One of the most popular themes of March is that winter is leaving, spring is arriving, and the great outdoors are becoming increasingly pleasant. One of the most fun ways to engage in physical activity is through outdoor leisure activities, which can be as simple as walking or pushing around your neighborhood or as extensive as taking a family trip.
If you plan or decide on a whim to take a vacation in the near future, please check out the following resources on the NCHPAD website. They may be especially helpful if you or anyone you are traveling with has a disability.
- Planning Accessible Vacations
- Exploring Family Adventure in the Outdoors
- NCHPAD Directories
- http://www.ncpad.org/directoriesIndex
- Search “Programs,” “Organizations,” or “Parks” by city and state to find fun, accessible options. You can locate ones near you, or choose some farther away and make them part of your vacation destination.
If you need help accessing or using any of these resources, please call us at 1-800-900-8086, email us at email@ncpad.org, or talk to one of our Information Specialists via the Live Chat option on our website.
Interested in more upcoming opportunities? Check out the following:
Upcoming Events:
- Council for Exceptional Children
- April 3-6
- San Antonio, Texas
- This conference serves as a professional development event dedicated to special and gifted education. Topics will include teacher effectiveness, universal design, collaboration, autism, mental health, classroom management, evidence-based instructional strategies, and many more.
- To register, visit http://www.cec.sped.org/convention
- American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance National Conference and Expo
- April 23-27
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- The annual conference will feature over 400 sessions led by world-renowned speakers, honorees, athletes, and researchers.
- To register, visit http://www.aahperd.org/whatwedo/convention/index.cfm?cid=00013
- American Occupational Therapy Association
- April 24-28
- San Diego, California
- The annual conference features over 700 educational sessions on a number of topics, including developmental disabilities, mental health, rehabilitation, and aging, to name a few.
- To register, visit http://www.aota.org/ConfandEvents/2013conference.aspx
- Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability & Diversity
- April 29-30
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- The conference will focus on “Being in Community,” embracing the ideals of all people living together harmoniously and happily in a barrier-free world without fear of exclusion from social, economic, or political life.
- To register, visit http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/
Webinars
- Disability Policy Seminar Orientation For Students, Trainees, and Early Career Professionals
- Monday, March 18
- 4pm EST
- This webinar will offer students, trainees and early career professionals an orientation to the policy issues and current legislation one can expect to learn more about at the 2013 Disability Policy Seminar. In addition, attendees will learn the basics of how to meet with Congressional representatives and deliver a unified message about federally funded programs that benefit people with disabilities.
- To register, visit http://www.aucd.org/ecp/detail/event.cfm?event_id=3653
- Revising the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Definition of Intellectual Disability: Implications and Recommendations
- Tuesday, March 19
- 3pm EST
- The 11th iteration of the ICD is under development. This webinar is presented by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and AAIDD, both of which have been part of the WHO process for stakeholder input on the condition previously known as "mental retardation." Join us to hear more about this process.
- To register, visit http://aaidd.org/content_10350.cfm
- Accessibility Specialists: Understanding “Invisible” Disabilities & What this Means for Online Education
- Tuesday, April 23, 2013
- 12pm EST
- This panel includes four accessibility specialists from Empire State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Drexel University and WebAIM. During the first 60 minutes, each panel member will provide a self-introduction and discuss their work with “invisible” disabilities. The panel will then share effective practices and available resources to support students and faculty with invisible disabilities in online education. The last 20 minutes will be open to questions from attendees.
- To register, visit http://sloanconsortium.org/institute/webinars/2013/4/accessibility-specialists-understanding-invisible-disabilities-what-mean
Raising Awareness
March serves as the awareness month for the following. Check out these links for more information.
- Developmental Disability Awareness Month
- Brain Injury Awareness Month
- National Nutrition Month
