Proposed

Outcomes: Region 5 Parent Technical Assistance Conference Santa Fe, New Mexico May 30-June 1, 2012 Conference Outcomes
Region 5 Conference participants will: 1. Network with staff and Board from other Region 5 Parent Centers to share knowledge, resources, and expertise. 2. Communicate with OSEP, NPTAC, and RPTAC leadership regarding information and current parent center issues (Directors Session).

3. Discover effective strategies to increase a Parent Centers capacity for outreach to diverse populations, with an emphasis on Native American families. 4. Increase Parent Centers capacity for the design and implementation of an effective Language Access Plan. 5. Define and outline effective parent advising protocols and practices. 6. Understand the role of Protection and Advocacy organizations (P&As), the importance of collaboration between Parent Centers and P&As, and new, related initiatives from Washington D.C. 7. Examine how managing negotiation and conflict relates to effective collaboration for Parent Centers in the following arenas: non-profit management, relationships with state and local systems, relationships with disability and advocacy groups, to the development of curriculum for families, and to providing parent advising to families.

8. Increase their understanding of dominant power as a source of unevenness, and learn strategies to maneuver manipulative situations to create a more even table for negotiations 9. Examine how communication relates to them in the following arenas: 10. Learn about Knowledge Translation and ways to apply it to their own product and publication development and selection. 11. Connect with Technical Assistance and Dissemination Centers to learn about services, initiatives, and available resources.

12. Gain strategies for fund generation for the sustainability of Parent Centers. 13. Discover effective, practical, and innovative strategies to support students transitioning to adulthood through creative, individualized, customized supports. 14. Increase understanding of the importance of, and distinctions between, Universal Design for Learning, Differentiated Instruction, and Curricular Adaptations in both home and classroom settings. 15. Gain knowledge and breadth about the roles and responsibilities of a Parent Centers Board of Directors