Back to (virtual) School - resources, trainings and support for families

Children with Special Needs, need Parents with Special Skills!

Fall 2020

The Fall Newsletter - Back to School

We hope everyone is doing as well they can be as we enter our sixth month of the COVID-19 response. We have lots of resources in our first newsletter of the 2020/21 school year and we hope our information will help your family navigate this new reality. This news letter includes -

A video training to help families prepare for IEP meetings
Upcoming AJE events
The Voices of Change Secondary Transition Conference runs over the next two weeks and has something for everyone.
Two online HSCSN events for families of children with special health care needs

AJE has been busy this summer, creating and sharing resources for families and advocating for DC's children with disabilities and special healthcare needs. For example -

We have created more resources in Spanish.
We pushed for, and got, more transparency in OSSE's oversight of special education,
After many years of advocacy, charter schools now need to comply with the Open Meetings Act.
We are making sure the needs of students with disabilities remain centered in the conversation about school discipline.
We have also increased the resources available on Facebook and online for our families

Know someone who might be interested in this newsletter? Click on the button below to send them at copy! You can also tell them to text "AJE" to 22828 to join our mailing list!

Voices of Change Transition Conference is ONLINE! Starting TODAY and running through NEXT Friday, there are great sessions for Parents, Youth and Educators.

It is not too late to sign up and participate in some great online sessions designed to help youth with disabilities live a full life!

AJE is hosting three trainings from Got Transition about preparing youth for the transition to the adult health care system, and AJE will be at the Virtual Exhibit Hall for Educators this Wednesday, September 16, from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm and
next Wednesday, September 23, 2020 from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm.

Preparing for an IEP meeting; a new AJE video, and a template for creating your own parent agenda and taking meeting notes.

AJE is excited to share our just released training video Preparing for IEP Meetings to help parents get ready for their children's IEP meetings!

You can access the parent agenda template we discuss in the video here. Parents should feel free to download the agenda and individualize it as much as they want to.

If you have additional questions, our website is full of resources, from upcoming events to easy-to-understand fact sheets. We even have a short presentation here about what schools' obligations are during distance learning that families might find helpful.

Back to School 2020: Preparing for an IEP Meeting

Finally, if you find meetings stressful, please take a listen to this short pre-meeting meditation, it is just 10 minutes long and can help you feel more relaxed and confident going into the meeting.

Upcoming AJE events!

Families can always find our upcoming events at our online calendar, where we also post community events!

We are excited about two upcoming events we are hosting!

First, we have a Lunch and Learn on the Education of Jailed and Detained DC Youth on September 29th. For more information about the education that DC youth are receiving while they are detained, please see this blog post. You can register here.

We are also very excited to offer a training for parents and other community members on DC Residency in partnership with the Children's Law Center. We know that the COVID-19 response and distance learning have impacted many DC families' situations and we are happy to share information and resources around residency.

In addition to these event, AJE, with support from SchoolTalk, will be hosting a series of community conversations about Race and Special Education this fall. This series will generate a list of recommendations by DC families to make Special Education more equitable.

Look for more information soon!

Resources available on AJE's website: Mental Health, Housing, Food, Workers Rights

Our website www.aje-dc.org is a great resource for families. For example, we link to many Mental Health Resources, both local and national, on our blog.

Do you have a concern about your experiences with a Department of Behavior Health provider? The DBH Ombudsman might be able to help you or answer your questions.

Want to encourage resilience in your children? This article might help.

Has the COVID-19 response impacted your housing situation? Are you worried about eviction? Landlord Tenant Legal Assistance Network (LTLAN) might be able to help, you can call them at 202-780-2575.

We list many emergency food resources here, and have information about the Produce Plus Program here.

We link to an important webinar here from the Pay Coalition and the Office of the Attorney General on the new minimum wage, paid family leave, and Workers' Rights laws. Families can also find out more about DC paid family leave here.

Finally, if you need help finding affordable technology or internet, look here for suggestions!

New resources from OSSE

OSSE recently published a Special Education Resource Hub for families, which complements their existing Special Education resources, available here.

We know many families are considering homeschooling right now - please take a look here to see OSSE's latest resources on homeschooling in DC.

Finally, parents can still find resources and policy guidance related to the COVID-19 response at OSSE's COVID-19 page.

Upcoming community events!

Families can always find our upcoming events at our online calendar, where we also post community and partner events that might interest our families. For example, this Wednesday alone we have 4 events on the calendar! Including the HSCSN Community Service Advisory Council meeting!

HSCSN is also hosting a Virtual Back to School Bash on September 26th.

Coming soon - Early Intervention Cafes!

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 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 |

Email: information@aje-dc.org | Website: www.aje-dc.org

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