PRO-Parents 2011-2012 Calendar of Workshops

THESE WORKSHOPS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,
LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ACCOMMODATIONS WHEN REGISTERING.
TO SCHEDULE A WORKSHOP IN YOUR AREA
PLEASE CALL: 1-800-759-4776

2011
11/01/2011
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Workshop
Kershaw County DSS Office
110 East DeKalb Street
Camden, SC
Rene Sharkey, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Project Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/03/2011
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
ADD / ADHD Workshop
Marion School District 2
Mullins Early Childhood Center
111 Academy Street
Mullins, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/08/2011
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Getting and Keeping the First Job Workshop
Aiken County DDSN
1016 Vaucluse Road
Aiken, SC 29802
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/08/2011
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Positive Behavioral Interventions (PBI) Workshop
Horry County DSS Office
1951 Industrial Park Road
Conway, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/09/2011
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Individual Education Program (IEP) Workshop
Newberry DDSN
115 Nance Street
Newberry, SC
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/10/2011
9:00 am – 11:30 am
Individual Education Program (IEP) Workshop
Greenville DDSN
12 Winchester Court
Mauldin, SC 29662
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/10/2011
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Communicating With the IEP Team Workshop
Greenville DDSN
12 Winchester Court
Mauldin, SC 29662
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/10/2011
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Workshop
Parent / Community REACH Center
Robert Smalls Middle School
43 W. K. Alston Road
Room L1
Beaufort, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/14/2011
5:50 pm – 8:00 pm
Transitioning Out of Special Education Workshop
Sponsored By: Family Connection of SC
Center For Developmental Services
29 North Academy Street
Greenville, SC
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/16/2011
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
ADD / ADHD Workshop
Oconee DDSN
116 South Cove Road
Seneca, SC
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/16/2011
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Transitioning Out of Special Education Workshop
SC Youth Advocate Program
4995 LaCross Road
Suite 1075
North Charleston, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/16/2011
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Workshop
Marion County Schools
Mullins Early Childhood Center
111 Academy Street
Mullins, SC
Rene Sharkey, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Project Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/17/2011
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Workshop
Chesterfield County DSS Office
201 North Page Street
Chesterfield, SC
Rene Sharkey, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Project Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

11/19/2011
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Individual Education Program (IEP) Workshop
Connecting for Kids
Greenville Technical College
Room TBA
Greenville, SC
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

12/02/2011
9:00 am – 11:00 am
Transition Into Special Education Workshop
Colleton County DDSN
728 Hiers Corner Road
Walterboro, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

12/02/2011
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Transition Into Special Education Workshop
Pickens County DDSN
1308 Griffin Mill Road
Pickens, SC
Susan Bruce, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 3, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

2012
1/12/2012
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Getting and Keeping the First Job Workshop
Calhoun County DDSN
78 Doodle Hill Road
St. Matthews, SC 29135
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

1/25/2012
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Journey to Adulthood, What Parents Need to Know Workshop
Sumter County DDSN
775 Electric Avenue
Sumter, SC 29153
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

1/26/2012
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Workshop
Parent / Community REACH Center
Robert Smalls Middle School
43 W. K. Alston Road
Room L1
Beaufort, SC
Kim Preston, PRO-Parents of SC
South Carolina Special Kids Project
Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

2/16/2012
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Getting and Keeping the First Job Workshop
Orangeburg County DDSN
2785 Magnolia Street
Orangeburg, SC 29116
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

2/17/2012
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Getting and Keeping the First Job Webinar
*** WEBINAR ***
Sponsored By: Richland / Lexington DDSN
Viewing Location: 301 Greystone Blvd
Columbia, SC 29210
Internet and Phone Line Required to Participate
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

2/21/2012
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Individual Education Program (IEP) Workshop
The Kershaw Center
Kershaw County DDSN
1619 Jefferson Davis Highway
Camden, SC 29020
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

2/22/2012
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Positive Behavioral Interventions (PBI) Workshop
Bamberg DDSN
(DSS Credit Training Hours Available)
16553 Heritage Highway
Bamberg, SC 29042
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

3/13/2012
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Parent Resource Fair
Sponsored By: Aiken County School District
Byrd Elementary School
1225 Welldon Way
Graniteville, SC 29829
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

3/16/2012
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Getting and Keeping the First Job Webinar
*** WEBINAR ***
Sponsored By: Chesterfield DDSN
Internet and Phone Line Required to Participate
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

6/20/2012
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
TOPIC: TBA
Darlington County DDSN
201 North Damascus Church Road
Hartsville, SC 29550
Tanya Inabinet, PRO-Parents of SC
Region 2, Education Coordinator
For More Information or To Register Call: 
1-800-759-4776 or (803) 772-5688

Bio-Engineered Protein Shows Promise as New Hemophilia Therapy

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2011) — A genetically engineered clotting factor that controlled hemophilia in an animal study offers a novel potential treatment for human hemophilia and a broad range of other bleeding problems.

