News from SAIL (Superior Alliance for Independant Living)

I've got three seperate e-mails from SAIL I've been meaning to blog about.

1.  Upcoming all-day workshop sponsored by the Michigan Family-to-Family Health Information & Education Center, entitled “Is Your Teen Ready For Adult Life Training” 

Friday, April 29, 2011

9:00-3:00pm

Eastern UP ISD

315 Armory Place
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

This workshop is for families of teens with special health care needs, receiving mental health services or who have a disability and professionals who serve them.  Information and practical suggestions will be shared for helping teens prepare for the transition from high school to employment or higher education; from home to independent living; and from child to adult community services including:
· Health Care Coverage and Health Care Skills
· School based transition planning
· Mental Health Programs
· Post Secondary Education
· Employment
· Housing
· Human Services
Skill building activities for engaging teens to express their hopes and dreams to begin the person centered planning process, tools for assessing health care needs and skills,
information on self determination and guidance for accessing transition resources to help prepare teens for successful transition will be shared.
 
Cost to attend is $10. Lunch will be provided.  A limited number of scholarships are available for families. Please inquire.

This program has been approved for 5 CE Hours by the Michigan Collaborative for Social Workers (Course Approval #012109-28) and .5 SBCEU's by the State Board Office of Certification Services. The cost for CE/SBCEU's is $15. Attendance for the entire day constitutes course completion and CE/SBCEU certificate award. 

2.  SPAR has a spring newsletter full of fun activities.  Check it out online. 

3.  SAIL is helping to distribute a survey as described below:

Take Survey of IDEA Advocacy Experiences, sponsored by National Organizations

Please take part in the IDEA National Survey, a survey of whether the rights of students with disabilities and their parents are protected. The survey is sponsored by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), Autism Society of America (ASA), Autism National Committee (AutCom), and The Advocacy Institute (AI). Go to http://www.ideasurvey.org

The survey topics include whether the rights of students with disabilities and their parents protected throughout the special education process, including IEP meetings and IEP issues, eligibility (child find), Due Process hearings (impartial hearings), and other education issues. There is also a questionnaire for parents whose children have been denied eligibility for IDEA (denied an IEP).

All disabilities are welcome! We are studying these issues for all students, regardless of their disability or special need. There are surveys for all community members:
-- Parents of children with disabilities
-- Self-advocates (people with disabilities)
-- Attorneys, advocates, and other professionals

The survey will run March-May 2011. The results will be compiled into a report about experiences under the IDEA that will be published this summer.
You can take the survey and read more about it at http://www.ideasurvey.org <http://www.ideasurvey.org/>