FCSN ANNUAL WORKSHOP: Vision of Community 2014

Visions of Community 2014
A Conference for Families of Children with Special Needs
and the Professionals Who Serve Them
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Seaport World Trade Center - Boston

*FREE TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE FROM THE SPRINGFIELD AREA*

The Federation is pleased to announce its annual statewide conference "Visions of Community, a Conference for Parents of Children with Special Needs and the Professionals Who Serve Them" will be held on Saturday, March 8 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.



Two keynote presentations for Visions of Community will feature Michael K. Yudin, Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services for the US Department of Education and Dana and Brooke Yarbrough. Dana is the Executive Director of Parent to Parent of Virginia. Her daughter Brooke operates Brooke's Happy Tails Dog Boarding, a microenterprise she started in 2012.



Breakout workshops at Visions of Community will include topics on special education advocacy, managing challenging behaviors, transition to adulthood for students with disabilities, inclusion, policy initiatives, assistive technology, healthcare, bullying, parent leadership opportunities, early childhood, autism and more. In addition to approximately 30 sessions in English, a full conference strand of many of these topics will be offered in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Somali, and Vietnamese.

The conference Exhibit Hall typically features over 75 vendors and resources for families. The conference is a wonderful opportunity for families and professionals to network and learn about important resources.

Please use this link for more information about the conference:
http://fcsn.org/voc2014/

Community Partnership Awards
Each year the Federation for Children with Special Needs presents Community Partnership Awards to individuals in Massachusetts who have successfully promoted an inclusive environment in their community at our Visions of Community conference. Do you know a parent, student, teacher, administrator, health provider, coach, neighbor or other individual who has worked to create and support the inclusion of individuals with disabilities, those at-risk, or those who face cultural or linguistic barriers, in your school, health care or other place in the community? Nominate a person who has made a difference for a Community Partnership Award!
The Federation will present its 2014 Community Partnership Awards at the Visions of Community Conference to be heldSaturday March 8, 2014 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.

Community Partnership Award Nomination Form (http://fcsn.org/voc2014/cpa-form/)

Keynote Speakers
Michael K. Yudin

[yudin] Michael K. Yudin is the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) at the U.S. Department of Education. He serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary on matters related to the education of children and youth with disabilities, as well as employment and community living for youth and adults with disabilities. The mission of his office is to provide leadership to achieve full integration and participation in society of people with disabilities by promoting inclusion, ensuring equity, and creating opportunities for people with disabilities.


Dana Yarbrough

[dana] Dana Yarbrough, a native of Massachusetts, is the mother of 19-year-old daughter Brooke, who has physical, intellectual and sensory disabilities. Brooke lives in Richmond, Virginia where she operates Brooke's Happy Tails Dog Boarding, a microenterprise she started in 2012 one month after graduating with an IEP Diploma from Varina High School. Dana is the Executive Director of Parent to Parent of Virginia and serves as the program leader for family support and self-advocacy projects at the Partnership for People with Disabilities located at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice, a Masters Degree in Non-Profit Leadership, and in May will earn a Masters Degree in Transition Secondary Special Education from The George Washington University.


Brooke Yarbrough

[brooke] Brooke is a 19 year-old young woman who has physical, intellectual and sensory disabilities. The Yarbrough family has an entrepreneurial spirit and Brooke has followed in those footsteps by opening her own business one month after graduating with an IEP Diploma from Varina High School in Richmond, Virginia.





Workshops

This year we are pleased to offer 45 topical workshops in 6 different languages. A limited number of English workshops will be interpreted if requested by February 7th. Here are the workshops that will be presented by session:
http://fcsn.org/voc2014/home/workshops/