Bio-engineered protein safely controls bleeding in mice with hemophilia

The researchers took the naturally occurring coagulation factor Xa (FXa), a protein active in blood clotting, and engineered it into a novel variant that safely controlled bleeding in mouse models of hemophilia. "Our designed variant alters the shape of FXa to make it safer and efficacious compared to the wild-type factor, but much longer-lasting in blood circulation," said study leader Rodney A. Camire, PhD, a hematology researcher at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"The shape of the variant FXa changes when it interacts with another clotting factor made available following an injury," added Camire. "This increases the functioning of the protein which helps stop bleeding." Camire is an associate professor of Pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

To read more about a possible treatment for hemophilia, please click on the above title.

Handbook Offers College Advice For Students With Autism

Disability Scoop (Oct. 25, 2011)- A new guide released this week offers a step-by-step look at college life for those with autism — offering tips on everything from classroom accommodations to dealing with roommates — and it’s written by adults with the developmental disorder.

At over 100 pages, the handbook produced by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network is said to be the first-of-its-kind to be geared toward individuals with autism rather than parents or professionals.

It’s punctuated by first person accounts and frank talk, offering young people with autism a look at the changes they can expect when transitioning to college both socially and academically.

The guide also touches on topics like self-advocacy, independent living and basics like maintaining good eating and sleeping habits.

Dubbed the “Navigating College Handbook,” the guide is available as a free download or in printed form for a fee.

To read more about the Handbook, please click the above title.

Bionic exoskeleton helps wheelchair users walk

Yahoo!News (Oct. 21, 2011)- Amanda Boxtel, who is paralysed, is helped to walk with the aid of the new 'Bionic Exoskeleton' during its launch at the Excel centre on October 21, 2011 in London, England. The device developed by Ekso Bionics is a wearable, battery-powered, robotic exoskeleton, designed to aid wheelchair users and those who have suffered from spinal chord injuries to stand and walk. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

For more pictures of the Bionic Exoskeleton, please click on the above title.

Association of University Centers on Disabilities

Resources, October 2011:

Early Childhood
1. Professional Training Resource Library
http://depts.washington.edu/isei/ptrl/ptrloverview.php
The Professional Training Resource Library (PTRL) is a searchable, web-based library with a wide range of free materials to support professional training in the field of early intervention. The PTRL is hosted by the International Society on Early Intervention (ISEI) in partnership with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD).

2. Understanding New Part C Regulations: Side-by-Side Comparison
http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PolicyAdvocacy/IDEAResources/Celebrating_25_Years_of_Early_Childhood_Programs/PartCRegsSideBySideFULL.pdf
To help special educators and early interventionists in their monumental task of implementing the updated regulations, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), its Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) have released a side-by-side comparison of the 2011 final Part C regulations, published on Sept. 28, to Part C regulations from 1999.

Education
3. Characteristics of States’ Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards in 2010-2011
http://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/Synthesis85/default.htm
In 2007, federal regulations introduced another assessment option for students with disabilities—the alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS). The Institute on Community Integration's National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has been tracking the characteristics of states' AA-MAS since 2007 and reports their findings here.

4. 2009 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
http://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/Synthesis83/default.htm
The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has been tracking and analyzing state policies on assessment participation and accommodations since 1992. The purpose of the analysis reported in this publication is to update information on these policies that was last reported by NCEO in 2008 (based on 2007 data). Policies from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are included in the report. In addition, current state accommodations policies were analyzed by grade and content area.

Fundraising
5. Million Dollar List
http://www.milliondollarlist.org/
Compiled by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, this list includes data on more than 60,000 gifts of $1 million and up since 2000 from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Gift information can be searched based on geography, dollar amount, type of charity, individual donor, organization name or other customizable criteria. Searches can also reveal trends and look for potential collaborations that help leverage giving for the greatest impact.

Health
6. Achieving Health Weight by Reducing Obesity and Improving Well-being for People with Disabilities Across the Life Course
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disabilityandobesity.html
This report, from the CDC’s Division of Human Development and Disability, examines a number of challenges and barriers to weight management specific to people with disabilities, and explores opportunities to enhance research, programs, education, and tools. Specifically, the report recognizes the need for publicly funded programs to include people with disabilities in mainstream, and sometimes targeted, health programs and health services that help reduce obesity.

Medicaid and Medicare
7. Rebalancing Long-Term Services and Supports: Progress to Date and a Research Agenda for the Future
http://www.hilltopinstitute.org/publications/RebalancingLTSS-ProgressToDateAndResearchAgendaForFuture-June2011.pdf
This report, from the Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), discusses progress in rebalancing Medicaid LTSS spending, how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can support states’ continued efforts to rebalance LTSS, and opportunities for future research to support continued system transformation.

