WCDD Home > Publications

News 'n Notes from Aug 8, 2006

Please sign up for New 'n Notes to keep up-to-date with current information about WCDD activities.

1.) Apprenticeship Community Organizer Update:

For much of the month of July, WCDD accepted applications both for mentors and apprentices for the Apprenticeship Community Organizer Project. The application response for mentors and apprentices was very good in the Milwaukee area. WCDD is in the process now of interviewing apprentice applicants to work with the Apprentice Organizer Project (AOP) that was discussed in the last "News 'N Notes". Apprentices should be selected for that project by the end of August.

In other parts of the state the applicant response has not been as good. WCDD is still looking for people who would like to apply to be a mentor or an apprentice. If you have an interest in either of these positions, please contact John Shaw at 608-266-7707. The deadline for this application is Tuesday, August 15, 2006. Training of apprentices will begin in September.

2.) New Council Members:

Governor Doyle recently appointed three new members to the Council. They are Barbara Sorenson from Washburn, Debra Ramacher from New Richmond, and Ashley Hesse of Oshkosh.

Ms. Sorenson is a parent of a young man with disabilities and is currently a Client Services Coordinator at New Day Shelter. She has a background in autism and was a former parent advocate for the Parent Education Project.

Ms. Ramacher is a parent of three children with various disabilities. She is an active disability advocate, working mostly on children issues in western Wisconsin.

Mr. Hesse is the Program Director at the Arc of Winnebago County. He has extensive background in working with the Native American communities.

We welcome our new members and look forward to their contributions!

3.) Give a Mom a Break Update:

All of the Give a Mom a Break visits have been held. During the month of May, families with children with disabilities across Wisconsin invited elected officials into their homes. There were 56 visits all around the state. 26 state legislators participated. 30 other elected officials participated including the Attorney General, several County Executives, and various local school board members.

The goal of the project was to build an understanding of what family support programs, special education and respite care mean to the quality of people's lives and the economy of their community: An understanding that brings full circle the full impact of the votes elected officials cast and the policies they support. Organizers of the project concluded the goal was met and was a great success. They promised to continue the project next year!

4.) State Plan Update:

The Council recently met on Wednesday, July 19 and Thursday, July 20, 2006. During the meeting, the Council approved the draft version of the State Plan that had been available for public comment. The next step is to send the draft to the federal agency that reviews the plans by August 15, 2006. The Council will then be informed by October 1, 2006 whether the draft Plan has been approved. Hopefully approval will be given and the Council can start to work on the new Plan by the end of the year.

5.) Building Connections in Special Education Retreat

The 2006 Building Connections in Special Education (BCSE) Summer Retreat will be held at the Best Western Grand Seasons Hotel in Waupaca, Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, August 18 and 19.

This year's "SPA" theme is designed to rejuvenate the BCSE teams.

By the end of the SPA experience, teams will have gained inspiration to lead their local teams toward new ways of affecting change in their community. They will share and listen to each other's successes, refresh their organizational structure and will have the opportunity to plan effective strategies for their future goals.

The Council received a federal grant to pilot the statewide BCSE project. BCSE began in the fall of 2003 to assist parents in their efforts to enhance special education in their local school districts. The vision of the BCSE grant is that all students, especially those in special education, will receive appropriate services and supports necessary to improve their independence, productivity and inclusion in their school and community environments.

The mission of the BCSE project is to build statewide capacity for parent-led advocacy that begins early in their child's life and continues through their child's transition years into adult services.

6.) Awards Luncheon

The Council held its annual awards luncheon in April. New this year was the renaming of the Adult Community Service Award to the Jayn Wittenmyer Distinguished Achievement Award. The name honors Jayn Wittenmyer who was the Executive Director of the Council for over 25 years and led numerous innovative Council projects. As usual the luncheon was a great success. You can view photos of the award winners.

7.) Publications in Spanish:

The Council has recently developed some publications in Spanish. Others will be coming soon. To view what is available now go to the "En español" publication section.