Thursday, May 31, 2018

CDR Blog Survey


Please take a moment of your time to complete this brief survey about the Center for Disability Resources (CDR) Library Blog. Whether this is your first time on the blog, or you are a regular, this survey can benefit from your opinion. This is an anonymous survey created to gain an understanding of how you use the blog.  It should not take more than 5-10 minutes of your time.




Free Training: Eye Gaze Devices and More


Eye Gaze Devices and More

Date: June 6, 2018
Times: 9:30 am – 11:30 am

      OR 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Place: Poplar Conference Room, 8301 Farrow Road, Columbia, SC 29203 (Directions)
Cost: FREE!
Limit: 10
Speaker: Carol Page


Join us for exploration of accessing communication devices or computers using eye gaze or a head mouse. The eye gaze communication devices perform many functions in addition to using it as a communication device such as TV remote control, Skyping, texting, emailing etc. These devices are eligible for funding through SC Medicaid or Medicare. We will also look at eye gaze and head mouse access possibilities and software available on computers. This training is for users, family members or professionals who work with non-verbal people or people who may become non-verbal who have paralysis, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, stroke and motor disabilities including ALS and cerebral palsy.

Carol A. Page, PhD, CCC-SLP, ATP, CBIS is the Program Manager of the South Carolina Assistive Technology Program (SCATP) at the USC School of Medicine, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Center for Disability Resources, Department of Pediatrics. She received her PhD degree in speech-language pathology from the University of South Carolina, her assistive technology professional certification from RESNA, and her Brain Injury Specialist certification from the Brain Injury Association of America. Carol provides trainings at a local to international level on assistive technology for persons with disabilities of all ages, their caregivers and professionals who serve them.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Check Out Our New Resource: Far from the Tree


Far from the Tree:
Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity 
by Andrew Solomon
is a nonfiction book about how families accommodate children
with physical, mental, and social disabilities and differences.


WINNER OF MORE THAN A DOZEN NATIONAL AWARDS
including The National Book Critics Circle Award, The Dayton Literary Peace Prize,
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, and The J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize

Solomon’s startling proposition in Far from the Tree is that being exceptional is at the core of the human condition—that difference is what unites us. He writes about families coping with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, or multiple severe disabilities; with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, who are transgender. While each of these characteristics is potentially isolating, the experience of difference within families is universal, and Solomon documents triumphs of love over prejudice in every chapter.
All parenting turns on a crucial question: to what extent should parents accept their children for who they are, and to what extent they should help them become their best selves. Drawing on ten years of research and interviews with more than three hundred families, Solomon mines the eloquence of ordinary people facing extreme challenges.
Elegantly reported by a spectacularly original and compassionate thinker, Far from the Tree explores how people who love each other must struggle to accept each other—a theme in every family’s life.
 
Praise for
Far from the Tree

"I have seldom read a book that made me feel moral quandaries as intensely as this one...What undid me, again and again, was the radical humanity of these parents,
and their gratitude to and for children they never would have chosen."
--Kathryn Schulz, New York magazine  
"That human beings are resilient in the face of extreme circumstances,
have a remarkable capacity to adapt, and summon the power of love to surmount daunting conditions are eternal truths made vivid in Solomon's Far from the Tree."
--Jerome Groopman, The New York Review of Books
"A brave, beautiful book that will expand your humanity."
--Anne Leslie, People
"A masterpiece of nonfiction, the culmination of a decade's worth of research and writing...It should be required reading for psychologists, teachers, and above all, parents....A bold and unambiguous call to redefine how we view difference."
--Carmela Ciuraru, USA Today
"A brilliant and humane examination of family and resilience and humility
and confusion and loyalty and difference and love...I want everyone to read it."
--Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
Share your story, connect with exceptional families,
and learn more at farfromthetree.com.


Free Number Line & Math Manipulatives Training


Number Line to 10,000,000
and Other Math Manipulatives
For Elementary Students
including Low Vision and Braille

Date: May 31st, 2018
Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Cost: Free
Location: Midlands Center, 8301 Farrow Road, Poplar Building Conference Room, Columbia, SC 29203
Limit: Only 18 seats available


Presenter: Jim Franklin

Mr. Franklin will provide training on how to use the number line he invented to help students round numbers up to 10,000,000. View a variety of math manipulatives that address the standards of fractions, decimals, elapsed time, weight, and money. Participants will learn tips and strategies that are applicable to all students, including students with visual impairments.