8. Examining Medicaid Managed Long-Term Service and Support Programs: Key Issues to Consider
http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/8243.pdf
There is increased interest among states in operating Medicaid managed long-term services and support (MLTSS) programs rather than paying for long-term services and supports (LTSS) on a fee-for-service basis, as has been the general practice. This Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief examines key issues for states to consider if they are contemplating a shift to covering new populations and LTSS benefits through capitated payments to traditional risk-based managed care organizations (MCOs). It draws on current literature as well as discussions conducted during the spring and summer of 2011 with a variety of respondents – federal and state officials, researchers, representatives from managed care organizations, service providers, and consumer advocates.

9. Medicaid and the Budget Control Act: What Options Will Be Considered?
http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/8238.pdf
This Issue Brief, from the Kaiser Family Foundation, examines the potential Medicaid changes as a result of recent budget negotiations. It will examine the options available to Joint Select Committee, also known as the “Super Committee”, created by the 2011 Budget Control Act, as well as the Obama Administration’s Plan for Economic Growth and Deficit Reduction, which was released in September.

Critical funding situation for SCATP

URGENT
The SC Assistive Technology program wanted to make you aware of this critical funding situation.

The issue: The draft Fiscal Year 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services funding bill contains new language of a mandatory Alternative Financing Program (AFP) set-aside of funding for State Assistive Technology Acts. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education has the right to remove this language from the bill before sending to the Senate. Action is needed by Friday, October 28th.

What it means: Under the new proposal, a major change would require State Assistive Technology Programs to spend 25% of their federal allocation for alternative financing programs through contracts with community-based organizations. These cuts would have significant negative effects on device reutilization, device loan and device demonstration activities.

What it means for SC: The South Carolina Assistive Technology Program’s (SCATP’s) AT Reutilization Program connects consumers, agencies and other organizations in the donation and sale of used medical equipment to people who could not afford it otherwise. The past two years, this initiative resulted in a cost savings of $695,172 to consumers, state and federal agencies and other organizations. Funding cuts would also greatly impact SCATP’s Device Demonstration and Device Loan Programs. In FY 2011, over 350 people participated in SCATP’s device demonstration program and people got a chance to borrow over 400 devices to “try before they buy” through SCATP’s device loan program. These programs greatly reduce demand for funding and promote responsible decisions for purchasing devices using Medicaid and Medicare dollars.

What can you do? If you feel that the proposed language of a new mandatory Alternative Financing Program set-aside in the draft 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services funding bill would negatively affect the lives of South Carolinians who have disabilities and those who serve them, consider these steps:

EMAIL and CALL your SC Congressmen and suggest they speak to the members of the House Appropriations LHHS Subcommittee and share how this legislation would impact SC though cuts in essential equipment reuse, demonstration and loan programs administered by SCATP. If you, a family member, friend, or client have reaped benefits from these programs, you might share those personal stories.

The Honorable Joe Wilson (R-SC)
Staff: Melissa Chandler- melissa.chandler@mail.house.gov, 202-225-2452
United States House of Representatives, 2229 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Trey Gowdy (R-SC)
Staff: Christopher Ingraham- christopher.ingraham@mail.house.gov, 202-225-6030
United States House of Representatives, 1237 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515

We'd also appreciate your sending an electronic copy of your letter to CarolPageSLP@gmail.com.

Key discussion points to consider:
It is urgent that the proposed language of a new mandatory Alternative Financing Program set-aside for State Assistive Technology Act Programs be removed from the Fiscal Year 2012 Labor, Health and Human Services funding bill.

You could emphasize the role that SCATP has played in ensuring that assistive technology is purchased and used effectively by South Carolinians. The proposed language of the set-aside means SCATP will be forced to cut funding we currently use to implement SCATP’s AT Reutilization program which connects consumers wanting to sell or give away used medical equipment to consumers in need of used equipment. Funding cuts would also greatly impact SCATP’s Device Demonstration and Device Loan Programs. These programs reduce the demand for federal funding by millions of dollars and promote responsible decisions for purchasing devices using Medicaid and Medicare dollars.

You could mention the ways SCATP serves as a resource in helping agencies and individuals in activities ranging from education to health care and even jobs, as well as the outreach to rural, underserved and minority populations. If you are in the education field, you can emphasize how SCATP has helped school districts and students meet the goals of the "No Child Left Behind" legislation. It might also help if you let them know how much the SC Assistive Technology Program has helped you, a friend, relative or client with disabilities.

If you have questions, contact carolpageslp@gmail.com and we can update you on progress of this legislation and help you determine what you might do.

