PEN Project

Finalizing things for our El Paso Camp Ability Thursday tradition! 👀

What started as a vision to create meaningful workforce opportunities for young adults with disabilities is continuing to grow.

The Ability Fellows Program is entering its second year, and we are honored that this is the PEN Project's first year partnering with the City of El Paso, City Representative Deanna M. Rocha's Office, and Marathon Petroleum to help make this opportunity possible.

On Wednesday, June 17, we will celebrate the announcement of the 2026 Ability Fellows Cohort and recognize Marathon Petroleum's generous $20,000 investment in the future of young adults with disabilities in our community.

Through paid internships, participants gain real-world work experience, build confidence, develop leadership skills, and take important steps toward meaningful employment and greater independence.

This is what community partnership and inclusion look like. This is what happens when people choose to invest in potential.

📍 7400 Viscount Blvd., Main Lobby
📅 Wednesday, June 17, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Help us celebrate this milestone!

💙 Like
💙 Comment
💙 Share

We must demonstrate to these future leaders how much our community believes in them.

TEA and Texas Transition have created a guide to Early Childhood Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education. Read it here: bit.ly/3Q3nc3t

🎤 Say It With Confidence! 💬

Your voice matters—and knowing how to use it can make all the difference.

Join us for our FREE Communication and Advocacy Webinar Series on the first four Thursdays of July! This engaging series is designed to help parents and caregivers build effective communication and advocacy skills that can help them become proactive participants in their child's ARD meetings and educational journey.

📅 July 2 – Communication Skills
📅 July 9 – Strategies to Strengthen Parent Voices at ARD Meetings
📅 July 16 – Assertiveness
📅 July 23 – Documentation of Your Child's Records

🕐 12:00PM (MT) / 1:00 PM (CT)
💻 Virtual Webinar Series

Whether you're new to advocacy or looking to strengthen your skills, these sessions will provide practical tools, strategies, and confidence to help you speak up, ask questions, and collaborate effectively with your child's educational team.

🔗 Register today: https://bit.ly/Confidence-R12-Series

Questions? Contact Jessica Dominguez, Region 12 Coordinator
📞 (254) 275-1362
📧 [email protected]

This week's Toolkit Thursday highlights the Summer Survival Guide for Families Raising Kids with Disabilities from Undivided. The guide is packed with practical tips to help families navigate summer activities, sensory challenges, social events, learning opportunities, and more while keeping your child's unique needs in mind.

💡 In this resource, you'll find:
✅ Sensory-friendly strategies for summer parties and events
✅ Tips for managing heat, noise, and other seasonal challenges
✅ Ideas for building social skills and fostering friendships
✅ Fun ways to encourage learning and independence during school breaks
✅ Resources to help make summer more enjoyable for the whole family

❓Question of the Week:
What is your family's favorite sensory-friendly summer activity?

Explore the toolkit here:
Summer Survival Guide for Families Raising Kids with Disabilities

Summer Survival Guide for Families Raising Kids with Disabilities Whether you just want to have fun, or want this time to be fun AND educational, we have some ideas for surviving the summer with your kiddos, including finding child care, reading all about self-advocacy, having adventures in nature, exploring activity boxes, and more!

📚✨ This Month's Featured Workshop: Contents of the IEP ✨📚

Region 12 families, do you ever find yourself looking at your child's IEP and wondering what all those sections really mean?

Join PEN Project Region 12 Coordinator Jessica Dominguez and Waco Family Medicine for a FREE workshop designed to help families better understand the components of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and how each section supports a student's educational success.

During this workshop, families will learn:
✅ The key sections of an IEP
✅ What information should be included
✅ How goals, services, and accommodations work together
✅ Tips for becoming a more confident participant in the ARD process

📅 June 22, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
📍 Waco Family Medicine Central Clinic
1600 Providence Dr., Waco, TX 76707

📝 Register today:
https://forms.gle/WY4yF2pEB7m5Tbax5

💬 Let's talk!
What part of the IEP process would you like to better understand? Goals? Accommodations? Services? Evaluations? Share your answer in the comments! 👇

📞 Questions? Contact Jessica Dominguez, Region 12 Coordinator, at (254) 275-1362 or [email protected].

Whether you're new to special education or have attended ARD meetings for years, this workshop offers valuable information to help you feel informed, prepared, and empowered. We hope to see you there! 💙

¡Acompáñenos en la Conferencia El Camino Hacia las Posibilidades 2026 el 22 de agosto de 2026 en Waco, TX!

Esta conferencia GRATUITA está diseñada para ayudar a las familias y a los jóvenes con discapacidades a explorar las diferentes opciones disponibles después de la preparatoria. Las sesiones abordarán temas importantes de transición, incluyendo:

🎓 Educación y Capacitación
💼 Empleo y Planificación Profesional
🏠 Vida Independiente
⚖️ Tutela, Toma de Decisiones con Apoyo y Planificación para el Futuro
🏥 Transición al Sistema Médico para Adultos
🤝 Recursos y Apoyos Comunitarios

✨ ¡Hay estipendios de viaje disponibles para familias elegibles!

Para ser considerados para un estipendio, los padres deben completar:
✅ La Solicitud de Estipendio
✅ El Formulario de Registro de la Conferencia

¿No puede asistir en persona? ¡También puede participar de manera virtual!

Esta conferencia es una excelente oportunidad para aprender, conectarse con expertos y organizaciones comunitarias, y obtener las herramientas necesarias para apoyar una transición exitosa hacia la vida adulta.

¿Tiene preguntas? Comuníquese con:
Jessica Dominguez
Coordinadora de la Región 12, Proyecto PEN
📞 (254) 275-1362
📧 [email protected]

Join us in El Paso, Texas, for the 2026 Beyond the Diagnosis Summit, a collaborative event hosted by the PEN Project, ESC Region 19, Paso del Norte Children's Development Center, and Angel's Mission.

Taking place on July 23, 2026, this unique summit brings families, educators, self-advocates, counselors, administrators, and community professionals together to explore how trauma, mental health, nutrition, biology, and environmental factors influence student growth, behavior, and learning.

Designed for those who support children and youth with disabilities, this event will provide valuable insights into the connections between behavior, biology, and student success while offering practical strategies that can be applied in educational and community settings.

Youth-focused session tracks will include Self-Advocacy and Education.

Attendees will hear from knowledgeable presenters, gain practical tools, and leave inspired to create more inclusive, supportive, and responsive environments where all students can thrive.

CEUs available for SLPs, LPCs, and Social Workers.

• Parent Registration: https://bit.ly/BeyondTheDiagnosis-Parent
• Professional Registration (Session #224685): https://txr19.escworks.net
• Stipend Application: https://bit.ly/2026BeyondTheDiagnosis-Stipend