Seattle Schools Sponsoring Learning Disabilities Workshop

This workshop has been rescheduled to JUNE 10
(formerly scheduled for May 19)
      "Understanding Learning Disabilities" 

For this workshop, Seattle Public Schools is partnering with Open Doors for Multicultural Families.

This workshop will be beneficial to parents whose children have a hard time with listening/paying attention, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, math, social skills, or have been diagnosed with a Specific Learning Disability. Examples of Learning Disabilities include ADHD, Dyslexia, etc.


You will learn:
  • What are Learning Disabilities?
  • Signs of Learning Disabilities
  • What kind of support is available at school?
  • What can parents do at home? 
Speaker: Sherry Studley, Special Education Services Supervisor, Seattle Public Schools

Wednesday, June 10, 2015
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Aki Kurose Middle School Library
3928 S. Graham St
Seattle, WA 98118

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:
http://multiculturalfamilies.org/wordpress/events/parent-workshop-learning-disabilities/   
If you have questions you may contact: 
(For language support and/or childcare, please submit your registration before June 3rd, 2015)

FREE supervised children's activities
FREE food and refreshments
FREE language support

For language support, contact:
Spanish: (253) 495-4392 (Yissel O.)
Somali: (253) 245-7304 (Hodan M.)
Korean: (253) 407-9501 (Min C.)
Japanese: (425) 753-6122 (Miho O.)
Russian: (206) 973-9974 (Olga L.)

Comments

mirmac1 said…
I'm going to give me an atta girl on this one. I have for years pushed SPS to establish an Ombuds for Special Education. I provided documentation of a model in SRVUSD that had in place a very knowledgeable SpEd advocate who also sponsored parent trainings.

SPS finally provided one, of sorts, who is also more a parent liaison. (Most likely part of their strategy to save face after the OSPI Comprehensive Corrective Action Plan). Once SPS announced Margo Sieganthaler in the position, I continued to stress the importance of the parent education piece.

So, am glad to see this happening. As for conflict resolution, that is yet to be seen.
5/20/15, 9:26 AM
TheGoodFight said…
Now just make it mandatory for all SEA members to attend.

I really have to question why that particular supervisor = SPED data breach = NO SDI at Roosevelt or Stevens is running the show, maybe it's punishment.

It's completely ironic that She will be speaking about Specific Learning Disabilities because several schools under her watch have failed so miserably to serve that particular group.

Am I being too harsh?
5/20/15, 10:18 AM
mirmac1 said…
No, you're not too harsh. We've seen some of Studley's "training" videos for staff. VERY anti-parent. I will recommend that attendees fill out "exit tickets" commenting on the value and content of the training.
5/20/15, 11:40 AM
Anonymous said…
My concern is that some attendees won't know if they have been given incorrect information. Why wouldn't they get someone from outside to provide this training?

parent
5/20/15, 12:19 PM
mirmac1 said…
Open Doors for Multi-cultural Families is a great organization. Their staff should be introduced at the start of the meeting. If not, request it.
5/20/15, 1:25 PM
Anonymous said…
I can't comment on Open Doors because I know very little about them.

SPS, however, is a different story. I hate to be so pessimistic about SPS but I actively advise families with LD children to refuse help from SPS and get it on the outside instead. And, no, this isn't just an option for those who can "afford it" (although that helps). Health insurance will often cover some treatment. And Google is a more reliable source of information than my experiences with SPS. The science/neuroscience behind learning disabilities is amazing and the education sector is very far behind. In addition, a good majority of these diagnoses are manufactured by the education folks. The "disability" may instead be the inability to conform to a poorly administered educational environment. In what sane world do we diagnosis children BEFORE diagnosing their environments or holding the adults accountable? That doesn't mean that some children don't need specific sorts of instruction and environments (I am parent to 1), but is diversity always disability? From what I can tell at SPS, it is cheaper to label children than to foster a variety of different learning environments for all different kinds of learners. The outreach of SPS to a vulnerable population is terrifying. If SPS really wanted to help, they would send experts, like the WABIDA (for dyslexia) or a similar organization. But they might provide information that is contrary to SPS policy. ADHD is another story all together and for the most part can be a fantastic skill set if nurtured properly. It's a big problem, though, if your teacher just wants you to sit and be quiet.
MuchIre
5/20/15, 10:19 PM
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