March 22, 2022 | Issue 21 (View newsletter as webpage)

Important News

Celebrating Parent Leaders -

SEVAs Make a Debut!

The Jolly K award is a recognition from Parents Inc, formally Parents Anonymous, a long-time partner of SPAN. The Jolly K award honors parent leaders and promotes family success. This year’s program is themed “Speak Up, Take Action, Create Change,” which is SPAN's motto and mantra.

The Special Education Volunteer Advocates (SEVA) program at SPAN

Enhances the capacity of SPAN Resource Parents to serve as volunteer supports for families in preparing for and at IEP meetings
Increases the number of under-served families who can be provided with in-person support
Builds the knowledge and skills of families and youth, particularly those facing the greatest challenges, to advocate on their own behalf

Eight of our SEVAs were nominated for recognition based on their contributions that support the principles of Parents Anonymous:

Parent leadership
Mutual support
Shared leadership
Personal growth

Congratulations to these SPAN SEVA ALL-STARS!

Mita Bhattacharya

Coreen Grooms

Tammi Kaminski

Phoebe Meade

Alison Monte

Mary Ortner

Brenn Swanson

Tara Szymanek

Resources

Teleplay Provides Live, Interactive Play for Children Affected by Rare Diseases

Project Sunshine's Rare Teleplay is a monthly virtual opportunity for children who have any rare disease and their siblings to enjoy Zoom activities and games. There is no talking about their condition or their sibling's condition. It's just about having fun and meeting other people who are living a life that's a little like theirs.

Check out the

TelePlay Game Library here

Volunteers from California Polytechnic University entertain children from ages 5 to 18 for an hour each month. Parents don't need to be there but they can be if they want to be. This is all about the kids. It is free and it is fun.

Rare Teleplay meets via Zoom on the third Friday of each month at 7:30 PM Eastern

Download the Rare Teleplay event here from our website to join next month!

Learn More About RareTeleplay

March 25th at 12:00 PM

Join the webinar here

Early Childhood Inclusion Training Resources

The Preschool Inclusion Series videos and training sessions support the high-quality inclusion of preschoolers (ages 3 to 5) in early care and education settings that are responsive to the priority and concerns of families. The target audiences are:

Early childhood professional development providers,
Institutes of Higher Education,
Family leaders
Policymakers

This Series explores topics related to including preschool-age children who have disabilities in settings with their typically developing peers such as:

Benefits and rationale for inclusion
Stories about the successful inclusion of a child
How families and service providers ensured appropriate supports
Ways to make the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process collaborative and to ensure inclusion

Preschool Inclusion Series

Serie de inclusión preescolar

Upcoming Events

See what's happening

SPAN offers a variety of learning opportunities for families and the professionals who work with them. Check out our Event Calendar here for details and registration links

Upcoming Events include:

More events

Tecnología de Asistencia

Assistive Technology for Spanish Language Speakers

Tues Mar. 29. 2022

12PM(EST)

Esta es una introducción a la tecnología de asistencia para estudiantes de K-12 con discapacidades. El enfoque será el apoyo para las habilidades de lectura, escritura, matemáticas, comunicación y organización. Este seminario web, incluidos los recursos y materiales, se proporcionará en inglés y español.

This is an introduction to assistive technology for K-12 students with disabilities. The focus will be on supports for reading, writing, math, communication, and organization skills. This webinar, including the resources and materials, will be provided in English and Spanish.

Presenters: Adam Krass, Assistive Technology Consultant, and Maria Flores, Parent Advocate/Live Interpreter

Co-Sponsored by DRNJ's Assistive Technology Advocacy Center and SPAN Parent Advocacy Network

Share your SPAN testimonial story! CLICK HERE

Join the SPAN Team - View Open Positions

SPAN Parent Advocacy Network | spanadvocacy.org

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