Low Birthweight Infants Five Times More Likely to Have Autism, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2011) — "Autism researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing have found a link between low birthweight and children diagnosed with autism, reporting premature infants are five times more likely to have autism than children born at normal weight.The children, some born as small as about a pound, were followed for 21 years making this study, published in the journal Pediatrics, one of the most remarkable of its kind. The infants were born between September 1984 through July 1987 in Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties in New Jersey at birthweights from 500 to 2000 grams or a maximum of about 4.4 pounds.
"As survival of the smallest and most immature babies improves, impaired survivors represent an increasing public health challenge," wrote lead author Jennifer Pinto-Martin, MPH, PhD, director of the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) at Penn Nursing. "Emerging studies suggest that low birthweight may be a risk factor for autism spectrum disorders."
Links between low birthweight and a range of motor and cognitive problems have been well established for some time, but this is the first study that establishes that these children are also at increased risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
"Cognitive problems in these children may mask underlying autism," said Dr. Pinto-Martin. "If there is suspicion of autism or a positive screening test for ASD, parents should seek an evaluation for an ASD. Early intervention improves long-term outcome and can help these children both at school and at home."
In future studies, Penn researchers will investigate possible links between brain hemorrhage, a complication of premature birth, and autism by examining brain ultrasounds taken of these children as newborns."
NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

Pollutants Linked to 450 Percent Increase in Risk of Birth Defects in Rural China

ScienceDaily (Oct. 19, 2011) — "Pesticides and pollutants are related to a 450 percent increase in the risk of spina bifida and anencephaly in rural China, according to scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and Peking University.Two of the pesticides found in high concentrations in the placentas of affected newborns and stillborn fetuses were endosulfan and lindane. Endosulfan is only now being phased out in the United States for treatment of cotton, potatoes, tomatoes and apples. Lindane was only recently banned in the United States for treatment of barley, corn, oats, rye, sorghum and wheat seeds.
Strong associations were also found between spina bifida and anencephaly and high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are byproducts of burning fossil fuels such as oil and coal. Spina bifida is a defect in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. Anencephaly is the absence of a large part of the brain and skull.
"Our advanced industrialized societies have unleashed upon us a lot of pollutants," says Richard Finnell, professor of nutritional sciences and director of genomic research at the Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. "We've suspected for a while that some of these pollutants are related to an increase in birth defects, but we haven't always had the evidence to show it. Here we quite clearly showed that the concentration of compounds from pesticides and coal-burning are much higher in the placentas of cases with neural tube defects than in controls."
The study, which was published in August in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the result of a more than decade-long collaboration between Finnell and a team of researchers in Shanxi, a province in northern China."
NOTE: To read the entire article, click on the title above.

SCAAIDD Conference

October 18, 2011--
Yesterday I exhibited the CDR Library services at the South Carolina Chapter of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities annual conference. This year's theme was entitled, "Finding Ways to Enhance Quality." Overall, it was another great event at the Laurelhurst Conference Center, and I really enjoyed meeting and talking to over 100+ people that stopped by the booth to hear about the library and/or MedlinePlus.gov.

NOTE: Click on the title above to go to the SCAAIDD web site to read more about the conference sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors.

Downs Designs, a clothing line for people with Down syndrome

Springwise.com (Oct. 10, 2011)-When Karen Bowersox’s granddaughter was born with Down syndrome, she saw the challenges her mother faced trying to find clothes that fit her properly. After extensive research she still could not find any clothes made specifically for people with Down syndrome and so took matters into her own hands, launching her own fashion line Downs Designs.

Bowersox’s goal is to produce clothes for people with Down syndrome that suit their body shape as well as being stylish. In 2010, she hired a designer to develop a new size of clothing which she calls “down sizing”. They started with a basic range of adult-size jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts, and used Down syndrome models to ensure the sizing was correct. Many factories were reluctant to produce their designs due to the irregular sizing, but they soon found a willing supplier in China. Sample garments were taken to the National Down Syndrome Conference in Florida, in order to get feedback and make final adjustments. The products proved popular — with easy-to-use fasteners and specific tailoring around the knees and elbows — and are now available to buy via the website. There are full instructions online about taking measurements and calculating sizes, and free phone consultations are available. Sale items start at USD 30 and the range covers adults, teens and kids. Downs Designs have plans to expand with more designs and a range of outerwear.

As we’ve seen many times in the past, personal experience is so often the catalyst for innovative solutions. One to be inspired by!

Website: www.downsdesigns.com
Contact: questions@downsdesigns.com

SC AT Exchange - New Listings

Please send this message to other interested people and encourage them to join the SC AT Exchange. The more people we have involved, the more equipment we can find for South Carolinians. Please note, too, that some of the items needed are low-tech items that would make a huge difference in an individual's ability to live independently.
We have a number of wheel chairs and scooters listed that can be obtained for only the price of batteries and we can help get the batteries installed. Please look at the list carefully and spread the word!
Note that we can try to help facilitate transportation of equipment, if that's needed. We can't promise anything, but it's always amazing who can step in to help! If you know you need and item and need help with transportation, email Janet Jendron at Janet.Jendron@uscmed.sc. edu
Below are new listings on our SC AT Exchange.

