Upcoming Events
January 31, 2015
Family-to-Family Education Program
Greenwich, CT
On Saturday, January 31, 2015, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will host a free 12-session class for families and friends of adults living with mental illness. The first session will be held from 9:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at Greenwich Hospital in the Cafeteria Conference Room located at 5 Perryridge Road in Greenwich, Connecticut.
The course is designed to help all family members understand and support their loved ones living with mental illness, while maintaining their own well-being. The course includes information on illnesses such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, major depression and other mental health conditions. The course is taught by trained teachers who are also family members and who know what it is like to have a family member living with mental illness.
Additional Locations:
- Thursday, February 5, 2015 in Naugatuck, for more information or to register, contact Terrilynn at 203-881-2707
- Monday, February 23, 2015 in Manchester, for more information or to register, contact Muriel at 860-268-0303
- Tuesday, February 24, 2015 in Trumbull, for more information or to register, contact Patty at 203-521-7271
- Monday, March 9, 2015 in Newtown, for more information or to register, contact Matt at 203-470-7731 or Steve at stevebathome@gmail.com
- Friday, March 13, 2015 in Waterbury, for more information or to register, contact Mary at 475-238-1815 or marybohannah@aol.com
- Wednesday, April 22, 2015 in Farmington, for more information or to register, contact Janet at 860-620-7717 or janetb1954@comcast.net
For more information or to register, contact Peter at 203-322-3383 or namict.org.
February 2, 2015
Job Shadow Day
Stratford, CT
On Monday, February 2, 2015, Sikorsky Aircraft BeyondIsAbility Team and Professional Development Network will host a “Job Shadow Day” for students with disabilities. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Sikorsky Aircraft Facility located at 6900 Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut.
Participants must present a identification (student ID, driver’s license, passport, etc.) and foreign national students must present a passport in advance for security clearance. Students will also be required to provide their own transportation. Space is limited and the deadline for registration is January 19th.
For more information or to register, please contact Marc Dumont at 203-386-5765 or mdupont@sikorsky.com.
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Darien, CT On Tuesday, February 3, 2015, the Lindamood-Bell Learning Center will host a parent workshop entitled “Get a Handle on Homework.” The workshop will take place at 12:00 p.m. at the Lindamood-Bell Learning Center located at 1574 Post Road in Darien, Connecticut. At this parent workshop, the Lindamood-Bell Learning Center’s Instruction Team will share strategies to help your family get a handle on homework. Participants will also learn about topics including simplified organization and planning, creating a home learning environment, valuable communication with your child’s teacher and effective motivation techniques and incentives. For more information, contact the Lindamood-Bell Learning Center at 203-656-0771 or darien.center@lindamoodbell.com. Newington, CT On Wednesday, February 4, 2015, the Special Education Alliance of Newington will host a free workshop presentation for families of children with disabilities entitled “Becoming Your Child’s Best Advocate: Tips and Tools for Advocating for Your Child with a Disability.” The workshop will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Lucy Robbins Welles Library located at 95 Cedar Street in Newington, Connecticut. Participants will learn how to effectively communicate with their child’s school and how to advocate for an appropriate education. They will also learn tips on preparing for meetings with teachers, clearly communicating questions and goals and how to foster positive relationships with teachers. For more information or to register, visit www.cpacinc.org/workshop-registration or contact CPAC at 1-800-445-2722. Danbury, CT On Thursday, February 5, 2015, the Western Connecticut Association of Human Rights (WeCAHR) will be hosting a free workshop series for families of children with disabilities entitled “Special Education Parent Training.” The workshop will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the ARC Conference Room located at 2 Crosby Street in Danbury, Connecticut. Participants will learn about the special education process and laws, the IEP and 504 Plans, the intervention process, classroom modifications and accommodations and more. Workshop Dates: Registration and light refreshments will be provided prior to the workshop from 9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, contact WeCAHR at www.WeCAHR.org or 203-792-3540. West Hartford, CT On Saturday, February 7, 2015, the Greater Hartford Regional Choice School Office (RSCO) will host a fair for Connecticut families interested in Choice School programs. The fair will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Conrad High School located at 110 Beechwood Road in West Hartford, Connecticut. The fair will feature RSCO programming available for students in grades PK-12 for the 2015-2016 lottery season. For more information or questions