November 7th , 2023 Beginning at 9 am

Virtual Event Family Matters is seeking volunteers in all counties of the state to act as Educational
Surrogate Parents at IEP meetings for students with disabilities who are children in care of the state or who do not have a parent that can legally represent them at special education meetings.

To Register fill out the online registration or call Family
Matters at (866) 436-7842
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4756507527431135573

Illinois Life Span and
Family to Family Health Information Center

Developmental Pediatricians

VIRTUAL WEBINAR

September 27, 2023 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Participants will learn:

The role of a developmental pediatrician What types of evaluations may be involved Diagnosis, how it can assist at school Therapies, age range served

Presenter: Dr. Kruti Acharya

mary@thearcofil.org rocio@thearcofil.org There will be electronic captioning in Spanish available.

QUESTIONS?
Click to Register https://bit.ly/45jOa8V

Are you a parent of a child with a disability or a community member interested in gaining a strong understanding of the special education system? The Parent Advocacy Leadership (PAL) program is a free training series designed to help you navigate the special education process Illinois.

Requirements: ● Willing to attend all eight sessions, ● Willing to complete pre and post-survey,

Training will cover: ● The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ● State law (Part 226) ● The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) ● Section 504 ● Advocacy● Current Special Education Issues● Conflict Resolution

Family Resource Center on Disabilities is excited to announce that registration for our Fall PAL Training Cohort of 2023 is open. All training will be virtual. The PAL is eight sessions long.  Participants who complete all eight sessions will receive a Parent Advocacy Leadership Certificate of Completion.

Each training session will be on Saturday from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm (excluding holidays) via Zoom Meeting.

The PAL Session Dates Meet: September 30th, October 7th, October 14th, October 21st, October 28th November 4th, November 11th, November 18th.

For more information contact Paula Wills at paula.wills@frcd.org or call (312) 939-3513.

Complete Registration Form Below.

The Emergency Respite Care (ERC) Program with lead agency IDHS-DDD, coordinated through the Illinois Respite Coalition (IRC), is intended to help caregivers of individuals across the lifespan with any disability. The IRC is able to offer funding to support caregivers in a planned or unplanned emergency. In a crisis or emergency situation, the ERC Program stipend helps to cover the cost of supervision for the caregiver’s loved one.

ABOUT EMERGENCY RESPITE

This project was supported, in part by grant number 90LRLI0046, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible individuals are caregivers who live in Illinois who are caring for a loved one of any age with a disability and not receiving any other state or waiver respite funding. Eligible caregivers are considered to be in an emergency situation where no other services are available to assist them in a time of crisis.

OUR GOAL

The ERC Program’s goal is to assist caregivers in crisis. The IRC wants to minimize the number of caregivers who go without services during an emergency situation. The secondary goal is to set up caregivers with services during/ after emergency respite funding has been utilized.

CONTACT US:

866-ILL-RESP

866-455-7377 ext.101 or

ext. 103 for Spanish speakers

www.illinoisrespitecoalition.org/irc.statecoordinator@gmail.com

ALL AGES & ALL DISABILITIES

This project was supported, in part by grant number 90LRLI0046, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

Join Family Matters for No Child’s Records Left Behind Webinar

Happening: June 1^st at 11am

This webinar will be presented by Karrie Potter. In this webinar we will explore what is included in your child’s educational records, some laws that apply to your child’s educational records, how to obtain copies of your child’s educational records, possible ways to organize your child’s records, and how information in your child’s records can be used to improve your child’s educational outcomes.

Register here!! https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1538003892397004125

Lunch & Learn Webinar
IL ABLE Accounts: What Illinois Agencies and Disability Service Providers Need to Know

TIME: Noon – 1:00 pm

DATES:

May 25, 2023
July 19, 2023

Join IL ABLE for this informational webinar specifically for Illinois agencies and disability service providers who serve clients with disabilities in any of these roles:

• • Agent under power of attorney
• • Guardian
• • Social Security representative payee

IL ABLE Accounts are an important savings tool for your clients to save money and stop spending their needed assets unnecessarily in order to avoid the SSI $2,000 asset cap. IL ABLE Accounts protect benefits and allow clients to save for meaningful expenditures that can improve quality of life and build greater independence.

Agencies and organizations can open and manage the Account in some instances. It is essential to understand the rules and learn how to do it correctly.

This webinar will cover:

• • IL ABLE Account basics
• • The role of agencies and service providers as Authorized Individuals
• • How-to instruction for entities who want to open and manage IL ABLE Accounts as an Authorized Individual on behalf of the ABLE Eligible Individuals they serve.

Register for the May 25th Webinar
Register for the July 19th Webinar

Navigating the IEP Process: Special Education Rights Webinar

May 6, 2023 10:00 AM  (REGISTER)

Do you have questions about your child’s IEP, but don’t know how or when to ask them? Are you concerned about how your child’s IEP is being followed? Do you want to learn how to effectively prepare for your child’s IEP Meeting? This webinar provides an overview of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and discusses the parents role as a member of the IEP team. The presentation will also focus on: -Individualized Education Program (IEP), -Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), -Procedural Safeguards. -Preparing for your child’s IEP meeting. -What to do after the meeting.

Skills For Effective Parent Advocacy: Special Education Rights Webinar

May 20, 2023 10:00 AM (REGISTER)

Are you tired of getting the run-around while wading through an alphabet soup of acronyms? Are you frustrated because you are unsure of how to help your child struggling in school? Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy will provide you with these important tools: Going from frustration to empowerment; Who is an advocate and why become one? How to effectively advocate for your child.