 A Word from Rhonda Logsdon, Executive Director, KY-SPIN
Hi, hope all is well. As a sister of three siblings who have a disability and a proud foster-adoptive mom to the greatest gift of my life, family is at the heart of all I do. My twin sister had a severe learning disability and as an adult was diagnosed Bi-polar. She was so talented and unbelievably amazing, but she did not see that. My hope is that everyone knows their worth and is embraced and cherished by all. I have been blessed to be involved with Kentucky-Special Parent Involvement Network (KY-SPIN) serving in various roles since it began in 1988. Family has always been and continues to be the heart that drives KY-SPIN's mission and core values.
KY-SPIN is a statewide 501 C (3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting programs which will enable persons with disabilities and their families to enhance their quality of life. The purpose of this organization is to help ensure that families have the assistance they need in order to effectively support their children with disabilities achieve their dreams across all domains. The mission of KY-SPIN is to link families and individuals with disabilities to valuable resources that will enable them to live productive, fulfilling lives. KY-SPIN core values are respect, education, dignity and empowerment.
KY-SPIN is the Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center for Kentucky and has been since Kentucky first received one in 1988. The PTI is funded by a United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services grant. KY-SPIN has always been staffed by persons with disabilities and/or parents/immediate family members of persons with disabilities. The majority of KY-SPIN Board of Directors are parents of individuals with disabilities.
Through a “Peer Support – Families Training Families” model, community trainings are conducted on topics such as: education laws, rights, and listening and communication skills. These topics promote a better understanding of rights and responsibilities, collaboration, and partnership and advocacy. We assist individuals with disabilities and their families through one on one consultation, while stepping through the process of accessing services and supports. KY-SPIN Parent Center provides families with the knowledge, skills, information and support they need to obtain improved services for their children. KY-SPIN believes informed family-professional education leads to improved family-professional partnerships.
KY-SPIN publishes E-News regularly; if you would like additional information, please complete this Contact Form (www.kyspin.com/contact/) or Subscribe to our newsletter (www.kyspin.com/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/)
Website: www.kyspin.com
To request assistance or make a referral:
800-525-7746 or 502-937-6894- spininc@kyspin.com
Contact Form (www.kyspin.com/contact/) Download Printable Referral Form here (https://tinyurl.com/2p8awkfu)
NEW Individualized Education Program (IEP) Infographic (https://tinyurl.com/ts9hyk9b)
the What is kynect resources?
kynect resources is a resource engine developed by Cabinet the for Health and Family Services (CHFS), in partnership with United Way, to bring community organizations and Commonwealth agencies into a single platform that connects Kentuckians to community programs and services. kynect resources helps reduce barriers to finding help, offers a faster connection to available resources, and provides community partners and Commonwealth agencies tools to address resident needs.
Who is using kynect resources?
kynect resources can benefit Kentucky residents, Application Assisters, Community Partners, and DCBS caseworkers. The platform allows the various stakeholders to connect through a referral system, creating an environment for residents to request and receive support.
Within kynect resources, users can browse community programs and services that help with needs like food insecurity, housing needs, childcare and much more. Programs or services can be searched by situation, keyword, or category. The kynect resources assessment tool helps capture Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) information to help prioritize referral activity, and more quickly connect to resources relevant to a residents specific need. Over 8,800 referrals have been made in kynect resources already in 2022.
Organizations interested in learning more or that want to join kynect resources can get started by visiting kynect.ky.gov\resources. Click Join as a Community Partner on the home page to find your organization listing and begin the onboarding process. We also have a Frequently Asked Questions document for more information.
If your organization or program would like to schedule an overview presentation and demo, please contact Tracy Williams at tracy.williams@ky.gov. |
SIAC's Mission: Promoting healthy children and transition-age youth across Kentucky: Building a collaborative system of care to promote children's and transition-age youth's social, emotional, and behavioral well-being where they live, learn, work, and play.
Lived Experience Spotlight
 Felicity Therese Krueger, Youth Advocate
My name is Felicity Therese Krueger. Now who am I? I’m a young person who spent the first two years of my life in complete uncertainty being in and out of foster care and eventually being adopted at age two. Now believe it or not, no matter how young you are, you can experience trauma, so I grew up with anxiety, always somewhat uneasy. Most people around me seemed to disregard my fears and anxiety as a kid who was overreacting. Parts of me learned to hold back my fears and emotions. Eventually my mom would get involved with the mental health and advocacy field and then so did I joining the Kentucky Youth MOVE Council at age 13. Around that age was the start of something big - finding out how many kids felt the way I did and didn’t have any support. So my motivation to support them become prevalent.
At age 15 I started to work with Youth MOVE National, and then a chain of events led to working with National Empowerment Center being trained in Emotional CPR and teaches people how to assist others through an emotional crisis. It was developed by and for people with lived experience of mental health recovery. It is an emotion-based way of talking, adjusting my brain to allow myself to talk about my feelings. Now I’m working on getting that type of training to elementary school kids because every kid should understand all the feelings and emotions that comes with living life. And I encourage everyone to create a world of allowing kids to feel and express emotions. That's what inspires me, the next generation learning, growing and changing forever!
For more information on Emotional CPR, National Youth Move or KY Youth Move, please reach out to Felicity at ftkrueger1@gmail.com
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SIAC Meeting Dates 2022
May is Children's Mental Health Acceptance Month
 Join Kentucky Partnership for Families and Children, Inc. for Children's Mental Health Acceptance Day 2022 on May 5th at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort! This year's focus is "Family and Youth-Driven = Social Acceptance and Accessible Treatment."
~Boxed lunches will be provided ~Masks are encouraged ~Family-friendly event
Click Here To Register For The Event! |
