Family Resource Group- Jan 2024

We hope you enjoyed ringing in the new year and are feeling ready for the road ahead. 2024 brings exciting opportunities for new triumphs. Read on to learn about upcoming events and resources for the month of January and beyond.

Updated newsletters will be shared at the beginning of each month. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me at any time. To be sure that you continue to receive all future updates, directly to your email address, sign-up by clicking the button below.

Tess Nasehi

Family Resource Group BVI Editor

tnasehi@pattankop.net

- Important Federal Quota Program Updates -

- For Winter -

- For Spring -

- ECC at Home -

- Resources to Keep -

*Each section contains 1-5 topics.

Is your child with a visual impairment receiving educational services from a Teacher for Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) or Certified Orientation & Mobility Instructor (COMS)? If so, by giving permission for your child to be counted in the American Printing House for the Blinds (APH) Federal Quota Child Census, your child’s TVI/COMS will have the opportunity to purchase specialized learning materials (e.g., accessible textbooks, aids for low vision, adapted materials for tactile and/or auditory learning, etc.) to incorporate in your child’s and others instruction.

This APH program is funded by the federal government and has recently broadened the eligibility criteria to allow more students to benefit from this program.

Parent permission is required (and must be given to your child’s TVI or COMS). Click the buttons below, and talk with your child’s TVI, COMS or Tess Nasehi (PaTTAN’s Blindness/Visual Impairment Family Support Specialist, tnasehi@pattankop.net), to learn more and view the Federal Quota parent permission form (in English or Spanish).

Registration is now open for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special Education's signature event. This annual statewide conference offers an opportunity to learn and engage with nationally recognized presenters, as well as families and educators from across the state, highlighting effective instructional strategies and interventions designed to make an educational difference for all students.

Conference registration will close at 4:00pm on Friday, February 13, 2024.

The Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education and PaTTAN are pleased to offer parent scholarships to Pennsylvania residents who have school-age children with a current IEP.

• There are a limited number of scholarships for Pennsylvania parents to attend the conference in person.
• ​There are an unlimited number of scholarships for Pennsylvania parents who plan to attend virtually.
• Parent scholarships cover the cost of the conference registration (in-person or virtual).
• ​For those approved to attend in-person who are traveling 50 miles or more, a scholarship may cover the cost of lodging.

Prior to completing this application, you will need to:

~ REGISTER FOR THE PDE CONFERENCE

• Please note: Our system now accepts online payments. However, payment is not required to register when applying for scholarship. Please select CHECK as your payment type and insert PARENT SCHOLARSHIP as the check number.
  

The time to apply for your teenager to attend The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation/Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS)'s Summer Academy is here! This week-long program is designed to offer high school age students with visual impairment the opportunity to expand their knowledge, experiences, and skills in the areas of independent living, travel, assistive technology, as well as college and career readiness. Selected students will stay overnight on a college campus where they will receive assessments, information, and educational experiences aimed at helping students reach their future academic and employment goals. Click the button below to learn more and apply.

If further assistance is needed to complete this form, please reach out to Kiley Foley at kifoley@pa.gov or (814)-949-7960.

Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, February 5th, 2024.

The Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind held in January through March each year in North America for students who are blind or visually impaired. The Braille Institute developed the Braille Challenge to motivate students to practice and hone their braille literacy skills, which are essential to academic and employment success.

This event will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024

at the PaTTAN Central office located at 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112.

Please direct questions to (610) 737-8217 or theveeringcane@gmail.com.

Follow the buttons below for more information and to register your child.

The 2024 Winter Camp, hosted by Camp Abilities Delaware, is an educational sports camp for athletes with visual impairment, ages 5-17. Last year's camp featured instruction in tennis, football, lacrosse, golf, as well as first aid and fire safety. Students cooked lunches and also participated in evening activities, such as bowling and an escape room.

The Winter Camp runs from February 17-19, 2024 and will be held in Lewes, DE at the University of Delaware's Virden Center. Pennsylvania students are welcome to register. A $25 deposit per child is required. However, families are encouraged to contact Camp Abilities Delaware about potential scholarship opportunities at CampAbilitiesDelaware@gmail.com. Click the button below for more information and to register.

The InSights Art competition from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is back! This international art competition, for both amateur and professional artists who happen to be blind, has been running since 1992. Winners will earn prizes, have their artwork displayed in APH's annual exhibit, and have the opportunity to attend APH's annual InSights Art awards celebration in Louisville, Kentucky. Click the button below to learn more and sign up!

Submissions will be accepted until March 29, 2024.

