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December 2007
National Technical Assistance Center:
PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55437 (888) 248-0822, www.taalliance.org
In This Issue:
Upcoming Events
- ALLIANCE 11th Annual National Conference - January 30-February 1, 2008
Parent Center Update
- Oregon Disability MegaConference
- Parent Center Award Reminder
Announcements
- Indirect Cost Rule Changes
- Global Youth Connect Exchange Opportunities
- Call for Papers - Division for Early Childhood
Resources
- Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health Report
- Doing What Works Web Site
- Tools for Culturally Responsive Education
- The Art of Disclosing Your Disability
Technology
- National Technology Innovators Conference
Fundraising
- Capacity Building Grants - Regional Program
- The National Center for Family Literacy - 2008 Verizon Tech Savvy Awards
To find the Technical Assistance Center in your Region please visit www.taalliance.org/ptidirectory/
Upcoming Events
ALLIANCE 11th Annual National Conference
January 30-February 1, 2008
Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington DC
Register online at: www.taalliance.org
Reception on the Hill (privately funded)
January 30, 2008 5-7 pm
Russell Senate Office Building
Parent Center Updates
Oregon Disability MegaConference
The Oregon Parent Training and Information Center and Oregon FIRST, a CPRC, are collaborating with a variety of state agencies to plan the first statewide disability MegaConference to be held May 30-31, 2008. The conference will include local and national speakers on a variety of topics including assistive technology, employment, education, and public policy. The Oregon PTI’s Web site is: http://www.orpti.org/ and FIRST’s Web site is: http://www.orfirst.org/.
Parent Center Award Reminder
At the ALLIANCE National Conference we will again be honoring Parent Center staff with 15 and 20 years of service at a federally funded Parent Center. Please remember to complete the form that was emailed to Parent Centers and submit to kerryjo.johnson@pacer.org by December 29, 2007.
Announcements
Indirect Cost Rule Changes
On December 7, the Federal Register published changes in the Education Department’s regulations governing the determination and recovery of indirect cost rates by grantees. The full amendments are available online.
Global Youth Connect Exchange Opportunities
Global Youth Connect, an international human rights organization, is seeking applicants ages 18-30 to participate in summer 2008 exchange programs to Bosnia, Guatemala, Rwanda or Venezuela. Applications are due January 25, 2008 and more information is available at: http://www.globalyouthconnect.org/participate.
Call for Papers - Division for Early Childhood
The Division for Early Childhood’s 24th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families which will be held October 26-29, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A Call for Papers has been posted, and proposals for sessions, workshops, posters, and roundtable discussions are due January 15, 2008. http://www.dec-sped.org/conference/about_the_conference.html
Resources
Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health Report
A new report from the Center for Mental Health Services examines family approaches to promoting mental health and preventing mental health problems. These strengths-based programs are analyzed and recommendations are made in Promotion and Prevention in Mental Health: Strengthening Parenting and Enhancing Child Resilience, available online at: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/svp-0186.
Doing What Works Web Site
The U.S. Department of Education has developed a companion site to the Institute of Education Sciences’ What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). The Doing What Works Web site, http://dww.ed.gov, provides examples of how educators can implement research findings from the WWC in their classrooms.
Tools for Culturally Responsive Education
The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) has developed a variety of tools to assist teachers, schools, and agencies to plan and implement culturally responsive educational practices. Documents include a curriculum matrix, assessment guide, disproportionality rubric, and technical assistance planning guide. All tools can be downloaded from: http://nccrest.org/publications/tools.html.
The Art of Disclosing Your Disability
This document (www.miltwright.com/articles/ArtOfDisclosingYourDisability.pdf) is a short guidebook on issues to consider when disclosing a disability to an employer in an interview or on the job. The author, Richard Pimmentel, will be one of the featured speaker’s at the 2008 ALLIANCE National Conference!
Technology
National Technology Innovators Conference
The National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) recently held their 2007 NCTI Technology Innovators Conference. The conference materials are available online and include presentations on relevant topics such as assistive technology and accessible instructional materials. http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/events-main-page/annual-technology-conference2007/
Fundraising
Capacity Building Grants - Regional Program
The O’Neill Foundation supports nonprofits by providing capacity-building grants that develop or improve the effectiveness, impact, or strength of the organization. The foundation supports organizations located in areas where O’Neill family members reside, including: CA, DC, FL, HI, MD, NY, OH, TX, and VA. For more details on eligibility, visit: http://www.oneillfdn.org/application.htm
The National Center for Family Literacy - 2008 Verizon Tech Savvy Awards
The National Center for Family Literacy’s Verizon Tech Savvy Awards are granted to innovative programs that use technology to increase family literacy and improve parents’ and children’s understanding of technology. Projects should be replicable around the country. Details are available at: http://www.famlit.org/site/c.gtJWJdMQIsE/b.2180327.
PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require 
