Family Connections Newsletter
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Parent Mentor
Eileen Hawkins
March 2020
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2020 Transition Expo April 18, 2020 Cuyahoga Valley Career Center 8am-12pm
FREE
For those with students with disabilities transition planning begins at age 14 in Ohio.
Save the date - 2020 Transition Expo -
April 18, 2020, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, 8001 Brecksville Rd., Brecksville, Ohio 44141
between 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. This event is open to family members and caregivers of transition-age youth, interested professionals, and young adults who have developmental disabilities.
Click for attendees to Register for Expo
This event is sponsored by:
- ESC of Northeast Ohio
- State Support Team 3
- Cuyahoga Valley Career Center
- Milestones
- Livespecial.com
- Ohio Family to Family
- Monarch Center for Autism
- LEAP (Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential)
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District
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The libraries below offer Adapted Story times where children with varying learning styles and abilities learn together in a safe, supportive environment where respect and appreciation for differences is encouraged. This story time, followed by a time for socialization, is designed for children who may not be successful in a typical story time experience. Content is geared toward ages 3 to 7 years, but all ages are welcome. Siblings may also attend but must register separately. Some libraries also offer additional special needs programming.
Branch Locations Offer Special Needs Programming:
Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma Snow Branch, Euclid Public Library, Lakewood, Rocky River, The Ellet Branch in Summit County, Lorain, Avon, Avon and North Ridgeville offer
Adapted Story Times and other special needs programming. You can register through the
CFK website
or by calling the library directly.
FREE
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A list of mental health resources including addiction and recovery, anxiety, ADHD, chronic fatigue, depression, developmental disorders, and more.
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CFK VIRTUAL COFFEE AND CHAT - TAP INTO CFK RESOURCES TO MAKE YOUR SUMMER PLANS
April 15, 2020
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Join CFK for this live interactive session where CFK Family Resources Specialists will answer your questions and share local resources to help you make summer plans for your child. If you are looking for camps, therapists, ESY, adaptive sports or other programs to keep your child active and engaged this summer, then grab a cup of coffee and join us from the comfort of your home. This event is open to all and will be live on the CFK main Facebook page. Registration is preferred.
CFK Coffee and Chat is an interactive support group for families ages 0-12.
FREE
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Cover to Cover
Ages: 10-17 years
Dates: Ongoing
Fee: $50 per 90 minute session
Organization:
Reaching New Heights, LLC
Contact:
Donna Culley, M.A. CCC/SLP
Address: 3505 East Royalton Road; Suite 221; Broadview Heights, OH 44147
Phone:
440-241-8366
Fax: 440-736-7600
Email: dculley@reachingnewhts.com
This unique group focuses on reading and social skills in a "Book Club" format. This group is facilitate by a
certified Language Arts Teacher who is also an RBT and is pursuing her Master's in Special Education. The students
will engage in conversation and skilled activities while also improving their literacy and their love of books.
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Karyn's S.W.I.M. LLC
440-668-6354
Adapted Aquatics
Early Intervention
Ages 0-12 years
Location of Services
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Baldwin Wallace University Speech Clinic
Dates: Year-round programs
Ages: Any age (birth to 100+)
Fee: All services and camps provided at the Baldwin Wallace Speech Clinic are
FREE of charge to all participants.
Organization:
Baldwin Wallace University Speech Clinic
Contact:
Christie Needham, Director of Clinical Education or
Kathy Donafee, Office Manager
Address: 275 Eastland Road, Berea, OH 44017
Physical Address: 285 Front Street, Berea, OH 44017
Phone:
440-826-2149
Email: BWSpeechClinic@bw.edu
Website:
The Baldwin Wallace Speech Clinic provides speech, language and hearing services to adults and children in the community.
iStudent clinicians from BW’s communication sciences & disorders undergraduate major and speech-
language pathology graduate program provide services customized to match the individual patient's needs based on a free-standing
treatment plan or as a supplement to an existing one. Students work under the supervision of licensed speech-language pathologists who are
certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and licensed by the Ohio Board of Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology. Sessions are generally scheduled on a weekly basis and are offered year-round, including summer. All services are provided free of charge.
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2020 Summer and Beyond Directory
Local Summer Camps and More...
Check out the 2020 Summer and Beyond Directory. There are five sections to browse through. Contact organizations and camps if you have further questions about their programs throughout the year to support children and youth with disabilties.
2020 Summer and Beyond Directory
Check out the 2020 Summer and Beyond Directory. There are five sections to browse through. Contact organizations and camps if you have further questions about their programs throughout the year to support children and youth with disabilties.
2020 Summer and Beyond .
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Autism Society of Greater Cleveland’s Parent Support Group Meeting At The
City of Independence Civic Center
2020 Series: Managing Behaviors at Home Beyond Visual Schedules
Join Rachel Torrance as she provides a free class to help caregivers implement practical tools, and positive supports at home.
