Welcome to Our 2002 Fall Edition of “Leadership Notes”!

Third ICC Parent Leadership Support Institute

In May 2002, the National ICC Parent Leadership Development Project held an Institute for five states—Arizona, Utah, Alaska, Nevada and Idaho—in Park City, Utah. The teams were energized and creative, and developed state action plans to be carried out back in their respective states. Each team is committed to hosting an event or activity pertaining to parent leadership within six to nine months of attending the Institute. Our project offers support as needed. Here are a few comments from the participant evaluations about their four-day experience:

Highlights

· I did something I have never done before—talked about myself and my experiences. Thank you!

· Thank you for the experience of a lifetime. The Institute made life-changing decisions for me in more ways than you can imagine.

· I have been to many conferences, workshops and institutes but this is the only one where l felt “special” and pampered.

· It was good to room with people from other states.

Accomplishments

· Although the days were long and packed with information and activities, I enjoyed the Institute.

· I learned a great deal which will help me facilitate parent involvement in my state on the local and state levels.

· I felt like I learned so many things that I could take back to my ICC parent sub-committee, my work and my personal life.

· I really feel like I am coming away with an incredible amount of information. I am excited and encouraged to implement them in our state ICC.

A new Institute is planned for May 2003. We are seeking states that would be interested in participating. The four-day Institute aims to meet the learning needs of the participants and support the work that groups of parent leaders will do when they leave the Institute to return to their respective states. Contact us for more information.

Resources

In the last Parent Leadership Institute, participants shared resources from their states. Here is a sample:

Guide to Developmental Disability Services. This guide helps parents understand services offered through the Developmental Disability Program in Alaska. It introduces the Program, explains who is eligible for these services, and how to apply. (There is a waiting list for people who are selected for these services.) The guide describes the types of services and supports offered to those selected and their families. The program has four offices in four regions. For more information, call or write to:

Developmental Disabilities Program

Northern Regional Office

751 Old Richardson Highway, Suite 123

Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 Telephone (907) 451-5045 or (800) 770-1672; TTY (907) 451-5093.

Anchorage Regional Office

3601 “C” Street, Suite 878

Anchorage, Alaska 99503, (907) 269-3600,

(800) 770-3930; TTY (907) 269-3624

Southcentral Regional Office

851 East Westpoint Drive Suite 310

Wasilla, Alaska 99654

(907) 352-6301, (800) 755-0712;

TTY (907) 352-6333

Southeast Regional Office

350 Main Street

Juneau, Alaska 99811

(907) 465-3370, (800) 465-4828;

TTY (907) 465-4827

www.alaskachd.org

Moving on at Age Three. This is a guide about transitions for families in Nevada in Early Intervention Programs: For more information call or write to:

Community Connections

3987 S. McCarran Blvd. Reno, NV 89502

Phone: (775) 688-2284, Fax (775) 688-2558, TTY (775) 688-2818 or visit them on line at www.nvcommunityconnections.com.

Early Access for Children and Families (Iowa state): To take part in Early Access, your child should be 0-3 years of age with special health care needs that have affected his or her growth, development, or speech. Some of the services offered are: health, physical therapy, audio logical, nutrition, psychological and social services.

For more information call the regional office at (800) 779-2001 for an office near you.

Connecticut Birth to Three System. This pamphlet is useful for parents in the state of Connecticut who have children ages 0-3 with developmental disabilities. You can call Birth to Three at (800) 505-7000 outside Connecticut (860) 571-7556. www.birth23.org.

Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research in the U.S. Dept. of Education, published a series of user-friendly monographs which contain information about culture, values and recommended ways for service providers to interact with persons with disabilities from other countries (i.e., the Dominican Republic, Korea, Cuba, China, India, Jamaica, Mexico, the Philippines and El Salvador).

They provide information from 1990 to the present. For more information contact:

CIRRIE—Cultural Diversity Resources

State University of New York at Buffalo

515 Kimball Tower

Buffalo, NY 14214-3079

716-829-3141 ext.149

www.cirrie.buffalo.edu

If you would like to share your stories, an article, a poem, or any ideas you may have, please call or email Marilyn Gutierrez-Wilson (marilyng@fcsn.org) or call (800) 493-2338 x 151.

Check out our website for more details: www.iccparent.org