Parent Education Network

2012 PA Community on Transition Conference

From July 25 to July 27, the 2012 Pennsylvania Community on Transition Conference will take place at the Penn Stater Conference Center & Hotel in State College, PA. According to the flyer for the event, the conference's purpose is to "expand the capacity of local education agencies and communities, in partnership with youth, young adults and families, in promoting the successful transition of youth/young adults with disabilities to post-school outcomes of employment, post-secondary education and training, community participation and healthy lifestyles. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about effective practices to assist youth/young adults with disabilities to be empowered in an environment of change."

The cost of the event is $125, and eligible family members or caregivers of young people of transition age can apply for a scholarship to attend. The scholarship covers the price of registration and lodging for one adult and, optionally, one young person of transition age.

The deadline for registration is July 6, 2012. For more information about the event see the 2012 Pennsylvania Community on Transition Conference flyer. To begin registration, click on the Register button on the page on PaTTAN's website for the conference and follow the instructions. If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail after completing all the steps, you will need to try to register again.

Webinar - Traumatic Brain Injuries, Concussions (& Post) Syndrome

"How to Effectively Identify, Locate, Evaluate Programs for Children with Traumatic Brain Injuries, Concussions, or Children with Post-Concussion Syndrome" will focus on the new and emerging developments related to these specific topics. More and more children are being identified with the effects of concussions as a result of sports injuries, car accidents, or some other traumatic event. Children with concussions or post concussion syndrome may be eligible for services as a child with other health impairment or as a child with traumatic brain injury. The session will also focus on eligibility for children with these conditions for Chapter 15/Section 504 plans.

This webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM EDT. To register, visit the sign up page for the "How to Effectively Identify..." webinar. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Save the date, August 14, 2012; Details to Follow

Update (May 11, 2012): The PEN workshop titled "Fostering and Teaching True Independence: Fading Supports When Appropriate," which was originally scheduled for Thursday, May 10, 2012 at I.U. #12 has been tentatively rescheduled to August 14, 2012.

More details will be available at a later date.

New "Education Jump Start" Webinar

As summer quickly approaches and another year winds down, this online presentation will review tips, plans, activities and important information that will help students to use their summer to get a jump start on their higher education planning and be better prepared for what's ahead. Failing to Plan, is Planning to Fail!

Linda Pacewicz, from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), will present this webinar on Monday, May 14, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

To register, visit the sign up page for the "Education Jump Start" webinar.

New Section for Information on Bullying

On PEN's website is a new page on the topic of bullying. The new section links to resources for youth and educators, and it also presents several options available to parents for reporting bullying incidents and preventing future ones.

Visit the Bullying Information page for more details.

Two New Videos of Archived Webinars

Recorded copies of two webinars from 2011 have been added to PEN's Videos section. The first video, "Exploring Careers, Colleges and Scholarships with educationplanner.org," provides a tour of the features of the EducationPlanner website. The other video, "Harassment and Bullying 101," presents some practical ways for parents to address the harassment and bullying of children with disabilities.

You can also view the videos on PEN's YouTube channel.

PEN Brochure

For more information on available workshops and publications, download PEN's Workshop and Publications Brochure.

About Us

PEN is part of a national system of Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs), serving South Central, Northeast, Southeast and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We are a non-profit funded by the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 2009 marked our 25 year anniversary of service to parents of children with disabilities. PEN is a coalition of professionals and parents of children representing a range of disabilities and ages. We are committed to serving parents of all special needs children birth to adulthood; including parents of children in general education classes, educational/residential placement, adult systems and those children not yet identified as needing service.

PEN provides technical assistance, information, skill development trainings, workshops and referral services to parents to help children reach their full potential in educational, vocational and community settings. Much of the information included in this site is designed to support Pennsylvania parents of children with special needs, but information and links are included on Federal Special Education, National Disability Issues and Resources and Special Education Legal links that will also pertain to parents and individuals with disabilities in other states. We hope you find the following information helpful.

Since our primary objective is to support parents, please feel free to call us for further information or assistance. Parents within Pennsylvania may reach us at our toll free number, 1-800-522-5827. Thank you for visiting.