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Projects and Partnerships


Click on one of our projects to get more information:

Educational Rights Project

PEAC's Educational Rights Project is a unique and multi-faceted approach to supporting inclusive education through parent-professional collaboration. Overall, the Educational Rights Project creates a space for families and educators to collaborate - a vital part of successfully educating students with disabilities. Collaboration efforts range from problem-solving for individual students, to addressing school-wide needs and barriers to inclusion, to advocating for statewide system change towards best inclusive practices.

PEAC's Educational Rights Project was initially funded by the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council for three years, from 2007 to 2010. However, the far-reaching success of this project has resulted in a two-year extension of funding from the PADDC through 2012!

Objectives:

  • Create partnerships for inclusion with five local school districts and universities.

  • Develop a training series on the best practices and legal foundations of inclusive education.

  • Provide training and individualized support to parents, educators, and universities.

  • Expand, train, and utilize the Parent Consultant Network.

Partners:
Montgomery County
Bucks and Philadelphia Counties
Lehigh Valley
Advisory Committee Members:
  • JoAnn Allison, Bristol Township SD
  • Dr. Brian Berry, Holy Family University
  • Linda Carmona-Bell, Parent
  • Neil Evans, Upper Dublin SD
  • Dr. Gini Hampton, Lehigh University
  • Dr. Kathryn Pegler, Neumann University
  • Dr. Michael Pladus, Upper Dublin SD
  • Jean Prindle, Upper Dublin SD
  • Frank Roccograndi, Parent
  • Karen Salomon, Parent
  • Dan Schwarz, Parent
  • Dr. Edward Shapiro, Lehigh University
  • Dr. Graciela Slesaransky-Poe, Arcadia University
  • Richard Thornburg, Parkland SD
  • Carole Vile, Parent
  • Dr. Mary Helen Ward, Neumann University
  • Dr. Patty Williams, Bristol Township SD / Holy Family University

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Family Connections Program

"The parent perspective is critical."

PEAC's Family Connections Program is the outgrowth of two initiatives: providing guest lectures at universities, and the Eastern Pennsylvania Higher Education Summit on Family Collaboration and Diverse Learners.

The Family Connections Program (FCP) provides teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education with access to guest lecturers and resources that represent parent and family perspectives on special education and related topics. Through the FCP, parents of students with disabilities provide professional training and support to students and professors of education, psychology, speech pathology, etc. in order to encourage family-professional collaboration and the successful education of diverse learners. The FCP focuses on relevant teacher competency requirements as outlined in Chapter 49 of the Pennsylvania Administrative Code.

The Family Connections Program provides the following resources to students and university faculty:

  1. Pre-lecture materials, including selected readings based on the course level and subject area (e.g. graduate vs. undergraduate), a pre-test of student perceptions, and discussion questions that stimulate interest and address controversy.

  2. On-site lecture by a Parent Consultant followed by an open-ended discussion forum.

  3. Post-lecture reflective assignment and follow-up resources.

FCP_diagram

For more information, please check out the FCP fact sheet or contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (267) 232-0570.

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Eastern Pennsylvania Inclusion Conference

Get ready: PEAC is holding the first conference focused exclusively on inclusive special education in Eastern Pennsylvania! The conference will be held in the Philadelphia area in November 2011 and will feature both nationally-recognized special education speakers and local experts. 

The First Annual Eastern PA Inclusion Conference will focus on parent-educator collaboration as a way to achieve successful inclusion and will be open to families, educators, paraprofessionals, university faculty, and students. Scholarships for parents and families will be available and IEP teams will be encouraged to attend as a group.

Visit our conference page for more details!

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Patricia J. Creegan Award for Excellence in Inclusive Education

The Patricia J. Creegan Award is given annually in honor of the life and work of its namesake, a founding member of Pennsylvania's Education for All Coalition. Patricia J. Creegan, M.S.W., was a passionate advocate for the true inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life as well as an educator, family member, and friend. “Trish” lived her life helping others as well as teaching people to help others, but sadly her life was cut short in 2009 after a valiant fight against cancer. PEAC established the Creegan Award to encourage the continuation of her work. The Award is given annually to an education professional (teacher, administrator, university professor, related service personnel, etc.) who demonstrates outstanding commitment to inclusive education.The winner of the Creegan Award receives a certificate, an honorarium, and a one year PEAC membership. The award ceremony is held at PEAC's Annual Membership Meeting in early spring. 

Past Creegan Award winners:

  • 2009: Leah M. Kostelac, Washington Heights Elementary School, West Shore School District
2010 Award Information
This year, PEAC will honor a faculty member who displays outstanding committment to inclusive education at a college or university in Pennsylvania. Faculty members must be nominated to recieve the award.

 


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Keep PEAC Alive!

Please consider joining PEAC as a member or donating to our Keep PEAC Alive! fund if you support inclusive education in Pennsylvania.

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Previous Projects and Partnerships

  • Supporting Diverse Learners in School and in the Community
    • PEAC published a three-volume training curriculum in collaboration with the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University in 2002. The curriculum offers extensive training and resources on how to make inclusive schools and inclusive communities a reality. The training curriculum is available for sale from the Institute on Disabilities here (ID201).

  • PA Developmental Disabilities Council Collective Advocacy Grant 

    • In 2005, PEAC was awarded a Collective Advocacy Grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council. The objectives of this project were to increase PEAC’s membership, establish local chapters, provide training and support to parents, and provide training and resources to schools and communities.

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  • Educators: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to find out how PEAC can support inclusive education in your school

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