Weekly Update 2.5.2015
For Your Information
Happy 25th Anniversary to the ADA in July!!!
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lex Frieden to serve in his administration as director of the newly created National Council on the Handicapped, now called the National Council on Disability. In 1986, Frieden and the council proposed the Americans with Disabilities Act, and in 1988, the draft legislation they produced was introduced into Congress. The legislation passed and was signed by President George H. W. Bush on July 26, 1990. As President Bush later said of Frieden, “He was right there with me when as President I was privileged to sign the ADA into law.”
Today, Frieden is director of the Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) program at TIRR Memorial Hermann. He is also professor of biomedical informatics and professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and an adjunct professor in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine. As a prelude to the 25th anniversary of the ADA, he and President Bush reflected on the magnitude of change brought about by the passage of the act and work that remains to be done [see article at link].
See the Memorial Herman – TIRR link at for an interview between former President Bush and Lex Frieden
Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program: Nominate A Young Volunteer for up to $10,000 in Scholarships
How does it work?
- Students must be between the age of 6 and 18 as of March 15, 2015 and not yet a high school graduate.
- The student’s volunteer actions should be described in detail on the nomination.
- Volunteer efforts must have occurred in the last year.
- Winners will be chosen based on the benefits and outcomes of their volunteer service.
- Nominators must be 21 or older.
What can they win?
- Local winners will each receive a $50 Kohl’s Gift Card.
- Regional winners will recieve a $1,000 scholarship for higher education.
- National winners will each receive a $10,000 scholarship, plus Kohl’s will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit of the student’s choice.
In addition to student young volunteer specific demographic information, the nominator needs to know student volunteer activity information (see online link for details).
Nominations accepted January 30-March 13, 2015.
Go to: to nominate a young volunteer.
Support Women's Heart Health
Do you have your red on? Friday, February 6, 2015 is National Wear Red Day, dedicated to raising awareness of heart disease in women.Heart diseaseis one area where women and men in the United States are equally affected: It’s the leading cause of death for both genders. But you can change that! By learning the risk factors and making healthy lifestyle choices, you can dramatically reduce your risk of developing heart-related problems.Learn more about fighting heart disease, and don’t forget to have some fun!
- Check out the Red Dress Collection 2015 fashion show, livestreamed from New York Thursday, February 12, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
- The Heart Truth’s #4MyHeart is an interactive challenge designed to help you lower your risk for heart disease. Take action, starting today, to protect your heart.
February: Awareness Events
So, Groundhog Day just passed (Congratulations! Six more weeks of winter thanks to Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil!)… and Valentine’s Day is on the horizon. So, what other February awareness should you be aware of?
- National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
- Studies show one in three teens in the United States will experience physical abuse from a dating partner. During 2014, advocates at loveisrespect, a project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and Break the Cycle, received 85,261 calls, texts and online chats for help with dating abuse. A record 2.1 million unique visitors turned to loveisrespect.org for information about healthy versus unhealthy relationships. Note, one of the sponsors of loveisrespect.org is the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.
- Gallbladder Cancer Awareness
- Macular Degeneration Awareness
- American Heart Month
- Aggressive Driving Awareness
- Safety Awareness Month
- Children’s Dental Health Month
Free Teaching Materials from Teaching Tolerance
Teaching Tolerance is introducing a free resource, Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot. Created specifically for 6-12 classrooms, this 40-minute documentary tells the story of a group of teachers and students who fought a nonviolent battle for voting rights for African Americans in the South. During the height of the struggle, thousands of activists completed a 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery and spurred the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot film kit includes a viewer’s guide that will allow teachers to teach the struggle for voting rights within the larger context of the civil rights movement and inspire students to take action on voting issues today. Included is a poster featuring a timeline of key events before, during and after the Selma-to-Montgomery march and a map of Alabama marked with significant locations.
Like all Teaching Tolerance materials, this film kit is free to educators. Educators can pre-order a copy today! By clicking this link:
Region 4 Upcoming Professional Development
PODD Communication- Multi-modal Communication Strategies for Children who have Complex Communication Needs
This course will demonstrate the use of a Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) approach developed by Gayle Porter (Melbourne, Australia). Generic templates for multi-page "light tech" communication books have been carefully designed to support genuine communication for a variety of functions throughout the day. These templates may be customized for a range of access methods and other individual needs. Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Session ID: 1081926
Time: 8:30AM -4:30PM
Date: May 7-8, 2015
Registration Fee: $100.00
Location: Region 4 ESC
Contact Information: Angela Standridge at or 713-744-6831
The Journey from Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) to Intervention
Join this workshop to actively participate in an in-depth examination of the intervention process….the journey from functional behavior assessment to intervention development. During this two-day training, participants will 1) learn and practice a variety of data collection methods, 2) practice completing and interpreting a functional behavior assessment, 3) identify replacement behaviors, 4) write behavior goals, and 5) select research-based interventions. Participants are also encouraged to bring examples of behavior goals they have written and interventions they have developed to use as examples and receive feedback.
