Possibilities
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- CONSUMER VOICES SUMMIT Breathes New Life into Iowa's Disability Community
- SOCIAL STORIES in the Disability Resource Library
- Education & Training Events
- Quotation
CONSUMER VOICES SUMMIT Breathes New Life into Iowa's Disability Community
Nearly 100 individuals with disabilities and friends gathered in Des Moines on September 21-22 for the second annual Consumer Voices Summit. Participants drove from as far away as Spencer and Burlington to attend this landmark event, hosted by the Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC).
Tim Sheehan, Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living for Western Wisconsin, kicked off the event by giving us a history lesson on the Independent Living Movement. A panel of individuals with disabilities then shared personal stories of how they were helped by Centers for Independent Living (CIL’s). Molly DeFrieze of Davenport explained: “They (Illinois/Iowa CIL) helped me get a ramp. It was absolutely free! Now I can go in and out of the house with my scooter whenever I want to. They’ve given me my life and my independence back.”
During a Federal legislative update, staff members representing Senators Harkin and Grassley discussed several initiatives which will offer individuals with disabilities more choice and flexibility in selecting services. This was the perfect lead-in to a panel discussion of strategies for gearing up Iowa’s disability community to speak up and make a difference.
Newly elected SILC president Liz O’Hara was pleased by the Summit’s success. “The SILC has lots of momentum and enthusiastic new members,” she said. “We learned a lot from the people with disabilities who attended—how they see the issues, what’s important to them as they strive to remain independent in the community, and what they want to say to federal and state policy-makers. The Summit was a great springboard to what promises to be a busy year.”
SOCIAL STORIES in the Disability Resource Library
Out of the Shadow / a film by Susan Smiley.
Vine Street Pictures, ©2006.
[DVD] 36 min.
Recommended by social workers, educators, and rehabilitation specialists alike, this is the story of a mother with schizophrenia overcoming the constraints of her illness with the long-suffering support of her daughters. It speaks to family relationships, emotional healing, quality of life and the importance of supports in the community.
Stop Bullying: Take a Stand! / In the Mix.
In the Mix a national PBS weekly series for teens, ©2005.
[DVD] 30 min.
We can no longer ignore the pervasiveness of bullying among our youth. Almost a quarter of U.S. students are bullied each year, and a third of teens say they have been threatened online. Students in this film show their peers what can be done to address the environment of verbal violence and cyberbullying. It is important for parents and teachers to watch as well in order to be part of the solution.
The Disability Resource Library also recommends the resource kit, Stop Bullying Now! Take a Stand, Lend a Hand to accompany the film referenced above. Kit #1102 is in English. Kit #1103 is in Spanish. The kits are compiled by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and consist of tip sheets for parents, educators, and health professionals.
Surviving Due Process: When Parents and the School Board Disagree: Stephen Jeffers vs. School Board / Legal Advocacy Center/Virginia Coalition for Students with Disabilities & Harbor House Law Press, ©2004.
[DVD] 120 min.
A special education due process hearing reenactment based on the actual case of Stephen Jeffers, a child with autism.
24/7 / by Mary A.C. Fallon and Daniel Priest.
Distributed by Fanlight Productions, ©2005.
[DVD] 33 min.
A documentary about parents caring for their adult children with disabilities at home. Florida is one of many states where the demand for Medicaid-funded at-home care far outstrips funding, leaving families to their own devices in this labor of love.
It’s So Much Work to be Your Friend: Helping the Learning Disabled Child Find Social Success / presented by Richard Lavoie.
Public Broadcasting Service, ©2005.
[DVD] 90 min., includes Spanish audio/subtitles.
Educator Richard Lavoie’s latest video workshop explores social incompetence among school kids. Learn about friendship skills that carry over from the classroom to the home and community.
Human Rights: Honoring to Advocacy / presented by Bethesda Lutheran Homes and
Services, ©2006.
[DVD] 21 min.
Two self-advocates help service providers to understand the responsibility to assist, educate, and support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in achieving self-expression and the realization of their rights.
