Call PACER at 952-838-9000 or 800-537-2237 (toll free in Greater Minnesota) and order item PHP-a19. More
Programs and Resources
PACER Center is a Minnesota nonprofit organization that provides services to families of children and young adults with any disability. More
PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require