Welcome to  FRCD! 

Chicago’s Metropolitan Area Parent Training and Information Center! 

FRCD is here to help you: 

• Learn about your Rights and Responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Make informed decisions about your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Obtain appropriate services for your child
• Communicate more effectively with school professionals
• Come together with other parents who share your concerns and desires to make a difference
• Learn more about Early Intervention and transition services
• Effect positive change in your child’s school
•  Learn about what he or she needs to lead a productive and independent adult life

Have additional questions about FRCD? Browse our frequently asked questions or contact us at 312-939-3513. 

REGISTER Online TODAY!

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Transition : Making It In The Real World
Thursday March 1, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Self Advocacy Support: Keys to Independence
Thursday March 8, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Planning Ahead :Future Finances and Support
Thursday March 15, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Adult Life: Accessing Services
Thursday March 22 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Community Events

 Community News

HomeMod Program Applications Available – Call 311 Today

Sponsored by the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), the HomeMod Program will allow people with disabilities, who are under the age of sixty, to receive home modifications that make their living environment accessible. Typical alterations include kitchen and bathroom modifications and the addition of interior and exterior lifts and ramps. Specific modifications can include the installation of grab bars, lowering cabinets and countertops and widening doorways. Subsequent work may include, but is not limited to, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, masonry, dry walling, tiling and painting.

All services will be performed in accordance with federal, state and municipal accessibility legal requirements. Modifications are limited to a maximum of $10,000 per project and are performed by licensed, insured and experienced home remodeling companies.

The Application Process:
•The HomeMod Program application period is open from October 1st through December 15th, 2011 for eligible clients between the ages of 0-59.
•Applications are not available prior to October 1st. To be placed on an advance mailing list for an application when the application opens on October 1st, please contact MOPD by calling 311.

For information regarding other services provided by the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), please visit their website at http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mopd.html

Coalition Working to Implement Task Force’s Recommendations

Gov. Quinn signed the Illinois Prevent School Violence Act amendments just in time for the 2010-11 school year. Now, efforts are under way continuing to implement the act’s important tenets, which include the first-ever definition of bullying in Illinois law, enumerated categories of students particularly vulnerable to bullying, and an expansion of the law’s reach to include private, non-religious schools. For a copy of the act, go to http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/96/PDF/096-0952.pdf.

The act created the Illinois School Bullying Prevention Task Force to examine bullying and ways to effectively prevent it. For a copy of the recommendations, go to http://www.isbe.net/SBPTF/pdf/sbptf_report_030111.pdf.

The Prevent School Violence Illinois coalition, a group of organizations across the state committed to effective bullying prevention and intervention, has taken up the work of implementing the task force’s recommendations by raising awareness, connecting stakeholders, and providing expertise and resources. For more about Prevent School Violence Illinois, contact Sarah Schriber at sarah@illinoissafeschools.org or (312) 368-9070, ext. 323.

 Public Act 97-0284 Addresses 70/30 Rule in Regards to Speech/Language Students

Due to the passage and immediate implementation of Public Act 97-0284, districts will no longer have to include students with an eligibility of Speech/Language only when determining the composition of a classroom for the purpose of meeting the 70/30 rule, provided each student meets the following criteria:

• The student must be receiving only speech services outside of the general education classroom.
• The instruction provided the student in the general education classroom does not require modification.

Those districts with classrooms not meeting the 70/30 rule even after excluding Speech/Language students from the count of students with individualized education plans (IEPs) will still need to apply for a deviation. In completing the required documentation, districts will still be required to include information regarding Speech/Language students for data-gathering purposes only. Instructions and the form for completing a deviation request can be found at http://www.isbe.net/spec-ed/pdfs/34-38_deviation_70-30.pdf. Please direct any questions to Betty Hendrickson at bhendric@isbe.net or Jason Pals at jpals@isbe.net or call (217) 782-5589.

  ” The Family Resource Center on Disabilities is funded in part by the U.S Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. The contents of the website, however, and any websites and documents cited here in do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S Department of Education.”