Friday, May 25, 2018

School Website Accessibility Webinars


ED Launches New Website Accessibility TA Initiative

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today announced it is launching a new technical assistance initiative to assist schools, districts, state education agencies, libraries, colleges and universities in making their websites and online programs accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Through webinars, OCR will provide information technology professionals with vital information on website accessibility, including tips for making their online programs accessible. The initiative announced today, on Global Accessibility Awareness Day, builds on OCR’s history of providing technical assistance on this issue to hundreds of stakeholders.

OCR will offer the first three webinars on the following dates:


• Webinar I: May 29, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Webinar II: June 5, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Webinar III: June 12, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. EDT


If you are interested in participating in any of these webinars, please send your request to
OCRWebAccessTA@ed.gov; include your name, preferred webinar and contact information. You are encouraged to invite your vendors to attend these webinars.

Information regarding the scheduling and registration for additional webinars is available on the Department’s website at
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/iwcs.html.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Autism Spectrum Disorder Services in SC


SC children can't get autism therapy they need,
and it's the state's fault, suit says

By Jamie Self

May 22, 2018 05:48 PM 
Updated May 22, 2018 06:15 PM
 
S.C. children in need of intensive autism treatment cannot find therapists, and the state's Medicaid agency is to blame, according to a federal lawsuit that alleges the state is driving therapists away by failing to pay them enough.
 
The lawsuit was filed by Ashley Manley, a Lexington mother whose 6-year-old son has been waiting for more than two years to get more than 40 hours a week of in-home, intensive therapy. A doctor prescribed the therapy for the child after he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
 
South Carolina's reimbursement rates for autism therapists are so low that they cannot afford to treat patients covered by Medicaid, the joint federal-state insurance program for the poor and disabled, according to the lawsuit. The suit, filed last week, names the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services and its director, Josh Baker, as defendants.
 
As a result of those low rates, some S.C. therapists refuse to accept Medicaid patients for the autism treatment, leading to a scarcity of therapists and long waits for their services, the suit alleges.


 

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

StoryfestSC 2018


StoryfestSC 2018
 
Date: Saturday, June 2, 2018
Time: 9:00AM - 2:00PM
 
Location: South Carolina State Museum
300 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29214
 
StoryfestSC is an annual event celebrating family reading. It connects South Carolina families with books, storytellers, authors and illustrators. Activities emphasize early literacy skills in a fun, interactive way. StoryfestSC is the kickoff event for the statewide Summer Reading Program held in all public libraries. The event is free of cost for families. Participants can listen to storytellers, enjoy readers’ theatre and puppet shows, visit community partner tables, participate in a craft activity, meet an author, receive a giveaway book, and share the love of reading with their family members. Approximately 1000 community members from around the midlands attend.

For more information contact
Denise Lyons  
State Library Director of Library Development Services
at 803-734-6061

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

South Carolina Transition News

 
 
May 23rd
 
 
*****
May 24th
 
 
 
*****
 
 
To attend EQUIP Summer Series,
all registration forms MUST be filled out completely
and submitted to Able South Carolina no later than June 8, 2018.
 
 
 
*****
September 30th

 
Featured Keynote and Sessions will include presentations by:
 
  • Dr. Tammy Pawloski: Strategies for Reaching Rural and Impoverished Students & Families
  • Charlie Walters: Employment First is for Everyone
  • Dr. Valerie Mazzotti: Strategies for Data Based Decision Making in Transition



Monday, May 21, 2018

Alternatives to Guardianship Training for Service Providers


 
Only 2 days left to register!
 

What happens when a child turns 18?

Most professionals working with youth with disabilities have not been trained about guardianship and alternatives. Make sure you have accurate information when parents ask about their options!
 
Join us for this FREE training and learn about Power of Attorney, Supported Decision Making, Adult Health Care Consent Act, and much more!
 
 
May 23, 2018
10:30 AM - 12 PM
United Way of the Midlands
1818 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201
 
For more information, email lfeltman@able-sc.org

Registration closes Wednesday at 9 AM
 


Registration is Open!

