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Iowa Family & Educator Partnership Newsletter Vol 11, Num 3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Jan. 2018
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Website Guide
Parent Support Groups




Iowa Compass
is an all in one disability resource database. To find information about disability related programs
& services for Iowa
residents go to www.iowacompass.org










Document Guide 
   Assitive Technology Minute

   Today's devices: PowerLink 4, Desk Lamp, and the Big Red switch.

   All of these items are available to checkout through the Great Prairie AEA media system.

   Equipment needed: Wired switch, PowerLink 4,  Desk Lamp

   How to use the Powerlink 4:
   Plug in the PowerLink 4.
   Next, Plug in the lamp or an item that plugs in that you would like to use with a switch.
   Connect your wired switch to the powerlink 4.
   Click the mode button in the middle of the device to select the mode of your choice. I used a latch mode with the lamp.
                                                          Hit the switch to use the latch mode to turn the lamp on and hit it again to turn the lamp off.

   Additional resources:
   Power Link Activity Ideas

 
   Contact  [email protected] to reset your name and password.
   If you have equipment, setup, or other questions contact me at [email protected].




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Iowans with ABLE savings accounts will be able to save more next year.  The total annual contribution limit to an ABLE account will be increased from $14,000 per tax year to $15,000 per tax year beginning this year.  This will allow Iowans with ABLE accounts to save an extra $1,000 a year without loosing other benefits.  

 
For more information about ABLE accounts, please visit the ABLE National Resource Center at www.ablenrc.oorg or Iowa's ABLE website at www.iable.gov.
What is Children at Home?
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The Children at Home program is designed to assist you and your family in securing the services and supports that you identify as necessary in helping your child remain at home. An underlying principle of the Children at Home program is that you and your family retain control of decisions which affect your child and family. Financial assistance is intended to enable you to obtain those services and supports which are not met by other programs.

This program is designed to assist families raising a child with a disability in obtaining needed services and supports. The Family's intent must be to secure services and support that enable their child to remain in the family home.

"Family" means a group of interdependent persons living in the same household. A family may consist of an individual with a disability and any of the following:
  1. The individual's parent.
  2. The individual's sibling.
  3. The individual's grandparent, aunt, or uncle.
  4. The individual's legal custodian.
  5. A person who is providing short-term foster care to the individual subject to a case permanency plan that provides for reunification between the individual and the individual's parent.
"Family" does not include a person who is employed to provide services to an individual with a disability in an out-of-home setting, including but not limited to a hospital, nursing facility, personal care home, board and care home, group foster care home, or other institutional setting
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"Individual with a disability" means a person who is less than 22 years of age and meets the definition of developmental disability.

"Services and support" help children with disabilities to remain at home, function more independently, and increase community inclusion. Services and support may include, but are not limited to, funding for:
  1. Purchase of equipment, respite care, supplies, or assistive technology.
  2. Payment of other costs that relate to the individual's disability.
Who is eligible for Children at Home?

Eligibility for the Children at Home program is limited to families who meet all the following conditions:
  • The family resides in the state of Iowa.
  • The family includes an individual with a disability.
  • The family expresses an intent for the individual with a disability to remain living in the family's home.
  • The family's net taxable income in the most recently completed tax year is less than $60,000.
Information can be found at  https://www.legis.iowa.gov/.


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Understood.org
A great free website for parents of children who struggle with learning and attention issues.   Available on this site are personalized recommendations for you and your child, tutorials, disability simulations and much more.  
 
Join the #IamMedicaidIowa Campaign to Raise Awareness about Medicaid Issues During 2018 Legislative Session
 
Many lawmakers and citizens see dollar signs rather than faces when considering Medicaid Managed Care issues in Iowa. Help Disability Rights Iowa show lawmakers that Iowans in the Medicaid Managed Care system are just like them. They want to live in their homes in their communities rather than going to an institution. However, they are unable to do so without the state sufficiently funding their services.

For suggestions on how to get involved  Join the #IamMedicaidIowa movement and share your story by going to  http://disabilityrightsiowa.org/special-announcemen/



For more family friendly information please visit our website at 


  Workshop on Twice Exceptionality

Central Rivers AEA, Cedar Falls

Friday, April 13-Saturday April 14


Training educators to meet the academic and affective needs of twice exceptional students is a critical need in Iowa. ITAG's spring workshop for gifted and special needs educators and administrators will assist district teams in developing plans to address these challenges and to learn instructional approaches that emphasize rigor. Teachers and all educational personnel can benefit from professional development on the characteristics and performance of twice exceptional students, which will increase the probability that these students will be identified and appropriately served with both gifted and special education services. Each team attending will leave with a district plan draft for serving twice exceptional students as well as strategies designed to provide appropriate classroom instruction.

Presenters include Megan Foley-Nicpon from the University of Iowa and Rebecca Lopez and Julie MacKissock from Cherry Creek School District, Greenwood Village, Colorado. Iowa educators will share their approaches in breakout sessions.

Each team attending will leave with a district plan draft for serving twice exceptional students as well as strategies designed to provide appropriate classroom instruction. Register four people from your district and ITAG will waive the registration fee for one administrator from your district! Contact [email protected] for more information.

Registration is limited to 200 attendees.

All workshop sessions will be held at the  Central Rivers AEA,  1521 Technology Pkwy, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 .




2018 Together We Can Conference!

Featuring keynote speakers:
David Harrell & Rylin Rodgers

Saturday, May 5, 2018 | Iowa State Fairgrounds | Free for families

Information will soon be available at www.askresource.org/togetherwecan.

Do You Have Good News About Your Child's Success?

Every day your child experiences little successes as they move forward in their educational experience. We would like to hear your stories about the progress your child is making through the collaborative efforts of Great Prairie AEA, your school and you. Please take a few minutes to share news about your child and the great things he/she is learning to do. We need the following basic information for an article to share with our readers:
  • Child's Name
  • Child's School District
  • Child's Age (when he/she began receiving AEA assistance and Age now)
  • Child's Unique Needs
  • How the AEA has been instrumental in the progress? GPAEA LOGO
  • Your Name and Names of those AEA staff who have been or continue to serve your child
If you would like to share a success story with us, please send the above information to Jennifer Woodley, Communication Specialist, Great Prairie AEA, at [email protected]

Great Prairie AEA  | http://www.gpaea.org
2814 N. Court Street, Ottumwa, IA 52501
3601 West Avenue Road
Burlington, IA 52601

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