“The power of youth is the common wealth for the entire world.“
~Kailash Satyarthi
Parent Centers, schools, and many community-based organizations work directly with youth who have disabilities, supporting their preparation for adulthood and all the excitement and challenge ahead. This issue of the Buzz will connect you with resources we hope you’ll find helpful in your youth-focused work.
All our best to you,
The CPIR Team
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Upcoming Webinars of Interest
Innovative Practices for Providing Sexual Health Education and Services in Schools
Date: Thursday, February 16, 2023 @3:30 pm (Eastern Time)
Hosts: Child Trends and School-Based Health Alliance
This webinar will highlight four unique strategies for providing sexual health education and family planning services to young people in schools, including how the strategies work, why they were developed, challenges or barriers to their implementation, and tips for sustainability. Register for the webinar at the link above.
Get to Know Your School Counselor: Improving Collaboration to Support College and Career Readiness for Youth with Disabilities
Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023, 2:00-3:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Host: NTACT
This webinar will focus on the nature of college and career readiness supports among youth with IEPs, on 504 plans, and without disabilities using the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 data. Practical strategies will be shared for improving collaboration between transition specialists and school counselors in order to support youth with disabilities and ensure their inclusion in schoolwide college and career readiness efforts. Go to NTACT (at the link above), create an account for free, then register for the webinar.
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Resources for Working with Youth with Disabilities
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Pre-Employment Transition Services
The account you create at NTACT will give you access to a wide range of transition-related materials, such as this FAQ on pre-employment transition services. The questions and answers are organized into categories for easy browsing and include: administrative, allowable costs, definitions, service delivery, and RSA FAQs.
Talking to Kids About Sex and Dating
Check out this suite of stand-alone articles from the Child Mind Institute, which rounds up resources on why it matters to talk to teens about sex and romantic relationships, and how to approach this sensitive topic. Dive into consent and how kids can confidently set and respect boundaries. The suite includes tips on how to help teens deal with unwanted attention, as well as warning signs of sexual behaviors that are concerning. Some DOs and DON’Ts are outlined to help teens make good choices as they enter their first relationships. Each article in the suite is also available in Spanish.
Balloons lifting a winning ribbon.
Sexual Health and Wellness
(Also available in Spanish: Hablemos de sexo: Estudiantes con discapacidades y su salud sexual)
PEATC, Virginia’s PTI, has developed a toolkit to help guide parents through discussing sexual health and wellness with their child with disabilities. The toolkit covers topics such as sexuality, self-care, relationships, social skills, and boundaries. Many additional factsheets and resource documents (including YouTube videos) are also available.
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Center for Parent Information and Resources
c/o SPAN, Inc.
35 Halsey St., Fourth Floor
Newark, NJ 07102
https://www.parentcenterhub.org
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Publication of this eNewsletter is made possible through Cooperative Agreement H328R180005 between OSEP and the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government or by the Center for Parent Information and Resources.