Resource of the Week: OSEP's IDEA Website

The US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs has created a website intended to be a "one-stop shop" for information and resources about IDEA 2004 and its implementing regulations. The website includes information about IDEA divided into specific topics, as well as access to the statute and the regulations. It is also a great tool for finding the IDEA "Q&A" documents released by the Department of Education in regards to the changes and language in the regulations.

OSEP's IDEA 2004 Website can be found at http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home

Resource of the Week: The Advocacy Institute

The resource we've selected for this week's post really counts as a multitude of resources all rolled into one site. The Advocacy Institute is a comprehensive source of information for parents and advocates in the special education community, providing training opportunities, online publications and written resources, and consultative assistance for advocates and families. Their website can be found at http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/

Specifically, here are a couple of their online resources that are available:

The Advocate Academy provides training opportunities for special education advocates. The Academy's trainings are offered in a webinar modality on various specific topics, and advocates wishing to participate can either access live webinars or purchase previous webinars from their archives.

The Advocacy Institute's Reports and Publications include online articles and resources on a variety of topics of interest to the special education community including topic briefs, reports on special projects, and guides for parents and advocates regarding their rights.