City officials in Washington, D.C., have introduced the Developmental Disabilities Reform Act, a long-awaited update to the city’s policies toward caring for and housing people with developmental disabilities. If approved, the bill would remove judicial oversight of disability services in the city. Other provisions of the bill include a preference for smaller residential homes over group facilities for people with disabilities and a streamlined grievance process for families to address problems with the system.

At the New York Institute for Special Education in the Bronx borough of New York City, students with visual impairments learn to use specialized technology to prepare for life in the workplace. The technology curriculum at the school includes devices that provide instant translations from Braille to print and back again, as well as other electronic Braille devices that provide students with access to computer software, e-mail and GPS. VIDEO: NY1 (New York City)

Teachers at the Seashell Trust School in England are using the sense of smell to help empower students who cannot see and hear to make choices about food and activities, and to help give them a context for identifying their environment. The sensory program includes the use of plug-in scents — lemon for Monday, lavender for Tuesday — to help students recognize days of the week and laminated “smell cards” infused with environmental aromas to identify places such as the beach or the playground.

Some stories to send you into the weekend: For some parents, shouting is the new spanking — New York Times Montana teacher’s aides accused of “waterboarding” a special education student — ABCNews.com What to stock for baby’s first medicine cabinet — The Cradle A famous midwife is sued over a stillbirth — Gothamist Doctors feel they’re one step closer to performing successful “womb transplants” — BBC Posted in Main, Other blogs

Christopher Michael Schweda, 27, of Greenville, died Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009. He was born Aug. 14, 1982, in Sturgis. Christopher loved to volunteer, and received the national “Yes I Can” award for his work. He also enjoyed working with Disability Awareness. More than anything, He deeply loved the Lord.

Following reviews from others working in accessibility, inclusion and Higher Education, I’ve been watching footage from the recent Handheld Learning Conference in London. Extensive online proceedings including video are available at http://www.handheldlearning2009.com/proceedings and via iTunes. I’ve supplied links to videos alongside notes on the first 5 presentations from the Inclusion Session below. Notes from Sal Cooke’s presentation are most complete due to the range of sources she draws on and my own interest in the projects she cites.

Commissioners Warm To Energy-Saving Apartments Lower Pottsgrove commissioners gave preliminary nods of approval Thursday night to plans to build apartments in Sanatoga that would be certified as green and energy-efficient. PennDOT Offers Sanatoga Bridge Work Timeline Bidding next February, prep work in March and, if motorists are lucky, the High Street bridge repairs and road closings would start in June and be finished by September.

From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser:Lawyers representing Hawaii public school students in both general and special education filed class action lawsuits this week in an attempt to prevent the state from cutting 17 days from the school year.The suit filed on behalf of students receiving special education services alleges that the “furlough Fridays” violate federal law by changing programs and services for students without parental approval.UPDATE: Judge rejects effort to effort

Two teacher’s aides have been charged with abuse of special education students . Thanks to our revolving door public education system, more and more of these mental misfits find jobs. Fortunately, cases like this are still rare. This comment hits it on the head (typos from original): The teachers who wittnessed the acts of abuse and did not report them immediatly should be charged and fired. All school staff members are mandated child abuse reports in most states. This makes me sick.

by Dr. Noel Swanson It’s that time of year again. Everyone across the UK seems to be stressed about it. The head teacher wants good scores for the national league tables. The teachers want to show how good they are. And the children - well, they have been told again and again how important these tests are, so they are desperate to do well, and terrified that they might do poorly. There are a few children who love tests and exams, but most of them would be very glad to never face one again.

Deputy mayor Dennis Walcott spoke to parents last night at Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing Arts. Speaking at a townhall-style event last night, Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott said the city needs to cut down on inequities between charter schools and traditional public schools. Responding to criticism that New York City charter schools have significantly more money, school supplies, and better facilities than the district schools they often share buildings with do, Walcott conceded that this is a problem on some campuses.

Boston Public Schools has started looking for the next Asist. Superintendent of Special Education. They want your feedback about what kind of person they should be looking for. Click the link below to get a comments form and mailing address.Give Boston Public Schools YOUR response.

Woods v Texas (2009) is the most recent (October 7, 2009) Atkins mental retardation death penalty decision I’ve come across (now added to Court Decisions listings).  Woods denial of classification of mental retardation was previously decided in 2008 ( Woods v Texas, 2008 ).  And, per usual with these decisions, the decision contains a quagmire of psychometric issues.  Although I’ve stated previously that I’m no longer shocked at some of the psychometric testimony and the courts interpretations

Jorhat (Assam): An educational day centre for spastic children in Assam’s Jorhat city is helping and supporting disabled children through various rehabilitation programmes. “Prerona Sishu Bikash Kendra Spastic Society”, one of the prime institutions in the North East with a mission to empower kids with disability, has also come as a blessing to the parents of these children. With a motto, “To meet the challenge of life”, it provides the disabled children with all round educational facilities, and also teaches them to lead a positive life in the society through various therapies.

22 Oct, 2009Posted by: Keoni In: Island Life A pair of federal lawsuits filed on behalf of special education and other students have the potential to keep some public schools open tomorrow despite the state’s plan to furlough teachers on 17 Fridays, attorneys for the plaintiffs said yesterday.

LONDON, UK, October 21, 2009 – The Minister for Education and Human Resource Development Senator Franka Alexis-Bernardine, on Tuesday briefed Grenadians in the United Kingdom on the current state of the Education system in Grenada. Minister Bernadine highlighted new developments in Special Education and Teacher Training and impressed upon those gathered that though Grenadians were proud [...]

(Mehves Konuk) From the road, the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS) looks like any other public school in the city, with a large, blocky edifice and a sign extolling the achievements of its sports teams . It’s not until one approaches and notices the farm stand selling fresh produce, baked goods, and candles that the secondary function of the school is apparent. Built in 1985 in southwest Chicago’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood, CHSAS operates one of the few remaining farms in the city, supplementing a public school curriculum with special training in agriculture.

I was talking with Sharon * about her special education consulting and advocacy business today, and told her about some friends of mine who raise Morgan horses , who would front load purchases before a given year, and then end load purchases after the end of the year, so as to create a profit every 5 years or so, because otherwise the IRS would call it a hobby, and would not allow them to deduct expenses from other income. Then I told her that this was completely different from her business.

Parents of gifted Bensalem School District children can join district administrators Wednesday night in plotting strategy for 2009-10, officials said.The 7 p.m. meeting will be held in the boardroom of the district administration building off Donallen Drive.Discussion items will include how to proceed with the district’s upcoming special education study council, a Chapter 16 update and details about a new gifted student identification pilot program, officials said.Call 215-750-2800 or go to

Institutes participating in MAT May 2009SL NO MI CODE NAME OF THE INSTITUTE/UNIVERSITY CITY WEBSITENORTHERN REGION1 2088 ABES Institute of Management Ghaziabad www.abes.in2 2404 Academy of Management Studies Dehradun www.amsdoon.com3 2048 Accman Institute of Management Greater Noida www.accman.in4 2049 Accurate Institute of Management & Technology Greater Noida www.accurate.in5 1101 AIMA-Centre for Management Education (PGDM) Multi-location www.aima-ind.org6 1102 AIMA-Centre for Management Education