Drs. Rebecca Hines and Lisa Dieker, UCF faculty, share their thoughts on helping teachers and families find resources and networks. This episode highlights just a few of the national and local networks to consider including the Council for Exceptional Children, UCP, Tourette Syndrome Association and Best Buddies to just name a few. We hope you enjoy thinking about how to expand your support network as a teacher or a parent. We look forward to receiving your questions @accesspratical
Lisa Dieker:
Welcome to practical access. I'm Lisa Dieker.
Rebecca Hines:
And I'm Rebecca Hines. And Lisa, I understand today we're going to be talking about a topic that you were asked about.
Lisa Dieker:
Yeah. People said, you know, how do you find networks for family? If you're a family of kids with disabilities? Where do you go? Where's your go to place? And I thought, wow, that's, that's interesting, because I, I'll start with a really quick short story here. It was very interesting. When Josh was diagnosed with Tourette's, there just wasn't a lot. I found the Tourette Syndrome
Rebecca Hines:
well, as you know, 16 years ago, now, a nephew of mine was born, who has cerebral palsy. And so just like most people, you know, you get online and you Google and you start looking for the national organizations that serve kids and the local organizations that serve kids. And luckily UCP United Cerebral Palsy is a is a big organization, and very reputable organization, and we have a your thinking about connecting with some professional organizations?
Lisa Dieker:
Yeah, you know, I think too, as teacher is that the first go to always is another teacher with experience. But do you remember, you know, one kid with autism has one kid with autism, one kid with Tourette's or cerebral palsy has one kid with Tourette's or cerebral palsy? And I think we're really big on you know, don't make assumptions. Yet I do think there's something to be learned several kids with sensory needs. So again, I can learn in bed better than that families. You could do the same if you really run a blog and you see a teacher with a great idea. Hey, could I Connect my teacher to you. And again, empowering ourselves. That's what these agencies allow us to do. You've had a lot of work with the council for Exceptional Children. I know they're yet I can't afford a
Rebecca Hines:
as well as the council for Exceptional Children. for educators, it really should be the first, the first step and the first stop, I think, so that we can start viewing our field on this national level. And I really recommend people sign up for the smartbrief. So that the smartbrief is automatically emailed out. And it just includes headlines from across the country, on things that
Lisa Dieker:
Yeah, you know, and I'm gonna piggyback on that kind of maybe even more national spread. And then I want to go back to a couple really grassroot things to think about too, but is nationally Remember, the US Department of Education Office of Special programs has national centers, and they have national centers for intervention supports, they have national centers for inclusive that have gone through it ourselves better for those parents that are coming after us. Because man, I learned a lot. And if I ever met a parent that said they had to tell with Tourettes that had a job and was married, I spent an hour eschewed everything, like, what did they do in high school? What kind of job do they have? What got it. So again, that's that's how I choose to learn, as
Rebecca Hines:
well. And some of those some of those local organizations are things even that that our own children and local kids can connect with things like best buddies that, again, specializes in a particular topic in special ed. However, the idea and getting young people involved in working with with their peers who have intellectual disabilities on their high school campuses, does, you know
Lisa Dieker:
Yeah, and I think I'm going to kind of wrap my thoughts up in a couple of areas, and one is Special Olympics. Again, another great place, and I love integrated version of the Special Olympics where your neurotypical child can be hanging out. So again, if you've got three children, and one has a disability, the other two do not get them all involved in Special Olympics. And this
Rebecca Hines:
well, as my sister will always say when it comes to advocacy, she always says step one is pick up the phone, pick up the phone, pick up the phone. And if you're trying to get connected somewhere locally, Google it and pick up the phone. If you are looking career wise at Where can I find, you know, like minded people to share ideas with start with some of our national organizations
Lisa Dieker:
Yeah, so I think that Council for Exceptional Children, cast cast.org has some great universal design for learning. I wouldn't be looking at the National Center for inclusion. And then I would certainly Google whatever disability because there will be an organization whether it's small or large. So for me, it was the Tourette Syndrome Association and the National Council for learning