Registration link for Special Education Symposium!
The registration link is finally up for the Special Education Symposium! Click here: “REGISTER” to sign up today! See the details on the flyer below for more information.
Registration is under way for the 2016 Special Education Symposium held in Des Moines June 13-14.
The symposium, which is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education and is at no cost to participants, is intended for special education teachers, teacher leaders and mentors, Area Education Agency staff, administrators, and families with students with disabilities.
Breakout sessions will include topics such as enhancements for early interventions, literacy and significant disabilities, improving adolescent literacy, leadership supports in special education, teaching social emotional skills, and addressing Specially Designed Instruction through diagnosis, design, delivery and engagement.
Keynote speakers are Don Deshler, a nationally known expert is Specially Designed Instruction and Todd Whitaker, who specializes in staff motivation for teachers and administrators. Another keynote speaker is Tim Harris, a 26-year-old with Down Syndrome who owns and runs his restaurant in Albuquerque, Ariz. He also runs a nonprofit, Tim’s Big Heart Foundation, which helps people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
In addition to the keynote speakers, there also will be nationally renowned speakers at the breakout sessions.
The symposium will be held at the Iowa Events Center. When making hotel reservations, be sure to mention that you are attending the Iowa Department of Education Symposium.
We look forward to learning and networking with you there!
WIOA what?!?
No… that is NOT Iowa spelled incorrectly! If you have heard the acronym “WIOA” it stands for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.
There are still lots of details to work out as this new process moves forward, so to help you have some basic information, here are several documents that may help you understand some of these changes:
- Memorandum of Agreement notice between IVRS & the DE
- WIOA Webinar Powerpoint – Dec. 2015
- WIOA Webinar – approximately 30 minutes
- FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
All of the information above may be found on the Department of Education website under Special Education/Secondary Transition.
As more information comes out, we will keep you posted!
Job Interests Picture Inventory & Strengths, Interests, & Preference Visual
The Job Interests Picture Inventory is another great tool you can use with your students that may need a visual cue on possible employment options.
This form was created by a fellow teacher, so a special thanks for both his creativity AND his willingness to share! Helping and learning from others…. now that’s what we want to model for our kids, right? 🙂
So, since he showed us a great example, if there are other careers that you want your students to have to choose from, you now have a guide for creating one on your own.
You could do something similar by using pictures from a computer program like Board Maker, etc. to make a visual representation to help your students determine their strengths, interests & preferences. Click Strengths, Interests, Preferences Picture Options for yet another great sample that was shared!
Keep all your great ideas coming! Together, we can help make our kids/student’s transition as seamless as possible!
Look, Cook & Eat: Great Digital Cookbook option!
Check out this great website Look, Cook & Eat and then share it with your friends & families! And it’s nice to know that this site was developed by a local Des Moines person. It’s a great resource to utilize with our schools who teach more of a life skills program, so be sure to pass this site along to others, including your school’s Family and Consumer Science (FCS) teachers!
- It costs $30 for a year subscription to a digital step by step cooking magazine for individuals with disabilities.
- It shares easy to follow videos, and is a great resource!
- It’s about being able to fix well-balanced but easy meals… something many of us (well, at least myself!!) can always use!
So, check it out, and see if this is a perfect tool to help our students/children become even more independent!
Age of Majority – TRANSLATIONS are done!!
The Iowa Department of Education has just posted the Age of Majority documents in multiple languages on the DE Website! This is 
great for our families who need to understand these important topics in different languages. The links include not only the parent and student guides, but also copies of the Power of Attorney (directions and actual form) and a copy of the revocation of Power of Attorney (both directions & actual form).
The Age of Majority materials are now in English, Arabic, Bosnian, Laotian, Serbo- Croatian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. (Hint: One district gives both the English copy, as well as, the copy in the family’s language to help them learn the words – – via the parent’s request!) Below are the links, which are also found on the DE web site at the top of this page:
Age of Majority Materials in English
- Parent Guidance–October 2015
- Student Guidance–October 2015
- Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Transfer of Rights Decision Tree & Charts–October 2015
Arabic Age of Majority Materials
- Arabic Parent Guidance–October 2015
- Arabic Student Guidance–October 2015
- Arabic Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Arabic Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Arabic Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Arabic Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Arabic Transfer of Rights Decision Tree & Charts–October 2015
Bosnian Age of Majority Materials
- Bosnian Parent Guidance–October 2015
- Bosnian Student Guidance–October 2015
- Bosnian Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Bosnian Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Bosnian Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Bosnian Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Bosnian Transfer of Rights Decision Tree & Charts–October 2015
Laotian Age of Majority Materials
- Laotian Parent Guidance–October 2015
- Laotian Student Guidance–October 2015
- Laotian Power of Attorney Decision–Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Laotian Power of Attorney Decision–Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Laotian Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Laotian Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Laotian Transfer of Rights Decision Tree & Charts–October 2015
Serbo-Croatian Age of Majority Materials
- Serbo-Croatian Parent Guidance–October 2015
- Serbo-Croatian Student Guidance–October 2015
- Serbo-Croatian Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Serbo-Croatian Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Serbo-Croatian Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Serbo-Croatian Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Serbo-Croatian Transfer of Rights Decision Tree & Charts–October 2015
Spanish Age of Majority Materials
- Spanish Parent Guidance–October 2015
- Spanish Student Guidance–October 2015
- Spanish Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Spanish Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Spanish Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Spanish Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Spanish Transfer of Rights Decision Tree & Charts–October 2015
Vietnamese Age of Majority Materials
- Vietnamese Parent Guidance–October 2015
- Vietnamese Student Guidance–October 2015
- Vietnamese Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Vietnamese Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Vietnamese Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Directions)–October 2015
- Vietnamese Revocation of Power of Attorney Decision-Making (Actual)–October 2015
- Vietnamese Transfer of Rights Decision Tree & Charts–October 2015
Thanks, Iowa DE, for translating these for our families!!
