ADA Training Resource Center on the Americans with Disabilities Act

This Dept of Education-funded site includes links to numerous courses and customized training on the Americans with Disabilities Act and disability-related issues.  Examples include:

 

ADA Basic Building Blocks Webcourse

An exceptionally detailed "more than a blog" blog, written by a high school special education teacher who is serving students with severe and profound disabilities and is also a parent to two boys with autism spectrum disorder.  A wide variety of information and resources on special education, parenting children with disabilties, and more. The Life that Chose Me.

The OSEP-funded National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavior and Intervention Supports was established to address the behavioral and discipline systems needed for successful learning and social development of students. The Center provides capacity-building information and technical support about behavioral systems to assist states and districts in the design of effective schools.

Online training materials for IDEA 2004 from NICHY.org. 

Click here: Training, or visit nichy.org.

Online Mental Health Fair

Revolution Health is joining with its nonprofit partners to help you to feel well and do "good" at the same time. By participating in our Health Fair you will get the latest in mental health information and support. For each booth that you visit Revolution Health will donate $.25 to the organization.

1. Crisis Center

-         Shelter , hot food, a shower, clean clothes, warm bed, and immediate medical attention youth might need

From the home page: A community of people and products dedicated to children with special challenges and those who care for them. We offer sensory integration and developmental products, pediatric therapy equipment, resources, and support for therapeutic professionals, health care professionals, schools, and families.

This report documents critical issues in children’s mental health policy and service delivery from the perspective of stakeholders in the family and youth movement.

LD Talk, a service of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, features online, live discussions on issues that are critically important to people with learning disabilities. We explore a variety of topics and provide our audience with unprecedented access to the nation's top experts.

Teaching Self-Determination in Alaskan Schools: A Toolkit for Educators is now online. The Self-Determination Project promotes student-directed learning and capturing dreams. The Toolkit is a project sponsored by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. The kit has been developed for teachers, parents, students and other professionals who are interested in promoting self-determination within home, school and community settings.

Challenge Alaska
Challenge Alaska is a non-profit organization that provides sports and therapeutic recreation opportunities for those with disabilities.

Access Alaska
Access Alaska provides independent living services to people who experience a disability. They encourage and promote the total integration of people who experience a disability to live independently within the community of their choice.

A site for girls with information about depression, stress, body, relationships, abortion, exploitation, drugs, and international issues. Also includes a message board.

The latest news in medicine, free e-mail newsletters, Webcast video editorials & commentaries, e-section for students & residents. Great for finding how medications work with a disorder, their side-affects, etc. This is a valuable resource for anyone with medical questions.

Education, research, training and more. This is a great resource for parents, teachers, students, or anyone who wishes to increase their knowledge about Dyslexia.

---If it is to be it is up to me---Help navigate yourself in the classroom.  Help teachers learn how to help you and understand your disability.  Teachers are very resourceful people and most of the time very caring.  If you help them to help you, learning can be done together! 

Parents sometimes are told that a child needs to be restrained or put into seclusion while at school or while in a treatment program.  This is VERY RARELY necessary because Positive Behavior Support can prevent the need.   Avertive therapy is NOT a best practice and is not recommended for children and youth. 

The resiliancy youth development program focuses on cross-diciplinary strategies to prevent substance abuse,Tobacco,suicide,teen pregnancy,delinquency and school failure. The program emphasizes the posative qualities and behaviors needed for youth to become healthy,successful and responsable.

This is a web site that give a history of mental health from 1188 A.D. until 2005 A.D. It is well referenced and has information arranged in therapeutic periods: Genesis of asylums From 1377, Asylum Care From 1840 and Community Care From 1940s

Alaska Family Directory - Welcome to the Alaska Family Directory for parents of children with special needs!

This list provides professionals from a variety of disciplines to discuss the issues that arise when children are exposed to domestic violence and when child maltreatment and domestic violence co-occur. It is open to anyone interested in discussing the issues around these cases. The list is supported by a grant from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation and is part of our ongoing project to involve attorneys in efforts to improve practice in cases involving domestic violence and children.

This group is open only to attorneys and judges, discusses issues that arise in the litigation of civil and criminal child abuse and neglect and related cases. It discusses legal precedents, tactical concerns, and practical solutions to specific issues that arise during litigation. The purpose of the group is to help attorneys and judges explore how to better handle their cases. It is not to discuss general issues of court reform and improvement.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is the text that is used by mental health professionals to  assess, categorize and name mental disorders in people of all ages.   The assesment is complete with five axis:  Axis I describes the Clinical Disorders, Axis II describes prominent maladaptive personality features and mental retardation, Axis III describes the general medical condition (with ICD-9-CM or medical codes), Axis IV describes psychosocial and and environmental problems and Axis V provides a numerical range for the individual's Global Assessmen

2005 Census Data Regarding People With Disabilities - Information Bulletin #186 (12/06)

In the year 2002, an estimated 7.7 percent (plus or minus 0.2 percentage points) of civilian, non-institutionalized, men and women, aged 18-64 in the United States reported a disability. In other words, 13,474,000 out of 174,896,000 (or about one in 13) civilian, non-institutionalized, men and women, aged 18-64 in the United States reported a disability. The estimated percentage above is based on a sample of 128,588 persons who participated in the Current Population Survey (CPS).

A web site to connect youth with adults who have interesting careers and want to answer your questions about what they do, how they prepared for such a career and how they dealt with their own disabilities.  Some of their disabilities are visible (like using a wheelchair) and some are not visible (like depression or a learning disability). On this site, you can read the information or post questions.   After a short training, you can e-mail or contact the mentor directly.

A web site that explains how to address barriers to employment if you are an Alaskan with a disability, where and how to get support and help to prepare to begin or return to work and the finances of working while still on public benefits (like Medicaid). Explanation of the "ticket to work" program, benefits calculator and planners, beginning your own business and understanding the various programs that apply to SSI or SSDI income, such as PASS (Plan to Achieve Self-Support), Self-Employment Subsidty, IRWE (Impairment Related Work Expenses).

STeP is a part of the Anchorage School District. Is is a support for parents and teachers and has a large library on special education; the web-site has information about Special Education in the Anchorage School District and links to information about the law and other disability related topics; and a calendar of events and support groups. See the "Calendar of Events" for groups and trainings. Most are free to the public.