A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the New York State Education Department's Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services Vocational Rehabilitation and P-12: Office of Special Education regarding the joint responsibilities of each in the provision of transition services for students with disabilities related to post-school employment is available at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/transition/MOU-ACCES-OSE.htm.
For additional information, please contact the P-12: Office of Special Education at (518) 473-2878 or ACCES-VR at (518) 473-1626.
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Information related to two opportunities to provide public comment on proposed amendments to Regulations of the Commissioner of Education has been made available.
• NYSED proposes to amend the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to conform to federal requirements relating to written notification and parental consent for the use of public benefits or insurance to pay for services under the IDEA. NYSED has scheduled three public hearing sessions to receive comments on the proposed amendments. For more information please see http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/comment/announcepublichearing-parentalconsent.htm
• NYSED is also seeking public comment on a revised proposed amendment to establish a New York State Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential for students with disabilities. For more information, please see http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/comment/comment-CDOSCC.htm
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The NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC), in collaboration with Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute, is interested in improving the services and supports available to siblings of individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities (I/DD) in New York State.

Siblings are increasingly serving as the primary caregiver or advocate for their brothers and sisters who receive services from the NYS Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and their network of not-for-profit agencies. In an effort to enhance agencies’ ability to support siblings, we are conducting an online survey of the services and supports currently available to siblings of people with developmental disabilities as well as any future supports and training needs. Once the survey is completed, a report will be provided to the DDPC. Based on the data collected, needs and funding options will be considered.
The survey should be completed by an agency’s executive director or a designated staff person who is familiar with service delivery and the families to whom the agency provide services. Only one person per agency should complete the survey.
To access the Service Delivery Survey, please click on the following link:
https://cornell.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3JdWy1VRRwI2DwE
Completing the survey will take approximately 10 minutes. Please complete the survey by April 30, 2013. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact:
Nancy A. Hinkley
nah36@cornell.edu
Employment and Disability Institute
201 Dolgen Hall
Ithaca, New York 14853
t. 607.255.1109

Additional information regarding the project may be found at http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/p-NYSSiblingNeedsAssessment.cfm
Your help and cooperation with the Sibling Service Delivery Survey will assist in the improvement of the system of supports and services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Thank you for your support of this endeavor.

The P-12: Office of Special Education recently issued a memorandum providing information on a recent amendment to federal regulations relating to a district's responsibility to obtain parental consent prior to billing Medicaid or other public insurance benefits for special education services. 34 CFR section 300.154(d), implementing IDEA, was amended effective March 18, 2013 to simplify procedures for district access to public benefits while at the same time continue to protect family rights. More information can be found at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/parentconsent-publicbenefits.htm

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A memorandum which provides updated procedures, forms and policy relating to a school district's responsibility to submit timely and complete applications for approval of State reimbursement of tuition costs for placements of students with disabilities in out-of-State approved residential programs is now available at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/OOSplacement-memo-2013.htm
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Need a house? Help Build your Own:

Habitat for Humanity
Helping Hands Open House
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 7pm
Elm Park United Methodist Church, 401 Chestnut St, Oneonta NY

QUALIFICATIONS TO APPLY INCLUDE:
-do not qualify for a bank mortgage but are still able to make payments on a no-interest 25 year mortgage, about equal to monthly rent
-currently live in sub-standard housing
-be willing to help build your own Habitat house and houses for other Habitat partner families.

We'll explain how Habitat works, and give help filling out applications.
Call (607)432-7874 with questions

Located at Grace Lutheran Church, 709 Main St, Vestal, NY 13850

How would your child like to learn a few karate moves? Roll out a personal pan pizza? Discover the habitats of snakes and skunks? See a magician make objects disappear right before his eyes? These are just a few of the exciting activities that we plan for summer camp!

The G&E Therapies Recreational Summer Camp for Children with Autism or PDD accepts applications for children diagnosed with Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Our goal is to create an environment that fosters social, emotional, motor, cognitive and communication development for each child in a relaxed camp atmosphere.

There is no charge for children eligible for services through OPWDD and who meet the criteria below.

Campers must be:

• 6-12 years of age
• Residents of Broome, Tioga, Delaware, Chenango, Otsego, or Tompkins counties
• Enrolled in a regular education program during the school year
• Independent in toileting and hygiene skills
• Without history or risk of flight
• Without aggression or violent behaviors

This six week summer program offers children opportunities to:

• Socialize and communicate with peers
• Participate in hands on science experiments
• Create awesome art projects
• Learn music from around the world
• Join teams for fun, recreational games
• Play outdoors in a safe, fenced in playground area with a basketball court
• Invite a sibling/friend on Fridays to participate in the morning activities

Camp runs for 6 weeks through July and August, from 8:30-11:30 am, Mondays-Fridays.

