Features
Spend an evening with the legendary Beach Boys, featuring Mike Love, at PACER’s Benefit on May 11!
The Beach Boys changed America’s music landscape, and they continue to play their hits to sold-out venues. Spend an unforgettable evening with one of the most influential and critically acclaimed bands of all time! Led by Mike Love, you’ll hear timeless songs like “California Girls,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Surfin’ USA,” “Good Vibrations,” and many more at PACER’s annual benefit on May 11.
This spectacular event celebrates PACER’s work on behalf of families of children with disabilities and students who are bullied. All proceeds support PACER’s programs.
Your Comprehensive, Online Guide to the IEP
We’ve converted PACER’s popular book, A Guide to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for Minnesota Parents, into an intuitive, mobile-friendly web version. With the right information, parents can play a major role in shaping services for their child with disabilities. This online resource provides Minnesota parents with a complete breakdown of the IEP, the processes behind it, and how to use the IEP to help every child reach their full potential.
UNITY AWARD Nominations Now Open
Join PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center and it's youth board in celebrating individuals and groups who took action to make our communities, schools and the web kinder, more accepting and inclusive.
The Unity Awards ceremony, first held in 2015, is an evening of celebration to gather and recognize those who are helping to create a world without bullying — whether it’s building awareness of bullying prevention, inspiring and empowering others to take positive action, or advocating for those who need support.
College Options for Students with Intellectual Disabilities
Explore helpful information from PACER Center and Think College about inclusive, postsecondary education programs for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Does My Child Have an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder?
What to Look for: Among all the dilemmas facing a parent of a child with emotional or behavioral problems, the first question-whether the child's behavior is sufficiently different to require a comprehensive evaluation by professionals-may be the most troublesome of all. Even when a child exhibits negative behaviors, members of a family may not all agree on whether the behaviors are serious.
Categories / Programs
Workshops / Live Stream Events
22
Screening, Identification, and Effective Instruction for Students with Dyslexia
Monday, April 22, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Location: PACER Center
23
Becoming an Active Partner in Your Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Location: PACER Center
23
Challenging Behaviors & School Success: The Role of Section 504 and Special Education
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Location: Owatonna
25
ABCs of the IEP for Transition-age Students and Their Parents
Thursday, April 25, 2019 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST
Location: Fairmont
27
Special Events : Early Childhood Family Leadership Summit
Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM CST
Location: PACER Center
29
Special Events : Reduce Your Stress and Optimize Your Health and Wellbeing: A Guided Lesson for Parents, Caregivers, and Professionals
Monday, April 29, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Location: PACER Center
Help Support PACER & Others
Facebook Buy & Sell Group - MN Special Needs Equipment for Sale
Find equipment and assistive technology after its initial use. Items such as, communication devices, walkers, adaptive switches and toys, motorized cars (that can be adapted), adapted keyboards, etc. Join Today!
Join Survey Monkey Contribute today!
PACER is excited to announce our partnership with SurveyMonkey Contribute and a new way for anyone to support PACER programs! Sign up and you will receive surveys by e-mail from SurveyMonkey customers who need your opinion. For every survey you take, SurveyMonkey will donate $0.50 to PACER, and you'll get a chance to win $100 in an instant-win game.
In The News
Students organizing to create a world without bullying
Posted: 4/18/2019
On March 26, 315 students packed Elkins Auditorium at Pepperdine University to hear the Pepperdine Waves Debate Team and students from the Woodlake Elementary “Let’s Argue” class debate the question, “Can we create a world without bullying?”
Every attendee at the debate reported that they “learned something new” about bullying prevention, and 77.8% said that the event “expanded my understanding of what bullying can look like.”
Congratulations and many thanks to Dr. Abi Smith, debate professor, coach of the Waves, and creator of the Woodlake “Let’s Argue” class, as well as Juan Carlos Hugues, Tiffany Hall, and the Waves team for organizing the event. Special thanks to Dr. Luisa Raynal and Andres Phillips from the School of Public Policy for their participation.
Read more about PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in Los Angeles.
PACER’s Early Childhood Family Leadership Summit is April 27
Posted: 4/18/2019
On Saturday, April 27, PACER will be hosting the Early Childhood Family Leadership Summit. This free, one-day training session is intended for parents of children ages birth to seven years old with developmental delays or disabilities. The Summit will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 8161 Normandale Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55416.
At the summit, parents will learn how to make their voices heard and enhance their knowledge of the early childhood special education process. All parents who are interested in serving in a leadership capacity in special education are encouraged to attend. The summit will also be highly informative for parents who currently serve or are interested in serving on Interagency Early Intervention Committees (IEICs), IEIC subcommittees, Special Education Advisory Councils (SEACs), or other advisory boards.
Participants at the summit will:
- Have an opportunity to network with other parents interested in the early childhood special education process
- Learn how to influence public policy, improve personal advocacy skills, and enhance leadership skills
- Learn about serving on committees and board
If an ASL interpreter is needed, please call 952-838-1338 with 48 hours’ notice. Lodging may be provided for parents traveling more than 70 miles one way.
To register for the Early Childhood Family Leadership Summit, please contact Judy Swett at [email protected] or 952-838-9000.
The Basics of Banishing Bullying
Posted: 2/14/2019
At a recent workshop in La Porte County, Indiana, Bailey Huston, coordinator of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, discussed the best practices of bullying intervention with nearly 100 local educators, advocates, and professionals. Huston instructed attendees on how to properly define and identify bullying, how to navigate the dynamics underlying bullying, and, most importantly, how to effectively intervene and advocate on behalf of those who are the targets of bullying. Her presentation also covered the differences between bullying and conflict, as well as when bullying can qualify as discriminatory harassment.
Educators, school counselors, juvenile probation officers, social workers, law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, volunteer mentors, foster parents, and more came together to discuss these best practices and to share their knowledge and resources with one another. Huston made it a goal to pair her extensive knowledge of bullying prevention with their wisdom about the community—that relationship, she explains, is what paves the way for real growth.
New Hours for Simon Technology Center’s Loan Library for Assistive Technology
Posted: 10/19/2018
PACER’s Simon Technology Center (STC) Loan Library is here to meet your assistive technology needs with over 1,500 items in inventory! Based on use and demand, the Loan Library has new open hours: Tuesdays 12 pm to 7 pm, Thursdays 9 am to 1 pm, and the following Saturdays for 2018: September 22, October 20, November 17 and December 15. Appointments may also be scheduled to visit the library during business hours by calling 952-838-9000 or email [email protected] at least a day in advance. STC’s Library entrance is located on the north side of the PACER building.