HOW OSERS OPENS DISCRETIONARY GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, VOICES FROM THE FIELD! (3181 hits)
For Immediate Release From Office Special Education and Rehabilitation Services!
From the Director David Cantrell Message from Acting OSEP Director, Dr. David Cantrell
Dear Stakeholders!
I hope your summer is off to a good start! We have been very busy at OSEP, and July kicked off with the issuance of Part C, and Part B sections 619 and 611 grant awards to States, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), plus the American Rescue Plan (ARP) IDEA supplemental awards. In addition, we recently released the 2021 Grantee Satisfaction Survey. The results of the survey are used to inform our work and make improvements so that we can better serve our grantees and stakeholders. If you received the survey, but have not completed it yet, please take the time to do so. We value your input!
There is still time to register for OSEP’s virtual Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference happening July 19–22, 2021. This year’s conference will combine OSEP’s bi-annual Leadership and Project Directors’ conferences. This virtual-combined gathering brings together all members of our constituency — Federal, State, and local partners, parents of children with disabilities, OSEP grantees, advocates, researchers, and other allies — for four days of important information sharing. This is the first time the Leadership Conference and Project Directors’ Conference will be a combined virtual event. During the event, I will share with you some exciting new ideas related to ensuring that we are meeting the unique needs of each child with a disability as they return to school this fall. More importantly, I look forward to hearing from you, and learning from you.
As we reflect on our Nation’s Independence Day and commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (est. 1776), it reminds us of the importance of the first sentence; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that [or] …that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We strive every day to ensure those rights, including a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for our infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families. Thank you for all that you do to improve outcomes and support their individual goals for independence.
David Cantrell, Ph.D. Acting Director Office of Special Education Programs
Voices From The Field Interview With Deborah Jackson
Deborah Jackson is the proud mother of Desmond Jackson, a member of the 2021 USA Paralympic Track and Field Team for the 100m event and the long jump. Desmond was born with a congenital birth defect, which resulted in an amputation when he was nine months old. He was the first above-knee amputee to run on a high school track team in the state of North Carolina. Desmond encourages other individuals with physical challenges to “get off the sideline and into the game!”
1. What do you remember most about your experiences with early intervention? As the mom of a young child with limb loss, I was unsure of what my son’s future might hold. However, early intervention quickly changed the uncertainty I had about his future into thoughts of possibilities. Early intervention supported the needs of my child, and also met the needs of me as a working mom. Many of the services were provided at his child development center which made life so much easier for me and for him. He was comfortable in that environment and we quickly developed a bond with his service providers. Early intervention was a God-send and I still sing its praises today.
2. What skills did you gain during the early years that influence you currently? One of the very first things my son learned was how to fall. To this date, he uses those same skills and it has served him well. My son also learned how to roller skate while in early intervention and that was almost unheard of at that time. Because of early
Voices from the Field: Promoting Father Engagement, Interview with Randy Johnson (Pop-Pop)
Randy Johnson is a father and grandfather who was born into a large close-knit family. After graduating from high school, he attended Widener University before serving in the Army for four years. Randy worked in the power generation field for twenty years. He has been married to his childhood sweetheart for over thirty years and they have three children and one grandchild. Randy is known as Pop-Pop to his grandson, and they were featured in episode eight of the Preschool During the Pandemic video series developed by the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center.
ED: What would you say to your younger self when reflecting on experiences with your children when they were young? Don’t allow anything to get in the way of spending time with your children and being involved in their education. When my children were young I worked shifts while my wife was home with them. My memories of how my parents sacrificed so that their children could have opportunities carried over with my family. Every moment that I had a chance I spent time with my children and still get compliments on how they are making positive impacts in the world.
ED: Do you have any favorite memories of a child or grandchild during their early years? I have millions of memories, but one that stands out is taking my children to a neighborhood school yard to play games. We started playing hide and seek and they went to hide as I counted to one hundred. I found my daughters but could not find my
Voices from the Field: Promoting Father Engagement, Interview with Rich La Belle
Rich La Belle is the CEO of Family Network on Disabilities, which has served persons with disabilities and their families throughout Florida and the U.S. for over 35 years. Prior to becoming CEO in 2005, Mr. La Belle practiced law for nearly 20 years, concentrating in the areas of disability law, including special needs trusts. Mr. La Belle and his wife are the parents of four grown children, including those who have disabilities.
ED: What would you say to your younger self when reflecting on experiences with your children when they were young? I would tell my younger self that trusting our gut feelings was the right thing to do, that my wife and I really knew our children the best, that our children would grow to be amazing persons and that they would be incredibly successful because we listened to our guts. I would also tell my younger self to listen to my wife earlier than I did. My wife was much more aware of the most current information, and was a real hero for our kids. This meant that we were able to take steps for our children as early as possible, which was and is key.
ED: Do you have any favorite memories of a child or grandchild during their early years? My wife and I have four children, so I am very fortunate to have lots of amazing memories of when they were young. One of my favorites is with one of our children, who when about three, picked up on the notion of the X-Men superheroes. They decided that they would no longer be known by their name and would be known as “X-Man”. They had also found a multicolored clown wig and decided they would wear that everywhere as
2021 Determination Letters on State Implementation of IDEA
OSEP issued Annual Performance Reports (APR) determinations for IDEA Part C on June 22nd and for IDEA Part B on June 24th. The APR Fact Sheet and each state’s Determination letter (along with the respective How The Department Made determinations document) are posted on the IDEA Website. OSEP will post the full APR documents in late July.