Contact Us!

Visit our website at www.gandetherapies.com to download an Application. Participants who qualify are enrolled on a first come first served basis.

For more information, contact amurphy@gandetherapies.com or call 1-877-GandE07(426-3307) ext 0.
We are always looking for community volunteers to share their special talent, hobby or interest with our campers! If you or someone you know may be interested in this opportunity, please give us a call!

Located at Grace Lutheran Church 709 Main Street, Vestal, NY 13850

Our Teens (a.k.a. Geckos) enjoy making a meal after school and everyone participates! They plan the menu, cook the dinner, set the table and clean up. This single activity is lots of fun and provides the teens with several opportunities to communicate and socialize with each other in a natural, relaxed atmosphere. After dinner, the group likes to form teams and play the Wii or board games, participate in role play situations, sing, or exercise and talk about the day.

Our Social Skills Program accepts applications for teens diagnosed with Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Our goal is to create opportunities for teens to build age-appropriate social skills, interact with peers and form relationships.
There is no charge for teens who are eligible for services through OPWDD and who meet the criteria below.
Social Skills Program eligibility…teens must be:
• 13-19 years of age
• Residents of Broome, Tioga, Delaware, Chenango, Otsego, or Tompkins counties
• Enrolled in a regular education program during the school year
• Non-injurious to self and others
• Without aggression or violent behaviors
• Without history or risk of flight

Our Social Skills Program offers teens opportunities to:
• Sharpen their communication skills
• Develop social appropriateness
• Mix and mingle with peers and adults
• Participate in interactive activities
Teens meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month, during the school year and for one fun event in July. Time and date to be determined for the summer event.
Contact Us!
Visit our website at www.gandetherapies.com to download an Application. Participants who qualify are enrolled on a first come first served basis.
For more information, contact amurphy@gandetherapies.com or call 1-877-GandE07(426-3307) ext 0.
We are always looking for community volunteers to share their special talent, hobby or interest with our teens! If you or someone you know may be interested in this opportunity, please give us a call!

New York State's Annual State Application Under Part B of IDEA for Federal Fiscal Year 2013 has been posted for public review for 60 days. Written public comment will be accepted for 30 calendar days as required by federal law, starting February 27, 2013 until March 29, 2013. For more information, see http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/idea/announce-partB-comment.html

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The Common Core Toolkit for Parents and Families is a collection of materials and resources that will help parents and families understand the New York State Common Core implementation. We encourage schools and districts to leverage these resources when reaching out to parents on this important work.
See http://engageny.org/parent-and-family-resources.

¿Es usted un adulto (mayor de 18)?
¿Es usted el hermano/a de una persona con deficiencias en el desarrollo?
¿Vive su hermano/a en el Estado de Nueva York?
Si usted contestó “si” a estas preguntas, ¡queremos saber de usted! Por favor, complete nuestro Encuesta de las Necesidades de los Hermanos/as del Estado de Nueva York. El Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) del Estado de Nueva York le ha pedido a la Universidad de Cornell y a The Advocacy Center de Rochester que lleven a cabo esta encuesta. Los resultados de esta encuesta nos ayudará a planificar los pasos siguientes para apoyar/ayudar a los hermanos adultos de personas con deficiencias en el desarrollo.
Al final de la encuesta, nosotros también le daremos una lista de los recursos en el Estado de NEW York sobre organizaciones que provén servicios profesionales o grupo de apoyo a los hermanos/nas de personas con deficiencias en el desarrollo.
La encuesta le tomará unos 10-15 minutos de su tiempo para completar
Haga clic al siguiente enlace para obtener acceso a la encuesta:
Evaluación acerca de las Necesidades de los Hermanos/as del Estado de Nueva York

Please visit the site below to see if the crib you are using complies with the Consumer Product Safety Commision..

http://www.cpsc.gov/PageFiles/131586/cribenforce.pdf

Families in New York: Get the Tax Credits You Deserve!
Whether or not you owe any income tax, you could get thousands back in tax credits. You could qualify for: up to $2100 from the federal Child and Dependant Care Tax Credit, up to $2310 from the NYS Child and Dependant Care Tax Credit, and up to $1733 from the New York City Child and Dependant Care Tax Credit; up to $5891 from the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, up to $7167 from the NYS Earned Income Tax Credit, and up to $295 from the New York City Earned Income Tax Credit; up to $1000 per child from the federal Child Tax Credit.
More families than ever are eligible for these credits this year. TO GET THESE CREDITS, YOU MUST FILE A TAX RETURN.
Find out where you can get FREE help with your taxes by call the IRS toll-free at (800)906-9887. Or go to http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/. You can also contact the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance at (518)457-5181.