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Across North Carolina, the new school year is already getting underway! Some students returned to the classroom last week, others began this week, and many more will head back next week.
A new school year brings new opportunities, big transitions, and plenty of unknowns. No matter where your family’s journey takes you this year,
ECAC is here to support you.
We know this time of year can bring a mix of excitement, anticipation, questions, and sometimes a little uncertainty. Whether you’re navigating special education, accessing early intervention services, preparing for the transition to adulthood, or supporting a child with special health care needs,
you don’t have to do it alone.
As policies, programs, and resources continue to evolve at the state and federal levels, ECAC remains committed to staying informed about changes that may affect children with disabilities, their families, and the systems they rely on. Our team is here to help families understand their options, find resources, and feel more confident navigating the road ahead.
ECAC’s services are always free and available to families across North Carolina.
Our team is just a call or click away.
Let’s work together to make this school year one of growth, connection, collaboration and meaningful progress.
Wishing you a wonderful start to the school year,
The ECAC Team
| | Our Back-to-School Newsletter includes a mix of upcoming events, new resources, updated materials, and a few oldies-but-goodies to help families stay informed and prepare for a strong start to the 2026- 2027 school year. | |
NEW! Easier Access to Our Resources
Because every family deserves equal access to information, we're committed to making our resources easier to use for everyone.
At ECAC, we believe information should be accessible to everyone. That's why we've added a new accessibility feature to our website powered by DocAccess. When you open PDFs on our website, you'll now have the option to:
- Read the document in an easy-to-navigate, screen reader-friendly format.
- Search within the document to quickly find the information you need.
- Translate documents into more than 150 languages.
- View documents on your phone, tablet, or computer with improved readability.
- Ask questions about the document using an AI-powered assistant to help locate information more quickly.
Whether you're looking for information about early intervention, special education, transition, health care, or other resources, we hope this new feature makes accessing our materials easier than ever.
Look for the "Accessible Version" option when opening PDFs on our website!
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Disaster Preparedness Plan for People with Disabilities
Emergency preparedness is especially important for families with children who have disabilities, as their needs may require additional planning and support during a crisis. Being prepared helps ensure safety, reduce stress, and maintain continuity of care when emergencies occur. By taking proactive steps - such as creating personalized plans, organizing essential supplies, and understanding available community resources - families can feel more confident and equipped to respond effectively to unexpected situations while supporting their child’s unique needs.
Disability rights are never put on hold during disasters. Any programs or services offered to the public in an emergency must be accessible and inclusive, ensuring that people with disabilities can fully participate and receive the same support as everyone else. In the United States, laws require that emergency programs and services be accessible and nondiscriminatory.
Check out ECAC’s new Emergency Preparedness webpage and start preparing today:
https://www.ecac-parentcenter.org/emergency-preparedness/
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2026-2027 Testing Students with Disabilities Handbook
The Testing Students with Disabilities Handbook contains policy guidelines and procedures for testing students with disabilities as part of the North Carolina Annual Testing Program. School personnel are responsible for ensuring the policy guidelines and procedures outlined in this handbook are implemented appropriately. All information provided in this handbook represents the North Carolina assessments and policies in place as of July 2026.
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Stay Connected with the
Office of Exceptional Children
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The NCDPI Office of Exceptional Children (OEC) provides a monthly Parent and Family Updates newsletter featuring helpful information and resources for families of students with disabilities.
Check out the August edition for back-to-school tips, helpful resources, upcoming events, and other important information for families as the new school year begins.
Want to receive future editions? Subscribe to the Parent and Family Updates newsletter by registering for the Exceptional Children Information for Parents listserv.
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NCDPI Launches Public Dashboard
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has launched a new online dashboard tracking the progress of their strategic plan. The dashboard gives families, educators and community members a direct window into the plan's eight pillars and the 110 actions underway to make North Carolina's public schools the best in the nation by 2030. Visitors can explore each pillar, track measures the state has committed to publicly and see which actions have already launched in classrooms and communities across North Carolina. NCDPI encourages educators, families and community members to explore the dashboard and follow the plan's progress.
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Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green Launches North Carolina Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council to Strengthen Family Voice in Public Education
In June, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction announced the launch of the North Carolina Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council, a new statewide initiative designed to strengthen meaningful family engagement in public education and support implementation of the state’s Strategic Plan.
The North Carolina Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council will bring together parent leaders from across the state to serve in an advisory capacity aligned to the eight State Board of Education regions. The initiative is designed to elevate informed family voice, strengthen trust and ensure that those closest to students play an active role in shaping the future of public education.
For purposes of this initiative, the term "parent" is intended to be inclusive of all primary caregivers, including guardians and other family members who play a central role in a child’s education.
“As we continue to implement our Strategic Plan, it is critical that we engage families not just as stakeholders, but as informed partners,” said North Carolina Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green. “This Council will help us build a strong group of leaders who understand our system and can provide meaningful input to improve outcomes for students.”
Parents and caregivers interested in serving on the North Carolina Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council should submit their completed applications by September 15, 2026 directly at the link below:
https://links-1.govdelivery.com/.../xk-XTr3a5axSD48...
Encouraging Broad Participation
District superintendents, charter school and lab school leaders (“PSU Leaders”) are encouraged to help identify and support strong candidates and to promote this opportunity within their communities. Applicants may also indicate if they were encouraged or nominated by their local Public School Unit. From the pool of applicants, the North Carolina Superintendent will appoint a statewide Parent Advisory Council of 16–24 members, ensuring representation from each of the eight State Board regions.
