Karen Loeffelman, our CDHD Web Development Manager, is retiring this month. Her last day is Friday, May 29.
Karen has been at the University of Idaho since 1984 where she started as an Extension Associate breeding rapeseed/canola. She joined us here at CDHD in 2012, but has been doing web design for the past 25 years! When we asked what her retirement plans were this is what she told us:
I have spent the last 2 years or so equipping my car as a camper and want to travel first around the state of Idaho and outward from there. My daughter lives in Calgary, Canada, so now all of Canada is on my list of places to explore. I love to hike and plan to go through many, many pair of boots on my travels. Reading books I never had time for and relearning my ukulele are also on my immediate list.
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Thank you Karen for all that you have done in your time with us, we wish you the best going forward and will miss you dearly!
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Congratulations to Lily and Tessa
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Tessa and Lily are receiving EHHS Outstanding Staff Awards. Both work for the Idaho Training Clearinghouse under the larger Idaho SESTA project & we are so proud of them and all the work they have done!
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Lily Robb
: Evaluation and Dissemination Coordinator
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Tessa Lake
: IT Specialist
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National Kudos to ITC and SESTA
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Karren Streagle, from the Idaho State Department of Education, sends kudos on behalf of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) for the depth and scope of resources available on the Idaho Training Clearinghouse (idahotc.com) - including resources on alternate assessment and most recently the COVID-19 resource page (idahotc.com/covid19) curated by Idaho Special Education Support and Technical Assistance (SESTA).
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Idaho Project for Children and Youth with Deaf-Blindness
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Doing weekly posts on the project website for the categories of children, parents, and families. The posts have an educational focus for children, coping strategies and resources for parents, and fun family activities like recipes and virtual visits to museums around the world.
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Idaho Living Well Project
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Idaho Living Well with our DD Network partners, has been engaged with multiple stakeholder work-groups to gather feedback and develop recommendations for changes to Home and Community Based Services in Idaho.
The bFair2DirectCare work-group has met in March and April to finalize recommendations to enhance the direct support workforce in Idaho. These recommendations will spur additional work developing training modules for direct support workers in the state. These recommendations will be presented at the Community NOW meeting scheduled for June 24 for further input and refinement.
The Abuse and Neglect Monitoring System Work-group met on March 6, 2020 to review the current abuse and neglect reporting system for people with disabilities. The group also brainstormed what an ideal reporting system would include. The next meeting is scheduled for June 23, 2020, to continue work on developing a new reporting system for Idaho.
The Self-Advocacy Training Work-group has been meeting monthly on Zoom to develop a training model and curriculum. The work-group will meet again in June to review training content for creating training for self-advocates in the areas of Self-Determination, Advocacy, Supported Decision Making, and Rights/Responsibilities.
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CDHD has its own Instagram Page now; follow us if you haven't already!
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Assistive Technology Announcements
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Assistive Tech in a Pandemic
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Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the AT project has been busier than ever! The entire team has worked to create Padlets on a variety of topics in response to the new needs that teachers and families now have, such as family communication, resources for parents and teachers, low-cost internet options, and more. Although the lending libraries had to temporarily close their doors to comply with social distancing requirements, they have been able to make some drop shipments this month to get equipment to students and families around the state. They are currently creating a series of three short assistive technology videos. One has been completed, and the other two are coming soon! People can follow the AT project’s YouTube channel if they would like to check these out!
Krista Kramer has been busy collecting data from a survey that was sent to all assisted living and nursing home facilities around the state, in response to facilities having to shut their doors to all non-essential staff and family members. This survey aims to find out the challenges facilities are facing in regards to their residents being able to video chat with their families amidst social distancing orders. They are in the process of organizing and compiling data collected from 250 facilities! In addition to data collection, Krista has been busy creating and presenting valuable family communication resources to assisted living and nursing home facilities in all regions in the state - way to go Krista!
