Institute for Disability Studies
Family Health Notes
January 2015
Inside this issue:
1) Free Developmental Screener Events – Jan. 13, Jackson; Jan. 16, Petal; Jan. 20, Grenada
2) Wheelchair Basketball Community Game – Jan. 17, Jackson
3) The Signs Are Everywhere: 2nd Annual Child Development Conference –Jan. 30, Jackson
4) Health Insurance Marketplace 2015 Enrollment Dates
5) Building Partnerships . . . Working Together Conference - Feb. 26-27, Jackson
6) Start a Parent/Professional Satellite Council
7) Bookshare, an Accessible Online Library
8) Autism NOW Answer Series
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1) Free Developmental Screener Events – Jan. 13, Jackson; Jan. 16, Petal; Jan. 20, Grenada
The Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) in partnership with the Early Years Network is providing free developmental screener events in three locations across the state. A screening day will be held in Jackson on Tues., Jan. 13, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Mid-Jackson Family Resource Center at 301 Adelle Street. A screening day will be held in Petal on Fri., Jan. 16, at the Petal School District Center for Families and Children at 201 West Central Avenue. A screening day will be held in Grenada on Tues., Jan. 20, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Grenada Early Learning Advantage Center at 1276 Martin Luther King Boulevard. These events are for children 6 months to 5 years of age with possible developmental delays. For more information or to register, call Dr. Leslie LaVergne in Hattiesburg at 601.266.6225 or Shelley Ezelle, M.S. in Jackson at 601.432.6179.
2) Wheelchair Basketball Community Game – Jan. 17, Jackson
Ready for some basketball? Come to the LIFE of Mississippi and AmeriCorps wheelchair basketball community game on Sat., Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. at 3000 St. Charles Street in Jackson. The AmeriCorps wheelchair basketball team will take on the Jackson Police Department. Admission is free in honor of Martin Luther King Day. For more information about the game, contact any AmeriCorps member at LIFE’s Jackson office at 601.969.4009.
3) The Signs Are Everywhere: 2nd Annual Child Development Conference –Jan. 30, Jackson
Recognizing and addressing mood and anxiety disorders in children and youth is the focus of this year’s child development conference being held Fri., Jan. 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) Conference Center at the Jackson Medical Mall at 350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive in Jackson. Speakers include Dr. Susan Buttross, chief of Child Development and Behavioral Pediatrics at UMMC, and Dr. Bob Black former American Academy of Pediatrics president and director of the AAP’s Center on Child Resilience. This program is open to all interested health professionals, educators and parents. Conference fees are from $90 to $170. For more information, visit http://www.cvent.com/events/the-signs-are-everywhere-recognizing-mood-anxiety-disorders-in-children-youth/event-summary-8373994bd0c54213b0b69dcd606e2d44.aspx.
4) Health Insurance Marketplace 2015 Enrollment Dates
Open enrollment for the 2015 Health Insurance Marketplace runs from Nov. 15, 2014, through Feb. 15, 2015. Consumers should visit https://www.healthcare.gov/ to review and compare health plan options. Consumers shopping for health insurance coverage should sign up by Jan. 15, 2015, to have coverage effective on Feb. 1, 2015. If consumers who were automatically reenrolled decide in the coming weeks that a better plan exists for their families, they can make that change at any time before the end of open enrollment on February 15. Consumers can find local help at https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/. Or call the Federally-facilitated Marketplace Call Center at 1.800.318.2596. TTY users should call 1.855.889.4325. Translation services are available. The call is free.
5) Building Partnerships. . . Working Together Conference - Feb. 26-27, Jackson
The 2015 Building Partnerships. . . Working Together Special Education Conference will be held Thurs., Feb. 26, and Fri. Feb. 27, at the Jackson Convention Center at 105 East Pascagoula Street in Jackson. Topics covered at this conference for parents and professionals include assistive technology, inclusion, dyslexia, bullying, the new standards-based IEP form, procedural safeguards and positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) and much more. Keynote speakers are Dr. Patrick Schwarz, a professor, author and education leader, and Dr. David Hurford, a psychologist and researcher specializing in dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. CEUs and SEMIs will be available. Parent scholarships and stipends are available. For more information or to register, visit http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ea7z6pt241f4daa0&llr=julfnscab&showPage=true.
6) Start a Parent/Professional Satellite Council
Start a satellite council so your area and your family can be represented at the Statewide Parent/Professional Advisory Council (SPAC) meetings. The SPAC provides input on improving health care services to Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) and offers a network of support and education to parents and caregivers. Organizing a satellite council in your area will help provide your family and others with localized resources and supports. Contact Shawn Smith with the Mississippi F2F at 1.866.883.4474.
7) Bookshare, an Accessible Online Library
Thousands of students have print disabilities and need accessible textbooks. Bookshare can help. With a Bookshare membership, qualifying students and schools have free and unlimited access to accessible books, textbooks, newspapers, and magazines. For more information, visit https://www.bookshare.org/cms/.
8) Autism NOW Answer Series
The Autism NOW Answer Series developed by the National Autism Resource and Information Center allows readers to ask experts a question. Two questions are selected each month to be answered. Amy Goodman, co-director of the Center and an individual with autism, has filmed more than 30 short YouTube videos as part of the Autism NOW Answer series, answering individual’s questions on topics ranging from “What is positive behavior support?” to “What is vocational rehabilitation?” For more information, visit http://autismnow.org/2012/11/12/introducing-the-autism-now-answers-series/.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Family Health Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Family Health Notes is sponsored by the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), Mississippi’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at The University of Southern Mississippi. IDS provides university training, community service activities, research and information that promote the independence, productivity, and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families. For more information about IDS, visit www.usm/edu/ids or call 1.888.671.0051 (TTY). To make a tax-deductible gift to IDS, visit www.usm.edu/ids/supportus.html.
The Family-to-Family Health Information and Education Center (F2F) is a family-focused, family managed resource center that empowers families of Mississippi children with special health care needs to be partners in the decisions made concerning the health of their children. F2F is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (GR#H84MC07948).
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