about programming options, please contact the Regional School Choice Office at 860-713-6990. Waterbury, CT On Monday, February 9, 2015, Waterbury Public Schools will host a free workshop for parents of children receiving special education services entitled, “Steps to Success Toolkit Training: Understanding an Effective Individualized Education Program (IEP): How to Know if Your Child is Making Progress.” The workshop will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at West Side Middle School located at 483 Chase Parkway in Waterbury, Connecticut. Participants will learn how to use the Steps to Success Toolkit to develop an appropriate program and to determine if your child is making progress in school. This will be an interactive training. Please bring a copy of your child’s IEP, most recent evaluation reports and some work samples. Registration is required. Visit www.cpacinc.org/workshop-registration or contact CPAC at 1-800-445-2722 or cpac@cpacinc.org for more information or to register. Willington, CT On Wednesday, February 18, 2015, Willington Success SEPTO will host a free workshop for parents and educators presented by Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center entitled, “Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: What You Need to Know.” The workshop will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Willington Public Library located at 7 Ruby Road in Willington, Connecticut. Families will be introduced to a new way of thinking about their children’s behaviors and about the need to advocate for behavioral supports. The workshop will provide an overview of functional behavioral assessments and positive behavior interventions. Registration is required. Visit www.cpacinc.org/workshop-registration or contact CPAC at 1-800-445-2722 or cpac@cpacinc.org for more information or to register. Niantic, CT On Wednesday, February 18, 2015, East Lyme Area SEPTO will host a presentation by Shannon Jacovino of The Arc Connecticut entitled, “Legal and Financial Planning for Your Child with Special Needs.” The presentation will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at East Lyme Senior Center located at 37 Society Road in Niantic, Connecticut. The presentation will answer the following questions: For more information, contact Nancy Elliott at eastlymesepto@gmail.com. Wallingford, CT On Monday, February 23, 2015, Autism Services and Resources Connecticut (ASRC) will sponsor a free presentation entitled, “Extended School Year Services: What To Do About Summer Vacation.” The workshop will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at ASRC located at 101 N. Plains Industrial Road in Wallingford, Connecticut. Attorney Jennifer Laviano and Julie Swanson, a special education advocate, will be discussing the laws and policies related to Extended School Year Services and the IEP. Registration is required. For more information or to register, contact ASRC at info@autismconnecticut.org or 888-453-4975 or 203-265-7717. Webinar On Tuesday, February 24, 2015, the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials will present a webinar entitled, “Who Needs Accessible Materials & Where Do They Fit?” The webinar will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Just in time for the upcoming IEP “season,” this webinar takes families and educators through seven points in the IEP development process at which AEM might reasonably be considered. Participants will be provided with AEM consideration questions aligned to each point and will see a model of how AIM could be documented at each point to support effective use of accessible materials by students who need them for participation and progress on IEP goals and in general education curriculum. Prior knowledge of AIM basics is strongly recommended. Visit the event registration page to sign up to participate. Groton, CT On Wednesday, March 4, 2015, LEARN Student Support Services will sponsor a resource fair for students with disabilities, their parents and educators entitled “Secondary Transition Expo.” The resource fair will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Marine Science Magnet High School located at 130 Shennecossett Road in Groton, Connecticut. Attendees with gain a better understanding of transition planning: employment, education, independent living, health services and connect to other useful community resources. State and private adult agencies, college planning professionals, assistive technology and estate planning representatives will be on hand to answer your questions and provide information. Admission is free. For more information, contact Louis Eldridge of LEARN at 860-343-4800 ext. 182 or at leldridge@learn.k12.ct.us. Meriden, CT On Tuesday, March 10, 2015, ACES Regional Transition Network, State Education Resource Center (SERC), and CT Department of Education along with the Four Points by Sheraton will sponsor a resource fair for students with disabilities and their parents. The resource fair will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton located at 275 Research Parkway in Meriden, Connecticut. Attendees are enacouraged to come listen, ask questions, meet other parents and students, and gather information about transitioning to adulthood. Admission is free. For any disability related accmodations needed for your participation or for more information, please contact Stephanie Critch, Transition Coordinator at