October 2023 Issue 4 Living, Learning, and Working Independently (LWLI)

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We need YOUR help to find the next TATE! Tate is our Teen and Adult Transition Expert shown in our newsletter! It was drawn by a teen with Autism. TATE's purpose is to educate teens and adults with disabilities about important vocabulary and ideas about what it means to live, work, and learn independently when you become an adult!

We want to give our readers an opportunity to draw our next TATE who will be featured in 4 newsletters in 2024! The artist who is chosen will receive a gift card! Read the requirements below and click the button when you're ready to upload your art!

TCFEF Parent Mentor and IFTW State Lead, Karen Lutrick would like to schedule a training session with you, your staff, students and/or parents!! 

Topic: Working Independently, Here We Come! 

The full training is approximately four (4) hours or can be done in 1-4 segments, each segment approximately one (1) hour long. 

Contact Karen at 501-398-1667 or karen.lutrick@tcfef.org to schedule a training. Click Here to view the 'Working Independently, Here We Come" checklist.

Supported Employment is a service that helps people with disabilities find and keep jobs. The services can include training, coaching, and other resources! Did you know the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn't allow employers to discriminate against people with disabilities? That means people with disabilities. Employers must provided reasonable support for workers with disabilities.

October is National Employment for Disabilities Awareness Month! Check out the two success stories about supported employment!

TCFEF Events

Stay up to date with our events by checking out our calendar:

Click Here

Monthly Events

October 21st - A-State Tailgate and Game sponsored by A-State HOWL and Tranisition Program in Jonesboro. Click Here

Oct 28th, Nov 18th, Dec 16th - 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM Adults on the Autism Spectrum Meeting at River City Coffee in Little Rock. Click Here

November 6th - Helping Families See Possibilities in Employment Webinar presented by SPAN. Click Here

November 9th - Young Adults and Customized Employment Webinar presented by PACER. Click Here

December 2 - Sensory Cinema Double Feature! Choose between The Marvels or Trolls at 9:30 AM at the Malco Theater in Jonesboro. Click Here.

December 16th - Sensory Cinema Double Feature! Choose between Wish and Wonka at 9:30 AM at the Malco Theater in Jonesboro. Click Here.

Various Dates: Young Adult Social Group (ages 15-25) Community Connections Little Rock, Conway, Russellville. Click Here

Various Dates: Club Connect for young adults with Down Syndrome. Held every 6-8 weeks. Click Here

Announcement!

The Independent Futures That Work (IFTW) project is preparing to launch a Learning Management System (LMS) providing various topics on transitioning to independent living, learning, and working. As part of the the project, they would like to include short videos of individuals from each Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) participating in the project. To be considered as a nominee for the videos, we ask that the student be in the process of transitioning from high school to independent living, learning, or working. 

Click Here to download the nomination form. Submit it to: 

transition@alabamaparentcenter.com 



Thanks for your consideration and participation in this effort. Please share this information and nomination form with others in your network. Let’s represent Arkansas!

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To expand the goal of reaching teens and young adults, TCFEF has partnered with The Independent Futures That Work Project. IFTW is a multi-state program with a mission to work together with families, schools, and other organizations to help teens and adults with disabilities plan their futures! Click the link below to learn more and connect with IFTW on their website and social media sites!

The Center for Exceptional Families (TCFEF) has partnered with two schools and multiple donors including AG for Autism and Summit Community Care, a PASSE provider, to bring families a toolkit to organize their child's school records and provide them with useful information. With the school partnership, teens with disabilities at the school are paid to put together the binders that are shipped for FREE to families, thanks to TCFEF grant funding and our generous donors!!

Each newsletter, we will highlight organization, schools, programs, colleges, etc that are providing services to teens and young adults with disabilities to help them live, learn, and work independently!

Arkansas State University's Helping Our Wolves Learn (HOWL) and Transition Program in Jonesboro is growing and now has it's own webpage and Facebook page! Check out their services and events!

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To see more state and national resources for living, learning, and working independently, click below. The button will take you to the Resources for Teens and Young Adults tab on The Center for Exceptional Familes' website!