Marsha’s technique for teaching babies sign language works really well with special needs kids, too. You can learn more about Marsha and her son, Chad, here.

This webinar will share the many benefits of signing, why it works, and the importance of giving babies a language. Learn how reading while teaching can be easy and fun.

The webinar will be held on Wednesday, July 14, at 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM CDT. Register online here.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

They’ve taken on a big project with a big scope, but the site is set up very well and it is easy to navigate and find what you are looking for. Of course, these sort of social networking sites are only as good as their members and so far they seem to have a very robust and supportive group of people on the site. Why not join and make it even better?

The DCSF says:

They have four journals available for free on their site: a generic journal, a journal for deaf children, a journal for babies and children with Down syndrome,and a journal for babies and children with visual impairments.

It Doesn’t Look Like a Monster: A Visit to Fenway Park is a story told from the voice of a seven year old child, Sierra, who has CP and visits Fenway Park in Boston. The book focuses on Sierra’s experiences at Fenway Park and only mentions her disability when it impacts how she participates in the tour of the ballpark.

Prior to arriving at Fenway Park, Sierra expresses her concern about the Green Monster, the large, green wall in right field, which serves as symbol of Fenway Park. She feels scared and apprehensive about the idea of a monster and frequently reflects her concerns during the tour of the ballpark.

Sierra has the opportunity to see the Red Sox hall of Fame, numerous views of the field from both above the field and at field level, the Green Monster, and the souvenir store.

By the end of the story, Sierra has had the opportunity to sit on top of the Green Monster and is proud that she is no longer scared. The story draws a parallel between the Green Monster and Sierra’s cerebral palsy; both sound scary at first, but asking questions and experiencing them helps to make them less frightening.

The approach is very individualized and, as they say, “person-centered.” Students who are non-verbal are still able to make their needs known, they just do so in more subtle ways and it’s important that everyone working with the students know how to read them.

This will be a great opportunity to raise awareness and understanding. Watch the show and tell others to watch as well!

If you have a question about the services your child is receiving or anything else related to their disability, this is the place to start!

The non-profit charity, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), has been providing audio texts for students for over fifty years. Their mission is to record school text and literature books for students so that everyone can have access to the curriculum.

Thanks to government and private funding, RFB&D is now able to provide individual memberships to the public for free!

Member benefits include:

• FREE access to the nation’s largest audiobook library of textbooks and literature titles
• Human-narrated audiobooks with descriptions of images, tables and graphs
• Easy-to-use online catalog
• 24/7 online member services and phone support
• Various audiobook downloadable formats, including DAISY and WMA (Windows Media Audio)

Titles are available to download immediately from the website and some students use RFB&D audio text books while waiting for their braille text books to arrive in the mail.

Perkins Scout is exactly what every parent of a visually impaired child is looking for: A searchable database of articles and information about blindness and vision impairment.

All of the resources have been reviewed by experts and categorized by topic.

Just take your questions to the Scout and you’ll find the answers you need!