Seattle Special Education Law Conference October 5-7

The University of Washington’s School of Law is holding it’s 26th Annual Pacific Northwest Institute on Special Education and the Law October 5-7, 2009. This multi-day institute consists of mini-courses, workshops and speaker sessions. Some of the topics covered include:

*Special Education
*Behavior and Discipline Issues for Students with Special Needs
*The Building Principal and Special Education
*Writing and Presenting Appropriate IEPs
*Autism
*Section 504, the ADA and Disability Discrimination
*Building Positive Relationships
*Response to Intervention
*Ethics Seminar: Ethics and Professional Responsibility in the Practice of Special Education Law
*The IEP Team-Substantive and Procedural Hazards
*Unilateral Residential Placements
*Students with Allergies and Chemical Sensitivities
*Ninth Circuit Special Education Decisions
*New 2009 FERPA Regulations: Implications for Parents, Students, Schools, and Attorneys
*Regular Educators and the Student with Disabilities
*Research in Evidence Based Practices at the University of Washington
*Manifest Determination
*Tragedy in the Time-Out Room: Isolation and Other Aversive Techniques
*Transition Services Under IDEA 2004
*Preschool Special Education
*Parents and Their Rights Under the IDEA and Related State Law:
*Q & A – Ask the Experts: District Office/Building Level
*Compensatory Education: What it is and When it is Available

This institute is a great place for parents and educators to get current information about Special Education Laws and how they apply to students. They cover a plethora of useful and very important information. I would encourage anyone and everyone involved with children with special needs to attend this institute because these laws and how they’re applied affect our children every day. The adults in their lives need to be intimately familiar with all the laws and how they’re applied so we can ensure they are accessing all the services they are entitled.

The Institute
Founded in 1984, originally as a Washington State Institute, this regionally based conference on special education law serves educators and attorneys from sister states in the Pacific Northwest and attracts attendees from throughout the nation. Parents and parent advocates are also encouraged to attend.

The primary mission of the Institute is to keep practitioners aware of congressional amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and recent court cases interpreting the Act. Most faculty are nationally prominent acknowledged school or Plaintiff attorneys with active practices in IDEA litigation. The Institute also addresses Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Sections 1983 and 1985 of the Civil Rights Act, No Child Left Behind Act, and other federal and state laws affecting the operation and management of special education programs in public schools.

The Institute consists of four general sessions and sixteen workshops over two days. The Institute is preceded by a full day of optional mini-courses providing formal instruction in various special education law topics. (Information in italics from: http://depts.washington.edu/slawd/index.html)

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