Seattle Special Education PTSA Invite

"Student-Centered Collaboration:Strategies for Effective IEP Teams"
 
Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm
John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence 
 
This conference is sponsored by the Seattle Special Ed PTSA in collaboration with Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Council PTSA.
 
The conference will provide practical strategies to help parents and educators communicate effectively and craft appropriate interventions to address the individual needs of their students with disabilities.
 
Cecile Lindquist, a pioneer in the disabilities rights movement, will open the conference and remind us why we all must focus our efforts on the needs of our students.  A panel discussion of "IEP Team Member Perspectives and Roles" will follow, moderated by Pat Steinburg, President of the Washington State Special Education Coalition.
 
Following the panel discussion, we are excited to be offering four workshops on practical strategies led by local experts.
 
IEPs and Special Education Advocacy
Stacy Gillett (Ombudsman with the Governor's Office of the Education Ombudsman) & Christy Thompson Ibrahim (Attorney at Law with The Law Offices of Larry A. Jones)
Engaging Families in a Collaborative IEP Process
Stacey McGrath-Smith (Seattle Public Schools Special Education Supervisor)
Love, Understanding, and Other Best Practices -- The New School of Thought on IEP and 504 Plans: "How to Avoid Due Process"
Larry Martin Davis (Education Advocate)
Mediation for Families
Greg Abell (Mediator with Sound Options Group)
Parents and educators -- in both general education and special education -- are invited to join us for this conference. Clock hours and Continuing Education credits are available. Interpretation services for the hearing-impaired and non-English speakers are available upon request. For more information, please contact us at [email protected].   Requests for interpretation services must be received by October 22, 2011. 
 
This conference is free of charge, but we will need a head count. Please RSVP by October 22 to [email protected].
 
*Morning coffee service and registration/sign-in will begin at 8:30 am. The conference will start promptly at 9 am and run until 2:30 pm with a light lunch and refreshments served. It will be held in the John Stanford Center Auditorium at 2445 3rd Ave South; Seattle, WA 98134. Donations to cover food costs are welcome; suggested donation $5.