Critical Decision Points for Families of Children with Disabilities online modules

The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), through grant funding provided by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD) and assistance provided by the Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) at James Madison University has developed five web-based training modules for parents, school professionals, and other community stakeholders that work with families whom have a child with a disability.   Parents and caregivers have certain goals in mind when their children go to school. Regardless of whether or not their children have disabilities, all parents want their children to learn, explore, and experience as much as they possibly can.  Parents strive for their children to complete their public education, obtain a diploma, and be fully prepared to move on toward their chosen path, whether that is immediate employment, higher education, or something else.  In order for children to achieve these goals, there are certain decisions that will have to be made along the way.  The modules created relate to the Critical Decision Points for Families of Children with Disabilities curriculum and are designed to assist participants in understanding four things as they prepare to make these decisions:

• What are some of the keys to a child’s academic success?
• What decisions will need to be made regarding a child’s educational path?
• At what point should we be making these decisions?
• What information is needed so that we can make the most well informed decisions possible for a child?

There are a total of five modules that range in length from three to five minutes, which can be completed in a single viewing or broken up over time to meet individual time constraints.

The curriculum for these modules is also available in print and online.  A fully accessible online version is located at the following web link: Virginia Department of Education’s Special Education – Parents Section.  To obtain a printed copy of the curriculum or to ask questions about the module training opportunities, please contact Tracy Lee, Family Engagement Specialist, via email, at Tracy.Lee@doe.virginia.gov, or by phone, at (804) 225-3492.

Practice Guides for Transitions for Students with Emotional Disorders

Resources from a Translating Evidence to Support Transitions (TEST) grant is to increase the use and adoption of research-based best practices in transition planning services for high school students with emotional and behavioral disorders receiving special education services.

Scroll down page to find Practice Guides, Presentations and other resources.

Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures

At Portland State University, the Pathways to Positive Futures center aims to improve the lives of youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions through rigorous research and effective training and dissemination. Our work is guided by the perspectives of young people and their families, and based in a positive development framework.

So You’re 18

These resources from the Virginia State Bar help young adults and their families understand what rights and responsibilities occur at age 18 in the state.

A downloadable and hard copy Guide is available. There is also a So You’re 18 website.

In Virginia, 18 is the age of majority, when a person is no longer a legal minor and now has full legal responsibility. These resources help youth and families understand some of the rights and obligations as an adult and to help avoid some of the pitfalls facing young adults as you take on legal responsibilities.

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  Info about the Guide

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  Link to the So You're 18 website

Pathways to Success modules for families

From the Virginia I’m Determined project, the Pathways to Success is a series of online learning modules for parents and caregivers.

The Pathways to Success are set up for you, at your own pace, to learn about how to support your child in becoming more self-determined. If you are just beginning, you can follow the Parent Path in the order it has been created, and if you just want to learn more about a certain aspect, you can simply skip to that part and grab the information you need

WIOA: New Law Helps Youth & Young Adults Get Jobs – What Families Need to Know

This fact sheet reviews key eligibility and services provided under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  It focuses on the supports for youth and young adults with psychiatric disabilities.

Raising and Working with Children and Youth in Foster Care or Living with Kin: Your Guide to Resources in Virginia

This Guide from Virginia Family Special Education Connection offers families and professionals links to state- and local-specific resources for enrolling students, education, medical care, mental health, transitioning students to post-secondary settings, courts, and other areas.

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  Website resource

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  Flyer

My Life, My Community Long Term Care Waiver Info

From the Va Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), this site helps consumers understand and navigate long term care waivers for persons with developmental and other disabilities.

From the site:  Commonwealth’s system of services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities is undergoing significant transformation as Virginia redesigns its waiver system under the My Life, My Community initiative. The term My Life, My Community encompasses an overarching vision whereby people with developmental disabilities live, work, play and thrive in their communities, just as others do, with the support they need.

The site features a publication Navigating the Developmental Disability Waivers: A Guide for Self -Advocates, Families and Support Partners.

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  Navigating the Developmental Disability Waivers: A Guide for Self -Advocates, Families and Support Partners.

Factsheet on Profile of a Virginia Graduate from PEATC

This fact sheet from the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) provides families and students an overview of the new 5 C’s of what skills a Virginia graduate should have.

Getting to Work: The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act and Students with Disabilities webinar

This webinar offers timely information about the federal WIOA (Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act) provisions that apply to to school-age students with disabilities.

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  WIOA for students with disabilities webinar

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information on who is considered “Parent” for financial aid

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information on who is considered “Parent” for financial aid.

If you are considered a dependent student for FAFSA® purposes, you will need to provide information about your legal parent(s) on the application. A legal parent is your biological or adoptive parent, or your legal parent as determined by the state (for example, if the parent is listed on your birth certificate). If you have a stepparent currently married to your legal parent, you generally also must provide information about him or her.

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  More info and how to apply

Supporting the Education of Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions Webinar

Supporting the Education of Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions:
State of the Science
presented by Marsha Ellison, PhD, Michelle Mullen, MS, CRC, CPRP, and Kathleen Biebel, PhD of the Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center  at U Mass (formerly The Transitions RTC)

Originally broadcast on January 7, 2016

Description:
The majority of college students with serious mental health conditions do not finish school, jeopardizing their long-term employment. Can supported education services help?

Marsha Ellison, Michelle Mullen and Kathleen Biebel, researchers and trainers of supported education services, will host a 2-part webinar series presenting the state of the science 2nd state of the practice of supported education and related strategies for achieving post-secondary education goals of young adults with SMHC.

The Learning & Working Transitions RTC 

The Learning & Working Transitions RTC at University of Massachusetts Medical Center focuses on youth and young adults ages 14-30 who have serious mental health conditions, conducting cutting-edge research on age appropriate programs that support education, training, and working during the transition to adulthood.

Virginia Community Services Boards

Community Services Boards (CSBs) throughout Virginia offer a range of services for adults and youth with mental health challenges, as well as for those with intellectual disabilities and substance abuse problems. Emergency services are available.

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  Community Service Boards

Outside-The-Box College Accommodations

Outside-The-Box College Accommodations: Real Support for Real Students: Tools for School from the Transitions Research and Training Center at University of Massachusetts

Learn your Rights: A Guide for Youth in Foster Care

Learn your Rights: A Guide for Youth in Foster Care from the Virginia Poverty Law Center

How to Keep A Job: A Young Adult’s Guide

How to Keep A Job: A Young Adult’s Guide, from the Transitions RTC

My Next Move

My Next Move, what do you want to do for a living? A career search site.

Think College

Think College: College options for people with Intellectual Disabilities

A Life 4 Me

A Life 4 Me: for middle schoolers with disabilities and their parents