Community Advisory Committee for Special Education for SFUSD

Did you miss the Virtual Vaccine Town Hall for People with Disabilities and Health Conditions? The recording is now available on YouTube. Learn more about how to access vaccines in San Francisco and get your questions answered by City health experts.

This Monday at high noon, The dyslexia parent support group meets. Join the zoom. "We are a group of parents and educators meet monthly to offer support, share ideas & resources, and empower each other as we experience the successes and challenges of supporting children with dyslexia, processing or learning differences. We often host guest speakers. The group is parent moderated and free. It is intended to be a safe place where parents can freely share what they are going... through with others who understand. Members who have managed similar challenges are able to offer insight, experience and support. Our support group now partners with the Support for Families of Children with Disabilities." https://decodingdyslexiaca.org//san-francisco-support-group

Starting Monday, 3/15 the eligibility for vaccinations will expand to include people ages 16-64 with disabilities, qualifying health conditions, and more. Full ...announcement and details: https://sfmayor.org//san-francisco-expand-covid-19-vaccina If you’re eligible to get vaccinated, visit sf.gov/getvaccinated to find out how. Supply remains limited, but more appointments are opening up regularly. When it's your turn, get your vaccine to protect yourself and those around you!

Microsoft Accessibility Tools for Students with Dyslexia Grades 3-12 Assistive technology can be instrumental in helping students with Dyslexia or any learning difference to be more successful.... Join Mike Tholfsen, Product Manager for Microsoft Education, who will take you through a tour and demonstration of the Learning Tools that are already embedded within free Microsoft products such as Word, OneNote, Teams and Edge. FREE https://www.varsitytutors.com//6c900b0c-e446-4077-95fe-b68

How can we IMPROVE LITERACY for children with DYSLEXIA and DISABILITIES? Tomorrow Wed, Jan 13, the State Board of Education will meet to review the draft COMPREHENSIVE STATE LITERACY PLAN. Many are concerned this plan lacks clear guidance for schools. VOICE YOUR COMMENTS at the 1/13 meeting! Here’s how:... 1. View the plan: http://ow.ly/IrIX50C37p4 2. Sign up to receive a text when the plan is up for discussion (late morning/early afternoon): http://ow.ly/f7ez50D5PNn 3. Call (712) 432-0075 (Participant Access Code: 651905#) *Watch the meeting live at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/pn/lv/index.asp For background on community concerns, read this letter from Decoding Dyslexia: http://ow.ly/9ZTU50D5PQ5

Thanks, Sam Murphy, for bringing this article about new adaptive gear for the outdoors to our attention! Many of the options here can be covered by insurance. There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more. -Robert M. Hensel https://www.sierraclub.org//8-pieces-adaptive-outdoor-gear

The Community Advisory Committee for Special Education stands in solidarity with the African American Parent Advisory Council and fellow Advisory leaders to condemn the racist and antisemitic acts that occurred at Lowell High School on January 20. The response has not been satisfactory and we stand behind the actions and calls to action of the Lowell Black Student Union. We need to call out racism when we see it for the cancer that it is and immediately address and take conc...rete steps to heal the damage it causes. Admitting its prevalence within our own schools is difficult, but is a necessary part of the healing process. Bringing these actions into the light and holding those accountable must be part of the process we now follow. This hatred, these actions, this behavior has no place in our schools. Our goal and responsibility and all the work we do each and every day is for our students to thrive. Instead, they have been harmed. We call for a District action plan at each school site with clear steps on how they will meet these needs and heal this mental abuse. Our students and families deserve to know, in real time, how the District will be there for them every step of the way to support their social and emotional recovery. We stand in solidarity with the AAPAC in their calls to begin to honor the demands made during the Lowell Black Student Union’s 2016 walkout. Those demands are as relevant and urgent today as they were five years ago. Has any progress been made? The CAC leadership team echoes the call for more staff diversity, more diverse curricula, cultural sensitivity training for ALL district staff, zero tolerance policies, and safe spaces for our Black students. We call on our district leaders to be agents of change for racial and religious justice. It is easy to assume that the heinous acts were perpetrated by outside hackers, but the stark reality faced by our students is that racism and antisemitism exists at Lowell and other schools within SFUSD. The students and families of SFUSD demand - and deserve - for social justice to become a reality rather than a talking point on an SFUSD Core Values poster. Every student deserves to feel safe and to thrive in our schools. The CAC would also like to recognize and appreciate the leadership of the Lowell Black Student Union as well as Student Delegates Kathya Correa Almanza and Shavonne Hines-Foster. We acknowledge and appreciate your excellent leadership, your continued advocacy, and the impact of your strength as you continue to tell truth to power. The work you are doing is not easy. Commissioners Correa Almanza and Hines-Foster, you are inspiring not only your fellow students, but plenty of us adults, too. Kudos to you for setting the example that many of us adults should be. The AAPAC statement of support of the Lowell Black Student Union: https://drive.google.com//17CV-EDTyy96jO3E0LVfqA7UsoK/view

It’s here again! Don’t miss Dyslexia Training Institute’s virtual dyslexia conference with top experts from around the country. Take advantage now of the super early bird rate! #dyslexia

Senator Anthony Portantino (SD-25) has introduced a bill for requiring universal screening for risk of dyslexia for all students in grades K-2! encouraging your Senator to vote YES on SB 237. More details to come soon! https://sd25.senate.ca.gov//personal-struggle-inspires-bil

Have you seen our Inclusive Schools Week Bitmoji Classroom yet? Check it out to learn more about Inclusion, Special Education and Disability Heroes! #SFUSDISW #InclusiveSchoolsWeek ... https://docs.google.com//1jA9cLEel1bygiwPR1A68VLy3w6/edit

Hey all- follow this link to the GGRC page for information about vaccine distribution for people with disabilities. http://www.ggrc.org/resources/coronavirus-information

Heading To The Polls? If You Have A Disability, Here's What To Know!

Tonight at 7:30PM. 411 Wednesday w/ the 2nd District PTA! "A Conversation with Dawn Kamalanathan, SFUSD’s Chief Facilities Officer" Learn more about what is currently happening at our school sites in preparation for in person learning.

We hope you can join us today for the CAC & Support for Families watch party!

We hope you can join us next Tuesday for the CAC Watch Party! Details below.

Sad news that last weekend James Redford who made this film The Big Picture (you can watch for free on Amazon) past away at 58. also made the documentary for UCSF Dyslexia Center, these films helped people understand what dyslexia really is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1uPlM8ctI8

Please join us for this virtual event on Oct 27th at 7pm. Registration and more info at Sparkkindness.org

Looking forward to our BOE Candidate Forum today at 6PM! See you there.

I can listen better when I'm drawing

Until Every Barrier Falls a poem by LeDerick Horne (www.lederick.com) - I’m honored to release this poem in October as we recognize Dyslexia Awareness Month and Disability Employment Awareness Month; in 2020 as we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and during a era in our history when we are all confronting racism’s lasting legacy.