 
 
 
 
REGISTER TODAY!
 
Brain Injury Association of South Carolina
121 Executive Center Drive, Suite 135
Columbia, SC 29210
803-731-9823

Friday, May 18, 2018

NADD Ohio IDD/MI Conference 2018

State of Ohio 16th Annual IDD/MI Conference

Mental Health Aspects Treatment and Support

September 24 & September 25, 2018 (M & T)

Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris - Westerville, OH
 
Keynote Addresses

This year's keynote addresses will be given by:
 
Shelley Watson, PhD, Acting Associate Vice-President, Learning and Teaching; Professor, Centre for Academic Excellence, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada who will speak on Positively Reversing Stigma Issues in IDD/MI

and
 
Kathryn Spergel, LISW-S, Executive Director, Mental Health, Recovery for Licking and Knox Counties, Columbus, OH who will speak on Emergency Services Delivery of Crisis Responses and the MUTT Project.
 
Schedule and Location

For the schedule and location click here.
 
 
For more information:
NADD
132 Fair Street
Kingston, NY 12401-4802
Phone: (800) 331-5362
Email: info@thenadd.org

Website:
www.thenadd.org
 



Tuesday, May 15, 2018

FREE wheelchairs, canes and more!

 
FREE wheelchairs, canes and other items!
 
If you have questions or want to pick up an item,
please email Alli Upchurch or call 803-935-5273.

Each item is linked to more information (if available).

Manual Wheelchair
Seat width 18 inches
Seat depth 18 inches



Manual Wheelchair with all-terrain tires
Seat width 19 inches
Seat depth 18 inches
Comes with cushion (removable)



Transport chair
Seat width 19 inches
Seat depth 16 inches



Aluminum quad cane
 
 

 
Large base quad cane
 
 
 
Wombat positioning chair
Seat width 11 inches
Seat depth 12 inches
 
 
 
Don’t see what you are looking for?
Check out the AT Exchange!

Monday, May 14, 2018

Disability Benefits & Employment Workshop - Greenwood



 
Disability Benefits & Employment:
Make it Work For You!
May 23
 
 
• Are you interested in going to work or increasing your earnings?
• Do you need information on how working will affect your disability benefits? (SSI & SSDI)
• Do you want to connect with local agencies that can assist with finding a job and providing supports?
 
Please join us for this FREE community event!
 

Wednesday, May 23, 2018
1:30 - 3:30 pm

Piedmont Technical College
620 N Emerald Road
Building B, Room 155
Greenwood, SC 29646
 
 
This event is coordinated through the efforts of the SC Disability Employment Coalition. Members of the Coalition are employers, state and private agencies, and individuals with disabilities working to address the employment barriers of people with disabilities in South Carolina. The SCDEC is supported through funding from the SC Developmental Disabilities Council and the Administration for Community Living at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
 
 


Thursday, May 10, 2018

NADD Newsletter


Vol. 11 #9
May 10, 2018

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

Today is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Activities and events are planned around the country. Click here for the SAMHSA Awareness Day 2018 webpage.

Webinar on Health and Wellness

On May 22nd, NADD is offering a webinar on “Health and Wellness.” People with an IDD/MI diagnosis are at risk for more health and wellness problems than people without. They often take many medications and have barriers in communication that affect their ability to plan or organize information. These issues can make it more difficult for the person to take an active role in his/her health. This webinar will review the implications and risk factors of co-occurring disorders as well as the role of the Direct Support Professional in supporting treatment, communication, medication management, wellness, and recovery.

All of the webinars being offered in May are intended to help people prepare for applying for NADD DSP certification and build overall workforce capacity to support individuals with IDD/MI. The webinars focus on the competency areas identified for the NADD Competency-Based Direct Support Professional Certification. In addition to people interested in NADD certification, these trainings can also be taken by anyone who wants to learn about or brush up on a particular topic. A learner may sign up for a single webinar or for as many as he or she wishes to take.
 The remaining webinars in the NADD Spring Webinar Series are:

May 22 – Health and Wellness
May 30 – Community Collaboration and Teamwork


For details and to register, click here.