Save the date for Cane Quest- the exciting and challenging orientation & mobility contest for students in grades 3-12! With three competition categories to choose from, students are sure to have their travel skills put to the test. Stay tuned for further details.

This event will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024.

Please direct questions to (610) 737-8217 or theveeringcane@gmail.com.

Click the button below for more information.

Students who are blind or visually impaired are taught skills from the 9 areas of the expanded core curriculum (ECC). You might already be teaching or reinforcing some of these skills at home.

Areas of the ECC include assistive technology, compensatory skills, career education, recreation and leisure, orientation & mobility (O&M), social skills, self-determination or advocacy skills, visual efficiency, and independent living skills. Read on to find ways to continue reinforcing the ECC in your own home and community, and click here to learn more about the ECC.

We will spotlight a new area of the ECC each month! This month, we're highlighting self-determination and advocacy.

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) offers many resources to learn more about and promote self-determination and advocacy skills for your child and family.

• Related articles, such as "Teaching Your Child about Self-Advocacy," on self-determination and self-advocacy can be found on the ConnectCenter site.

• Recordings of self-determination webinars and self-advocacy , such as "The Dignity of Risk and The Needs for Self-Advocacy" and "Freedom First Approach for Self-Determination of Babies and Young Children," can be found on Access Academy's YouTube channel

The Perkins School for the Blind houses a vast library of articles and videos on the topic of self-determination and advocacy. Anyone can visit the Perkins website and search for self-determination resources and self-advocacy resources. Below are a few examples of what Perkins has to offer in this area.

• "Self-Determination: A Student's Perspective" (video by Nancy Moskowicz)
• "Learning to Self-Advocate" (guide by Veronica Lewis)
  
• "Preparing for Transition Using an Activity-Based Self-Determination Curriculum" (activities overview by Denise Fitzgerald)

There are other organizations that offer a variety of social skills resources. Listed below are some examples:

• PaTTAN has a new "Student-Led IEP Resource Hub" aimed at helping teams develop student's involvement and leadership skills in the IEP process. This is a major component of self-determination. Be sure to check the Hub out!

• This article, titled "Accessing Self-Determination Through a Creative Process" (by Kathi Garza and Chrissy Cowan), from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) documents ways students can creatively learn about and express their visual needs.

• The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) has created a tool called the "Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Toolkit" to aid students in higher education in advocating for their needs. This may be a fabulous tool for students who are attending or are preparing to attend college or university programs.

• The Center for Parent Information & Resources shares the "Best Practices in Self-Advocacy Skill Building" page dedicated to helping students develop self-advocacy skills. Here you will find resources for youth, fact sheets, toolkits, training materials, resources in other languages, and more!

ALL students can reach their maximum potential!

That is the fundamental belief of the FAMILIES TO THE MAX: Pennsylvania Statewide Family Network (F2MAX). This dedicated group of families, professionals, and community members is leading change in our homes, schools, and communities. By building awareness, empowering families, presuming competence, and fostering high expectations of students with disabilities, the Network is leading change in Pennsylvania. Click the link below to learn more.

PA Parents of Blind Children is a division of the NFB of Pennsylvania. It is the mission of the PA Parents of Blind Children to provide resources and information to parents with blind and low vision children living in the commonwealth. Families can connect with others who have had similar journeys so that no parent feels alone.

Click the button below to visit PA Parents of Blind Children's Facebook page.

NFBP also has a division for students with visual impairments: the PA Association of Blind Students. The purpose of this organization is to promote educational opportunities and the general well-being of the blind of this nation and the state, and to function as an integral part of the National Federation of the Blind.

Information highlighting scholarships, workshops/seminars, national/state conventions, and internship possibilities is distributed during the year. An in-person meeting is conducted at the state convention, and presentations are held throughout the year.

The division conducts monthly conference calls via Zoom on the second Saturday starting at 7:30 PM. To verify the date and time of the meeting, obtain the participation details, and to learn more about the division, please contact President Simon Bonenfant at 610-212-0016 or sbonenfant2@gmail.com.

Click the button below for more information.

Are you interested in connecting with other parents and families of children who are blind or visually impaired? APH (American Printing House for the Blind) FamilyConnect and the Chicago Lighthouse have partnered together to provide a virtual support group that connects on the first Wednesday of every month from 7:30pm-8:30pm (ET). Click the buttons below for more information and to register for the next support group meeting.

Looking for a little help navigating the special education process? This bundle includes several different publications that provide essential, comprehendible information to families who are new to special education.

Topics include procedural safeguards, special education resources, special education evaluation and reevaluation, a glossary of special education terms, and more!