Session ID: 1077423
Dates: March 23 & 24, 2015 Time: 9:00 – 4:00 Fee: $90
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , or 713 744 6801
Social Communication: Linking Assessment and Interventions
Evaluating the social communication skills of students with autism and addressing needs in this area can be a challenge. Join this 2-day training to gain insight into how to assess social communication deficits and implement interventions to support students with autism in the classroom. During this training, participants will learn more about 1) evaluating social communication deficits in students with autism using formal and informal assessments, 2) identifying academic issues that students with autism face, and 3) addressing these issues in the classroom setting.
Session ID: 1082910
Dates: April 29 & 30, 2015
Time: 9:00 – 4:00
Fee: $90
Contact information: Cathy Williams, , 713 744 6801
Special Education Webinar - The Role of Executive Functions in Learning and Using Written Expression and Mathematics
Presented by: George Mc Closkey, Ph.D.
Part 1 of this presentation will discuss how executive functions are involved in directing and coordinating the use of multiple cognitive capacities to write letters, words, and passages, discuss assessment approaches for identifying executive function-related written expression problems, and discuss teaching strategies for helping students compensate for the effects of executive function difficulties.
Part 2 of this presentation will discuss how executive functions are involved in directing and coordinating the use of multiple cognitive capacities to quantify, calculate, and problem-solve using mathematics, discuss assessment approaches for identifying executive function-related calculation and problem solving difficulties, and discuss teaching strategies for helping students compensate for the effects of executive function difficulties.
Session ID: 1075081
Date: March 3, 2015Time: 10:00AM-12:00PM
Fee: $No Charge
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 7137446562
Counseling as a Related Service-Past to Present
Attend this session to develop a better understanding of the purpose of counseling as a related service. Participants will review federal and state laws and state guidance applicable to related services and annual goal development. This session will focus on the importance of the PLAAFP in determining a student’s critical area of need and how to develop annual goals that measure a special education student’s access to the general education curriculum. This session is not designed to provide participants with counseling techniques or activities to be used during counseling sessions. Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Session ID: 1063894
Date: March 6, 2015Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM
Fee: $45
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713 7446562
Special Education Webinar - Practical Strategies for Differentiating Language Differences from Impairments in English Language Learners – Webinar 2
Presented by: Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin, Ph.D.
There is an increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) in America’s schools. This workshop addresses nonbiased assessment strategies and materials that can be used to differentiate language differences from language impairments in ELL students from any linguistic background. Objectives: 1) Provide a rationale for the use informal, non-standardized methods and materials for differentiating between language differences and language impairments in ELL students. 2) Summarize research supporting the use of dynamic assessment and information processing techniques. 3) Explain components of a practical “tool kit” to be for assessment of ELLs from any language background. 4) Identify strategies for using interpreters
Session ID: 1075082
Date: April 14, 2015Time: 10:00AM-12:00PM
Fee: $No Charge
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 7137446562
Special Education Webinar - Does the Data Indicate Dyslexia?
Presented by: Virginia Gonzalez, M.Ed., LDT, CALT - State Dyslexia Consultant
Dyslexia, a core deficit in word recognition and spelling, occurs in students with very different profiles. Evaluations depend on much more than standard scores. We will discuss the importance of the student’s history as well as interpreting the student’s error patterns in both informal and formal data.
Session ID: 1075083
Date: May 12, 2015Time: 10:00AM-12:00PM
Fee: $No Charge
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 7137446562
Using the WISC-V for LD Identification: Case Study Approach
Attend this workshop to learn how to utilize the new WISC-V in a processing approach for the identification of learning disabilities. Presenters will use real-life case studies and scenarios to illustrate LD identification. The KTEA-3 and WIAT-III will be used to provide information on achievement. The application of WISC-V scores in CHC Cross-battery Assessment will be discussed.
Session ID: 1075482
Date: May 14, 2015Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM
Fee: $45
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562
Summer Evaluation Institute 2015
Attend this institute to acquire the latest information regarding student evaluation processes and linking the assessment and data to recommendations and interventions for a comprehensive and individual evaluation.
Session and materials costs are partially funded through state or federal grants.
Keynote Speakers include:
- Dr. Dawn Flanagan and Dr. Jennifer Mascola on Selecting and Tailoring Interventions
Featured Speakers include:
- Dr. Jon Lasser on Assessing When Behaviors Are Challenging and Linking Behavior Assessment to Interventions
- Dr. Gail Cheramie on Reviewing Evaluations with Parents and Staff
- Paula Maddox Roalson on Legal Updates related to assessment and report writing
- Dr. Loretta Allen on Cultural Diversity related to assessment
- Dr. Jennifer Schroeder on Ethics related to assessment
- Linda De Zell Hall, Ph.D. and Gayla Jordan Lutz, M.A., CCC-SLP on Functional Evaluation
Session ID: 973046
Date: June 2-3, 2015Time: 9:00AM-4:00PM
Fee: $125
Contact: Kara Zwolinski at or 713-744-6562