OrPTI’s Blog

Bailey Stokes is a graduate student in apparel design at Washington State University. She is conducting a research survey for her thesis. She reads Logan Magazine and wanted to learn more about the clothing experience of teen girls with disabilities. In order to learn more, she is conducting a survey and wants information about teens clothing needs. This is a chance for teens to voice their opinion about clothing and fashion!

To participate in the survey click the link below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=dRFTAvacmYDdbU3Kv23lUA_3d_3d

If you have any questions about the survey please contact Bailey at stokesba@wsu.edu

Raise a penny (or more!) for our organization every time you search the web. iSearchiGive.comis a search engine powered by iGive.com, the internet’s first online shopping mall where a portion of each purchase is donated to your favorite cause. Over 700 of the web’s best stores participate in this free program, and up to 26% of each purchase benefits our cause!
Just go to isearchigive.com and choose OrPTI as your cause.

Respect, Inspire, Support and Educate! Registration is now open! https://www.123signup.com/register?id=jkfjr
Register now for early bird rates! Scholarship applications are available on our website. http://www.orpti.org/RISE2010.htm

• Qualify as your dependent for tax year 2009; and

• Be eligible for “early intervention services” or receive special education as defined by the State Board of Education of the state where the child attends school, and

• Be considered to have a disability as of December 31, 2009 under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and related Oregon laws.

• Learning disabilities and communication disorders do not qualify.

• Eligible disabilities include:

• Autism
• Visual Impairment
• Mental retardation
• Emotional disturbance
• Traumatic brain injury
• Hearing impairment
• Orthopedic impairment
• Other health impairment
• Multiple disabilities
• Deafblind

You may want to reference the Oregon Department of Revenue Forms 40S, 40, 40N and 40P with Instructions.  They are available at the following link:  http://egov.oregon.gov/DOR/PERTAX/formspit.shtml#2009_Tax_Year

Legislation will, for the first time, address seclusion and restraint in schools; Embodies principles set by Obama administration

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today introduced legislation that would, for the first time, protect all children in schools from harmful uses of restraint and seclusion.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report released last spring exposed hundreds of cases of schoolchildren being abused as a result of inappropriate uses of restraint and seclusion, often involving untrained staff. In some cases, children died. A disproportionate number of these victims were students with disabilities.

“Something is very wrong when our children are at risk in their own classrooms,” said Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee who requested the GAO’s investigation. “In some cases, the abuses these kids are suffering are nothing short of torture inflicted at the hands of the very staff we entrust with their safety. Today is a critical first step toward finally ending this nightmare of abuse and ensuring that all classrooms are safe for students, their teachers, and the entire school communities.”

“As a parent, when I send my son Cole to school, my husband Brian and I send him with the expectation that he is safe from danger. We entrust him to teachers, principals, and aides. And we know those school personnel have done an outstanding job to help him and keep him safe. Yet, we know this has not been the case for other children, particularly children with disabilities who are the most vulnerable and need the most protection,” said McMorris Rodgers, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee and vice chair of the House Republican Conference. “I’ve looked into this and have come to the conclusion that there is a lack of training. As difficult situations arise, teachers or principals just don’t know what to do. The legislation that we are introducing today gives states the needed guidance and resources to enable teachers and school personnel to handle difficult situations in the most positive manner possible.”

“The tragedies associated with the inappropriate use of seclusion and restraint are not only unacceptable, they are unconscionable,” said Dodd.  “There is no place in our schools for what amounts to torture, and we need clear standards for the use of tactics that lead to the physical and psychological abuse of children.  This legislation will set clear guidelines so that children and educators alike can be sure of a safe learning environment.”

Restraint is used to restrict an individual’s freedom of movement. Seclusion is used to involuntarily confine a student in an area alone. Both practices are meant to be used only in situations of imminent danger. Among other things, the GAO found that restraint can become fatal when it restricts breathing, that many of the school staff who used these interventions in abusive ways had not been properly trained, and that these practices are often being used as a routine disciplinary tactic, rather than in response to an emergency.

In some of the cases GAO investigated, ropes, duct tape, chairs with straps and bungee cords were used to restrain or isolate young children.

Unlike in hospitals and other medical and community-based facilities that receive federal health funding, there are currently no federal laws addressing restraint and seclusion in schools. While the Children’s Health Act of 2000 regulates how and when restraint and seclusion can be used on children in these other settings, schools are not covered. State regulation and oversight varies greatly; many states provide no guidance or assistance regarding these behavioral interventions.

The Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247) would establish the first federal standards to protect students from misuse of restraint and seclusion and ensure the safety of everyone in the classroom. It would apply to public schools, private schools and preschools receiving federal education support. Specifically the legislation would:

The Education and Labor Committee plans to mark up the bill early next year.

The website for the Oregon Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorder is now available. Please check it frequently for updated information on the activities of the Commission and Subcommittees.

