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MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT INSIDE by Colleen Thoma, DCDT President Ebrate the Conference and the Magic of THIS Tr a N S I T I O N

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MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT INSIDE by Colleen Thoma, DCDT President Ebrate the Conference and the Magic of THIS Tr a N S I T I O N DCDTCouncil for Exceptional Children NETWORK Volume 31 – Issue 2 Division on Career Development and Transition September 2007 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT INSIDE by Colleen Thoma, DCDT President ebrate the conference and the Magic of THIS Tr a n s i t i o n . This special edition of the DCDT newslet- ISSUE • Keynote Luncheon: We will have a ter focuses on updated information about the luncheon event scheduled for Friday, upcoming DCDT conference, scheduled for Message from the with Heather Whitestone McCallum, October 17–20, 2007. The conference theme, President .......... 1–2 the first Miss America with a hear- Building Castles, Building Dreams: The Magic ing impairment. She will share her 2007 DCDT of Transition, is reflective of the magic that S.T.A.R.S. plan for overcoming life’s I n t e r n a t i o n a l we’ve been planning for special educators, tran- challenges. In addition, various Florida C o n f e r e n c e sition specialists, researchers, administrators, state administrators will extend their r e g i s t r a t i o n students with disabilities, their parents, and welcome to conference attendees. The form ....................3 other transition stakeholders. The conference cost of lunch is included in the confer- will be held in the modern Contemporary Ho- Helpful hints ence registration cost. tel’s conference center, a resort hotel right on for making • Breakout Sessions: We will have over the Disney monorail. All events will be held on reservations for 15 different sessions every hour, focus- the Contemporary Resort property, providing the International ing on evidence-based practices, prom- easy access to entertainment and dining options DCDT ising practices, and first-person success at Disney. Conference ..........4 stories to inspire your own thoughts It’s important to note that DCDT has been about improving transition services. Government a vital organization for over 30 years, and we’ll We will also hold two different poster R e l a t i o n s celebrate that anniversary throughout the sessions, one dedicated to graduate Committee conference. student research. This will give gradu- Seeking Let me spotlight a few of the highlights of ate students an opportunity to show- Members ............. 4 what we have in store for you: case their work, and meet researchers Call for • Pre-conference Session: NSTTAC will who have inspired their work. Check Nominations hold a full-day training for state transi- out this new feature of the conference for 2008 tion teams on Wednesday, October 16, p r o g r a m . Elections .............. 5 2007. Pre-registration for this event is • Committee Meetings: Some DCDT separate from the conference itself. standing committees are planning to NEWS from • Opening Session: The conference it- meet during the conference. If you N S T T A C . 5 self will begin with an opening session have been wondering how to be more Call for on Thursday morning at 8:30 am. Our involved in the organization, please Nominations special guest will be Josh Blue, win- check the schedule for those meetings. for DCDT ner of the 2006 Last Comic Standing. At this time, the Research, Govern- Awards ................. 6 Breakout sessions will begin after the ment Relations, and Membership com- opening session, and we will have up to mittees are planning to meet. We need Parent Column: 17 breakout sessions every hour. people for these key committees. Pointing the • President’s Reception: Join the mem- • Closing Session: We will end the con- Finger of Blame ... 7 bers of the Florida Local Arrangements ference on Saturday at noon, with a Committee, the National DCDT special anniversary celebration to com- board, and DCDT past presidents for memorate DCDT’s 30th anniversary fun by the Contemporary Pool for a re- and a look forward to DCDT’s 2009 ception on Thursday evening. We will conference in San Antonio. have beverages, snacks, and a cash bar, DCDT as well as music and dancing, to cel- (continues next page) Page:Page: 2 (“President’s Message” continued from p. 1) LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE (LAC) CONTACT LIST Janet Adams, Liaison Florida Department of Education • Hotel Room Reservations. If you have not made your Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS) reservations yet, look for the article in this newsletter E-mail: [email protected] that provides tips for making the hotel reservations at the Contemporary Resort. Some rooms are available, Drew Andrews, Hotel/Hospitality Chair although the room block is filling quickly. There are E-mail: [email protected] rooms available at the overflow hotels. Call the Con- Karlton Ballard, FDCDT Past-President/Funding & Support temporary Resort directly and follow the directions in [email