Working together to support students with disabilities
Resources for Special Education Professionals
August 2021
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Greetings!

We hope you are enjoying your summer and staying cool and comfortable despite the record-setting temperatures and the infamous humidity.

This edition of AJE's newsletter for Special Education Professionals includes lots of great resources and links for Special Educators, Administrators and the families you are supporting!

You can also always find more on our website, for example -


We hope you find our information helpful. If you do, please forward it to a colleague!
Professional Opportunities & Resources
Lunch & Learn

AJE has two upcoming Lunch & Learn session that might be a of interest to area educators and other professionals -

Our August 30th Lunch & Learn will feature Marla Spindel from the DC Kincare Alliance and is titled Children who are being cared for by grandparents and other kin - what schools, education attorneys and others need to know to support them; a conversation with the DC Kincare Alliance. You can register for this session and receive a recording of the event here.

On October 25th we are hosting Lunch & Learn with Tzedek - What Education Attorneys and Advocates need to know to serve low-income families struggling with debt. A conversation with Tzedek about debt and disability, covering Debt Collection, SSI/SSDI, Student Loan Relief, and more - including when to refer clients to Tzedek for additional support. You can register for this session here.


OSEP Updates and Resources

AJE is happy to share periodic updates from the United States Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) on our blog. Two recent resources we wanted to highlight are below and previous updates from OSEP are available on our website too - just search for "OSEP".

Upcoming PROGRESS Center Webinar: Six Key Instructional Practices for Accelerating Learning and Promoting Progress for Students with Disabilities

How can educators accelerate learning and promote progress for students with disabilities as they return to school this fall? Join the PROGRESS Center for a webinar on August 24, 2021, at 3:00 pm ET. During this webinar, presenters will highlight six high-leverage, evidence-based practices shown to support implementation of high-quality instructional programming for students with and at risk for disabilities regardless of their identified disability category or grade span. These practices were identified through an extensive, systematic meta-analysis. Learn more and register for the webinar!

Choosing and Creating Accessible Grade-Level Texts for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms

The TIES Center has published two new TIPs to assist general and special educators in choosing and creating accessible grade-level texts for use in inclusive classrooms. The two TIPs include:


More and more DC parents are exploring homeschooling right now. Homeschooling is permitted in DC and is regulated by OSSE. There are two new informational guides on homeschooling in the District of Columbia. Homeschool Information for District of Columbia Families provides parents and legal guardians with information on the requirements to homeschool, including notification to OSSE. Homeschooling in the District of Columbia: An Informational Guide for LEAs provides LEAs and schools with information about homeschooling, including the steps a school must take to withdraw a student due to homeschooling.

You can find more details about these new guidelines here: https://www.aje-dc.org/2020/08/14/osse-has-released-new-homeschooling-informational-guides-for-schools-and-families/ and also here https://www.aje-dc.org/2021/08/13/home/.

Earlier this year, AJE interviewed Stephanie Thomas, Home School Coordinator from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education(OSSE), to talk about the homeschooling program at the OSSE. You can listen to the interview here.  For more information on homeschooling in the District of Columbia, including homeschooling regulations, please visit OSSE’s homeschooling website or you can contact OSSE.Homeschool@dc.gov.


Helpful Links for Homeless Children & Youth

COVID-19 has resulted in an increase in students who are homeless and/or housing insecure. We hope these resources are helpful to you as you teach and support students.

Upcoming AJE Events for Families
AJE is seeking parents for a focus group on distance learning - please share this link - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvf-6rpjguE91v993z8YObgmQgvvIYSyqo and/or this flier with families who might be interested.
Surveys and Focus Groups (many paid) for families

AJE's website has numerous opportunities for families to share their experiences with researchers and other professionals. A few are listed below


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Free Professional Development Opportunity from AAP on providing Telehealth to children and youth with special health care needs.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is offering a free, six-unit online course to support pediatric health care professionals in providing preventive, acute, and chronic telehealth and distant care services.

Three of the six units, all of which can be taken at any time, are specifically focused on enhancing telehealth care for children and youth with special health care needs. Read more and register here.

About AJE:
Advocates for Justice and Education is the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center and the Health Information Center for DC. AJE seeks to empower families, youth, and the community to be effective advocates to ensure that children and youth, particularly those who have special needs, receive access to appropriate education and health services.
 
Our passion is empowering families by equipping parents and students with disabilities with the tools they need to be their own best advocates.

Have questions? We are here to educate, advocate and empower. Contact us today!
Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.| (P) 202.678.8060 | (F) 202.678.8062 |

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