Plan on joining us for one or all of the upcoming Family Matters PTIC Dispute Resolution Series webinars via Zoom! We are excited to welcome amazing guest speakers from Equip for Equality, Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, and the Illinois State Board of Education, who, in partnership with our Educational Support Coaches, will be exploring conflict resolution options in the Special Education process. Learn more about working in partnership with your IEP team, writing state complaints, understanding the importance of Procedural Safeguards, and effectively utilizing Due Process and Mediation. Register for each session individually. Please each out with questions to Abbi Mars, Educational Support Coach, at amars@fmptic.org.

Session One – September 6, 2024, 4:00 p.m. ET

Working Together: Ways to Work Together as an IEP Team with Karrie Potter from FMPTIC
Zoom Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6BW-_7tyRtKqxLHtp6LCww#/registration

This workshop will focus on Powers of Attorney, health care directives, maintaining eligibility for government benefits, Special and Supplemental Needs Trusts, and ABLE accounts. It will address the unique challenges families and individuals face as they begin their transition into adulthood. Presented by Roger Strege, CES(c), president of Special Needs Planners, a financial planner, and Certified Estate and Trust Specialist™.

During the month of September, we mark the 51st anniversary of the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. To commemorate the first civil rights legislation for people with disabilities, DETAC welcomes two disability-led national organizations to discuss employment - the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) and the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL). They will highlight how their work increases access to competitive, integrated employment nationally and how they collaborate with Centers for Independent Living (CIL) in all geographical locations across the country to do so. This webinar is intended for CILs but is applicable to other Administration on Disabilities stakeholders, as well as self-advocates and family members who want to learn about additional resources to boost employment outcomes.

Live English captioning, Spanish machine translations, and American Sign Language interpretation will be provided during the webinar.

Please join the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services for the third session in the 2023-2024 OSERS Symposium Series, Collaboration to Improve Outcomes, scheduled for September 12, 2024, from 1:00 – 2:30 pm Eastern Time.

The 2023-2024 OSERS Symposium Series offers an opportunity for the field to join OSERS in the challenge to raise expectations, engage families earlier, and fully empower all individuals who support transition services to improve post-school outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families. This symposium will focus on the importance of collaboration between special education and vocational rehabilitation to ensure the best outcomes for our youth with disabilities and their families.

Additional updates on important resources, events, and information will continue to be posted on the Expect, Engage, and Empower homepage: https://osepideasthatwork.org/federal-resources-stakeholders/topical-issues/expect-engage-and-empower-successful-transitions-all

If you have any questions, please contact the planning team at OSEP-EEE@air.org.