My Photo
Buy Your Copy Now!
Blog powered by Typepad
Member since 12/2003

« Closing the Achievement Gap | Main | Teaching Reading: Recommended Books »

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Comments

John Lloyd

I wondered about the extent to which the reporter checked this story before it was published. I found some of the points (e.g., going to a physician for identification of LD) surprising, given the legal obligations that the local education agency carries. Perhaps the LEA needs to do a better job of informing parents about their rights.

liz

Other resources I sent to Karen Amore:

The Council of Educators for Students with Disabilities is an organization of over 4,000 members from all over the United States.

http://www.504idea.org/about_us.html

Formerly known as TACHO, the Council of Educators (or CESD) is dedicated to providing information and training to assist educators in complying with federal laws protecting students with disabilities.

We are assisted in our efforts by a Board of Advisors. The advisory board is made up of seasoned educators and professionals who have demonstrated a commitment to serving the needs of disabled students. Our board keeps us focused on educators’ concerns, identifies issues that need to be addressed, and provides ideas for our conferences.

This is a group in Texas, but they have some great, easy-to-understand resources on IDEA and Section 504.


Wrightslaw, http://www.wrightslaw.com/

Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities. Wrightslaw includes thousands of articles, cases, and free resources on dozens of special education topics.

======

Disability Rights Advocates, http://www.dralegal.org/

DRA is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities. DRA advocates for disability rights through high-impact litigation, as well as research and education. We do not charge our clients for our services. Learn more about DRA.


=====
Learning Disablilities Online (ldonline) http://www.ldonline.org/

Who can diagnose LD/ADD/ADHD? http://www.ldonline.org/article/6027

=====
Protection and Advocacy, Inc.

http://www.pai-ca.org/Pubs/540801.htm

"What action is prohibited?

A school district is not allowed to retaliate against an individual because the individual made a complaint or participated in an investigation, hearing or other proceeding regarding an alleged violation of Section 504. Under Section 504, a parent has a right to file a claim and a school district cannot retaliate against an individual with the purpose of interfering with that right. Elk Grove (Cal.) Unified School District, 36 IDELR 160 (OCR 2001)."

http://www.pai-ca.org/Pubs/512701.htm RE: Special Education Rights and Responsibilities for Children with Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD/ADHD)

Does your child have an attention deficit disorder? He or she may qualify for special educational services and support from your local school district.

Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) provides advocacy services to people with developmental or mental disabilities. If you have questions about your child's rights and responsibilities, please call your local PAI office or PAI's toll-free telephone number 1-800-776-5746. Our intake coordinator will send you information, provide referrals, or, if appropriate, may schedule a free telephone consultation with a PAI attorney or advocate.

This memo discusses the particular legal problems facing children with attention deficit disorders and their families in the school system. To learn more about special education in general, please consult Special Education Rights and Responsibilities (published jointly by PAI and the Community Alliance for Special Education), available at your local PAI office of through the toll-free number listed above.

======
A number of the private schools in the San Francisco bay area have school based programs often called "Learning Differences Networks".

Sample Mission Statement: Learning Differences Network working in partnership with the XYZ School, seeks to support parents and provide the education, information, and resources they need to improve the lives of children with learning differences; to foster their self-esteem, to encourage their achievement, and to enable them to reach their full potential.

*"Learning Differences - a term used to describe a range and variety of learning challenges that children confront, which include identified Learning Disabilities (LD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)." ( www.schwablearning.org )

The Parents Education Network (PEN) is a consortium of parents of kids with LDs and ADD/ADHD, mostly at private schools.


Here's more from the PEN website

http://www.parentseducationnetwork.org/

PEN Services

PEN provides a variety of services to the public generally and to its members specifically.

Newsletter

PEN publishes a quarterly newsletter for its members covering topics of interest to parents and educators about learning and attention difficulties. Regular features include book reviews, advice to parents on such topics as selecting a high school or college, perspectives of educators, resources, and upcoming events.

Members' Speaker Series

PEN regularly schedules speakers on various learning and attention difficulties topics. PEN gathers feedback from its members and identifies those topics of interest to its membership. Past topics and speakers have included David Berg founder of "Making Math Real"; Kim Glenchur, author of Learning Disabilities from a Parents Perspective: What You need to Know to Understand, Help and Advocate for your Child , Jonathan Mooney, author and advocate, Learning Outside the Lines , and Lisa Nowell discussing Lindamood Bell Teaching Methods . This series is free to members.

Conferences, Panels, Workshops

PEN partners with key organizations to deliver information and training to parents and educators. Examples of organizations that PEN has partnered with include University of California at Berkley, Schwab Learning, Making Math Real, East Bay LDA and Lindamood Bell. Topics covered have included Breaking the Code: Demystifying the Evaluation Process for Students with Learning Difficulties ; and Finding the Joy...Strategies to Help Teens with ADD/ADHD Succeed at Home and at School.

There are lots of resources out there. I hope your group of parents can make good use of them.

liz

More.

http://www.ldanatl.org/

Learning Disabilities Association of America

If you are a parent or teacher of a child with a learning disability – or have learning disabilities yourself - you are not alone. Typical learning difficulties include dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia – often complicated by associated disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The good news is that the Learning Disabilities Association of America is here to help.

Since 1963, LDA has provided support to people with learning disabilities, their parents, teachers and other professionals. At the national, state and local levels, LDA provides cutting edge information on learning disabilities, practical solutions, and a comprehensive network of resources. These services make the Learning Disabilities Association of America the leading resource for information on learning disabilities.

LDA believes that every person with learning disabilities can be successful at school, at work, in relationships, and in the community -- given the right opportunities. Join LDA in creating those opportunities.

http://www.kidsource.com/LDA-CA/form.html
LDA-CA
Contact Information
LDA-CA State Office
655 Lewelling Blvd, #355
San Leandro CA 94579
TEL (415) 343-1411
FAX (415) 343-1854
Office Hours:
Tues./Wed./Thurs, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
--
Fresno
3636 N. 1st St. #138
Fresno, CA 93726
(209) 221-1880

Sacramento
P.O. Box 278534
Sacramento, CA 95827
(916) 672-3145

The comments to this entry are closed.

Pages

What I'm Tweeting

    follow me on Twitter