Information+-+February+2014



> On **February 13, 2014 at 2:00 PM EST **, theNationalCommunityofPractice (CoP)onTransitionis sponsoring the __f ____irst of three __ webinars on YouthRoleinTransitionPlanningforprofessionalsinthefield.Through the personal stories and insights of youth from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Hampshire, Michigan, Virginia, and Washington, DC webinar participants will learn about: >
 * Trainings **
 * February 2014: **
 * February 12, 2014 (10:00 am – 11:00 am) – ** PYLN Webinar – Employment Options **
 * February 13, 2014 (2:00 pm) - ** YOUTH-LED WEBINAR: Get the Picture ** Rescheduled for February 20th. Please for same instructions attached below
 * The youth experience and role in transition
 * The power of authentic youth engagement, self-determination and leadership in transition
 * Ideas for how to best support youth in the transition process

= March 2014: =
 * Tuesday, March 4, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., ** Webinar “Getting Equipment for Hearing from Medical Assistance Managed Care. ****” ** Presented by the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation. Go to [|www.drnpa.org].
 * Tuesday, March 11, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., ** Webinar “Getting Your Equipment Repaired Under Medical Assistance Managed Care.” ** Presented by the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania (DRN) and Institute on Disabilities at Temple University. Go to [|www.drnpa.org].
 * March 24, 2014 - ** EmployAbility Expo 2014 ** : Where: The Reading Crowne Plaza, Wyomissing, PA: When: Monday, March 24, 2014, 9:00am - 1:30pm <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">[[file:Save the Date- Expo 2014.docx]]

=July 2014:=
 * **July 6 - 18, 2014** ** Transition Vocational Initiative (TVI) Career Awareness Summer Program ** for students who are blind or visually impaired [[file:TVI 2014 Flyer - latest.pdf]]


 * ** July 16 - 18, 2014 PA Community on Transition Conference ** ; Where: Penn Stater Center & Hotel State College, PA
 * Conference Overview [[file:2014_Transition confer_Overview.pdf]]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 32px;">Help pass the ABLE Act: The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act ABLE Act will allow people w/ <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 1.5;">disabilities to save money to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing, and transportation. Currently, people with disabilities can't have more than $2,000 in assets or risk losing the benefits needed to live. To sign the petition go to: @https://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-house-of-representatives-pass-the-able-act



<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">Early R <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma,sans-serif; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">each Initiative

The Early Reach Initiative is an outreach service through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) to enhance current services for youth with disabilities whom are age 14 and over. Early Reach Coordinators can help to begin a conversation about youths’ future job goals, to facilitate planning for a work life after high school, and OVR can assist with the supports necessary to train for, obtain, and maintain employment. For further information please contact: Early Reach Coordinators: **Jill Grossberg**, MSS, LSW # 215-560-4193 jgrossberg@pa.gov; **Cameo Posey**MSS, LSW #215-560-1951 caposey@pa.gov

The Philadelphia PowerPlay, a nonprofit organization, is a power wheelchair floor hockey team based in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area. We follow the rules and regulations of the United States Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association. We believe that competition and challenge are healthy and necessary for all people, regardless of ability. The Philadelphia PowerPlay is an athletic team which provides a quality, well organized recreational and social program within the community. Our emphasis is on teamwork, skill development and fun. The team is open to all persons who are competent power wheelchair users. @http://www.philadelphiapowerplay.com/

In December, the **INSTITUTE for MATCHING PERSON & TECHNOLOGY** hosted a webinar for the **Military Families Learning Network** on assistive and cognitive support technologies. It is available online at: @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0NOmVM0zVM&list=UUBEYWdqWEmaJSfNUzuRKUGw

__**<span style="color: #5a5e61; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">"I’m Not Here to Inspire You: Essays on Disability from a Regular Guy Living with Cerebral Palsy." **__ In this collection of essays, Rob J. Quinn offers insights on his own experiences as a man living with cerebral palsy and challenges the perceptions of people with disabilities offered by the able-bodied world. Many of the pieces are meant to give teens and young adults living with physical disabilities a new perspective on some of the issues they are dealing with in their daily lives. Quinn tackles topics such as going to school, physical therapy, dealing with the isolation that people with disabilities can experience, and pushing the limits of the physical abilities people possess despite a disability. I'm Not Here to Inspire You is intended as a positive, yet honest look at aspects of living with a physical disability. After reading several essays from Quinn, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Daniel Rubin wrote that the writer "chronicles his life unflinchingly" @http://www.amazon.com/Not-Here-Inspire-You-Disability/dp/1475999569

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 * Résumés: Opening Doors, Creating Results! ** Disability Blog with great ideas []



Check out The Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network's (PYLN) **archived webinar series** recorded and captioned on the PA Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) website. These webinars have been supported by both PaTTAN and the Youth Statewide Initiative (YSI), a project of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and the PA Statewide Independent Living Council (PASILC).

The link for the series can be found at:

@http://www.pattan.net/Videos/Browse/Training%20Series/PYLN+and+YSI+Webinar+Series

If you have questions regarding the YSI project, PYLN or the webinar series you can contact Lavinia Ritter at laviniaritter@gmail.com