Spring Break
Conference to help disabled young adults
Kayleigh Zyskowski/Activities Editor
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: News
For many high school students and their parents, the transition into adulthood can be challenging, but for many disabled students across the state, the challenge can be multiplied.
Eastern's Office of Disability Services, the Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education and Lake Land College are hoping to address some of these trials today during the Disability Awareness Day conference, by putting a focus on transitions into adulthood.
The event will begin at 8:20 and will be located at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill.
"For many years, the three agencies have combined together and had what we call Disability Awareness Day," said EIASE assistant director Lauren Humphrey. "This year focuses on transition, and that is when a child turns 14 to when they transition into adulthood, and that can be when they go to college or a junior college."
The conference this year is directed toward high school teachers and the parents of children about to become young adults, Humphrey said.
Sandy Martin is the keynote speaker for this year's event.
Martin is currently the co-chair of the Illinois Secondary Transitional Experience Program Advisory Committee and was chosen by the Council for Exceptional Children to receive the National Iva Cook Teacher of the Year Award in 2008.
"She has a broad variety of experience in the area of transition," Humphrey said.
Three technology companies will present at the event.
A representative from the Illinois Assisted Technology will do a presentation.
"They are an agency who have a lot of low-cost and low -tech assisted technology that is available for people to check out, to borrow, and sometimes they can help with low cost loans to purchase the items," Humphrey said.
Infinitec will also have a representative present at the event.
"(The Infinitec representative) will be talking about a lot of assisted technology through Web sites," Humphrey said.
Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic will also be represented at the awareness day, Humphrey said.
"They place a lot of equipment in school districts that actually read the stories out loud," Humphrey said. "And it's not just for people with vision impairment, but also for use with kids who have reading problems."
To finish the day, Martin will talk about student-led individualized education programs and transition.
The 2009 Disability Awareness Day is not just for people who are directly linked with disabled students, who are about to make the life transition into adulthood, Humphrey said.
"Even if you think you are going to be a primary teacher and you aren't going to deal with older kids, all of our goals in education is to ultimately have that person who is launched into society," Humphrey said. "You may be preparing them for the fourth grade, but you need to know what's long term too."
The cost of attending the event is $25 for students and parents, and $30 for professionals.
All in attendance will receive one half of a college credit.
Lunch will be provided.
Kayleigh Zyskowski can be reached at kzyskowski@eiu.edu or at 581-7943.
Eastern's Office of Disability Services, the Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education and Lake Land College are hoping to address some of these trials today during the Disability Awareness Day conference, by putting a focus on transitions into adulthood.
The event will begin at 8:20 and will be located at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill.
"For many years, the three agencies have combined together and had what we call Disability Awareness Day," said EIASE assistant director Lauren Humphrey. "This year focuses on transition, and that is when a child turns 14 to when they transition into adulthood, and that can be when they go to college or a junior college."
The conference this year is directed toward high school teachers and the parents of children about to become young adults, Humphrey said.
Sandy Martin is the keynote speaker for this year's event.
Martin is currently the co-chair of the Illinois Secondary Transitional Experience Program Advisory Committee and was chosen by the Council for Exceptional Children to receive the National Iva Cook Teacher of the Year Award in 2008.
"She has a broad variety of experience in the area of transition," Humphrey said.
Three technology companies will present at the event.
A representative from the Illinois Assisted Technology will do a presentation.
"They are an agency who have a lot of low-cost and low -tech assisted technology that is available for people to check out, to borrow, and sometimes they can help with low cost loans to purchase the items," Humphrey said.
Infinitec will also have a representative present at the event.
"(The Infinitec representative) will be talking about a lot of assisted technology through Web sites," Humphrey said.
Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic will also be represented at the awareness day, Humphrey said.
"They place a lot of equipment in school districts that actually read the stories out loud," Humphrey said. "And it's not just for people with vision impairment, but also for use with kids who have reading problems."
To finish the day, Martin will talk about student-led individualized education programs and transition.
The 2009 Disability Awareness Day is not just for people who are directly linked with disabled students, who are about to make the life transition into adulthood, Humphrey said.
"Even if you think you are going to be a primary teacher and you aren't going to deal with older kids, all of our goals in education is to ultimately have that person who is launched into society," Humphrey said. "You may be preparing them for the fourth grade, but you need to know what's long term too."
The cost of attending the event is $25 for students and parents, and $30 for professionals.
All in attendance will receive one half of a college credit.
Lunch will be provided.
Kayleigh Zyskowski can be reached at kzyskowski@eiu.edu or at 581-7943.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Be the first to comment on this story