protected] the Hotel Reservation Tips article. Kyle Bennett, Evaluation Co-Chair • Conference Registration. We’ve also included the E-mail: [email protected] Conference Registration form in this newsletter for Stu Bergmann, Exhibitors your convenience. You can register online, or by send- E-mail: [email protected] ing the conference registration form (see the specific John Boekenoongen, FDCDT President Elect/Speakers Co- directions on the registration form). Other important Chair tips about the conference (including the Magical Ex- E-mail: [email protected] press for transportation to and from the airport) can be found on the DCDT website (http://www.dcdt.org) Michael Brady, Evaluation Chair under the link for professional development calendar. E-mail: [email protected] • Program Strand Coordinators. I want to thank the Randy Bumgardner, FDCDT At Large Representative/Hotel/ program strand coordinators who helped with review- Hospitality ing the proposals for presentations. The topics and co- E-mail: [email protected] ordinators are listed below: Kathy Burton, Parent & Family Involvement Co-Chair E-mail: [email protected] 2007 DCDT PROPOSAL STRANDS Jordan Knab, Program Chair 1. Self-Determination & Student Involvement: Dan E-mail: [email protected] Dalun Zhang Kathy Lowe, FDCDT Treasurer/Budget Chair 2. Community Partnerships in Transition: Kathe Wittig E-mail: [email protected] 3. Family Partnerships in Transition: Amy Pleet Joyce Lubbers, Local Arrangements Co-Chair 4. Postsecondary Education Services & Transition: Deb E-mail: [email protected] Hart Heather Mack, FDCDT Past President/Funding and Support 5. Personnel Prep/Professional Development in Transi- Chair tion: Mary Morningstar E-mail: [email protected] 6. Student Diversity & Multicultural Approaches: Audrey Paul Martell, Accommodations Chair Trainor E-mail: [email protected] 7. Program Evaluation Models & Data-Based Decision Making: Ed O’Leary Marjorie Mickelson, Marketing Chair 8. Aligning Transition-Focused Education, Standards and E-mail: [email protected] School Reform: Ronald Tamura Kathy Mullens, AV Chair 9. Legislation and Policy (includes standards and regula- E-mail: [email protected] tions. IDEA 2004, NCLB, WIA): Laura Eisenman Patrick Mulvihill, FDCDT President/LAC Co-Chair/Exhibitors 10. Employment-Focused Education and Business Strate- Chair gies: S. O’Mara E-mail: [email protected] 11. Transition Education in Elementary and Middle Jeanne Repetto, CEU Chair Schools: Donna Wandry E-mail: [email protected] 12. Transition Approaches for Specific Student Disability Diane Roberts, FDCDT At Large Representative Exhibitors Groups: Jim Martin Co-Chair 13. Skill Requirements in the New Economy: Beth Bader E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] 14. Assessment in Transition: Stacie Dojonovic 15. Graduate Student Research in Transition: Christy Kim Spence-Cochran, Volunteers Chair Bartholomew E-mail: [email protected] Kris Webb, Parent & Family Involvement Co-Chair Lastly, I want to thank the dedicated Florida DCDT mem- E-mail: [email protected] bers who have been working so hard on planning this con- Please thank them when you see them at the conference in ference. The amount of work that it takes to put together a Orlando. You’ll recognize them by the look of pride in their eyes conference this large was something that I did not fully under- (or will that be exhaustion)? We just could not have asked for a stand until I found myself immersed in the process with these more dedicated group of professionals to organize this confer- dedicated professionals. ence. Enjoy. I look forward to seeing you all in Orlando! Page: 3 Page: 4 HELPFUL HINTS FOR MAKING from the Polynesian to the Contemporary Resort. The RESERVATIONS FOR THE Disney bus system will easily transport you from the INTERNATIONAL DCDT Value Resort to the Contemporary Resort and Confer- ence Center. CONFERENCE Disney can assist you with luggage if moving from one location to another is necessary. 1. We are only guaranteed the conference rate for the ROOM BLOCK rooms we have blocked. Room Block Contemporary Resort 2. The conference rate is available before and after the Oct. 16 / 90 sleeping rooms conference, but not guaranteed. Oct. 17 / 100 sleeping rooms 3. Please call Disney Reservations at: Oct. 18 / 500 sleeping rooms 407/939-6244 Oct. 19 / 500 sleeping rooms 407/939-7429 Oct. 20 / 500 sleeping rooms Key Code: DCDT Room Block Polynesian Resort Or the Contemporary Resort directly at: Oct. 16 / 60 sleeping rooms 407/824-3869 Oct. 17 / 75 sleeping rooms Key code: DCDT 5. Other Disney properties that offer a room rate lower 4. The room block is shown below. Rooms are available than the conference include the Value Resort (http:// before and after the conference, but may not be at the disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdwi/en_CA/resorts/ same hotel. resortCatListing?id=ValueResortListingPage). Our only guaranteed rooms are the rooms in the room 6. The cutoff date for reservations is Sept. 18, 2007; how- block. The Disney monorail will easily transport you ever, there may be no rooms available by that time.
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