Resources - Family Involvement
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Project 10 - Secondary Transition Roadmap for Families (pdf)
Project 10 has just released a fresh, new resource that will assist families to become familiar with graduation and post-school options available to students with disabilities. This eight-page booklet, Secondary Transition Roadmap for Families, shares easy-to-follow directions that guide families and students toward transition destinations- to graduation and beyond. This resource can be downloaded from the Documents & Files box on the right side of this page.
Project 10 - Predictors of Post-School Outcomes (pdf)
This product, designed for families, describes the 20 research-based predictors of positive post-school outcomes and provides suggested actions that families may take to help their students engage in activities/experiences that support the transition to life after high school.
COVID-19 Resources
Amazing Educational Resources
This large repository includes free resources and resources at a cost.
With a large selection of resources, it can be a challenge to pinpoint the
items you need. The resource does not have a search or filter feature, but you
can use “Control + F” to use the “Find” feature.
Audible
These audio books are free while schools are closed.
Students everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories,
including titles across six different languages.
Distance Learning Activities During COVID-19 to Help Transition-age Youth on an IEP Prepare for Adulthood
This resource from the PACER Center provides helpful information about how to prepare students for life after high school. Interesting suggestions for activities that can be done at home are included.
Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS) North East
Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC) Padlets
Find a
collection of relevant resources for virtual teaching/home schooling on this
webpage.
Florida Department of Education (FDOE): Free Resources for Families and Teachers
This list of free resources, offered by state and federal
agencies, private companies and non-profit organizations to help school
districts, colleges, educators and families ensure continuity of learning
during this time.
LibriVox
This is a free resource that hosts public domain
audiobooks. One can download an entire book or listen chapter by chapter
online. All of the readers are volunteers, so reading quality varies.
Project 10 - Predictors of Post-School Outcomes
This product, designed for families, describes the
20 research-based predictors of positive post-school outcomes and provides
suggested activities in which families may engage to strengthen their youth’s
transition to life after high school.
Project 10 - Webinar Information Exchange (4.3.2020)
This document reflects the challenges and needs that
were shared in the webinar (4/3/20), as well as strategies that teachers and
districts are using to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
Project 10 - Transition Services Checklist
This comprehensive checklist of transition services
provides age-specific details about when each service should occur in the
transition individual educational plan (TIEP). Use this document as a reference
each time you attend an IEP meeting when your youth is turning age 14 and
older.
Ted-Ed
This website supports the many students, parents and
teachers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. TED-Ed is working with expert educators
and TED speakers throughout the world to create and share high-quality,
interactive, video-based lessons on a daily basis, for free.
Texas Sensory Support Network – Virtual Activities for Teachers
and Families COVID-19
This comprehensive webpage has a
menu of tabs that link to a variety of resources for use by teachers and
families.
Tips for Families in Supporting Their Children with
Disabilities in Virtual Formats
Florida Inclusion Network (FIN) has
developed this Tip Sheet to assist families of students with disabilities in
working with their children using a virtual format.
Training Resource Network
This short presentation, provided at no cost by Training
Resources Network, is designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities
The presentation explains what the Coronavirus is and how to protect oneself
from getting it.
Transition Tips: Enhancing Career-Related Skills at Home
This "Fast Facts" document from the Center on Transition
Innovations describes ten tips on how students can develop
career-related skills at home.
Education and IEP Involvement
Disability Rights Florida
Disability Rights Florida is the statewide designated protection and advocacy system for individuals with disabilities. It has also developed a number of publications which are posted on their website.
Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) publications
The FDDC has produced an array of materials on topics ranging from inclusive early education to supported living and employment programs. To meet the needs of diverse audiences, these resources are available in a variety of formats and media, including pamphlets, newsletters, resource guides, handbooks, training manuals, research reports, public education materials, audiotapes, and videotapes. Many are available in Spanish and alternate formats. Resources may be downloaded, if available, or ordered online.
Florida Inclusion Network (FIN)
FIN collaborates with Florida districts and schools to provide services and supports to help ensure that students with disabilities have the same educational, social and future opportunities as their peers.
Inclusive Schools Network (ISN)
ISN is a web-based resource for families, schools and communities that promotes inclusive educational practices through its mission to encourage, embolden and empower people to design and implement effective inclusive
NICHY (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities)
NICHY has a number of resources on its website related to family involvement, including the two below:
This resource is designed to support teachers and families. The lesson ideas are divided by grade-band from kindergarten through high school. The teachers and families may work together to select activities that will help meet the needs of the individual student
Employment
Helping Youth Develop Soft Skills for Job Success: Tips for Parents and Families
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD-Youth), developed this employment resource to assist families in supporting their youth to enhance their communication, interpersonal, decision-making, and lifelong learning skills.
Engaging Families
American Society for Deaf Children (ASDC)
ASDC supports parents of children who are DHH through ASL. Families of students who are DHH may require explicit instruction in ASL and deaf culture to meet the transition needs of their children which can be addressed as a related service on the IEP.
Beach Center on Disability
Located at the University of Kansas, the Beach Center's goal is to improve the quality of life for families and individuals affected by disability through research, teaching, technical assistance, service, and a resource library.