Needed Items
712 Wheelchair lift
716 Pediasure or similiar
720 Wheelchair Acces Van w/ ramp
754 Hydrolyzed formula
755 Interactive Learning System for Hearing and Visual Impaired
759 Z-Vibe
760 Colostomy Supplies
772 Power Wheelchair or Scooter
774 Bed Rails
813 Lite Gait for a treadmill
833 Tumble form chair, medium
836 Weighted Blanket
837 Van Wheelchair Lift
841 Big Mac switch
842 Stander Wheelchair
843 Tens Unit
844 Portable Ramp for Minivan
845 Bath Chair
850 Pediatric walker
852 Stroller for 8 year old
891 w/c lift for a truck

Free Items
724 Bedside Commode Columbia
726 Walker Columbia
728 Manual Hospital Bed Columbia
731 Bruno SRE-1500 Stair Lift Columbia
751 Adult Potty Chair Columbia, SC
752 Adult Potty Chair Columbia
753 Adult Folding Walker Columbia
757 Bionaire Digital Humidifier Columbia
758 Vicks Humidifier Columbia
764 PolarCare 300 Cold Therapy Unit Columbia
766 Shower Stool Columbia
767 Commode with Frame Columbia
768 Bariatric Power Wheelchair Columbia
771 CPAP Mask and Supplies Columbia
789 Bedside Commode Columbia
790 Bedside Commode Columbia
791 Portable Aerosol System Columbia
792 Large Print Telephone Columbia
827 feeding Syringes Irmo
828 Deep suction catheter 10 fr Irmo
829 Invacare Infinity Wheelchair Cushion
831 Superprint 4425 TTY Machine Columbia
839 Semi-Electric Hospital Bed Columbia
847 Urinary Self Catheters Mary Bailey Greenville
848 Stander Columbia
849 Small Manual Wheelchair Columbia
853 Similac Baby Formula Samples Columbia
857 CPAP System Columbia
858 CPAP System Columbia
859 CPAP System Columbia
860 BiPAP Machine Columbia
861 Bath Chair Columbia
862 Roller Walker with Seat Columbia
863 Shower Transfer Bench Columbia
864 Shower Transfer Bench Columbia
865 Powered Personal Lift Columbia
867 Suction Pump with Tubes Columbia
869 Invacare Pronto Sure Step M51 Power Wheelchair Columbia
870 Dry Mouth Washes and Swabs Columbia
871 Nova Walker Cruiser Deluxe Columbia
876 Large Trackball Columbia
878 Splint Switch Kit Columbia
879 Sealed Rubber Switch Columbia
880 Kangaroo Joey 1000 mL Pump Sets Columbia
881 CPAP System with Tubing Columbia
889 Tube Feeding Formulas Columbia
890 MediBeads Therapy Heat Pads Columbia
892 Canon Inkjet Printer Columbia
893 Libra 90 Trackball Columbia
895 Shoulder Cryo/Cuff Cooler and Boots Columbia
896 Medical Bed Table Columbia
897 Metal Crutches Columbia
898 Wooden Crutches Columbia
899 Hankscraft Humidifier Columbia
900 Shower Chair Columbia
901 Potty Chair Columbia
902 Transport Wheelchair Columbia
903 Raised Toilet Seat Columbia
904 Rollator Walker Columbia
905 Kaye Vertical Pediatric Stander Columbia
907 Rollator Walker Columbia

Items For Sale
702 Baby-Jogger for young adult/elders
703 Solara Tilt-in-space Wheelchair
704 Quickie Iris Tilt-in-space Wheelchair
705 Wheel chair lift for full size van
706 Heavy Duty Hydraulic up/down chair
707 Above Ground Pool Lift
708 Suction Catheters with Sleeves
709 Medline Suction Catheters without sleeves
710 Toothette Suction Toothbrush
711 Airlife Saline for Trache
713 Jet 3 Power wheelchair Gaston
714 60-70 Self Cath Kits 14 french North Charleston
715 Words Plus Pegasus Lite AAC device Columbia
718 20" Color Inline CCTV System Magnifier Mount Pleasant
721 Jazzy Pride Power wheelchair Columbia
775 Hoyer Lift Charleston
776 Hoyer Lift Charleston
777 Hoyer Lift Charleston
778 Permobile Standing Power Wheelchair Charleston
779 Quickie IRIS Reclinging Push/Wheelchair Charleston
780 EZ Access Trifold ramp Charleston
781 Standing Walker Charleston
783 Invacare Hospital Bed Charleston
784 Arm strengthening slide board Charleston
785 Invacare shower chair Charleston
786 Portable Shower Chair Charleston
788 Jet 3 motorized wheelchair
800 Convaid Transit EZ Rider 18
801 Rifton Toilet System
802 Kaye Posture Control Walker
803 Invacare Portable Patient Lift 9805
804 Invacare Walker with Right arm support
805 Sunrise Zippie 2 Manual Wheelchair
806 Thermovent Portex heat & moisture exchanger
807 Farrel Bag
808 Kangaroo feeding pump bag
809 Duocal Energy Source
810 Ensure Plus
811 Bone Health Milk
830 Communicator Carrollton, TX
838 fr Cure Catheter Complete Kit Female North Charleston
840 Home with Accessible Features for Rent Moncks Corner
866 Permobile C300 Powerchair Lucy Anne Adams Enoree
868 Action Ranger Storm Series Power Wheelchair Columbia
872 Invacare Storm Torque 2GTR Power Wheelchair Columbia
873 Pride Jet 3 Power wheelchair Columbia
874 Pride Legend 4 wheel Scooter Columbia
NOTE: To join the SC AT network, and to find more information, click on the title above.