MEETINGS SCHEDULED

January 29, 2010
9:00 – 4:30 pm
State Capitol Building
Hearing Room C
900 Court Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97301

March 4, 2010
9:00 – 4:30 pm
State Capitol Building
Hearing Room C
900 Court Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97301

SubCommittee Meetings Scheduled

Community Services for Adults
December 17, 2009
10:00 – 3:00 pm
Department of Human Services Building
Room 160
500 Summer Street NE
Salem, OR 97301

Community Services for Children and Families
December 29, 10:00 – 4:00
Location: TBA

Educational Endorsement & Competency Based Certification
December 11, 2009
9:00 – 4:00 pm
Room 260
Labor and Industries Building
350 Winter St NE
Salem, OR 97301

Interagency Transition
December 16, 2009
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Department of Human Services Building
500 Summer Street NE
Salem, OR 97301

Health Care
OHSU Center for Health and Healing
3303 SW Bond Ave
Portland, OR 97239
December 14, 4:00 – 6:00

You can help Oregon PTI while doing your holiday shopping on GoodShop.

1,300+ partner merchants are continuing to step up and supply money saving coupons and free shipping offers, and with every purchase the merchant makes a donation to Oregon PTI. Just go to GoodShop and put in ORPTI as your Charity, and help us while doing your holiday shopping!

http://www.goodsearch.com/goodshop.aspx

Every day, more than160,000 children nationwide stay home from school to avoid bullying. Up to one-third of the nation’s students are bullied during the academic year, and more than 60 percent witness bullying daily. The results of bullying can be devastating—or even tragic.

“Our mission is to engage, educate, and empower teens to care about bullying,” said Paula Goldberg, PACER’s executive director. “We encourage people nationwide to work together during National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children.”

In addition to visiting PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org for teens and PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org for elementary school children, people can help prevent bullying in several ways. Free activities to help reduce bullying in schools, recreational programs, and community groups, and materials such as contests, classroom toolkits, and more are available at PACER.org. Oregon PTI is partnering with PACER on this important issue.  We are offering trainings around the state on the issue of bullying, as well as providing information to increase public awareness.

“It’s time to take action,” Goldberg said. “Teachers, parents, students, and adults throughout each community must work together to create a climate that doesn’t accept bullying. When bullying is addressed, communities will see more students with higher self-esteem, better school attendance, less physical and mental stress, and better school performance.”

The week is sponsored by PACER’s National Center for Bullying Prevention, which is for all children, including those with disabilities. It promotes national bullying awareness and teaches effective ways to respond to bullying. National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is cosponsored by the American Federation for Teachers, National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, National Education Association, and School Social Work Association of America.

Wednesday afternoon (Sept 9) at 5pm EDT is the deadline for submitting questions and comments to the Secretary of Education for his Sept 15 National Town Meeting on Education Reform.

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SEPT 15 NATIONAL TOWN MEETING TO SUGGEST EDUCATION REFORMS, SHARE CONCERNS WITH SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.

EMAIL QUESTIONS/COMMENTS BY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 by 5pm EDT

WHAT IS THE EVENT? On September 15, 2009 at 8pm EDT, Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan will host an interactive national town meeting with parents across the nation by telephone, email, and with a studio audience. Parents can suggest reforms, share their ideas for improving education, and other concerns and comments. Here’s an excellent opportunity for parents of children with disabilities and

advocates to share their views and concerns with the Department of Education about closing the disability achievement gap and providing a truly meaningful education that enables every child to succeed; share experiences about meaningful participation in their child’s education; and share share information about excellent programs that exist and should be duplicated.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE? IS THERE A DEADLINE?
Email your thoughts and ideas to EducationTV@ed.gov by 5:00 pm EDT on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2009. You can also call into the town meeting on September 15 by dialing 1-888-493-9382. Phone lines will open at 8pm EDT on September 15.

ISSUES THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED MATTER TO PARENTS AND ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES: Topics that will be discussed include those below. Many relate to concerns that parents of children have, including the adequacy of the education children with disabilities receive and how to improve it; meaningful parental participation in IEP meetings as equals in educational planning; Least Restrictive Environment; and restraint/seclusion. The listed topics include:

* What do we need to do, and what do we need to do differently to ensure our students are successful?
* What does a quality school look like and how can more schools become consistently high achieving?
* How can parents become more involved with and engaged in their child’s education?
* What steps are schools at all levels of education taking to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment?
* What is working and what needs to change in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act? (This includes No Child Left Behind.)
* What are some effective practices for recruiting, retaining, supporting and compensating highly effective teachers?

WHY PARTICIPATE/EMAIL A QUESTION? DOES MY QUESTION REALLY MATTER? It is true that only a subset of questions may be selected for the program. But let’s say that a few hundred parents send in comments about the disability achievement gap, or share their concerns about how children deserve a truly meaningful education. Even if questions do not make the program, they are being received and surely being tallied and categorized. One way that other disability achievement gaps get attention is by shining a light on them. There are 7.1 million children with disabilities and its important to focus on improving the quality of education that they receive. Why not submit a question or comment? Its free! No stamp even needed! If you have ever written an email post with your thoughts on education, why not share some of those thoughts?

HOW CAN I VIEW THE PROGRAM OR GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT?
http://registerevent.ed.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewer.wheretowatch&intEventID=233
for information about the program, called “America Goes Back to School: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan – Tuesday, September 15, 2009.” If that link doesn’t work for you, try this one:
http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html
and click on the National Town Meeting with Arne Duncan. The program is a special edition of Education News Parents Can Use. It is one stop on Secretary Duncan’s national “Listening and Learning” tour to gather input on the state of education.