BEINEINU NEWS & NOTES
August 1, 2013
Alternative therapies & Treatments Guide—Danielle’s Foundation has updated their "Guide to Alternative Therapies and Treatments." This informative guide contains a listing of the most common alternative therapies and treatments that have been found to be beneficial to children with cerebral palsy or brain injury. The guide also includes strategies to help you try to get these therapies and treatments covered by insurance.
To request a copy of the revised guide, call 1-800-511-2283, or fill our a request form at Danielle's Foundation http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Zy-9LpCqnUoOCH4pApjAsBu_jdtujixOvsgIP3qs_21wt1OiBgFOX1xgaqN3s_QJOAN_WP7T6SaByyvtH_EY6x9MI5VYIYT5MU4L5FxaJggcuOS4jtet3fJ5uI9uj3Hn .
Equipment Grant—Danielle’s Foundation offers two grants per year to help a child with Cerebral Palsy or brain injury get the therapies or equipment that they need. The next deadline for thier 2013 Biannual Grant Program is December 31, 2013. To be considered for our grant program, you must complete a grant application.
Call 1-800-511-2283 to request an application for the Biannual Grant Program, or fill out a request form at Danielle's Foundation. http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Zy-9LpCqnUoOCH4pApjAsBu_jdtujixOvsgIP3qs_21wt1OiBgFOX1xgaqN3s_QJOAN_WP7T6SaByyvtH_EY6x9MI5VYIYT5MU4L5FxaJggcuOS4jtet3fJ5uI9uj3Hn
Fire/Smoke Detectors for the Deaf—Torah Community Network and Our Way/Yachad are offering to install free fire/smoke alarm detectors designed to alert those in the deaf community in the homes of deaf individuals. They will also provide a fire safety inspection and give suggestions on how to improve and safeguard the lives of families from fire/smoke accidents and injuries. This program is totally free. Contact
Parent To Parent Webinar Series--Parent to Parent is offering a series of four webinars, in July and August, on the following topics: MSC for Families, the differences between Section 504 and IDEA, the Health Care Notebook, a guide for families to understand the OPWDD system and preventing burnout for parents with children with special needs. Please see the Beineinu Calendar for the complete listing of webinars including links for registration. PtP receives requests for people to view recorded webinars. While this is not an option, workshop presenters are more than willing to review materials 1:1 with family members who are unable to participate in the respective webinars. Please contact the PtP Regional Coordinators to assist with connecting interested individuals with webinar presenters. For more information, go to:
http://ptopnys.org/news/statewide-events/#sthash.ubMzMwXj.S1ugs8nr.dpuf
Mother’s Milk Bank Seeking Donations—The mother’s milk bank in Monsey/Spring Valley NY is desperately seeking donations of mother’s milk for babies who cannot tolerate formula. If you can help, please contact Chaya Goldmunzer at 845-354-7515.
ISRAEL
Special Ed School Days Lengthened--The Special Education Division, led by the Minister of Education, has decided to extend the school day for students in the special education, including: children diagnosed with CP, children with severe and multiple physical handicaps, and children with mild cognitive developmental disorders – in order to provide them with an adequate response to their needs.
The extension will be as follows:
Students with CP and severe physical handicaps will receive an additional hour per day, and their school day will end, starting next year, at 3:30 instead of 2:30 PM (total of five weekly hours, not including Fridays)
Students with cognitive developmental disorders will receive an additional hour, and their school day will end at 2:30 instead of 1:30 PM (a total of five weekly hours, not including Fridays).
This decision relates to students learning in the special education systems as well as students who learn in special-ed classes within regular schools.
As part of this change, assistant ("shadow") hours and transportation will also be coordinated – with the local authorities.
Medical Assistants for Children in Regular Education—Registration is open until September 30, 2013 to apply for a medical assistant for a child with medical issues who is attending a regular class. After that date, no more applications will be accepted, except for emergency cases. See http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/Mazkirut_Pedagogit/Briut/BriutTalmid/sayaot/.
Changes to School Transportation—Beginning with the new school year, the Ministry of Education will implement changes to the funding of school transportation services for mildly disabled students (such as those in kitot shiluv, ganei saffa) that had been approved a number of years ago. In the past, the Ministry of Education provided a portion of the funding for the municipalities school transportation system. Now, the formula has changed to fund only those who are a certain distance from their assigned schools-- For students pre-1-A until (and incl) 4th grade: 2 km and up, and students 5th grade and up: 3 km and up.. This will reduce the number of eligible students, affecting many families. Bnei Brak, Bat Yam, and Ohr Yehuda are expected to be most severely impacted by this change, as most students live relatively close to their schools. Notes are being sent to families detailing these changes, and noting how far they reside from their child’s school. Each individual municipality will decide how to deal with these changes.
More severely disabled students will not be affected, regardless of the distance to their schools.