Taco Bell Locations Inaccessible, Judge Rules

Disability Scoop, October 10, 2011 - "Taco Bell may soon have to make changes at hundreds of restaurants after a federal judge found the fast-food chain to be in violation of disability access laws.
The finding comes in a class action lawsuit dating from 2002 alleging that Taco Bell locations in California do not meet state or federal standards.
In a ruling last week, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton cited a number of violations at a San Pablo, Calif. location that was used as an example of all company-owned Taco Bells in the state.
Specifically, the restaurant did not provide parking places that were wide enough for wheelchair-accessible vans, the area where customers wait to place their orders was too narrow, entry doors were heavy and tables were too low to accommodate individuals in wheelchairs, among other issues, the judge found.
What’s more, Hamilton said that Taco Bell displayed a pattern of not following its own policies pertaining to accommodating customers with disabilities.
The court will soon decide what corrective action the chain must take."
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Older Fathers Linked To Intellectual Disability

Disability Scoop, October 11, 2011 - "Moms aren’t the only ones who pose a risk when they wait to have children. A new study suggests that older dads are responsible for some children developing intellectual disabilities.
In a study of 118 children with intellectual disability caused by a missing, repeated or an otherwise abnormal DNA sequence, Dutch researchers found that in most cases the problem originated with the father’s sperm.
What’s more, the study found that men who had the problematic sperm were often in their 40s and 50s.
The findings, published this month in the Journal of Medical Genetics, are the first to link intellectual disability and older fathers, though paternal age has previously been tied to other conditions like schizophrenia.
Other forms of intellectual disability such as Down syndrome, which occurs when a person has an extra chromosome, are associated with older mothers, reports The (Toronto) Globe and Mail."

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Men With Disabilities At ‘Heightened Risk’ Of Sex Abuse

Disability Scoop (October 11, 2011)- There have long been concerns about sexual abuse among women with disabilities, but new research suggests that men with special needs are at increased risk as well.

In fact, men with disabilities are nearly four times more likely to experience sexual abuse than their typically developing peers, according to a study published online Tuesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The finding comes from a 2005 survey of nearly 22,000 noninstitutionalized adults who were asked about unwanted sexual contact.

Nearly 14 percent of men with disabilities indicated they had experienced some type of sexual violence in their lifetime compared to less than 4 percent of men without disabilities. Meanwhile, almost 27 percent of women with disabilities and about 12 percent of typically developing women reported experiencing sexual abuse.

“Men with disabilities are at a heightened risk for lifetime and current sexual violence victimization,” said Monika Mitra of the University of Massachusetts Medical School who led the study. “The most notable finding is that the prevalence of lifetime sexual violence, completed rape and attempted rape against men with disabilities was comparable to that against women without disabilities.”

For purposes of the survey, individuals were considered to have a disability if they reported having a physical, mental or emotional problem as well as certain health problems that limited their activities for at least one year.

Researchers found that men with disabilities faced sexual abuse from a variety of perpetrators including family members, acquaintances, strangers, intimate partners and dates.

To read the entire article, please click the above title.

Plan To Relax Special Education Standards Worries Advocates

Disability Scoop (October 11, 2011)- Disability advocates are calling out a group of Republican senators for proposing changes to federal education law that they say would lower expectations for students with disabilities.

In a letter sent to six Republican senators last week, more than three dozen disability advocacy organizations asked the lawmakers to reconsider their proposal to reauthorize the nation’s primary education law known as No Child Left Behind.

The senators introduced a bill in September that would allow students with “the most significant cognitive disabilities” to be held to different academic standards and take alternate achievement tests. The bill does not specify any limit on the number of students who could take the modified exams.

Disability advocates say they are concerned that the approach could jeopardize accountability by allowing an excessive number of students to take alternate tests.

“If large numbers or possibly all students with disabilities are given alternate or modified assessments, we will effectively — and under the proposed language — legally create a separate education system for students with disabilities,” the disability groups, including The Arc, Easter Seals and the Council for Exceptional Children, wrote in a joint letter.
Under the current No Child Left Behind law, only a small percentage of test takers are allowed to use modified exams.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told Congress in March that including most special education students in testing was one of the law’s benefits.
“NCLB was right to shine a bright light on achievement gaps and set a clear expectation that all students must learn to the same standards,” he said. “This has led to great progress in schools focusing more on the needs of English learners and students with disabilities and other at-risk students.”
To read the entire article on Special Education, please click on the above title.

WIND Wheeling in New Directions Conference

Space is still available at the WIND Wheeling in New Directions Conference!

Come hear interesting speakers, talk with exhibitors, and enjoy a barbeque lunch.

