A collaborative effort at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) between its Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) and School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professional Development (ISPD) is opening doors to higher education and job training for individuals who previously had limited or no access to such opportunities.

The Reaching, Including, Supporting and Educating (RISE) To The Top! Certificate is a four-year, eight-semester inclusive college program incorporating academics and employment preparation, leading to a certificate upon completion, for persons with intellectual disabilities. As part of the certificate format, participants enroll in a minimum of one class each semester; are matched with peer mentors; take part in employment-focused internships and service-involvement activities; and are anticipated to participate in spring commencement.

The certificate was approved earlier this year by the State Institutions for Higher Learning (IHL). It follows a pilot program previously administered at USM, known as the Higher Education for All program, that was the brainchild of IDS Associate Director Dr. Jerry Alliston and facilitated jointly by IDS and ISPD. It was funded through a grant from the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities.

The initial phase of the new certificate program includes accommodation for up to 10 students; it is housed by ISPD and coordinated through IDS, and one of only two of its kind in the state. Applications, interviews, and selections for the program take place during the spring semester, with selected students attending a “college prep boot camp” during the summer prior to enrollment. 

To learn more about the program, click here!

OSERS released a new blog series as part of a continued effort to emphasize the need for more cohesive secondary transition planning for students with disabilities.

 

"We are dedicated to working alongside families, students, educators, advocacy groups and policymakers to rethink transition services," wrote Office of Special Education Programs Director Valerie C. Williams and Rehabilitation Services Administration Deputy Commissioner Carol Dobak in the blog.

Read more

This guide introduces employers to the benefits and opportunities of inclusive apprenticeships.

Combining classroom instruction with on-the-job training, apprenticeship programs help bridge skills gaps and bring new and more diverse talent into the workplace, including people with disabilities and those with diverse backgrounds and educational experiences. The result is a pipeline of primed and ready workers for years to come. What’s more, apprenticeship is a strategy for preparing workers in not only traditional trades, such as construction, but also highgrowth industries, such as health care, information technology, transportation, energy, and many others.

Interested in learning more about how apprenticeships can help build a skilled, diverse workforce for your company or industry? View “#ApprenticeshipWorks,” a video produced by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. This video features interviews with representatives from four organizations that manage or sponsor apprenticeships in a range of fields, including information technology, health care information management, and shipbuilding. It is one in a two-part series; the other video focuses on the value of apprenticeships to individuals. To view either video, click here.

The 9th Annual Special Education Law Conference and CLE was held on Thursday, July 13 at Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, MS. The conference included legal and policy updates in special education, an overview of conflict resolution and attorney fee options, the essential and lawful role of lay advocates, and a panel presentation on resolving conflicts with views from multiple perspectives.

Diana MTK Autin, Esquire, was a featured speakers at the conference. For 28 years, she served as Executive Director or Executive Co-Director of the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), New Jersey’s Parent Training and Information Center. During that time, SPAN has been involved in multiple class action lawsuits regarding special education, including cases focused on inclusion, especially for children of color who are most overrepresented in segregated settings; the State Special Education Code; and most recently, New Jersey's failure to ensure due process hearing decisions are issued within the required 45 calendar days of request.

The Creating Your Own Path: Successful Transitions for Persons with Autism Conference was held on September 7-8 at the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services in Madison, MS. The conference provided parents, advocates, professionals, and persons with autism the opportunity to learn about resources and evidence-based best practices regarding planning and executing successful transitions.

Motivational speaker and autism advocate Anthony Ianni and Jeffrey Mathews were keynote speakers at the conference. Breakout sessions were held on behavior, ABA, social skills, job skills training, social security benefits, social justice and assistive technology, as well as a family and adult panel.

Joni and Friends invites you to their 16th annual Barnyard Dance on Saturday, October 21st from 3:00-7:00 p.m. in Lena, MS.

The Barnyard Dance is a time of fun and fellowship. There will be great food, hayrides, horses and dancing. All food is provided, but if you would like to bring a dessert, you may!

For more information, click here.

Every October, Blindness Awareness Month brings a heightened focus on the blind and visually impaired community and the realities of living without sight. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “everyone, if they live long enough, will experience at least one eye condition in their lifetime”. The proof is in the numbers. An estimated 2.2 billion people around the globe suffer from some form of visual impairment or blindness – including everyone who simply wears corrective lenses. One billion of these cases could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed.

LEARN MORE

Little People of America launched Dwarfism Awareness Month in 2009 in an effort to raise positive awareness and share information about the lives of people with dwarfism. Many people within the dwarfism community have done great things for Dwarfism Awareness Month, including getting local politicians to recognize October as Dwarfism Awareness Month, asking local businesses to sponsor awareness month activities, and raising money to support awareness causes.

LEARN MORE

International AAC Awareness Month is celebrated around the world each October. The goal is to raise awareness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and to inform the public about the many different ways in which people communicate using communication devices.

LEARN MORE

October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month — a time to celebrate the hundreds of thousands of people living with Spina Bifida. Every October, we share community stories that challenge us to raise more awareness and support for those living with Spina Bifida. As a community, we can do this by raising awareness about Spina Bifida either in our own circles or to the larger networks of which we are a part.

LEARN MORE