National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Each year, October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) that celebrates the past and present contributions of American workers with disabilities and showcases inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees. The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has chosen "Advancing Access and Equity" as the theme for this year’s NDEAM.
To learn more, watch a video about NDEAM. For information about the 2022 Post-School Outcomes for Students with Disabilities in Washington state click here. To support employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities year round, visit Beyond NDEAM: Year-Round Employer Strategies for Advancing Disability Inclusion.
Reduce Restraint Eliminate Isolation (RREI) Demonstration Sites Application Open
In collaboration with the Haring Center for Inclusive Education at the University of Washington, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is partnering with school districts across the state to create demonstration sites highlighting best practices in reducing the use of restraint and eliminating the use of isolation. These schools will participate in transformational professional development, and in turn provide learning experiences that inspires continuous improvement, with the goal of creating learning communities to be used as sites for research, professional development, and model demonstration sites for best practices in positive behavior support. These schools will serve as exemplars that show the benefits of reducing restraint and eliminating isolation on student outcomes. Districts/programs who apply are committed to:
- Collaborate with OSPI and partners to implement practices and schoolwide support systems with the goal of eliminating isolation and reducing restraint use. The schoolwide systems must include trauma-informed positive behavior and intervention supports, de-escalation, and problem-solving skills.
- Continuously partner with OSPI and external partners to highlight the systems and processes that have contributed to the elimination of student isolation and reduction of restraint use in the school/district.
- Engage in professional learning activities to support the building of school-level and district-level systems that eliminate student isolation, track, and reduce restraint use, and build schoolwide systems to support students in distress and prevent crisis escalation cycles that may result in restraint or isolation.
- Provide student level data, program information, project feedback and reflections to OSPI as needed.
Click HERE to apply!
Any questions, please reach out to Sam Mintz sam.mintz@k12.wa.us at OSPI.
Special Education State Design Team Meeting | November 6, 2023
Please join us for an OSPI Special Education State Design Team meeting on Monday, November 6, 2023, from 3:30–5pm. We will provide updates on our state’s Systemic Equity Review of special education with our partners at the National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI), including information about the work of the Equity Team. We will also provide updates on our efforts to launch the Inclusionary Practices Technical Assistance Network (IPTN).
Please register in advance for the zoom meeting. We will offer closed captioning, American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, and Spanish language interpretation during the meeting. When registering, please try to let us know by October 13, 2023, if you need additional accommodations.
Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) – October 24–25 Meeting
The Washington state Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) will be conducting an in-person/virtual meeting October 24–25, 2023, at the NWESD 189, 1601 R Avenue, Anacortes, WA. Both days will begin at 8:30 am and end at approximately 4:30 pm. The meeting is open to members of the public who have an interest in Washington special education services. If you would like to attend virtually, the link is here. There is no pre-registration. The agenda for the meeting will be posted on the SEAC web page no later than one week prior to the meeting.
Public Comment is scheduled for 30 minutes, beginning at 11:30 on Tuesday, October 24. The public can make comments either in person, virtually, or via email and only during this designated time. If you would like to email your public comment prior to the meeting, send it to speced@k12.wa.us. The agenda will move forward to the next item once interested parties have a chance to comment.
Captioning will be provided for the SEAC meeting for participants joining virtually. If you need other accommodation, such as a language interpreter, please email your request to speced@k12.wa.us no later than Friday, October 13, 2023. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require OSPI to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.
SEAC Community Forum
The SEAC is hosting an in-person community forum in Anacortes to share about the role of SEAC and host a discussion about early learning and inclusionary practices! Join us!
Tuesday, October 24, 6 pm–7:30 pm
Anacortes Public Library Meeting Room
1220 10th St, Anacortes, WA 98221
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