When: Saturday, October 15^th

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: Saluda Shoals

5650 Bush River Road, Columbia SC 29210

Registration: http://www.scspinalcord.org/wind.php

Registration is only $30, Family Member or Attendant Fee $15

The deadline for registration has been extended to October 12^th!

For more information call 803-252-2198 or 866-445-5509 (Toll-Free), or email: scscia@att.net

SCATP will have a booth, so we will see you there!

To read more about the WIND Conference, please click the above title.

A Special Needs Sensory Movement Conference

Managing Behavior Issues

Friday, November 4, 2011
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte Convention Center
501 S College St
Charlotte, NC, 28202

Carol Kranowitz, MA
Author of the bestselling book The Out-of-Sync Child
Barbara Sher, MS, OTR
International speaker, The Power of Play

Addresses sensory issues associated with:
Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, Down Syndrome, SPD, OCD, Cerebral Palsy, and more

APA Continuing Education Credit = 6
ASHA Continuing Education Units = .6
Note: To register online and save $5, click on the title above.

Down syndrome's rewards touted as new test looms

Families report happy lives in first survey of impact of genetic condition
MSNBC - "David and Annelies Reilly had dozens of questions swirling in their minds when doctors diagnosed their newborn daughter, Melissa, with Down syndrome.
Could she learn? Would she go to school? Could she ride the bus alone? Could she live a normal life? Could they?
Melissa, now 25, is successful by any measure. The college student is a speaker invited to inspire others around the country. She travels to represent the Down syndrome community internationally, and is a Special Olympian who brings home gold medals in skiing, cycling and swimming. Additionally, she interns for a Massachusetts state senator and tutors pre-school students with Down syndrome in math and reading.
“She has taught us compassion for those who are not as strong or so-called perfect and beautiful,” says Annelies Reilly of Boxborough, Mass. "We see her as perfect and beautiful.”
Inspiring portrait of Down syndrome at odds with perfect baby pursuit
The Reillys represent some of the experiences reported in three surveys conducted by doctors at Children’s Hospital in Boston that suggest the reality of Down syndrome is positive for a vast majority of parents, siblings and people with Down syndrome themselves.
Among 2,044 parents or guardians surveyed, 79 percent reported their outlook on life was more positive because of their child with Down syndrome
This is particularly relevant as a new blood test to determine Down syndrome early in pregnancy is expected to be available within months."

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Evidence Found for the Genetic Basis of Autism: Models of Autism Show That Gene Copy Number Controls Brain Structure and Behavior

ScienceDaily (Oct. 3, 2011) — Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered that one of the most common genetic alterations in autism -- deletion of a 27-gene cluster on chromosome 16 -- causes autism-like features. By generating mouse models of autism using a technique known as chromosome engineering, CSHL Professor Alea Mills and colleagues provide the first functional evidence that inheriting fewer copies of these genes leads to features resembling those used to diagnose children with autism.

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the early online edition during the week of October 3.

"Children normally inherit one copy of a gene from each parent. We had the tools to see whether copy number changes found in kids with autism were causing the syndrome," explains Mills. In 2007, Professor Michael Wigler, also at CSHL, revealed that some children with autism have a small deletion on chromosome 16, affecting 27 genes in a region of our genomes referred to as 16p11.2. The deletion -- which causes children to inherit only a single copy of the 27-gene cluster -- is one of the most common copy number variations (CNVs) associated with autism.

"The idea that this deletion might be causing autism was exciting," says Mills. "So we asked whether clipping out the same set of genes in mice would have any effect."

After engineering mice that had a chromosome defect corresponding to the human 16p11.2 deletion found in autism, Mills and her team analyzed these models for a variety of behaviors, as the clinical features of autism often vary widely from patient to patient, even within the same family.

"Mice with the deletion acted completely different from normal mice," explains Guy Horev, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Mills laboratory and first author of the study. These mice had a number of behaviors characteristic of autism: hyperactivity, difficulty adapting to a new environment, sleeping deficits, and restricted, repetitive behaviors.

To read the entire article on autism, please click on the above title.

New Regimen Frees Kidney-Transplant Patients from Dependency On Immunosuppresant Drugs

Actor Tracey Morgan, recent kidney-transplant recipient

ScienceDaily (Oct. 5, 2011) — Investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a novel protocol that allows kidney-transplant recipients to jettison their indispensable immune-suppressing drugs. The protocol could also spell substantial savings to the health-care system.

The researchers have reported their progress in a letter that will be published Oct. 6 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Eight of the 12 patients discussed in the small study have now been off of immunosuppressant drugs for at least one year, and in some cases for longer than three years, without any apparent damage to their new kidney -- unheard-of in patients undergoing standard transplantation procedures. None of the 12 patients has experienced kidney transplant failure or serious side effects. The withdrawal of drugs from the first enrolled patient was reported in the same journal in 2008, and the current report shows that the successful outcome has been reproduced.

In all 12 cases, recipients were supplied with immunologically matched donor kidneys from close relatives. But the trial, which has been actively enrolling new patients, is now expanding to include imperfectly matched donor-recipient pairs as well.

