Friday, April 27, 2007

EASI Webinar: The Future of E--books Is Here!

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Accessible E-textbooks for Students:
May 1
2 PM Eastern

Presenters:
Nicole Gaines, NIMAC Manager, American Printinghouse for the Blind Julia Myers, Director, Resource Services and NIMAC, American Printing House for the Blind, Skip Stahl, Project Director, NIMAS Development Center, Center for Applied Special Technology

President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) on December 3, 2004 which, among other things, mandated the provision of textbooks and instructional materials in accessible formats for students who are blind or print disabled. While the legislation relates to K-12 students, we believe that the more that publishers are creating accessible e-textbooks for K-12 that they will inevitably expand to a broader audience. If not, there will be an outcry from K-12 students as they transition into higher education wanting the same quality of support for their studies. This will be like dropping a pebble into the water. The wave will expand to include higher ed and the general public. Learning about this dramatic e-book revolution is important for all of us.

This presentation will focus on NIMAS, (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard), the role of APH, (American Printinghouse for the Blind) and the role of CAST, (Center for Applied Special Technology).

The National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC) is a file repository for core print textbooks and related instructional materials required for use by blind or other persons with print disabilities in elementary and secondary schools in the U.S. and its territories. These National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) source file sets can be used to create specialized formats, such as braille, large print, audio, or digital text. The NIMAC opened in December 2006.

CAST is the home of the NIMAS Development Center and the NIMAS Technical Assistance Center, Cooperative agreements with the Office of Special Education Programs, United States Department of Education.

While this Webinar is free, you need to register in advance to guarantee a seat in the room. (Those who register, whether or not they attend, will afterwards receive a link to the recording.) When you connect over the Internet to the Webinar room, you can listen to the presenters and watch as supporting Web pages are pushed to reinforce the presentation. The audience can also make comments or ask questions either by using a mic to talk or by writing into the room's text window.

To read more and register to reserve a seat and to get login information for this free event, go to: http://easi.cc/clinic.htm

Look for other future Webinars on that page. We have several being finalized and they should be on that page very soon. The EASI month-long, online courses on accessible Information Technology for May are:
  • Barrier-free Information Technology (4-week online course starting May 7) http//easi.cc/workshop.htm
  • Creating and Repurposing More Accessible Content (4-week online course starting May 7) http//easi.cc/workshop.htm
Norman Coombs
CEO EASI

To view their website, please click the title above.

Monday, April 23, 2007

What's Going on this Week at Family Connection of SC, April 22 - 28, 2007

Image of Family Connection South Carolina LogoGreat News!!!: Melanie Slattery, owner of Gymboree in Columbia, will be starting a NEW class for children with Autism (& other special needs)!!! This STRUCTURED CLASS will start at the end of May! We will be having a parent's meeting (please, no children) on Friday, May 4, 3pm for those who would like more info or would like to add their input on how you would like the class structured. The class will be based upon levels 6 and 7 (ages 3-5) & will be held on Friday afternoons to supplement ESY & is open to children with special needs (and their siblings) of any age that would benefit from this class!

Please Contact ME @ SteffieGB@aol.com NOT MELANIE for more info! Exact prices & time to be determined at the parent's meeting!

Epworth Early Intervention Center, preschool for children with special needs for ages 1 year to 5 years, will be looking for new children to start in August (9 graduate in July)...If you are interested in touring the EEIC, please contact Kay Richardson at 212-4757! This is a fabulous program!

Monday, April 23 and Tuesday, April 24...Up on Downs and Parent's Hope will NOT meet this month!

Mom's Morning Coffee
Wednesday, April 25
9am
Atlanta Bread Company
Village of Sandhills

April 28
10am - 2pm
Family Event
Swan Lake Iris Gardens
Sumter
Meet at the playground...Bring a picnic lunch!

6th Annual Rolling for Autism Awareness
April is Autism Awareness Month and SCAS is hosting bowling fundraisers/autism awareness events on Saturday, April 28th, 2007
10:00 a.m.
Royal Z Lanes
8512 Two Notch Road
NE Columbia
3:00 p.m.
JC's Lexington Bowl
5380 Augusta Road
Lexington
These events will be fun for all ages!

_Register Online with our secured registration
_ (https://secure.webtelpro.com/~scautism/bowlreg.shtml) or mail your
registration to the address shown at the bottom of this page
Prizes include:
* Male/Female top score
* Youth high score
* Individual raising the most money
* Teacher raising the most money (per location) will receive paid SCAS conference registration and a prize
* Drawings for other great prizes!
Registration fees:
T-shirt is included with registration fees.
Registration fees include two games plus shoes
* $15 per person or
* $50 per team (4-5 members)
* Show your support:
* Put together a team to bowl
* Raise additional pledges
* Contact corporate sponsors
* Ask if your company matches your donations

Show your support by coming out to the lanes and enjoying a fun day at this
year's bowling event! All funds raised will assist the SC Autism Society in reaching their mission of enabling every individual with autism to reach their maximum potential. Ask your friends, co-workers and family members to support you and the SC Autism Society.