Center for Parent Information and Resources
This website is the central “Hub” of information and products created for the network of Parent Centers serving families of children with disabilities.
Charting the LifeCourse
The LifeCourse framework
focuses on life stages and the impact of transitions, events and
experiences across an individual’s lifespan. The resources were
developed to help families understand the importance of focusing on life
experiences across the lifespan. Ultimately, these resources provide
support to all as they exercise their right to live, love, work and
play.
Encouraging the Involvement of Parents of Children with Disabilities: A Four-Part Series Developed Specifically for Educators
This series of training modules (approximately 15 minutes each) was created through a collaborative partnership between the Florida Department of Education and the State Personnel Development Grant at Florida Gulf Coast University, with input from parents at the Central Florida Parent Center. Modules include: Why Parent Involvement?; High-Quality Parent Involvement; Evidence-Based Based Practices; and What Parents Have to Say on the Subject.
Florida Hands & Voices
Parent driven organization that supports families with children who are DHH without bias around communication modes or methology.
Fostering Self-Determination Among Children and Youth with Disabilities - Ideas from Parents for Parents
This
guide is unique because its ideas about how to best promote
self-determination among children with disabilities are suggested from
parents and for parents.
The Family Cafe
The Family Café provides individuals with disabilities and their families with an opportunity for collaboration, advocacy, friendship and empowerment by serving as a facilitator of communication, a space for dialogue and a source of information.
The Family Involvement Network of Educators (FIN)
FIN is a project of the Harvard Family Research Project. The stakeholders are committed to promoting strong partnerships between schools, families, and communities. The website includes many resources, including teaching tools, training materials, and research reports.
Florida Department of Education (FDOE), Bureau of Exceptional Student Education (BESE), Parent Information
This website from FDOE BESE features informational resources and publications for parents of students with disabilities as well as district-level contact information.
Florida Department of Education, Family Engagement/Parent Involvement
The Bureau of Family and Community Outreach (BFCO) provides resources, recognition and technical assistance to families in an effort to increase family engagement that promotes their children's success in education.
Florida Department of Education, Just for Parents Community
The mission of the Bureau of Family and Community Outreach is to empower families and communities with resources and information needed to promote a high-quality education for their children.
Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS)
FDLRS Parent Services provide information, training and support to districts and families in order to promote effective parent participation in the education of students with disabilities. Partnerships between families and schools are promoted to support student achievement and to ensure that families have access to the supports they need.
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NDCCD) Questions and Answers about IDEA
This publication on the topic of family participation contains information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements for parental rights, parental notification and parental consent.
Parent Family Involvement Annotated Bibliography
This resource summarizes current research in the area of transition and distills the most relevant points into parent-friendly language.
Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (RMTC-D/HH) - Family Corner
RMTC-D/HH provides technical assistance to families of students who are DHH through consultation as well as through the provision of accessible video content (captioned/signed) and professional development materials through the Media and Materials Loan Library. Technical assistance may be provided in the areas of: implementing assistive technology, accommodations, access to the general curriculum, specialized instruction, transition, sign language support, support for learning for students whose primary mode of communication is ASL, support for students who use listening and spoken language, and the identification of appropriate hardware and software for use with students who are deaf/hard of hearing.
Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers/National Parent Technical Assistance Center (NPTAC)
The PACER Center, the Minnesota Parent Training and Information Center, manages a number of projects, including the NPTAC. It has developed multiple resources including Working Together: a Parent’s Guide to Parent and Professional Partnership and Communication within Special Education (pdf)
Training: A Checklist for Parents (pdf)
This two-page checklist developed by the PACER Center can be used by parents to begin a conversation with their child or children about postsecondary education and training.
Training: What Parents Can Do Now (pdf)
This brief handout developed by the PACER Center outlines considerations and steps for parents to take to help their youth with disabilities prepare for postsecondary education and training.
University of Florida, CEEDER Center, Family Guide to At-Home Learning
This guide has practical strategies that work for helping children of all ages who
may be struggling with an at-home learning task. Families may find
these strategies useful when helping their children complete various
reading, math, and/or behavioral tasks at home.
What Parents and Caregivers Can Ask and Do to Help Children Thrive at School: A Parent Checklist (pdf)
Florida Parent Centers
Family Network on Disabilities (FND)
PACER Center
This center is a national parent training and information center for families of children and youth with all disabilities from birth through 21 years old, provides publications, best practices, workshops, and other resources to help parents make decisions about education, vocational training, employment, and other services for their children.
Parent Education Network (PEN)
PTI serving the nine southern counties in Florida including Broward, Indian River,
Lake, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk
and St. Lucie
Parent Support Network (PSN)
Serving Charlotte, Citrus,
Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough,
Lee, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota and Sumter
Parent to Parent of Miami Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC)
Serving Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties
Parents Offering Parents Information and Networking (POPIN)
Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) serving Alachua, Baker, Bay,
Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler,
Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson,
Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Okaloosa, Putnam, Santa
Rosa, Seminole, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton
and Washington