"Transplant recipients can ordinarily expect to be on a regimen of two or three immune-system-suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives," said immunologist Samuel Strober, MD, who is a professor of medicine and the new protocol's inventor.

"While they help ward off rejection of the new organ by the patient's own immune system, these drugs carry their own risk of side effects, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer," Strober said. The drugs themselves are somewhat toxic to the kidneys, although that is far outweighed by their value in preventing immune rejection.

To read the entire article, please click on the above title.

Hoping to Crack Alzheimer’s, Together as a Family

NY Times (October 3, 2011)- For the Betancur family, it was a kind of pilgrimage, an act of faith in science.

In September, four family members traveled from Medellin, Colombia, to the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, along with eight distant relatives. There are many more where they came from, about 5,000 — all members of the largest extended family linked to an inherited form of Alzheimer’s disease.

“There’s no words to describe seeing a loved one decay to the point where you no longer recognize them,” said Blanca Nelly Betancur, 43, whose mother and, so far, three siblings have inherited the disease. “To see them as a cadaver.”

Banner’s researchers and a Colombian neurologist are studying the extended family, planning a clinical trial to determine whether Alzheimer’s can be prevented by giving drug treatment years before dementia begins.

The Colombian relatives are considered ideal for testing preventive treatments, because scientists can tell which family members will develop Alzheimer’s and approximately when. Those getting the disease carry a genetic mutation causing memory loss in their early to mid-40s and often loss of most cognitive functions by their early 50s.

The trial is not expected to begin until 2012 because researchers are applying for federal financing and have not yet decided which drug to test. Testing will occur in the region where most relatives live, Antioquia, which includes Medellin and many isolated mountain villages.

But last month, 12 relatives visited Phoenix so scientists could conduct PET scans that can show whether their brains have the characteristic amyloid plaques of Alzheimer’s disease. Altogether, these scans will be performed on 50 family members this fall, some with Alzheimer’s already, some with the mutation that will cause it, and some who have no mutation and will not get the disease.

To read the entire article, please click on the above title.

Men Don't Have To Be As Fat As Women To Get Type 2 Diabetes

MNT (Oct. 4, 2011)- Men develop type 2 diabetes at a lower BMI (body mass index) than women, according to a new study by clinical researchers in Scotland expected to be published in a scientific journal this week. Their findings may explain why in many countries, men are more prone to the disease than women.

Being overweight is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, but this study appears to show that men have to gain less weight than women to develop the condition, said the lead researcher Professor Naveed Sattar, of the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

Body Mass Index is a person's weight in kg divided by their height in metres squared and is used in health research and practice as a measure of obesity.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition that develops when there is too much sugar in the blood and the body can't control it. This upsets several organs, and appears also to be linked to how much fat is in organs like the liver and also the muscles. According to information from the NHS, about 2.5 million people in the UK have type 2 diabetes.Sattar said there are several risk factors for developing the disease, including age, ethnicity, family history, and of course, being overweight.

But this study appears to show that men don't have to be as overweight as women to develop the disease:

"In other words, men appear to be at higher risk for diabetes," said Sattar.

For their study, Sattar and colleagues analyzed data from 51,920 men and 43,137 women living in Scotland who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and compared their BMI rates (measured within one year of diagnosis), taking into account factors like age and smoking status.
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Level and Nature of Autistic Intelligence: What About Asperger Syndrome?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2011) — "Autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger syndrome, have generally been associated with uneven intellectual profiles and impairment, but according to a new study of Asperger individuals published in the online journal PLoS ONE, this may not be the case -- as long as intelligence is evaluated by the right test.Both autistic and Asperger individuals display uneven profiles of performance in commonly used intelligence test batteries such as Wechsler scales, and their strongest performances are often considered evidence for deficits.
However, this study reports that Asperger individuals' scores are much higher when they are evaluated by a test called Raven's Progressive Matrices, which encompasses reasoning, novel problem-solving abilities, and high-level abstraction. By comparison, scores for non-Asperger individuals are much more consistent across different tests. Interestingly, Asperger participants' performance on Raven's Matrices was associated with their strongest peaks of performance on Wechsler.
A previous study by the same group found very similar results for autistic individuals as well, whose peaks of ability are perceptual, rather than verbal as in Asperger individuals. This suggests a common information processing mechanism applied to different aspects of information (verbal vs. perceptual).
According to co-author Michelle Dawson, "while we know autistics process information atypically, very little thought has gone into how to fairly assess their abilities. In fact there is so little understanding of what autistics do well that their strong abilities are often regarded as dysfunctional. Here we have again found that measurable strengths in autistic spectrum individuals are not "isolated islets of abilities" as previously thought, but are in fact representative of autistics' intellectual abilities. This in turn raises questions about how we can provide autistics with the kinds of information they can process well, as we do with non-autistic individuals. We consider the effort to understand and encourage autistic strengths to be of paramount importance. "
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