Welcome To The Special Education Department |
July 13, 2010 Dear Friends and Colleagues: It’s official! Governor David A. Paterson officially signed our name change into law today‑ the name of this agency is now the New York State Office For People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)!
This historical legislation not only removes the words “Mental Retardation” from the name of our agency, but also from State statute and regulations, excluding clinical references. The new name, as you all know, was chosen in March 2010 by consensus of representative stakeholders. It eliminates the stigmatizing language which was part of the agency’s name and instead reflects this Office’s #1 guiding principle of “Putting People First.” It is consistent with the People First language law enacted in 2007 which mandates that in statutory language we place the emphasis where it should be – on the people we serve, not the disability.
The use of “W” in the new agency name avoids the acronym “OPDD,” which might have been conveyed as the “Office for Pervasive Developmental Disorders,” which is a diagnosis on the autism spectrum. While OPWDD does serve people on the spectrum, we also serve many others under the umbrella of developmental disabilities.
Agency staff is hard at work changing our Website and other publications to reflect the OPWDD change, effective today. The name change will not result in any new costs, implementation will be gradual with the plan being to phase it in as part of normal replacement cycles.
I am so pleased to have been a part of this vital change, which is the culmination of our partnership and all the work you have done to advocate for the respect and dignity of people with developmental disabilities. Thank you for all your support – your voices were heard and made a difference! This agency will now continue its vital mission of helping people with developmental disabilities live richer lives – going forward as OPWDD!
Sincerely,
Diana Jones Ritter |
Attention Parents/Guardians:
PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN SURVEYS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BUT NO LATER THAN AUGUST 13, 2010.
Our school district is working with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to collect information on how we can help you and other parents/guardians of students with disabilities to be more involved in their children's education. Parents from school districts throughout the state are completing the same survey. The State Education Department is working with the Potsdam Institute for Applied Research (PIAR), an independent research firm, to collect the information.
Your answers to the survey are very important to me and to the Madison Central School District. They will help us to identify how well we work with parents and guardians in order to improve services and results for all of our students with disabilities. No one from our school district will see how you answered the questions. The Potsdam Institute for Applied Research will compile the results of the surveys from all of our parents and the results will be available to you in a report issued by the NYSED for our school district.
We will be asking you to take a few moments to complete the survey either before or after your child's Annual Review meeting and to mail on that day in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you prefer to complete the survey online, please call me for the 6 Digit Number in order to log in, then go to http://parentsurvey.potsdam.edu to access the survey on-line. Some forms will be mailed home to those parents whose children's Annual Reviews have already taken place. Please take the time to complete the survey as soon as you receive it and mail promptly so that we get credited with your participation.
I thank you for your time and your assistance. If you have any questions, you may call me at 893-7287, extension 265 or e-mail me at laross@madisoncentralny.org .
Sincerely,
Laurie Ann Ross Educational Coordinator |
Thank you to Ms. Renee MacDonald, Transitional Advocate at the Madison Cortland ARC, for sharing this informative website with us at Madison Central School. http://www.ncwd-youth.info/who_Are_You/youth_and_Family/index.html |
 2010 Lecture Series sponsored by The ARC For more information, please click on the attached flyer | ||
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Autism Workshop November 1, 2010 Please click on attached flyer for more details!!! | ||
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The Mid York Library System just launched a new online computer program Learning Express Library at www.midyork.org<http://www.midyork.org> They offer a learning center with practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, etc. For example, if there is someone who would like to get his/her GED, there are GED practice tests, or if someone is preparing for his/her SAT's, there are SAT practice tests, along with tests for workplace skills, skill building for adults, etc. There are even practice Citizenship tests! To use the system one must be a member of the MidYork Library System, in other words have a library card. |
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Holly Fleming- hfleming@madisoncentralny.org Laurie Ann Ross- laross@madisoncentralny.org |