March is Disability Awareness Month

During the month of March, the City of Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD) will showcase artworks by Stone Belt clients to celebrate March as Disability Awareness Month. Works are created in a variety of media, including what has become Stone Belt’s signature style, the mixed-media mosaic.

The exhibit will be on display March 1 – 31.  Exhibition hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, as well as additional evening and weekend hours when City Hall is open for meetings. A reception will be held on Friday, March 6, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., which is free and open to the public. In addition to being on display, the Stone Belt artwork will be available for purchase. Stone Belt artists will be in attendance to meet the public, discuss the artwork and answer questions.

Roadmap to Special Education: Laws and Process

March 25, 2015

8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Sponsored by About Special Kids, 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.

Location:
St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
100 N. State Road 46 Bypass
Bloomington, IN  47408

Cost:
$40 / Family Member
$75 / Professional

Register at www.aboutspecialkids.org or call 800-964-4746

Pocket guide to the 2010 ADA standards for accessible design

This Pocket guide to the 2010 ADA standards for accessible design, based on the Access Board’s ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines, has selected sections from the ADA Regulations for Title II and Title III and Safe Harbor References. This handy reference replaces the 1991 ADA Standards and has 200 additional references that are potentially modified by the safe harbor provisions.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu.

Mobile App Monday - iBrailler

Thanks to a team of Stanford University students, people with visual impairments now have access to a free braille-writing app. iBrailler Notes allows iPad users to use their fingers to communicate. The app creates customized keyboard layouts based on the users’s hand positions and allows them to type in both braille and English.

To learn more about this app, please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibrailler-notes/id929976332?mt=8

Testing accommodations for students with disabilities: Research-based practice

Testing accommodations for students with disabilities: Research-based practice offers research-based guidelines for deciding when test accommodations are appropriate for a student with disabilities. The authors take into account the test being taken, the accommodations being considered, and the student's functional skills. Case studies apply the guidelines to specific scenarios.

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

Thinking differently: An inspiring guide for parents of children with learning disabilities

Thinking differently: An inspiring guide for parents of children with learning disabilities is an innovative, comprehensive guide to help parents understand and accept learning disabilities in their children, offering tips and strategies for successfully advocating on their behalf and helping them become their own best advocates.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

How I learn: A kid's guide to learning disability

How I Learn: A Kid's Guide to Learning Disability provides a simple explanation of why some children struggle in school. It introduces learning disability in concrete terms for younger students, emphasizing that they are capable of learning but do so in a different way from most children.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

ABLE Act

The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act was signed into law on December 19, 2014. It allows for the creation of a new savings account for families with people with disabilities to save for future disability-related expenses without losing Medicaid and Social Security benefits.

To learn more about the ABLE Act and the next steps, check out the following resources:
ABLE Act Info Sheet - created by The Arc
ABLE Act (expanded info) - created by The Arc
ABLE Account Planning video - created by the National Disability Institute

INDATA Project Open House

The INDiana Assistive Technology (INDATA) Project, at Easter Seals Crossroads, invites you to attend their open house, scheduled for March 3, 2015 from 2:00-6:00 p.m. at Crossroads, 4740 Kingsway Drive, in Indianapolis.

Check out INDATA’s new space on the third floor, tour the undated assistive lab, and meet ARTI, the Assistive Robotics Technology Initiative, experience some of the latest wearable technology, explore the zero-gravity workstation, and learn how assistive technology devices can be used at home, school, and the workplace.

Teen invents device to keep grandfather with Alzheimer's safe

Kenneth Shinozuka has a passion for keeping his grandfather safe. As a six year old, Kenneth saw first-hand his grandfather's tendency to get lost. Now as a teen, he has devised a system for tracking his grandfather's movements.

See his TedTalk here:
http://www.ted.com/talks/kenneth_shinozuka_my_simple_invention_designed_to_keep_my_grandfather_safe

Practical parenting and learning disabilities: A simple guide for teachers and parents

Practical parenting and learning disabilities: A simple guide for teachers and parents is a two part guide written in order to help parents simplify their lives as well as their children's lives. The first part is a straightforward guide to discipline that will help make everyone's lives more secure and content. It helps parents establish limits and guidelines for what their children are or are not allowed to do. The second part is a guide to help parents secure and receive the proper education for their children. It helps to identify learning styles and learning disabilities.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Teaching word recognition: Effective strategies for students with learning difficulties