Family Connection Annual Benefit Gala and Silent Auction is April 29, 2007

CAF (Children, Adolescents and Family) Conference is held on May 14 and 15, 2007

For more information about any of the events please contact Family CONNECTion of SC at
1-800-578-8750 or 803-252-0914.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

EdTech Conference: Call for Proposals

Image of SC EdTech Logo
EdTech is coming soon and it's a 10th anniversary!!

Myrtle Beach, SC October 24 - 26, 2007

The Call to Present is now open and accepting proposals. Please consider submitting a proposal and share some of your ideas and success stories with others. To learn more about presenting, visit: http://apps.scaet.org/presentations/ then submit your idea today!

The deadline for submissions is April 30,2007.

If you are not interested or able to present or exhibit, then set mark your calendar to come enjoy and benefit from the many excellent presentations, workshops, exhibits, and other conference events.

Help us celebrate our anniversary and theme of "Technology-Past, Present, & Future," where we will take a look at where we have come from in educational technology in the past years, celebrate our achievements of the present, and prepare for the future of technology enhancing education.

Please share this email with others that may be willing to present a session at this premier technology conference.

Looking forward to seeing you in October.

To view conference website, please click the title above.

The Memory Hacker

Image of electronic chip with living rat brain tissuePopular Science - by Stephen Handelman -- "Ted Berger has spent the past decade engineering a brain implant that can re-create thoughts. The chip could remedy everything from Alzheimer’s to absent-mindedness—and reduce memory loss to nothing more than a computer glitch."

To view this entire article, please click the title above.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Better Than Blood?

Image of IV Bag with OxycytePopular Science - by Nicole Davis - - "A man-made, pure-white compound called Oxycyte carries oxygen 50 times as effectively as our own blood. Researchers are betting that it's the best way to treat America's leading cause of accidental death: traumatic brain injury."

To view this entire article, please click the title above.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

The Family Center on Technology and Disability

Image of Boy Using A Computer
The Family Center on Technology and Disability is a resource designed
to support organizations and programs that work with families of
children and youth with disabilities. They offer a range of
information and services on the subject of assistive technologies. On
their web site, you can search by category for assistive technology
resources, see their archived newsletters (on a wide variety of
topics), see their Family Guide on Assistive Technology, and
generally get a wealth of resources.

To view their website, please click the title above.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

SC Statewide Brain Injury Conference

Image of South Carolina State Logo

May 17 and 18, 2007
Columbia Conference Center
169 Laurelhurst AvenueColumbia, SC 29210


Available sessions will include:

*Return of the Military with Blast Injuries: Are we ready to serve them?
*Working with Families of Children with Brain Injury
*SC Systems Change
*Living Wise
*GivingBack-Fostering a Service Dog Puppy
*RecreationAfter Brain Injury
*Life is a Beach
*SC Vocational Rehabilitation & the Brain Injury Program
*Legal Issues
*Innovations in the Diagnosis and Treatment ofCentral Nervous System Disorders
*Medication Issues after Brain Injury
*Laughing Yourself to Life
*Effective Service Coordination in Primary and Secondary Educational Setting
*Post Discharge Adjustments
*Developing an Emergency Plan

For More Information Contact:
Brain InjuryAlliance of SC at (803)731-9823 or (800)290-6461or scbraininjury@bellsouth.net

To learn more, please click the title above.


Assistive Technology Conference

Step into the Future: Technology's Role in Education and Employment
April 19, 2007
8:30-4:30
Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center
1801 Nash Street
Sanford, NC

Contact Person: Julie Dutchess, ATP
919-775-3439 ext. 221 or jdutchess@lciinc.org

Keynote Speaker: Olegario "Ollie" Cantos, VII, Esq (the highest-placed person with a disability in the federal government-former Associate Director for Domestic Policy at the White House and now Special Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice)

Education track topics: implementing AAC into the classroom, implementing AT into the classroom-including Boardmaker Plus, Kurzweil 3000 and literacy, panel discussion

Employment track topics: ADA and supporting regulations to recruit, retain and reasonably accommodate applicants and employees with disabilities; "Know your Number"-health risk assessment; Diversity in the Workplace; Safety in the workplace and how AT can help

Registration fee:
$50.00 (teachers, therapists, employers, etc)
$35.00 (family/individuals with a disability)

If a company would like to become a vendor, please contact Julie Dutchess.

Monday, April 02, 2007

South Carolina Autism Society Earth Fare Events

Image of SC Autism Society Logo

During the month of April the South Carolina Autism Society will be having several events at Earth Fare, which is located at 3312-B Devine St., Columbia, SC 29205.

April 6th Gluten/Casein Free Cooking Class 5:00pm
April 7th Official Kick Off - featuring balloons, brochures, and items for sale.
April 11th Gluten/Casein Seminar
April 14th South Carolina Autism Society Information Booth
April 21st South Carolina Autism Society Information Booth
April 28th Kids Day –Autistic children have the opportunity to make arts and crafts.

For more information please contact the South Carolina Autism Society at (803)750-6988 or (800)438-4790.