Wednesday, January 31, 2007

2007 Reinventing Quality Conference

2007 Reinventing Quality Conference
Francis Marion Hotel
Charleston, South Carolina
March 4-6, 2007

Who Should Attend
This conference is for people with developmental disabilities, family members, direct support professionals, administrators of community support agencies, advocates, state and federal officials. Themes and sessions are designed to support state and local efforts to develop a lasting structure to implement and sustain innovations in person-centered supports in areas of challenge.

Conference Goal:
The goal of all Reinventing Quality Conferences is to provide useful information, new ideas, and active discussion about promoting and achieving support that improves the quality of life and citizenship for all. The conference showcases innovative services, programs, and practices that effectively support people to live valued lives in community systems of support. This year we are pleased to include a broad array of both national and international leaders in the area of quality supports who will share and discuss leading edge approaches to -
  • Employment,
  • Community membership,
  • Health care,
  • Technology, and
  • The realization of truly person-centered supports.

In addition, this year's conference features a special track on the measurement of quality outcomes - how is "quality" determined, how do we know that quality services are being provided, how can we tell that important outcomes are being achieved?

Registration

  • Registration fee is $275 for individual attendees and $250 for groups of 6 or more people from the same organization registering together.Registrations must come in a single packet or be submitted on-line together.
  • The registration fee includes all meeting materials, sessions, morning and afternoon refreshments, the Sunday Welcome Reception, and the Monday and Tuesday luncheons.
  • The registration fee DOES NOT include hotel registration or transportation to and from the conference.
  • For additional information, please contact NASDDDS staff at 703-683-4202.
  • Register online at http://www.nasddds.org
Conference Sponsors
For the past seven years, the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota and the Human Services Research Institute have joined with co-sponsors in host states to hold a national conference on "Reinventing Quality" in developmental disabilities services. This year's conference is co-sponsored by the Institute on Community Inclusion of the University of Massachusetts-Boston, a national leader in integrated employment, and by several South Carolina sponsoring agencies: South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs; the Center for Disability Resources at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine; the South Carolina chapter of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly AAMR); and the South Carolina Human Service Providers Association.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Mini-horse helps blind New York woman

Image of Horse

"BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (AP) — Panda is everything you would want in a pet and guide animal for the blind — protective, alert, house-trained, plus she loves to play fetch. And at 29 inches tall and 120 pounds, she's a darn small horse."

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

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

March SCATP Sponsored Trainings

Image of Woman With Intellikeys Keyboard
See more detailed information on the Web at http://www.sc.edu/scatp/trainingschedule07.html

Wednesday, March 7, 2007 9:00am - 3:30 pm
Graphic Symbol Systems: Software for Making Augmentative Communication Displays

Thursday, March 8, 2007 9:00am - 3:30 pm
EXPLOSION!!! The Great Expansion of New Text-Based Communication Devices

Monday, March 19 - Tuesday, March 20, 2007 8:30am - 3:30pm
Including All Students in Standards-Based Instruction

To view details, please click the title above.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Walk for Autism-Columbia 2007

Image of People WalkingWalk for Autism-Columbia is hosted by Kids Care Connection, Inc. a 501 (C3) agency providing families an opportunity for change through the Walk for Autism Scholarship Fund.

Walk for Autism 2007 proudly announces the first annual Walk for Autism-Columbia on Saturday, April 14, 2007 at West Columbia Riverwalk Amphitheater/Park Three Rivers Greenway.Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the walk at 10:00 a.m.For more information about organizing your walk teams to help raise funds for these scholarships please contact Karen Nesbit at (803) 732-2258 or e-mail Karenllkiwi@wmconnect.com

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Teens Often Stop Taking ADHD Meds, Study Shows


"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who begin taking medication in elementary school to control attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to quit taking the medication in junior high or high school while they still have symptoms of the disorder. They may start up again in college."

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

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

AccessWorld Survey on Identifying Paper Money

Recent court rulings have brought the subject of the independent identification of paper currency by people who are visually impaired into the public spotlight. We at AccessWorld would like to gather information directly from those who are affected by this issue. Responses will be anonymous.

To complete this survey, please go to www.afb.org/accessworld and select the link "Answer our survey on identifying paper money." Or you can select the following link to go directly to the survey http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?Mode=survey&SurveyID=18

Thank you for your time and opinions.

Jay Leventhal
Editor in Chief, AccessWorld

To view this survey, please click the title above.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Autism Center Built on Families' Desire for Support, Help

Image of People in A Circle Holding Hands
"Anna Wang worries about dying."
"What would happen to her 16-year-old autistic son, Lawrence?" " Who would care for him the way she does?" "How would someone else handle his tantrums, spot his distress and help him fit in?"
"I realized it's all up to me to care for my child," she said.

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