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Introduction
The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities is designed for youth and adults working with them to learn about disability disclosure. This workbook helps young people make informed decisions about whether or not to disclose their disability and understand how that decision may impact their education, employment, and social lives. Based on the premise that disclosure is a very personal decision, the Workbook helps young people think about and practice disclosing their disability.
The workbook does not tell a young person what to do. Rather, it helps them make informed decisions about disclosing their disability, decisions that will affect their educational, employment, and social lives.
MS Word versions of the 411 on Disability Disclosure Workbook are designed specifically for those visitors using screen readers and/or braille translators. Phrases such as "pullout" and "sidebar" will be used throughout the Word documents to give readers with low vision and/or blindness a better understanding of how the text is laid out in the PDF version (with complete graphics). In addition, tables and charts within the documents will be reformatted for clarity.
Download The Complete Guide
Download the entire 411 on Disability Disclosure Guidebook in PDF* (99 pages/397KB) or read the guide in MS Word (85 pages).
*Please note: This is a large document, download time will be longer for users with slower connections.
 Free Early Intervention
Resources for Parents
Empower The Village is the first and only FREE (Video Tutorial) Online Home Based Early Intervention Childhood Program, focusing on children from birth to age three at risk, with disabilities or delays with their development. It is designed to help parents & caregivers learn different tools and teaching techniques and apply them in the child’s natural environment, your home! Everyone has different schedules and that is why the program is available on your own time and at your disposal 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
"Is College for You? Setting Goals and Taking Action"
Are you preparing students who choose college as their postsecondary goal to be successful?
Have you given him/her the skills, information and resources to be successful in college?
Have you considered providing the information repeatedly when they enter high school to ensure he/she have the necessary tools and strategies to be successful in college?
 This 42- page publication, “Is College for You? Setting Goals and Taking Action”, guides students and their parents through a variety of issues, including career goals, learning styles, types of colleges and programs, advocating for yourself, important timelines, paying for college, accommodations, survival tips, and more.
--Download the booklet at
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/styles/iidc/defiles/CCLC/College4U-5.pdf
--Arrange to pick up hard copies of the booklet by emailing Susan Henning-Harris at skharris@indiana.edu
Little Star Center Announces Opening of New Lafayette Location
Non-profit autism center will be the first of its kind in the Lafayette Area
CARMEL, IN, February 15, 2011 – Little Star Center, a non-profit center for children with autism, is pleased to announce the opening of a new center in Lafayette, IN. The center will open its doors on March 15, 2011. Their location in Carmel was the first in the state, opening in 2002. This stand alone center – located at 3922 Mezzanine Drive, can be quickly accessed from IN-26, making it an easy to reach location for all Lafayette area commuters.
Little Star Center chose the Lafayette area for its new location due to the need for autism services. “After holding multiple community interest meetings, attending local autism events and support group meetings, the choice was easy. The need for services is great in the area and we are excited to get up there and help with that need,” says Mary Rosswurm, Executive Director of Little Star Center.
Based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Little Star provides an atmosphere where children, therapists and families can interact, support each other and receive on-going training so that each child can reach their full potential at home and in a variety of settings outside of therapy. After decades of research, the United States Surgeon General has endorsed intensive behavioral intervention for individuals with autism as the treatment of choice. Over 40 years of research documents the efficacy of ABA in reducing inappropriate behavior and increasing communication and learning.
About Little Star Center
We believe we are a truly unique and special place for children and families. Little Star allows families to have the best of both worlds – the intense one-on-one personalized therapy that you used to only be able to find in a home program and the community feel of a center based program that gives your child access to peers, materials and a beautiful facility. Families are an integral part of their child’s programming along with our staff of professionals. Little Star prides itself on having a “family first” philosophy. For more information please call 317.660.1841 or visit us on the web at www.littlestarcenter.org.
New Publications Available from the Rehabilitative Services Administration
The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has published three new documents that were created under its contract with New Editions, Inc. for the National Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center (NTAC). The documents are listed as “VR Research in Brief” at the following link:
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/vrbriefs/index.html
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Research in Brief reports provide readers with a summary of research and literature on issues, practices and topics related to the employment of individuals with disabilities and information to facilitate further exploration and study. The topics are:
Reviews research on post-TBI return to work including vocational functioning, evidence-based approaches to VR with persons with TBI and services associated with successful return to work outcomes. Implications for service providers and researchers are discussed.
Summarizes research on the role of the family in the employment process and how counselors can make families their allies to develop career paths for youths with disabilities.
Reviews RSA and OSEP parent training projects’ activities and outcomes and how VR counselors can use their services to enhance family involvement in the VR process.
Predictors of Postschool Success
Did you know that one of the primary goals of schools is to help students plan and prepare for life after high school?Did you know that students with disabilities are less likely than their peers without disabilities to enroll in postsecondary education (45% vs 53%) or be employed (57% vs 66%)?Did you know that students with disabilities are less likely than their peers to have a checking account (46% vs 68%) or have a credit card (28% vs 50%)? (Kellam & Morningstar, 2010)
The National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (www.nsttac.org) systematically evaluated the effectiveness of transition practices and identified 16 predictors associated with improved postschool outcomes. The entire article is available at
http://www.nsttac.org/ebp/PredictorFiles/SummaryOfPredictorsCategories.pdf
Predictors of Postschool Success
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Career awareness
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Community experiences
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Exit exam requirements/High school diploma status
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Inclusion in general education
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Interagency Collaboration
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Occupational courses
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Paid employment/Work experiences
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Parental involvement
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Program (Course) of Study
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Self-advocacy/self-determination
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Self-care/Independent Living skills
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Social skills
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Student support/accommodations
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Transition program
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Vocational (Career-Tech) education
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Work Study
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Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Helping Students with Disabilities Become Employed Tutorial Available Online
Do you ever wonder what agencies are available to help your students go on for postsecondary education and training or employment?Did you know that Vocational Rehabilitation Services is one agency that can assist you and your students?
Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Helping Students with Disabilities Become Employed is an introductory, self-guided, tutorial for teachers to learn about how Vocational Rehabilitation Services can help students transition from high school to postsecondary education and training and employment.
Access the tutorial by following the link http://breeze.iu.edu/vrstransition. This module will take approximately 25 minutes to complete. Completion of this tutorial and its accompanying feedback survey will result in earning 1/2 Professional Growth Plan Point. |
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