Copy
Share
Tweet
Forward
Partners Resource Network PEN Project is one of three Texas Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) funded through the Department of Education. We provide free information, technical assistance and ARD support to parents of children with special needs. Our mission is to empower youth with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities to be effective advocates for their children and to promote positive parent/professional partnership.

View this email in your browser
💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
Tube teddies help sick kids understand their illnesses
A Glasgow woman is putting a smile on the faces of sick children after creating teddies that look just like them.

Fiona Allan, 28, suffers from a serious genetic condition that caused her to be given a nasal feeding tube and a surgical catheter.

She found it hard to adjust to her new appearance but felt even more for children going through the same thing.

Now her teddies with feeding tubes and stoma bags are in demand.

And they are making a difference.

Fiona told the BBC Scotland news website: "As an adult I found it difficult to get used to life with extra medical things.


Finish reading the BBC article
💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
2019 PEN Project Conferences coming to a city near you!
Webinars
“Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you’re needed by someone.”
~Martina Navratilova
 
Facebook Live Q&A with Chuck Noe, Educational Specialist


You can register for our online courses by going to:  


Free webinars! Available 24/7!
Using Low-Tech Tools to Create Paper Trails 

Good records are essential to effective advocacy!

When you deal with a bureaucracy like the Internal Revenue Service or your state tax department, you know that you need to keep detailed records. Many parents do not realize that their school districts are bureaucracies too.

Keep a record of your contacts with the school. Your log should include telephone calls and meetings, conversations, and correspondence between you and the school. 

Keep copies of all letters, reports, and consent forms.

Train yourself to write things down!

If you have a dispute with the school, your contact log is independent evidence that supports your memory.phone datebook

Make your requests in writing. Write polite follow-up letters to document events, discussions, and meetings.

Documentation that supports your position is a key to resolving disputes early. Your tools are simple:

  • Logs
  • Calendars
  • Journals

Continue reading...
Youth Workshops & Trainings
The intent of these workshops and trainings is to teach youth (14 - 26 years) with disabilities how to self-advocate. 

Self-Advocacy is learning how to speak up for yourself, making your own decisions about your own life, learning how to get information so that you can understand things that are of interest to you, finding out who will support you in your journey, knowing your rights and responsibilities, reaching out to others when you need help and friendship, and learning about self-determination. 

You can click HERE to sign up to receive information on upcoming events in your area!
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Website
YouTube
“If you cannot see where you are going, ask someone who has been there before.”
~J Loren Norris
Regions 14 & 15
Serves Abilene & San Angelo Areas
Jamie Thomas
214.402.4273
jthomaspen@gmail.com
Region 14 Events
Region 15 Events
Regions 16 & 17
Serves Amarillo & Lubbock Areas
Stephanie McLoughlin
806.789.3843
smcloughlinpen@gmail.com
Region 16 Events
Region 17 Events
Region 18
Serves Midland/Odessa Areas
PEN Project
915.259.8717
penprntx@gmail.com
Region 19
Serves El Paso & Surrounding areas
Sonia Barrozo
915.730.0273
sbarrozopen@gmail.com
Region 19 Events
Events Calendar
Useful Articles
When Good Intentions Mean More Than Great Outcomes

I shamed my child instead of patting her on the back for her initiative and good intentions. And I instantly regretted it because she did all the wrong things for all the right reasons — and that is what should matter.
What are the JAN consultants and employment specialists reading?

Job Accommodation Network

Find out more!
Learn the Right Reasons for Your Child’s “Wrong” Behavior

When a child with ADHD misbehaves, sometimes it’s willful disobedience. More often, though, these “wrong” behaviors are out of her control.

Find out how to make any curriculum more accessible and engaging through the use of learning tools for Chromebooks, iPads, Windows, and Macs.
IDEA: The Foundation of Special Education
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that was passed in 1990 and has been amended. The IDEA provides children with qualifying disabilities, from birth to age 21, with the right to a free public education that is specifically designed to meet their individual needs.
Some disabilities make it difficult for students to communicate distress or manage their behavior in ways that schools expect or require from typically developing students. Data clearly show that students with disabilities are disciplined more frequently than their non-disabled peers.
Tips
The Reinvented Chore List That Actually Motivates My Child

My child’s to-do list was sparking anxiety and overwhelm. So we rebuilt her chore chart from the ground up — changing “Do it because I said so” to “Here’s how each of these tasks will help you.”
7 Ways to Include a Student with Special Needs in Physical Education
Discipline: Suspensions, Expulsions & IEPs by Robert K. Crabtree, Esq.

Paper Trails, Letter Writing & Documentation

When you advocate for a child, you use logs, calendars, and journals to create paper trails. You write letters to clarify events and what you were told. When you train yourself to write things down, you are taking steps to protect your child's interests.
Toolkits & Downloads





Free Friendship Guide
for Kids with ADHD
Family members are essential to the IEP team!
Bookshare makes reading easier. People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading.
Give A Voice Applications are now being accepted

The intent of NAA’s Give A Voice program is to provide communication devices to individuals with autism who are non-verbal or minimally verbal, and whose communication challenges put them at increased risk of injury or harm.
Free Mid-Year Checkup Guide for Students with ADHD
Share your thoughts!
We value and appreciate your compliments, suggestions or complaints in order to improve our services and the way we communicate. If you are satisfied with the service you have received from us, please let us know ❣
Find your PTI
There are nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs) in the US and Territories

Click here to find your PTI
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Website
YouTube
You are receiving this email because you have requested information from PRN or the PTI Projects.

The contents of this newsletter were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H328M150023  However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.  

Our mailing address is:
3 Butterfield Trail, Suite 128A
El Paso, TX 79906
Office: 915.259.8717
Toll free: 1.833.843.2686
penprntx@gmail.com
Copyright © 2019 PEN Project, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.