Teaching word recognition: Effective strategies for students with learning difficulties synthesizes the research base on word recognition and translates it into step-by-step instructional strategies, with special attention to students who are struggling. Chapters follow the stages through which students progress as they work toward skilled reading of words. Presented are practical, evidence-based techniques and activities that target letter- sound pairings, decoding and blending, sight words, multisyllabic words, and fluency. -book description

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Selecting the right analyses for your data: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods

What are the most effective methods to code and analyze data for a particular study? Selecting the right analyses for your data reviews the selection criteria for coding and analyzing any set of data--whether qualitative, quantitative, mixed, or visual. The authors systematically explain when to use verbal, numerical, graphic, or combined codes, and when to use qualitative, quantitative, graphic, or mixed-methods modes of analysis. -book description

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Mobile App Monday - Be My Eyes-helping blind see

Be My Eyes is about becoming a member of a community contributing to the independence of people with vision impairments. Blind users can request help and sighted users will be phoned. The caller then points the phone's camera at the object in question to get answers about the object.

Want to learn more? Please visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/be-my-eyes-helping-blind-see/id905177575?mt=8

Digital technology and the elderly

Smashing Magazine, a site that "delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers," offered an interesting article yesterday on designing technology for use with older individuals. The article discusses different types of technology and what works, and what doesn't, for those over the age of 65.

To read the entire article, please visit:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/02/05/designing-digital-technology-for-the-elderly/

Designing teacher evaluation systems

Designing teacher evaluation systems: New guidance from the measures of effective teaching project shares the latest lessons from the MET project. With 15 original studies, some of the field's most preeminent experts tap the MET project's unprecedented collection of data to offer new insights on evaluation methods and the current state of teaching in our schools. - from the book description

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

U.S. Currency Reader Program

Looking for a way to help someone with a vision impairment determine what monetary denominations they have? The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing is offering a free U.S. currency reader to anyone eligible to join the currency reader program. The small device can be programmed with voice, vibrate, or issue tones to let the user know whether they're holding a $1 bill or a different denomination.

To learn more about eligibility requirements and to apply, please visit:
http://bep.gov/images/MA_-_US_Currency_Reader_Application_FF-_English.pdf

Upcoming workshops

Several workshops will be offered/sponsored in the next few weeks by the folks at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. Here's a listing:

Center on Community Living and Careers
Discovering Personal Genius: The Discovery Practice That Yields
Employment Results
February 17, 18 (sold out), or 19th
http://iidc.indiana.edu/styles/iidc/defiles/INSTRC/Regional%20Discovery%20trainings%20flyer.pdf

Center for Education and Lifelong Learning
Introduction to Restorative Practices
February 20
https://indianauniv.ungerboeck.com/prod/SignIn.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprod%2femc00%2fregister.aspx%3fOrgCode%3d10%26EvtID%3d6715%26AppCode%3dREG&OrgCode=10&EvtID=6715&DictSeq=47&Lang=*&AppCode=REG&CultureInfo=en-US.

Using Circles Effectively
February 26
https://indianauniv.ungerboeck.com/prod/SignIn.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprod%2femc00%2fregister.aspx%3fOrgCode%3d10%26EvtID%3d6714%26AppCode%3dREG&OrgCode=10&EvtID=6714&DictSeq=47&Lang=*&AppCode=REG&CultureInfo=en-US.

Indiana Resource Center for Autism
Autism and Sensory Differences: Strategies for Improving Quality of Life
https://indianauniv.ungerboeck.com/prod/SignIn.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprod%2femc00%2fregister.aspx%3fOrgCode%3d10%26EvtID%3d6756%26AppCode%3dREG&OrgCode=10&EvtID=6756&SessionID=fc0fc8felfgpfg7ejn&DictSeq=39&Lang=*&AppCode=REG&CultureInfo=en-US

CMS Guidance and Autism Spectrum Disorders
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8759830393365335297

Center on Aging and Community
Memory Bridge Training Retreat
http://www.memorybridge.org/

Mobile App Monday - Visual Budget: Expense Tracking and Budget Management

Looking for a visual budgeting app? With Visual Budget, easily manage your personal and business accounts using powerful, advanced analysis and consolidation features. Assign a budget to every category, and accurately monitor the evolution of your income and expenses.

The application comes with an example account featuring a dozen transactions which will allow you to quickly become familiar with it. 

Want to learn more? Please visit:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visual-budget-expense-tracking/id458571562?mt=8