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.
Registration is Open - EX.I.T.E. Camp (EXploring Interests in Technology and Engineering)
- A 5-Day Camp in August for middle school girls (6th-9th grades in the fall) with disabilities.
- It's FREE, you just need transportation and a box lunch each day.
- Camp runs each day from 9 AM to 4 PM at PACER Center in Bloomington.
- Do amazing experiments, make friends that will last a lifetime, discover how science, technology, engineering and math can be cool and exciting.
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
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Special Events : Early Childhood Family Leadership Summit
Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM CST
Location: PACER Center
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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
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Life Planning for People with Disabilities : Special & Supplemental Needs Trusts
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Location: PACER Center
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI): First Steps
Tuesday, April 30, 2019 from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM CST
Location: St. Cloud
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Tech for Teens Club : Building Websites
Saturday, May 4, 2019 from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST
Location: PACER Center
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Getting and Keeping the First Job
Tuesday, May 7, 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
‘I Feel Amazing’: Teen Touts Transformative Help from PACER
Posted: 4/24/2019
Recently, 16-year-old Darcey Hayes joined PACER staff and supporters at PACER’s Day at the Capitol. When she arrived at the Minnesota State Capitol, she marched in to meet her state representative, Ron Kresha.
The sophomore from Upsala is the president of the PACER Youth Advisory Board. Though not able to lobby or talk about legislation, she can share how special education works and her experience with it.
Hayes feels like a totally different person thanks to PACER.
“I feel amazing. I mean, I have friends, which I never really thought I would have,” Hayes said. “I’m doing really good in school. I’m able to do extracurricular things. I’m in my robotics team, I’m in knowledge bowl, I’m in FFA. I mean, I do so many things that I never thought I would be able to do.”
“When we can find groups like PACER that really get to those child issues and help them with their potential and really being who they can be, that’s something we need to keep pushing for in St. Paul,” Representative Kresha said.
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.