When: Monday, March 18th, 2020
Time: 10 AM - 12 PM
Where: Independence Civic Center, 6363 Selig Drive, Independence, OH 44131
FREE
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ADAPTED DANCE PROGRAM @ BEYOND WORDS: MUSIC & DANCE CENTER
Dates: Ongoing
Ages: 3-22
Fee: Assessment: $25.
Call for details regarding tuition for our Levels 1 – 4.
Organization:
Beyond Words: Music & Dance Center
Contact:
Erin Jester, MT-BC,
Director/Owner
Address: 6058 Royalton Road, North Royalton, OH 44133
Phone:
440-230-6100
Email: erin.jester@beyondwordscenter.org
The ultimate goal of our adaptive dance program is to mainstream our dancers into a traditional class. The benefit to these classes
is the low teacher to student ratio (2:4-8). Skills taught in these individual lessons and classes are the same as a typical dance
class, but are tailored to each dancer's unique needs and abilities in order to provide the most successful learning environment.
Dancers have the opportunity to perform in our informal (April) and formal (June) dance recitals. Various styles of dance classes are available.
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Connecting For Kids Meet & Greet Resource Fair
Date: April 8, 2020
Location: Don Umerley Civic Center, Rocky River
This free public event designed for families who have concerns about their child (ages birth-12) will highlight providers from across Northeast Ohio. Participants can visit with representatives from numerous organizations to discuss services and explore program options such as:
- Adapted recreation programs and camps
- Alternative schools
- Counselors and mental health providers
- Educational advocates
- Grant/financial aid providers
- Music therapy programs
- Occupational and physical therapists
- Respite providers
- Speech-language pathologists
- Social skills programs
- Tutors and learning disability programs
FREE
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Sensory Friendly Movies at AMC Theaters
AMC Theatres has partnered with the Autism Society in order to make seeing a movie in theaters more accessible to children and adults with special needs. During these select showings, the house lights are left on, the volume is turned down, and customers are welcome to walk around, talk, shout or sing during the movie.
Sensory friendly showings take place on the second and fourth Tuesday and Saturday every month, offering families four sensory friendly days each month. Participating AMC Theatres in Ohio include AMC Ridge Park Square. Address:
4788 Ridge Rd, Brooklyn, OH 44144
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(216) 749-0260.
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THE D.A.M.
Program
(DIAGNOSE, APPLY, MOTIVATE PROGRAM)
Dates: Ongoing
Ages: 18 years and older
Fee: Sliding Scale, visit our website for further information
Organization:
The LD Edge Network
Contact:
Holly Roe, Executive Director
Address: 3389 Fulton Road, Room 107, Cleveland, Ohio 44109
Phone
: 216-870-1432
Email:
ldedge15@gmail.com
The mission of this group is to provide a streamlined process for assessing under-resourced adults with learning
disabilities, and incorporating specialized intervention practices to elevate their educational and career statuses. They
also offer training and professional development specific to learning disabilities in adults to the educators that teach
them, all with the goal of increasing the employability and quality of life for these adults and their families.
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ASD Family Camp
Date:
May 31, 2020
Ages: The ENTIRE Family!
Fee:
FREE
Organization:
Recreation Unlimited
Contact: Michelle Higgins, Intake & Billing Coordinator;
Chris Link
, Operations Director
Address: 7700 Piper Road; Ashley, OH 43003-9741
Phone:
740-548-7006
Fax: 740-747-3139
Email:
clink@recreationunlimited.org
This day is designed for the entire family to be able to come out to camp and play together. Your family will have the opportunity to do
camp activities such as swimming, fishing, canoeing, climbing, sports, archery, creekin',
nature exploration, arts and crafts, and more!
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Free Stuff for Kids with Disabilities
We all love free stuff, but sometimes when you are raising a kid with a disability or special need, you REALLY love free stuff – or more accurately, you really NEED the free stuff, because disability or special needs can be expensive.
Here’s a short list of some great free stuff for kids with disabilities or special needs*, focusing on products, services and money.
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Financial Resources and Discounts for Students with Disabilities
Disability discounts, tips, and information for travel, utilities, books, software, and assistive technologies are out there for disabled college students to use. This list can help in the realm of finances to cut both financial costs and the associated unnecessary stress.
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JAMES CIPRIANI
N.E.O. Challenger Baseball L.L.C., Inc.
Adapted Baseball ages 6-12 - Brecksville, OH
216-870-9242 Jim Cipriani
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Bowling Buddies West
Sunday, March 29⋅2:00 4:00pm
12859 Brookpark Rd, Cleveland, OH 44130, USA
Description:
USOD will cover the cost of up to two games of bowling plus shoes for our buddies with Down syndrome. All ages welcome. Siblings must pay for their own games and shoe rental.
