Embraced IDEA

Embraced IDEA's coach, Darlene Norman, is presenting this week at the 15th International The Charge Syndrome Foundation.
As a parent of a child with CHARGE Syndrome, Darlene brings a unique background and experience to the presentation topics of
"Great IEPs Begin With a Strong Psycho-Educational Assessment" addressing the specialized assessment needs of students with both vision and hearing loss, and "Digital Organization Tips and Tricks: Simplifying Your Advocacy to Avoid Burnout and Promote Wellness" focusing on how parents can use the personal passport concept in a digital way to help streamline advocacy and communication to the large support teams parents of children with CHARGE syndrome have to navigate.

The world lost a great disability rights activist yesterday. Judy Heumann is a legend whom we have all had our lives touched by. Her advocacy for disability rights in education, the workforce, and our communities has been life-changing for Americans.
Did you know that March is recognized and celebrated as National Disability Awareness Month? The advocacy for individuals with disabilities who deserve accessibility, equity, compassion, belonging, and inclusion is never-ending. Let's celebrate her life's work together and continue to grow awareness and increased rights through local, state, and national activism and legislation, and keep her legacy alive.

Judith “Judy” Heumann—widely regarded as “the mother” of the disability rights movement—passed away in Washington, D.C. on the afternoon of March 4, 2023. Judy was at the forefront of major disability rights demonstrations, helped spearhead the passage of disability rights legislation, founded national and international disability advocacy organizations, held senior federal government positions, co-authored her memoir, Being Heumann, and its Young Adult version, Rolling Warrior, and was featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary film, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. Read the full press release at judithheumann.com . . . Image Description: A collage of two photos of Judy Heumann. To the left; A black and white photo of Judy Heumann at the 504 protests in the 70s. Judy is a white woman with short brown hair who uses a wheelchair. She is wearing glasses and a jacket with a pin that says “Sign 504 Now” She is passionately speaking at a microphone. To the right; A headshot of Judy Heumann, a white woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing red glasses, a blue v-neck shirt, and a gold necklace. She is smiling warmly.

Embraced IDEA is proud that Darlene Norman will be participating as a parent panelist in the 2022 Scarlett’s Park Conference, a virtual presentation on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children with CHARGE Syndrome, on Saturday, September 24th at 11:35 AM PT. Scarlett's Park in the Silent Garden at California State University, Fresno is an annual conference focusing on Deaf and Hard of Hearing children and adults with special needs. Register online.

College of Health and Human Services Leading with innovation. Empowering students for success. Transforming our region, one health and human service professional at a time.

It’s important to understand the processes and funding of special education as it drives how money is spent. This is an excellent article explaining that it is a federally mandated program that is severely underfunded.

The Special Education Funding Crisis explained in 5 graphics. Special Education Funding (or lack thereof) is the root of all IEP problems. Understanding the problem will make you a better IEP advocate for your child.

Embraced IDEA represents the possibility of actionable, positive results of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility when the needs and desires of all individuals with disabilities are embraced by the community.

As a parent of a child with a rare disability, we have many things on our plates to learn to navigate and operate our day-to-day lives. Embraced IDEA was born from experience and an idea to help others like you learn methods of efficiency to develop an organizational system and a private, online passport portfolio for your child to easily disseminate information to those who need it. This is designed to be individualized and tailored to your child's and family's needs by easily sharing relevant and up-to-date information in a one-stop location for your child's team.

The goal is that this frees up your time to spend it doing other things you need to manage and have free time to do the fun things that you would rather spend time doing.

Embraced IDEA will begin offering services in Summer 2022. Check back soon for more information!