August 29, 2000

Hello!

As a member of the Family Center on Technology and Disability Network, you are eligible to receive these weekly e-mail updates on Family Center activities. We hope that they will be informative and useful to you. The Family Center is dedicated to providing information about technology to organizations that work with families of children with disabilities.

New Network Members....

First, we want to welcome the following new members to the Network:

The Capper Foundation, KS
Consortium for Children and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs, D.C.

The Family Center on Technology and Disability Network welcomes you, and hopes that you will find participation in the Network useful in providing services!

RESOURCES

FAMILY CENTER MODEL PROGRAMS

This week we are highlighting the Family Center Model Program, Parents Helping Parents iTECH Center

Goal

The goal of the iTECH Center is to ensure that children and adults with special needs, their families and the professionals who serve them are aware of and utilize technology to enhance potential and to broaden the quality and enjoyment of their lives. Underlying this goal is the belief that with the help of assistive technology, individuals with special needs will be able to enter the mainstream of all aspects of society and be fully contributing, visible members of society.

The iTECH Center is a resource center of the Alliance for Technology Access and also a program of Parents Helping Parents (PHP), Inc. in Santa Clara, CA. PHP, a nonprofit family resource center, is a Parent Training and Information Center and for 23 years has served children with physical, mental, emotional, or learning disabilities. The program is supported by a California Assistive Technology System (CATS) grant to provide information and referral services.

Sources of Funds
Major sources of support are grants from the federal government, industry grants and membership fees that support much of iTECH's parent agency. The program also receives funds through the Department of Rehabilitation, the Department of Developmental Services, corporations, and foundations. The iTECH program operates on an annual budget of $75,000 with 81% of this amount used for direct services.

Population Served
Children of all ages with a range of disabilities, from infancy through high school, to young adults transitioning to post-secondary education. In particular, iTECH notes they are serving higher numbers of children with autism and learning disabilities, than they are those with other disabilities. iTECH serves consumers from all geographic areas in California, with the majority coming from the South Bay area.

One of the services iTECH provides is a lending library which has a substantial number of high and low technology devices available for individuals, families and professionals to explore and try out at no cost.

For more information on iTECH and the services it provides, go to http://fctd.ucp.org/fctd/site3.htm.

SOFTWARE FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS
Are you interested in software programs that would help pre-schoolers? There are a number of fun software programs for young children that are engaging and educational. One program that teaches numbers, shapes, colors, as well as beginning computer skills and has a lot of activities, games, and songs that appeal to young children (Mac/Windows) is called:

Jumpstart Preschool Knowledge Adventure 1-800-545-7677 www.knowledgeadventure.com

For additional information on other software programs for pre-schoolers, go to http://fctd.ucp.org/fctd/bbt.htm and follow the instructions for log in.

TRAINING SERIES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION -- ATTENTION NEVADA RESIDENTS Nevada PEP Central Office in Southern Nevada is offering a training series on special education law. This five part training set will give you the tools to advocate effectively for children and teens with disabilities. Certificates of completion will be given to any participant that completes all five workshops.

Nevada PEP (Parents Encouraging Parents) is Nevada's Parent Training and Information Center on Disabilities. We are a non-profit organization and all workshops are FREE!

Where: Nevada PEP Central Office at 2810 W. Charleston, G68 Las Vegas, NV 89102, Quail Park IV Office Complex. Major cross streets: Charleston and Rancho. Call (702) 388-8899 to reserve your spot!

Classes are held on Saturday, 9:00 AM - 12:00 NOON and consist of 5 sessions.

PARTICIPATE IN THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS (OSEP) PLANNING PROCESS
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is soliciting input on improving results for infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. Information will be used by OSEP to develop a long-range, comprehensive plan for the part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that funds programs which reflect best practices to states, school systems, and families.

You can participate by completing the survey online at www.OSEPplanning.org. To request a paper, Spanish, large print or Braille version of the survey, please call (800) 510-1668 (800/813-5812 for TTY), send email to OSEPplanning@westat.com, or write to Westat, OSEP Comprehensive Planning Project, 1009 Slater Road, Suite 110, Durham, NC 27703.

Let Us Know...

...if you have recommendations for organizations to join the FCTD Network! Additionally, if you have events you would like posted, send an E-Mail with the details to Sgoodman@ucp.org. As always, we continue to look for good organizations that are interested in assistive technology and families with members with disabilities. Brochures can be obtained by sending an e-mail to Susan Goodman (see URL above). All it takes to join the Family Center network of organizations is an e-mail message!

We love your feedback about the weekly e-mail and input about topics you would like to see covered! Please continue to send us this information.

Have a great week!