Roy Summerford (summero@mail.auburn.edu )

AU TO HOST STATE CONFERENCE ON YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

AUBURN -- About 600 special education teachers, counselors and advocates will converge on Auburn University Feb. 26-28 for a statewide conference on children and young adults with disabilities.

The conference at the AU Hotel and Conference Center focuses on preparing young people with disabilities for fulfilling, productive lives, says Philip Browning, head of the AU College of Education's Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education, which is sponsoring the conference.

Many participants are parents of children with disabilities and are active in efforts to improve opportunities for the disabled, Browning said.

The seventh annual "Transitions Conference " will celebrate a new $2.7 million federal grant to Alabama for transition programs, said Browning. "The purpose of the five-year initiative is to positively impact Alabama's high school students with disabilities so they may enter the work force and community life as responsible and productive citizens," he added.

The conference will feature a video teleconference with members of the state Board of Education. Alabama Superintendent of Education Ed Richardson will be moderator. The teleconference, with technical assistance from AU's telecommunications and ETV personnel, will feature discussion of Alabama's proposed optional high school graduation requirements for students with disabilities.

The program presents a range of nationally prominent researchers, practitioners and authors in special education. Keynote speaker will be Bill East, assistant director of special education services for the state Department of Education.

Speakers include Karen Flippo of the United Cerebral Palsy Association; Mitchell Levitz, author of Count Us In: Growing Up With Down Syndrome; and Bob Boffo, parent of a child with a disability. Others are Gary Meers of the University of Nebraska, David Johnson of the University of Minnesota, Katherine Inge of Virginia Commonwealth University and Jane Jarrow of Ohio State University.

For registration information, contact the AU Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education at 334/844-5943.

CONTACT: Browning, 844-5943.