Lee's Summit R-7 School District

Justice Department Clarifies Service Animal Rules - Disability Scoop The document defines a service animal as a dog that has been “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability” that is directly related to their disability. No certification, licensing, identification or documentation is required. Service animals can accompany people with disabilities in a wide variety of circumstances including at salad bars or other self-service food lines, in ambulances and hospitals and at hotels where they should not be limited to or charged extra for “pet-friendly” rooms, the Justice Department said. Under federal law, businesses looking to assess if a dog is a service animal may only ask if the animal is required due to a disability and what work or task the dog is trained to perform. “Accordingly, entities that have a ‘no pets’ policy generally must modify the policy to allow service animals into their facilities.”

Investigations Target Federal Disability Program - Disability Scoop A program that distributes billions in federal dollars each year to secure work for people with disabilities is accused of failing at its very mission amid allegations of corruption and fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice and at least four inspectors general are investigating the federal government’s AbilityOne program and SourceAmerica, a nonprofit that manages the employment efforts, according to a  CNN  investigation. AbilityOne allocates over $2 billion annually in federal funds toward contracts with various companies. To participate, at least 75 percent of a business’s work must be done by employees who are blind or who have severe disabilities. However, up to half of the companies with such contracts may not be living up to that expectation, employing too few people with disabilities to legally qualify, according to CNN, which cites numerous named and unnamed sources. Moreover, SourceAmerica is accused in the

Schools Warned On Speech Services For Kids With Autism - Disability Scoop My son didn't receive any services when he was in middle school.  He had an IEP, but what does that mean when you get no services. Federal education officials are reminding schools not to skimp on needed speech and language services for children with autism. In a  letter  to states, officials from the U.S. Department of Education say they’ve heard that an increasing number of kids on the spectrum may not be receiving services from speech-language pathologists at school. Moreover, such professionals are frequently left out of the evaluation process and are often not present at meetings to determine what services a child should receive under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the department said. “Some IDEA programs may be including applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapists exclusively without including, or considering input from, speech-language pathologists and other professionals who provi

Lee’s Summit R-VII School District Aquatic Center - Aquatics International Page 1 of 3 They do not use this center for aquatic therapy.  Wouldn't that be a great way to help their disabled students. Find out why aquatic therapy can benefit children with:  • ADHD  • Apraxia  • Asperger syndrome  • Auditory processing difficulties  • Autism Spectrum Disorder  • Cerebral palsy  • Chromosomal abnormalities  • Developmental dyspraxia  • Down Syndrome  • Gross motor delays  • Hemiparesis  • Hemiplegia  • Hodgkins lymphoma  • Hydrocephalus  • Hypotonia  • Issues associated with premature birth  • Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis  • Lack of core strength  • Language disabilities  • Learning disabilities  • Motor planning issues  • Multiple sclerosis  • Muscular dystrophy  • Periventricular leukomalacia  • Pervasive Developmental Disorder  • Rett syndrome  • Seizure disorders  • Sensory integration dysfunction  • Sensory Processing Disorder  • Spastic diplegia 

Swim School: Swimming With Autism | The Autism Site Blog We have begged Lee's Summit to use their $12 million aquatic center for this.  It should be in their student's IEPs.  But, they won't do it. 

Justice Department Says Georgia Illegally Segregates Students - Disability Scoop Lee's Summit segregates them to the Miller Center.  The building was too outdated to be used as the Central Office, but it seems to be fine for students.

Brenda Dater's Blog: Author of Parenting without Panic: A Pocket Support Group for Parents of Children and Teens on the Autism Spectrum (Asperger's Syndrome) - Brenda Dater, MPH, MSW Parent  |  Author  |  Speaker Dear Teacher, Last week when we were chatting after school you said you were concerned about my son's writing. You explained that he's having a hard time getting started and his handwriting isn't legible. However, this morning at his annual meeting, you didn't talk about these challenges or suggest changes to his plan. When I glanced in your direction, you quickly looked away. You understand my son's strengths and weaknesses. And I know you care and want to help. Nevertheless, you remained silent on the topic of new difficulties and potential supports or services at the IEP meeting. I left the meeting wondering, what kept you from sharing your professional expertise in a public setting? Silence hurts your students I appreciate t

Alexithymia and emotional processing in autism - West Palm Beach Autism Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in identifying, describing, and processing one's own feelings, often marked by a lack of understanding of the feelings of others, and difficulty distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal. Alexithymia is not a formal clinical diagnosis and is best conceptualized as a dimensional personality trait that is normally distributed in the general population (with estimates of 10%) and varies in severity from person to person. However, there is evidence to suggest that it is associated with an increased risk for mental health problems. For example, several studies indicate that even in childhood, alexithymia and difficulties in the domain of emotion processing are positively related to internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression . Research indicates that alexithymia overlaps with autism spectrum disorder (ASD

School charges mom $77,000 to access emails about her son | fox4kc.com GOODRICH, Mich. — A mother said she was given a $77,000 price tag when she tried to get information from her son’s school. She said the school is essentially refusing to honor a request she has every legal right to make. The controversy surrounds emails regarding that woman’s son, who has an intellectual disability, according to WNEM . When this parent of a Goodrich school’s student got the bill she didn’t believe it. Now she’s thought about what they want to charge her and she’s hired an attorney. For $77,000 you can buy some pretty nice stuff like a used convertible Bentley Continental GT, or a used helicopter and flying lessons. According to Sherri Smith, you can also buy access to her son’s school records. “It’s just disgusting they would ask that from parents,” Smith said. “I expected a nominal fee in exchange for some emails.” Smith said she filed a Freedom of Information Act reques

5 Things I Wish Educators Would Stop Saying to Special Needs Parents | The Mighty Over the past couple of years as a parent advocate, and as a parent of a child who has autism, I’ve attended a number of board meetings, district meetings and school meetings with parents. Heck, I even ran for school board trustee. So I know that trying to make change in the education system feels like searching for a needle in a football field-sized haystack. Parents can be demoralized, and many feel forced out of a system that is supposed to be inclusive of all  children. In the last couple of months, I’ve felt particularly defeated. Meeting after meeting, I hear the same things, and it’s incredibly frustrating. Here are a few things I’ve heard at school meetings so many times, they’ve become like nails on a chalkboard. If you are a school professional (at any level), my hope is that you will consider these things when you communicate with parents of children with extra needs in the