Hamden Public Schools at 203-407-2040 ext. 5559 or scritch@hamden.org or Deborah Kohan, Transition Coordinator at Meriden Public Schools at 203-235-7962 ext. 154 or debbie.kohan@meridenk12.org. Glastonbury, CT On Tuesday, March 24, 2015, Glastonbury SEPTA will sponsor a free workshop presented by the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center entitled “Becoming Your Child’s Best Advocate.” The workshop will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Glastonbury High School Library located at 330 Hubbard Street in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Participants will learn how to effectively communicate with their child’s school and advocate for an approrpriate education. They will also learn tips to prepare for meetings with teachers, clearly communicate questions and goals, and how to foster positive relationships with their child’s teachers. Registration is required. Visit www.cpacinc.org/workshop-registration or contact CPAC at 1-800-445-2722 or cpac@cpacinc.org for more information or to register. Cromwell, CT On Wednesday, March 25, 2015, The State Education and Resource Center of Connecticut (SERC) will sponsor a conference for early childhood general and special education staff, early intervention administrators and staff, school principals and student support services professionals entitled the “22nd Annual Together We Will Conference: Use a Framework for Social and Emotional Development Success.” The conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel located at 100 Berlin Road in Cromwell, Connecticut. Attendees will be provided with new information and insight on working with children ages birth to 5, especially those with developmental delays and the keynote presenter will be Tweety Yates, Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Fee for registration is $80. For registration questions, please contact Tyrese Bolden of SERC at 860-632-1485, ext. 210 or bolden@ctserc.org. For content questions, please contact Paquita Jarman-Smith of SERC at 860-632-1485 ext. 313 or jarmansmith@ctserc.org. To register for the conference, visit the event website. Waterbury, CT On Sunday, April 1, 2015, Children’s Therapy Services will host a free workshop presented by Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center entitled, “The Transition Process: From Birth to Three to Special Education.” The workshop will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Children’s Therapy Services located at 1389 West Main Street, Suite 225 in Waterbury, Connecticut. Families of children enrolled in Birth to Three will increase their understanding of the transition process from Birth to Three services and will gain knowledge of the key components of special education services under IDEA. Participants will learn about their role as an equal partner of the PPT and ways that they can effectively advocate for their children and communicate with schools. Registration is required. Visit www.cpacinc.org/workshop-registration or contact CPAC at 1-800-445-2722 or cpac@cpacinc.org for more information or to register. West Hartford, CT On Thursday, April 2, 2015, Decoding Dyslexia, Smart Kids with LD and Literacy How will host a free presentation for parents of children with any type of disability by entitled, “Special Education: Obtaining Initial & Independent Evaluations.” The presentation will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Noah Webster Library located at 200 Main Street in West Hartford, Connecticut. Presenter Diane Willcutts, director of Education Advocacy, LLC, and member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates will be discussing the process of getting your child an evaluation either by school staff or an independent evaluator and “the rules” about what districts are required to provide. For more information or to register, please visit the event website. Waterford, CT On Friday, May 1, 2015, The Light House will host its 9th Annual Autism Education Conference where they will be sponsoring a presentation by Dr. Jed Baker entitled, “No More Meltdowns.” The workshop will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Great Neck Country Club located at 28 Lamphere Road in Waterford, Connecticut. Dr. Baker will discuss how to prevent challenging behaviors, how to teach social skills and help reduce bullying. Fee for registration is $65.00-$75.00. For more information or to register, contact The Light House at www.lhcampus.com and click on the registration link.
February 3, 2015
Get a Handle on Homework
February 4, 2015
Becoming Your Child’s Best Advocate
February 5, 2015
Special Education Parent Training
February 7, 2015
Regional School Choice Fair
February 9, 2015
Steps to Success Toolkit Training
February 18, 2015
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: What You Need to Know
February 18, 2015
Legal and Financial Planning for Your Child with Special Needs
February 23, 2015
Extended School Year Services: What To Do About Summer Vacation
February 24, 2015
Who Needs Accessible Materials & Where Do They Fit?
March 4, 2015
Secondary Transition Expo
March 10, 2015
Transition Expo
March 24, 2015
Becoming Your Child’s Best Advocate
March 25, 2015
Together We Will Conference
April 1, 2015
The Transition Process: From Birth to Three to Special Education
April 2, 2015
Special Education: Obtaining Initial & Independent Evaluations
May 1, 2015
“No More Meltdowns”