Building Informed Parent Leaders
Selected members will participate in a structured virtual orientation led by state education leaders to build understanding of:
- School governance and funding
- State and local education systems
- Accountability and performance measures
- Strategic Plan priorities
The Council will begin meeting quarterly in November 2026, providing structured input on key initiatives and helping inform ongoing implementation of the Strategic Plan.
Most meetings will be held virtually. Members of the Council will be expected to serve for two years.
Contact:
Rupen Fofaria
Director, Office of the State Board of Education
rupen.fofaria@dpi.nc.gov
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Family Voices is now accepting applications for their free online Leadership Certificate Programs. Whether you're a youth leader, a family member, or part of an organization looking to strengthen youth and family engagement, there's a program designed for you.
Their programs are open to:
- Youth ages 14–26 with special health care needs or disabilities
- Families of children and youth with special health care needs or disabilities
- Teams from family-serving organizations working to build sustainable youth and family engagement
Participants will receive:
- Monthly online learning and networking opportunities (Fall 2026–Summer 2027)
- A certificate of completion
- Access to Family Voices resources
- Recommendation letters (upon request)
- Opportunities for future paid engagement with Family Voices
Applications are due August 24, 2026.
Questions? Contact Hannah at hgears@familyvoices.org.
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Calling all NC Youth, Ages 5 to 26, with Disabilities!
ECAC's Youth Advisory Team members are seeking entries for the next issue of YEP - Young Exceptional Perspectives. YEP's NCGT column was created to put a spotlight on the many talents and abilities of NC Youth & Young Adults with Disabilities ages 5 to 26. The format of submissions can be a poem, artwork, blog, video, song, essay, article, presentation, an "About me" article", you name it.
ECAC's Youth Advisory Team members will review the submissions and choose which ones to feature in our next newsletter.
Selected entries will receive a $25 check in the mail!
The deadline for submissions is
5:00 pm on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
10 Winners Will Be Selected!
| | FREE Charting the LifeCourse Webinars! | | |
The Charting the LifeCourse framework was created to help individuals and families of all abilities and all ages develop a vision for a good life, think about what they need to know and do, identify how to find or develop supports, and discover what it takes to live the lives they want to live. The framework is the keystone for supporting a community of learning that champions transformational change through knowledge exchange, capacity building, and collaborative engagement.
"Our Core Belief: All people have the right to live, love, work, play, and pursue their own life aspirations."
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Intro to Charting the LifeCourse
Transition to Adulthood
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Transition to adulthood is more than preparing for the
next step, it's about creating a vision for a good life.
Join us for an overview of Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC),
a framework developed by families that helps
families explore possibilities, build on strengths, and
make informed decisions. You'll leave with practical tools and a framework you can use throughout life's transitions.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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Exploring My Family Perspective
Wednesday September 2nd & 9th
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Exploring My Family Perspective introduces families to
the Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) Framework and
Family Perspective Exploration tools. Families will explore what matters most for both their family member and their family, create a shared vision for a good life, identify opportunities and integrated supports across life domains, and strengthen conversations that honor voice, choice, partnership, and dignity of risk. Participants will leave with practical strategies and a lifelong framework to support meaningful lives and navigate future opportunities and challenges.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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Free Webinar from the National Down Syndrome Congress
Thursday, August 27
1:00 - 2:30 PM EST
When planning for the financial future of a loved one with a disability, there are many different aspects to consider, and will vary depending on their age. This workshop will discuss critical considerations for individuals of all ages who have a disability. We’ll review the importance of creating a life care plan, how it can help, and who should be involved. Learn crucial information and tools that may help in preparing for their financial future, such as government benefits, special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, and other legal and financial structures and considerations. Preparing for the financial future of a loved one with a disability can help ease the burden of the unexpected tomorrows. And help ensure that loved one’s continued care and quality of life continues well into their future.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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North Carolina 10th Annual Inclusion Summit
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Appalachian State University
Reich College of Education
151 College Street, Boone, NC 28608
The NCAIS is a conference dedicated to fostering dialogue and collaboration among presenters and attendees regarding inclusive practices across the lifespan. By uniting individuals with exceptionalities and varied learning needs, practitioners (e.g., teachers, administrators, related service providers, community-based service providers), families, advocates, policymakers, community leaders, researchers, students, and other relevant parties, the Summit provides a platform to discuss current practices, share innovative strategies, and explore the future of inclusivity for all underrepresented groups.
*There are a limited number of potential family/child scholarships available through ECAC. Please contact Aimee Combs, Executive Director (acombs@ecacmail.org) for additional information.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
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2026 Growing Well Annual Conference
“Moving Mountains for People with Special Health Care Needs”
October 4- 6, 2026
Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences at App State
The annual Growing Well Conference offers inspiration, education, and connection for those working to support children and youth with special healthcare needs in rural western North Carolina. The conference features a dynamic mix of individual and group presentations, expert panel discussions, and hands-on demonstrations. Sessions will be led by healthcare providers, researchers, government leaders, educators, and individuals with lived experience - offering a wide range of perspectives.
Scholarships for North Carolina families and people with lived experience are available. If you are interested in receiving a scholarship, please email Diane Coffey at coffeyd68@gmail.com
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND LEARN MORE
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Pack your bags — Family Weekends at Victory Junction are back!
Get ready for a weekend of pure fun! Trillium is once again sponsoring three Victory Junction Family Weekends this fall. Upcoming dates include September 4-6, October 2-4 and October 30-November 1.
Children with disabilities and their families can play, explore and make unforgettable memories together, all at no cost. Spots fill up fast, so grab yours before it's gone.
Click Here to Visit the Victory Junction page for more information.
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