News Release

April 17, 2007

Contact: Carolyn Pennington, 860-679-4864
e-mail: cpennington@uchc.edu

Special Education Issues Focus of Upcoming Conference

Conference Being Held May 9 in Waterbury

FARMINGTON, CONN. – A conference to assist educators, attorneys, parents and others interested in special education issues will be held Wednesday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Connecticut Grand Hotel in Waterbury. The University of Connecticut’s Klebanoff Institute on Special Education and the A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service at the UConn Health Center are sponsoring the conference titled, IDEA 2004 Regulations and Implications, for Ages 5 – 21. IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The conference will feature guest speaker Alexa Posny, Ph.D., director, Office of Special Education, U.S. Department of Education, who will discuss the implications of the new IDEA regulations for serving students with disabilities. Dr. Posny’s focus as OSEP director is to promote: early learning opportunities including response to intervention; effective transition from secondary to post-secondary; positive parent partnerships; and the integration of IDEA and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Prior to beginning her work as OSEP director, Dr. Posny was heavily involved in policy and compliance issues at the federal level. She was one of 23 individuals from across the country that served on the negotiated rule-making team for NCLB and was one of 12 members of the federal oversight committee, a group that reviewed and approved all state accountability plans for NCLB.

Jeanne M. Kincaid, an attorney who specializes in disability law matters as they pertain to students, will also be among the guest speakers. The conference will feature panel discussions on various topics including: implications for learning disorder assessment, diagnosis, and programming; transition; early intervention and prevention; discipline; autism; and due process modifications. Panelists will include various experts from throughout Connecticut.

The cost for the conference is $40. Registration is available by contacting Sharon Dexler at the University of Connecticut Health Center, 860-679-1517. Registration ends April 20, 2007.

The University of Connecticut Health Center includes the schools of medicine and dental medicine, the UConn Medical Group, University Dentists, and John Dempsey Hospital, a Solucient Top 100 Hospital® 2006. Founded in 1961, the Health Center pursues a mission of providing outstanding health care education in an environment of exemplary patient care, research and public service. To learn more about the UConn Health Center, visit our website at www.uchc.edu.

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