1. Richard
Lavoie -
Richard Lavoie has dedicated his life to teaching children
with special needs and to informing others to the needs of these special
children. He has be awarded the White House Citation in 1990 for his efforts
on behalf of the Learning Disabled. He transformed Riverview
School in Sandwich, MA. As stated on their website:
In 1990, Mr. Richard D. Lavoie was
appointed as Executive Director to succeed Dr. Brooks upon her retirement.
Under Mr. Lavoie's leadership, Riverview experienced extraordinary growth. The
School instituted a plan to improve and expand services to students, their
families and the wider community. With the support and involvement of the
Board of Trustees, Riverview implemented a strategy to enhance the quality and
effectiveness of the program through vertical diversification (accepting
students younger and older than traditional high school ages, major curriculum
redesign and increased emphasis on social skill development. In 1997, the
School received a ten-year reaccreditation by the New England Association of
Schools and Colleges.
Program enhancements of the 1990s include
the initiation of a post secondary program (GROW: Getting Ready for the
Outside World). Filling an urgent need for post high school living, GROW
opened three residences along with an affiliation with Cape Cod Community
College for a college experience as well as liaison with many local employers.
In addition, two third-tier living situations (LIFE: Living Independently
ForEver) opened in Hyannis and then Mashpee, Massachusetts. A middle school
program was opened and a summer camp reestablished. The campus dining hall,
classroom complex and new high school classroom facilities were constructed. A
state-of-the-art Wellness/Fitness Center was opened. In addition, other campus
improvements included a new dormitory, sports field, renovated auditorium,
expanded campus telephone and computer capacity and technology upgrades.
2. Pam and Peter Wright -
Wrightslaw -
Extensive information as related to special education and
the special education law. Techniques and tools for working with school,
agencies, etc. Attention is paid to the health and well-being of parents
caring for children with special needs.
3. Universal
Design for Learning: What it Is, Why Students with LD Need it and How to Make
it Happen
September 24, 2008 1 p.m. ET
Almost three million students in America's schools receive
special education services because of an identified learning disability (LD).
For these students, learning and mastering grade level content can be
challenging, even when provided with specialized instruction, accommodations,
and assistive technology. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a new
approach to teaching and learning that can reduce learning challenges, for all
students, not only for those with LD. By making broad changes to how
information is presented to all students and the ways in which all students
are able to show what they know, the horizons for students with LD will be
expanded from a "student deficit" approach to a "student success" approach.
Join Patricia Kelly Ralabate, Ed.D., Senior Policy Analyst for Special
Education at the National Education Association, as she answers your questions
about UDL and highlights how parents and teacher can work together to support
its implementation in a school or classroom. If you have any experience with
UDL please share that with us and also submit your questions. Read more about
Patricia Kelly Ralabate.
4.
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PARENTING
RESOURCE ASSOCIATES (PRA)
MISSION
and SERVICES
Parenting Resource
Associates (PRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit believes that when the adults who
matter most to children, parents, teachers and other key professionals - have
access to the education, support, and resources they need to best make a
difference in the lives of children that:
children do
better,
families
function more smoothly,
and
communities are stronger.
PRA works with
adults in diverse communities, providing a variety of services in a variety of
settings
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5. Parental
Control Software
The software prevents access to a list of blocked
websites. It does so by forwarding each web-page request to the company's
server for vetting before allowing the page to be loaded.
Advantages: It will block access to many
inappropriate sites
Disadvantages: It gives the company complete
knowledge of the user's web browsing. It slows down browsing (by adding a
round trip to the company's server for every page, and every image on that
page). No list of inappropriate sites is complete or even close to complete,
so it won't always work. It can be trivially bypassed by turning off a
preference (disabling Javascript) in the web browser, which an inquisitive
youth might well figure out. It's already had at least one security
vulnerability of its own that the company hasn't fixed in more than a year
(November, 2008).
Contact web editor for by-pass information.
6.
The
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation- Congressional Links
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation was instrumental in
starting the University Centers on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
(UCEDDs). Beginning in the late 1970’s, a new generation of young
professionals emerged from these Centers with expertise in medicine,
psychology, education, social work, and other disciplines so important to
individuals with intellectual disabilities. These professionals finished their
training programs and have obtained leadership roles in universities,
non-profit service agencies, schools and government.
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Public Policy Fellows Program in
1979 to recognize and encourage the importance of the political process to the
lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. The Kennedy
Fellowship Program was developed to fill that void in knowledge and expertise
and to create policy opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.
Policy
Guide - Constitutent Organizations