All Disability Resource Library services are free to people with disabilities in the Center for Disabilities and Development service area and to members of their families. Other individuals and community service providers are asked to pay a per item fee to borrow materials, or they may purchase an annual subscription. There is no charge to anyone for assistance with finding information. To contact the Disability Resource Library at the Center for Disabilities and Development, phone 800-272-7713, email disability-library@uiowa.edu, or visit on the web at http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/cdd/multiple/drl/drl.asp.
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Education & Training Events
DMACC Ankeny Youth Transition Conference
October 31, 1:00-7:30 p.m., DMACC Ankeny Campus
This free conference will assist persons with disabilities and those who work with persons with disabilities in making positive transitions to and from a variety of life experiences. Topics include: universal design; building a vision; sexual development/boundaries for youth; driving and learning to drive; the dilemma of parents; youth Circles of Friends, and more. The conference is open to students, parents/guardians, educators, and service providers. More information: Pamela J. Parker, Special Needs Coordinator DMACC; 515-964-6850.
International Dyslexia Association 57th Annual Conference
November 8-11, Indianapolis Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
The IDA conference offers over 200 sessions with more than 400 speakers from around the world. Individual sessions are geared toward educators and educational administrators, educational diagnosticians and therapists, parents, speech and language pathologists, and individuals with dyslexia and their families. For more information see: www.interdys.org.
TASH Conference
November 8-11, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland
The theme of this conference, which attracts inclusion advocates from around the world, is “Living the Vision Together: Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond.” The conference hosts over 350 sessions, plus exhibits, roundtable discussions, and poster sessions. See www.tash.org for information.
Teaching Language to Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities (Quad Cities)
November 13-15, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Quad Cities Autism Center, 2305 7th Avenue, Moline IL
Dr. Vincent J. Carbone will present strategies for assessment, communication and teaching. Registration fee: $149 before November 1. For more information, contact Michelle Smyth at msmyth@qconline.com, or 563-355-6800. Send registration and payment to: QCAC, 2201 E 57th St, Davenport IA 52807.
Iowa Early Care, Health, & Education Congress
November 14-15, Scheman Center, Iowa State University, Ames
The conference theme: “Emerging Strategies for Our Global Economy.” The keynote speaker is Adele Robinson, Public Policy Director, National Association for the Education of Young Children. For more information call Lois Kiester at 515-964-6685.
Evidence-based Treatment of Sensory Disorders
November 17-18, Radisson Hotel Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Illinois
Join Roseann C. Schaaf for this workshop focused on current research and how it influences the treatment of sensory processing disorders. Information will be presented for both clinical and school-based therapists. Register with Sensory Resources at 1-888-357-5867, or online at: www.sensoryresources.com/conf_details
SNOW is coming to Iowa!
Snow in Iowa in December is hardly a newsworthy item. But a visit from Kathie Snow, passionate advocate, parent and consultant, should cause everyone to take notice!
You will have two opportunities to spend time with Kathie. She will discuss school-related issues at AEA 267 in Cedar Falls from 4:30 to 7:30 PM on December 1, and present an all-day workshop guaranteed to change your perception of disability at Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls on December 2. In-service credits will be offered for educators. Kathie’s visit is being sponsored by the Iowa Governor’s DD Council, Exceptional Persons, Inc., Self-Advocacy and Leadership for Youth with Disabilities, The Inclusion Connection, and AEA 267. For more information or to register, contact Donna Hansen at 319-273-8265 or dhansen@aea267.k12.ia.us.
For more conference and training opportunities, see the Disability Training calendar.
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“A community that excludes even one of its members is no community at all.”
-Dan Wilkins, poet and motivational speaker
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How to get in touch with Possibilities:
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MAIL: Center for Disabilities and Development
100 Hawkins Dr. Rm. 140
Iowa City IA 52242-1011
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PHONE: 319-353-6448
EMAIL: michael-hoenig@uiowa.edu
FAX: 319-356-8284
POSSIBILITIES is funded in part through a grant from the Iowa Department of Human Services to support the activities of the Iowa Training Consortium. Possibilities is designed by Loretta Popp.
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To contact Disability Training
- Mail Office of Community Education, Center for Disabilities and Development, 100 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City IA 52242-1011
- Email information@DisabilityTraining.org
- Fax 319-356-8284
- Phone 319-353-6448
Center for Disabilities and Development
Iowa's University Center for Excellence on Disabilities
University of Iowa Health Care
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1011