Support PPAL through
your donation today!
COMECC # 700554
Combined Federal
Campaign #11595
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Contact Us
Parent/ Professional
Advocacy League
Statewide Office-Boston
15 Court Square
Suite 660
Boston, MA 02108
Toll Free: (866) 815-8122
Fax: (617) 542-7832
Central Ma Office
(Worcester)
40 Southbridge Street
Suite 310
Worcester, MA 01608
Tel: (508) 767-9725
Fax: (508) 767-9727
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August Statewide Meeting
Rose Dykeman-Bermingham of Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) will speak about how technology can help students with language-based and attention disabilities.
Register by August 5 via
email.
Tuesday, August 9 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Plymouth Church Conference Room
Framingham, MA
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Great Summer Events
1.
PPAL celebrated National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month with a special presentation to the Asian community at the Tufts Medical Area in Boston's Chinatown on July 15. Our goal is to increase awareness of mental health and IEP support and services to Asian families and parents, and to help the Asian community understand their rights to these services. The event was well-attended, with 18 families present. Two mothers requested training as Family Partners after our presentation, and two young men asked to be trained as therapeutic mentors. During the event, Zenaida Ramos of the Home for Little Wanderers joined Norma and Hannah to offer an in-depth education on the IEP and 504 mandates. We thank all who attended this great event, which met our goal of reaching minority populations and spread awareness of our services during National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
On July 13, PPAL celebrated the Ame
ricans with  Disabilities Act (ADA) with a free event
fo
r chi
ldren, families and individuals of all abilities at Boston City Hall. The ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination in all aspects of life on the basis of disability. The ADA was signed in 1990, and represents a major force in the movement to ensure that all Americans' rights are guaranteed.
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Welcome, Ana!
2. PPAL would like to extend a warm welcome to our new family support specialist, Ana Marchan.
With a background in teaching, Ana comes to PPAL after a career working for parents with children and youth with special needs. This includes working through the Autism Resource Center Group, Family Ties and Parent to Parent. She holds a certificate in school advocacy from the Federation for Children with Special Needs. Ana has also participated and volunteered in our community in numerous capacities, including with the Boys Scouts of America, Neighbor to Neighbor and Massachusetts Organizing for Change. She is dedicated to educating, guiding and directing our youth, and is committed to providing support to families.
Ana is the mother of three children with special needs, and has overcome many challenges in navigating the medical and educational systems. At PPAL, she will work primarily with our Spanish-speaking clients. She wants to use her experience and education to continue to help the community for its greater good.
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Family Support Continues Its Outreach to Hispanic Communities
3.
Our Family Support team reports that our outreach efforts in the Worcester Hispanic community have been successful, with PPAL now serving more Hispanic families than ever before. In just a few short weeks after bringing our bilingual Family Support Specialist Ana Marchan on board, we have already served approximately 10 families. We anticipate that the number of Hispanic families seeking our services will continue to increase
as word spreads through the community. We are happy to be able to support more families and look forward to being able to provide more support and services to Spanish-speaking families throughout Massachusetts.
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UpcomingTrainings
4.
In the coming months, PPAL is offering trainings for first responders to help them learn how to work with a family in crisis. Our Police Pocket Guide Training is a 2 hour session designed to help police officers, first responders and emergency service providers understand children's mental health conditions and the behaviors that may be associated with them. Participants will learn:
- how officers can become agents of change and parents can be allies
- how to respond to children in crisis, including deescalation techniques
- how children's mental health relates to suicide, trauma and juvenile justice
- how to understand what mental health issues in children looks like
- how to support families
Join us for this great training program, and learn how to deescalate difficult situations. You will leave with practical tips and suggestions, along with a printed guide that will literally fit into your pocket!
Space is available for our September Police Pocket Guide training! To learn more, contact us at 617-542-7860 or email us!
On August 25, the University of PPAL will
present
a Family Engagement training at the Bridge of Central Mass in Worcester. This training focuses on how widespread changes in the delivery of emotional, behavioral, and mental health services have raised the bar on how providers engage with families. Are you prepared for the changes? Participants will learn:
- the philosophy of Family Engagement
- the difference between Family-Centered and Family-Driven
- the barriers to family involvement and how to eliminate them
- effective strategies for family engagement
We have had a great response to this event, which is completely full!
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Youth MOVE in Columbus
5.
This month, Lydia Proulx was able to attend the FREDLA/Youth MOVE National Summer meeting in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting with titled "Aligning the Family and Youth Movements," and Lydia was able to attend with 20 other youth and young adults from Youth MOVE chapters across the nation. The two day meeting featured discussions of each group's challenges and successes, and a collaboration to identify where their values and visions line up with family organizations. They also brainstormed
how they can better collaborate and further Family & Youth voice together in our communities and states. And of course...the Youth MOVErs spent a lot of time connecting and catching Pokémon at the meeting!
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Presenting The Next Events in PPAL's 25th Anniversary Celebration
6.
On Thursday, September 22, PPAL will host its
statewide
meeting at the The Nonprofit Center in Boston. We are proud to announce that memoirist Mimi Baird, author of He Wanted the Moon, will be our featured speaker at this event. Her book tells the tale of a mid-century doctor's
descent into madness, and his daughter's attempt to piece his life back together and make sense of her own. To learn more about this great event, contact us at (866) 815-8122 or via email. Tickets will be available soon!
On August 24, join PPAL at the Springfield Public Library from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for a special presentation by Bob Larsted, author of Witness to the Dark. His daughter Patricia will discuss her battle with anxiety, depression, bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, and schizoaffective disorders, how she survived, and ultimately, thrived while navigating the minefield of school, family and today's healthcare system. Her father, Bob Larsted, will discuss his own journey to support and advocate for Patricia. Seating for this event is limited, but there is no charge to attend.
Email us or call
508-767-9725 to RSVP (please specify which program you would like to attend).
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