 
NADD
132 Fair Street
Kingston, NY 12401-4802
Phone: (800) 331-5362
Email:
info@thenadd.org
Website:
www.thenadd.org
 




Wednesday, May 09, 2018

Wanted: Eye Gaze Device

 
If you have an eye gaze communication device that you no longer use, please consider donating it to the SC Assistive Technology Program. We will program it back to factory settings and then pass it along to someone in dire need of the device who does not have funding resources. We are working with a woman who is in this situation right now.

To donate, please call 803-935-5301 or email carol.page@uscmed.sc.edu
 

Thank you! 




Tuesday, May 08, 2018

Free Training: Considering Assistive Technology

 

Seats are still available!

Considering Assistive Technology,
It’s More Than Just Checking a Box!

May 16, 2018
9:30 am – 11:30 am
 
FREE!

Palmetto Health Richland
Lower Level
Harden Street
Columbia, SC 29204

This session will include a brief overview of the identification, consideration, and documentation of assistive technology in the IEP process. We will explore how IEP teams address AT needs throughout the development of the IEP. Participants will be provided with helpful resources and tips on developing compliant IEPs.

Presenters:

Elizabeth Moore has worked in South Carolina schools for more than a decade. After earning her B.A. from the University of South Carolina and her MLA from Converse College, she began her career working in a high priority school where the focused use of technology was just being initiated. She then worked as an instructional technology specialist for several years before she began working in a facility where instructional technology and assistive technology are both integrated into the curriculum and the lives of the students. Now Elizabeth is an Assistive Technology Specialist for the Office of Special Education Services at the South Carolina Department of Education where she serves students with disabilities who have assistive technology needs throughout the state.

Kathleen Heiss  works with the South Carolina Department of Education Office of Special Education Services as an IDEA Compliance Monitor.  Before joining the team, Kathleen was an assistive technology specialist with SCDE. Prior to that, she was an elementary teacher and assistive technology specialist in Indiana. Kathleen served six years as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and worked diligently with training others in the fire department on how to meet the needs of citizens with disabilities under their care. She has also taught courses on assistive technology as a lecturer for Purdue University Northwest.

 

Monday, May 07, 2018

Free Webinar!

 
Make Your Content Accessible with PEEP
 

 
Do you create your own educational content? Do you want to learn how to make it more accessible to students with learning differences?
 
Join a FREE webinar from WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) and Benetech’s DIAGRAM Center. NCAM’s Bryan Gould will walk through the new DIAGRAM Center Web portal, “Accessible Peep.”
 
Accessible Peep provides accessible videos, games, and teaching resources from WGBH's animated series, PEEP and the Big Wide World.
 
For those who want to add accommodations to their own digital assets, Accessible Peep also provides How To's and lessons learned for creating captions, audio descriptions, digital games and accessible word documents and PDFs.
 
Please register for this event and share it with other educators and parents!
 
•Webinar: Accessible PEEP and the Big Wide World
•Date: May 9, 2018
•Time: 11 AM - 12 PM Pacific Time
•Cost: Free!
 
 


Friday, May 04, 2018

FREE Training - Health is Wealth!

 
Health is Wealth:
a free training session on managing your health

 
 
Join Able SC for this free training and learn strategies for:

• healthy eating
• managing pain
• adaptive exercise
• communicating with your health provider
 
Online: Monday, May 14, 2-3 PM
In-person: Tuesday, May 15, 2-3:30 PM
720 Gracern Road, Suite 106, Columbia SC 29210
 
 
 
For questions or accommodation requests,
contact Dori at 800-681-6805/TTY: 803-779-0949
 
Please make accommodation requests a week in advance of the training.
 


Thursday, May 03, 2018

FREE Mobility & Daily Living Items!

 
FREE!
Mobility & Daily Living Items
 
If you have questions or want to pick up an item,
please email Alli Upchurch or call 803-935-5273.
 
Each item is linked to more information (if available).
 
 




 
 
 
 
Pediatric Positioning Chair
Seat width 11 inches
Seat depth 12 inches
Back height 14 inches (not including adjustable headrest)

 
 
 
 
Clear Wheelchair Tray
For use with wheelchairs with arm width of 20-24 inches wide
Includes hardware
 
 
 
 
 
 
Shower Commode Chair
17 inches wide

18 inches deep

 
 
Don't see what you're looking for?
Check out the AT Exchange!