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Idaho SESTA
Announcements
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Idaho Special Education Support and Technical Assistance (SESTA) has been working hard to continue supporting educators in order to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. While they had to cancel their upcoming statewide trainings and their summer conference, Idaho SESTA has been working closely with the State Department of Education to support the transition to distance learning due to COVID-19. They created, with the Idaho Training Clearinghouse, the Idaho SESTA COVID-19 Resources & Tools webpage for this purpose with guidance, resources, forms, logs and more. The SESTA COVID-19 webpage had over 2,100 views in the first month!
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Workshops & Digital Showcase
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This academic year, artAbility hosted several workshops. In October, artists explored mixed media with local artist, Julene Ewert where she taught the use of collage and acrylic painting. Following that, in November, Potlach-based-artist, Karen Rohn led workshops in digital photography. Finally, in March, participants explored percussion music with the University of Idaho Music Education students. Despite the cancellation of the final workshops and the annual artAbility Showcase, artAbility was still able to bring art to the community through an online platform; on the launch date the showcase had
243
views. The talents and skills of Karen Loeffelman and Shawn Wright, who built and designed the virtual Showcase in a short amount of time, do not go unrecognized. Kudos to Karen and Shawn! The Showcase is available for everyone to enjoy on the CDHD website where art created during the workshops can be appreciated.
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The IdahoSTARS team has been working diligently to provide support to child care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several free training sessions have been hosted online, covering topics such as Professionalism 101 and The Importance of Practicing Self-Care and Reflection to More Effectively Care for Children. These online trainings allow child care professionals to continue participating in professional development opportunities, even from a distance. Additionally, IdahoSTARS Child Care Resource Center staff throughout the state are engaging in a variety of outreach efforts to assist child care professionals during this difficult time. Their efforts include, identifying programs that are affected by COVID-19 and reaching out to businesses and local agencies for donations and supplies. Each region has gone above and beyond to support the child care businesses in their area. After receiving multiple generous donations, the Region 7 team coordinated with local child care providers and the local health department to ensure safe and effective distribution of supplies. This important work has helped alleviate stress and financial strain for multiple child care businesses. During these unprecedented times, the CCRC staff and the entire IdahoSTARS team are more committed than ever to providing the best possible assistance and resources to child care businesses throughout Idaho.
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Amy Chia
IdahoSTARS
September 2016 – May 2020
Major:
Early Childhood Development & Education
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Laura Hannon
Idaho SESTA
January 2018 – May 2020
Core – artAbility, IdahoSTARS, AT
January 2017 – August 2017
Major:
Psychology
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Andrew Martinez
Idaho Living Well
January 2019 – May 2020
IdahoSTARS
September 2017 – December 2018
Major:
Family Development & Aging
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Jacqueline Baxter
AT & Core – artAbility
August 2019 – May 2020
Core – artAbility
September 2018 – December 2018
Major:
Psychology
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Katlin Moffis
Core – Dissemination
September 2018 – May 2020
Major:
Psychology
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Sheridan Meyer
IdahoSTARS
September 2019 – May 2020
Major:
Psychology
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Savannah Valentine
Core & SESTA
September 2019 – May 2020
Major:
Sociology
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Rachel Davis
Core – Leadership Project
August 2019 – May 2020
Major:
Pre-Med
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May
16
- Moscow Drive-In Movie (Kibbie Dome)
23
- Moscow Drive-In Movie (Kibbie Dome)
25
- Memorial Day
30
- Moscow Drive-In Movie (Kibbie Dome)
June
6
- Moscow Drive-In Movie (Kibbie Dome)
8
- Statewide Meeting (IdahoSTARS)
21
- Father's Day
July
4
- Independence Day
14
- Flag Day
27
- Best Practices in Comprehensive Evaluations (SESTA): Boise
29
- Referral to Eligiblility: Making the Process Meaningful (SESTA): Boise
August
1
- Spring 2020 Commencement
24
- Fall 2020 Classes Begin
25
- Best Practices in Comprehensive Evaluations (SESTA): CDA
26
- Referral to Eligiblility: Making the Process Meaningful (SESTA): CDA
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