Welcome to Mobile App Monday!

Have you seen how many mobile applications are available these days? Did you know that hundreds of them can help people with disabilities? From apps to help with communication skills to organization skills to social skills, the multitude can be overwhelming. So we will look at one app each Monday to help sort them out. Let's start with one for communication.

Proloquo2Go is a new app from AssistiveWare that makes the most of your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. It provides a full-featured communication system for people who have difficulty speaking. With the ability to move from adult male or female to boy or girl voices, Proloquo2Go has everyone covered. Not only is it useful for people with developmental disabilities, those with acquired disabilities or even hospital or rehabilitation settings will find it helpful.

Want more information on Proloquo2Go? Check out their website at: http://www.proloquo2go.com/

Understanding myself

Looking for a book for pre-teens that helps them understand their emotions? Understanding myself: A kid's guide to intense emotions and strong feelings may be able to help. Packed with real-life stories, useful quizzes and fun-fact boxes, this book helps kids (and their parents) understand why they feel so frustrated and overwhelmed.

To check out this title, send us a message at cedir@indiana.edu. Or try worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Sensory Processing Disorder

Got a middle school child with a sensory processing disorder? Want a book that helps the child understand the disorder? The sensory team handbook: A hands-on tool to help young people make sense of their senses and take charge of the sensory processing might be the book you're looking for. Written for the pre-teens and young teens, this upbeat and sometimes humorous book can help not only the child with a sensory processing disorder but also their parents and the professionals who work with them. Each chapter contains cartoons, graphics and quizzes to help keep the reader engaged in the material.

Want to check it out? Send us an email at cedir@indiana.edu. Or try worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Project|SEARCH Indiana

Got a student transitioning into adulthood who is looking for a job? Project|SEARCH Indiana may be able to help. Project|SEARCH provides transition-age students with quality internship experiences in preparation for competitive employment. Students chosen to participate in this project are those with severe disabilities who experience the most obstacles to successful employment.

Check to see if your student qualifies at http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=1835 or contact Margaret Gilbride at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community's Center on Community Living and Careers at 812-855-6508 or mgilbrid@indiana.edu.

What's New?

Wondering what's new in the library?

CeDIR gets in new materials each month. To try to keep you up-to-date, new books and videos are posted at the end of each month on our What's New page. To find this link, go to our homepage: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=34 and scroll down to the bottom of the page. In the Quick Links box is a link called, appropriately enough, "What's New." This page can also be found by using the left navigation bar under "Services."

Or click here: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=2317

Save the date!

Indiana Statewide Transition Forum

Lights, Camera, Action… A Student-Directed Production

August 3rd and 4th, 2011

at the Sheraton Hotel and Suites in Indianapolis

In addition to learning about promising secondary transition practices from national and statewide leaders, attendees will explore the most up-to-date and evidence-based secondary transition practices for their students and network and share ideas with colleagues from across the state.

This year's forum will be a combination of a conference, in which the latest information and practices will be shared, and a forum, giving special education administrators, teachers and other educational professionals time to network, identify needs, share ideas, problem-solve and promote successful transition solutions and opportunities. Visit the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center website at http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/index.php?pageId=3283 for registration materials and speaker information.

ISEI Third Conference

The Third Conference of the International Society on Early Intervention will be held at the Hilton Hotel in New York City on May 2-5, 2011. The conference will be held in conjunction with the YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Conference. Please plan ahead and consider actively participating in the conference.

Conference schedule: http://depts.washington.edu/isei/2011Conf/sessions2.php

Registration: http://depts.washington.edu/isei/2011Conf/ISEI_3rd_conf-regis.html

For further information, contact: isei@u.washington.edu

24th Annual Children’s Mental Health Research and Policy Conference

Sunday - Wednesday

March 20 - 23, 2011

Hyatt Regency ~ Tampa, Florida

Registration rates for the 24th Annual Children’s Mental Health Research & Policy Conference include participation in the plenary sessions, concurrent sessions, poster presentations, and networking luncheon along with all conference materials.

MEET OUR KEYNOTE
In his 20-plus years with Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc., Geoffrey Canada has become nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in Harlem and as a passionate advocate for education reform.

To register and for more information, go to: http://cmhtampaconference.usf.edu/home/registration/

Action Research in Special Education

Interested in the origins and practice of action research in special education? Want more information on how action research is involved with preservice teacher preparation? Need examples of action research in the field? Check out Action research in special education: An inquiry approach for effective teaching and learning. This is the first book about action research devoted specifically to the issues faced by children with disabilities and their teachers. Incorporating the historical and philosophical underpinnings of action research, the authors present a framework for conducting action research in special education.

Want to check it out? Send us an email at cedir@indiana.edu. Or try worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Indiana’s Special Education Law Working for You Conference

Family members, educators, and others interested in understanding more about Indiana’s special education law are invited to a full-day conference on Monday, March 21 titled Indiana Special Education Law Working for You – A Toolkit for Success to be held at the IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Blvd., Room 450, Indianapolis.

Sponsored by the Riley Child Development Center and the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center of Riley Hospital for Children, and supported by the Indiana Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, speakers will provide an overview of Indiana’s Article 7 special education law in the morning and how to use it, while breakout sessions in the afternoon will cover topics such as behavior strategies, case conference preparation, transition IEPs, social skills, discipline, IEP tools and post-secondary planning. Participants will leave with information to address current challenges related to special education law in Indiana.

The Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities is providing 50 full scholarships to family members of Indiana students with disabilities to attend the conference. Fees without scholarships are $70 for a family member and $100 for professionals.

Full information about the conference schedule and scholarships is available at http://pediatrics.iu.edu/sections-and-faculty/child-development/3rd-annual-indiana-special-education-law . Online registration can be found at http://pediatrics.iu.edu/sections-and-faculty/child-development/3rd-annual-indiana-special-education-law/course-registration. For additional information, contact the Riley Child Development Center at (317) 944-8167 or e-mail Rylin Rodgers at ryrodger@iupui.edu.

Library Services for Users with Disabilities

From the Association of Research Libraries comes a SPEC Kit specifically geared toward serving library patrons with disabilities. According to the text, "SPEC Kits contain the most valuable, up-to-date information on the latest issues of concern to libraries and librarians today." The book, SPEC Kit 321: Services for users with disabilities provides an executive summary, survey questions and responses, and responding institutions. It then offers representative documents on some of the following topics: Service Policies/Statements, Online Forms, Assistive Technology, User Needs Agreements, and more.

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title. Or try using worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Inkling

Love using your iPad for higher education? Need better accessibility for it? Inkling offers just that and more. According to its website: "Inkling isn’t about books on a screen. It’s about redefining how you work with your learning content and improving how you learn." Inkling is a free iPad app from iTunes. You can purchase select chapters of textbooks or whole titles directly within the application.

Inkling founder and CEO Matt MacInnis says, "Our first goal was to ensure that everything a user could do in the application could also be done by someone with a visual impairment. Users with visual impairments can access their contacts, purchase content, search the book and even jump from figure to figure within the title, all without seeing the display."

Want more information? Go to: http://www.inkling.com/

Educational Symposium on Traumatic Brain Injury and Substance Abuse

The Bloomington Brain Injury Local Support Network is hosting its first of four 2011 Educational Symposiums on Wednesday February 16th. The topic is TBI and Substance Use: Why Community Health Professionals Need to Ask “What if There’s Brain Injury?”

The Symposium will be held in the Bloomington Hospital’s Wegmiller Auditorium from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. and is free and open to all interested parties. No registration required.

Trainings Scheduled for Benefits Information Specialists

Indiana’s Benefits Information Network liaisons are certified professionals who specialize in helping people with disabilities and their families understand benefits eligibility, work incentives, and other supports. Currently, there are 192 BIN liaisons, most of whom serve Vocational Rehabilitation Services’ customers from disability service provider organizations around the state.

The Indiana Institute’s Center on Community Living and Careers is offering several Basic- and Advanced-level BIN trainings throughout the year in various locations around the state. Download the 2011 Indiana BIN Liaison Training brochure at http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/styles/iidc/defiles/CCLC/BIN/BIN_Liaison_2011_brochure.pdf. The Benefits Information Network is funded by Indiana Medicaid Infrastructure Grant CFDA #93.768. For more information on the Benefits Information Network, contact Larry Schaaf at ljschaaf@indiana.edu or call the Center on Community Living and Careers at (812) 855-6508.

AAIDD Annual Conference

JUNE 6-9, 2011

Saint Paul, Minnesota

The AAIDD 135th Annual Meeting, Inclusive Communities: Pathways to Realizing the Vision, will provide leading practitioners, researchers, teaching faculty, policymakers, funders, and advocates with effective and emerging practices, cutting edge research, and valuable information on important policy initiatives. The conference will feature plenary sessions, panel and poster presentations, interactive cafés, task force and special interest group meetings, and networking events. Pre- and post-conference workshops will address special topics in depth.

For the schedule of events, go to: http://www.aaidd.org/content_1859.cfm?navID=210

For exhibits and sponsorships: http://www.aaidd.org/content_5246.cfm?navID=328

For hotel information: http://www.aaidd.org/content_266.cfm?navID=336

Free Webinar on Accessible Transient Lodging

The U.S. Access Board and the ADA National Network will offer a free webinar on Accessible Transient Lodging TODAY, Thursday, February 3, 2011 from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern.

In addition to overnight accommodations, hotels, motels, and other places of transient lodging offer many different types of amenities, such as swimming pools, fitness facilities, spas, restaurants, and conference rooms.

This session will provide an overview of requirements for transient lodging facilities in the ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines, including those that address sleeping rooms, bathrooms, and other spaces and amenities.

Presenters will include Jim Pecht and Earleen Sesker, Accessibility Specialists from the U.S. Access Board. The Webinar is free but registration is required. Visit http://www.accessibilityonline.org (click on the “Registration Information” web link to start the process).

Roadmap to Special Education: Laws and Process

This workshop, combining the Article 7 and IEP training, is all day training that offers basic information about special education laws and regulations for Indiana children ages 3-21. In addition, this training will provide information on how to prepare for a case conference and write an IEP. This training is a great opportunity for family members and professionals who advocate for children with a disability or serious chronic illness.

Thursday – February 10, 2011
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
2853 E. Tenth Street
Bloomington, IN 47408

Cost:
$40 – Family Members
$75 - Professionals

For questions, contact training@aboutspecialkids.org

Register online at www.aboutspecialkids.org

Registration for the training will be closed on February 8, 2011