Organizer: usodneo@gmail.com
usodneo@gmail.com
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Deaf is Different Webinar
Thursday, April 23, 2020
TIME: 10:00 - 11:00 am
In this
FREE
webinar you will have an introduction to deaf culture and the unique needs of students who have any degree of hearing loss, from mild to profound or unilateral to bilateral. We will discuss how IDEA and ADA specifically support the educational needs of students with hearing impairments or deafness and how they can be applied to real-life situations. A variety of tools and resources to support families, teachers, and related services providers will also be presented.
PRESENTER: TABITHA BELHORN
Tabby is the Parent Mentor at the Ohio School for the Deaf, where she provides family support to parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing through the state of Ohio. She has three children, the oldest of whom is deaf. She has worked with hundreds of families of children who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf plus, or deaf-blind for over 14 years. She presents workshops on educational advocacy for deaf and hard of hearing students around the country as a national ASTra trainer for Hands & Voices. She has been a member of the State Advisory Panel for Exceptional Children and served as the co-chair for the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Subcommittee. Currently, she is a member of the Outreach Center for Deafness and Blindness advisory committee and serves on the steering committees for Deaf Education Ohio and CHLDRN of Ohio.
AFTER REGISTERING YOU WILL RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION EMAIL CONTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT JOINING THE WEBINAR
Please contact Valorie or Sandy with questions and comments:
Valorie Dombroskas
740-594-9242
Sandy Brickner
419-595-2248
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Please read...
This newsletter is a resource. Independence Local Schools does not endorse or recommend any providers, methodologies or services from any of the groups or companies listed.
We
urge
you to make independent judgment when selecting a professional to assist you.
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Eileen Hawkins, Parent Mentor
Confidential Help Available for help with IEP's, 504 Plans, Resources, Support and more. Services provided
FREE
of charge by the district.
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ReCharge Respite Ministry
Offered Monthly
Call 440-238-6135 for more information.
Sponsor: Strongsville United Methodist Church
Audience: Infants through 22 years old
Cost:
FREE
Includes activities, food and fun. Parents can drop their child off and have 2.5 hours to relax, run errands, go out to dinner, etc. This program is offered monthly.
Advanced registration is required for all ReCharge nights and a first time interview is mandatory before children may attend
Location: 13500 Royalton Rd., Strongsville
OH
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FREE Resources & Information From The County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Please click on the links below for valuable
FREE
information and resources for ALL ages for families and professionals from The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
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Milestones National Autism Conference June 11 - 12, 2020
Join 1,200 professionals, parents and individuals with autism in Cleveland, OH for world-class speakers, networking and support.
With more than 100 sessions, 10 specialized tracks and 50 exhibitors, this is the must-attend autism event of the year to gain evidence-based, practical strategies for at work, at home or to use in your community. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn and raise the bar for what is possible!
Attendee registration opens December 10, 2019.
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Crisis Text Line
Throughout Ohio, individuals can text the keyword “4HOPE” to 741 741 to be connected to a Crisis Counselor. Any person may need help in coping with a stressful situation. Reach out by text to communicate with someone trained to listen and respond in a method that is private, secure and confidential.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) has entered in to a contract with the national Crisis Text Line to provide Ohioans with a state-specific keyword to access its free, confidential service available 24/7 via text on mobile devices. This resource is intended to broaden the options available through current community crisis hotlines.
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ICAN Adaptive Swim & Water Aerobics
Independence Civic Center Indoor pool
Fridays, March 20th & April 17th 7-8:30PM
Swimming/water movement adjusted to meet individual needs.
FREE
ICAN Walkers Club & Basketball
City of Independence Elmwood Recreation Center
Fridays, March 27th, April 10th & 24th 7-8:30PM
Have some Friday night fun, stay active, and burn
calories.
FREE
ICAN Dinner @ Harry's Steak House Independence
Tuesdays, March 17th & April 14th
6-7:30PM
Pay for Dinner you own dinner.
You Must Provide Your own Transportation
Enjoy the company and conversation of friends over a nice meal at Harry's Steak House.
For additional information, contact Jim Wotowiec at 216-524-3262, Ext. 2559 or
WotowiecJ@IndependenceOhio.org
Register for all ICAN activities at the Independence Civic Center Recreation Desk - in person, by calling 216-524-3262, or online at www.independenceohio.org.
A signed Waiver is needed to participate in any ICAN activity. Waivers can be found at the front desk of the Civic Center or online. These activities are for individuals ages 10 thru adult. Anyone under age 18 or in need of constant
supervision, must be accompanied by an adult or guardian.
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Call
216-524-0424
for more information or
eileen.hawkins@escneo.org
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