Updated Junior/Senior Postsecondary Checklist
The Junior-Senior Checklist – for Postsecondary has recently been updated to
better reflect a “to do” list for students before they head off for additional training after graduating from high school.
If you have copies of the original sheet, please recycle those and use this revised version. The major change is due to the shift in Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
Your high school counselor is also an excellent resource for other postsecondary considerations.
Driver’s license – great online practice tests!
The Iowa Department of Transportation has some great ways for students to practice for their driver’s license test.
Iowa Driver Practice Test site
There is also a new option that has an additional link you can open easily on your desktop! 
Click on the DOT Motor Vehicle Link and you can also access the other options (Android, iPad, Kindle Fire) here as well. These are very easy to use sites that your student/child can practice when they have some spare time.
The entire Driver’s License Manuel may also be viewed online (and printed in sections, if desired) for easy access.
Thanks, Iowa DOT, for making this available for use!
New Transition Clinic at the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD)
Do you know a teen with a disability, who wants to work on independence or discuss training/ employment options, transition to adult medical care, relationships, and other future plans? CDD’s new Transition Clinic in Iowa City opens on Wednesday, January 21st and will run on the third Wednesday of each month.
Anne Tabor and Joni Bosch have been working on transitions services for a long time. Joni Bosch, Jennifer Luria, Mary Corbin, Tammy Becicka, Dr. Dianne McBrien, and Anne Tabor will be part of the team.
Below is a flyer that provides information about this new service. Please share this information with others who may have interest in this service.
If you have any questions about CDD’s Transition Clinic, please contact:
- Barb Thomas
- Administrative Services Coordinator
- Center for Disabilities and Development
- (319) 356-1511
- barbara-s-thomas@uiowa.edu
O*NET – a great classroom resource!
So, how many of you have students who seem to have an unrealistic transition plan? As a freshman/sophomore, they still have time to explore more options, but as your students enter their junior year, it is critically important that they understand their abilities need to fit together with the required skills for their desired career.
If you have never used O*NET Online, this site can help students understand some of the skills and abilities they will need for their intended career path.
There are two basic ways to research possible careers: one is quick and easy, and provides basic job information; the other is also quick, but provides much more job-specific detail.
The quick way for your students to explore possible careers is by typing their career choice in the box shown her
e:
This will take them to a page where they have three options: They can search by a specific career, by the related industry, or even by answering some questions to help determine possible careers that match their interests. This gives them some quick and easy information on a possible career.
Now, if your students want more in-depth information regarding a specific career, then you need to direct them to the box shown below:
When they type their specific career in this box, they will get a much more detailed list of information regarding their intended career. It gives lists for each career in the following areas:
- Tasks
- Tools and Technology
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Abilities
- and many, many more!
This provides a great talking point to help the student see if their abilities and skills are a good fit for their chosen career. It can show them areas that they may need to work on while still in high school to help make their transition to postsecondary training go more smoothly.
The O*NET site has a great wealth of information that is easy for both you and your students to access, and provide a valuable discussion for transition planning. Have them highlight the skills/abilities that they feel that are strengths, as well as marking those that they feel could be problem areas. Discuss possible options they have to improve those areas.
If you have any questions about using this O*NET site, please contact your transition coordinator. And encourage your students to dig deep as they explore their options!
~ Elaine Cook
Change in Age of Majority documentation on the new IEP
As with any new program, there is always a new learning curve.
For almost a decade, your transition coordinators have trained (and trained!) that Middle School Special Education teachers should almost NEVER have to fill in the dates for Age of Majority on Page A of the IEP.
If you don’t remember what Age of Majority is all about (because you didn’t need to know it!), filling in these dates meant that you distributed the Age of Majority – Parents Guide as well as the Age of Majority – Student Guide at the IEP meeting. The date that this was done is documented in the notification blanks listed as student and parent. (see sample below). In order to meet compliance, this had to be documented prior to the student turning 17 years old.
The major change is that the new IEP form will not submit UNTIL these blanks are filled in for any student reaching transition age (13+) and up. That means it will be the middle school special education teachers most often filling in these blanks and distributing the parent and student forms.
It does not seem realistic that many parents of 13½ year olds will be focusing on their child’s 18th birthday. Since this information can be critically important for future planning, it will probably mean that high school special education teachers will need to redistribute the Parent and Student Guides again, prior to the student’s 17th birthday.
If you have any questions, please be sure to contact your transition coordinator.
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