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Introducing the Arc of PA's Include Me Connection Club (IMCC)!

Previously known as the After School Hangout Series, the IMCC aims to establish meaningful and authentic connections among diverse student populations across the state of Pennsylvania.

Designed for 3rd - 5th graders of diverse abilities and interests, these virtual club meetings will offer creative opportunities for students to connect through games, activities, and student-driven discussions. Each club meeting will be facilitated by our engaging and energetic staff.

MARCH CLUB MEETING DATES:
Tuesday March 21 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, March 28, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Our March theme is "WE CAN BE HEROES!"
APRIL CLUB MEETING DATES:
Tuesday, April 18 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, April 25 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm

MAY CLUB MEETING DATES:
Tuesday, May 23 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, May 30 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm

If interested in joining the club, SIGN UP HERE

For more information: contact: Nick Webster at nwebster@includemepa.org.

Watch the video below with your child or student and find out a bit more
about Include Me Connection Club!

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Previously known as the After School Hangout Series, the IMCC aims to establish meaningful and authentic connections among diverse student populations across the state of Pennsylvania. Designed for 3rd - 5th graders of diverse abilities and interests, these virtual club meetings will offer creative opportunities for students to connect through games, activities, and student-driven discussions.

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Kaelynn Partlow (Author) Format: Hardcover

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Life on the Bridge: Linking My World to Yours as an Autistic Therapist – A Practical Insider’s Guide to Autism and Communication

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Life on the Bridge: Linking My World to Yours as an Autistic Therapist – A Practical Insider’s Guide to Autism and Communication [Partlow, Kaelynn] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Life on the Bridge: Linking My World to Yours as an Autistic Therapist – A Practical Insider’s Guide to Autism and Communication

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Rebekah Taussig (Author) Format: Hardcover

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Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body

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Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body [Taussig, Rebekah] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body

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Celebrating Who We Are: How Stories & Culture Foster a Sense of Belonging

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Celebrating Who We Are: How Stories & Culture Foster a Sense of Belonging

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Keynote Speaker: Adriana Lebron White

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Sign Up for Disability Acceptance through Literature

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Sign Up for Disability Acceptance through Literature

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The Arc of PA's Include Me program is excited to present "Disability Acceptance through Literature," a virtual book study for students. Books selected by our facilitators provide opportunities to learn about the many aspects of disability through the perspective of school age protagonists.

Discussions center on understanding, acceptance, presuming competence, and friendship. Values like compassion, honesty, authenticity and diversity steer the ship, and we love when conversations are led by students' interests. These book studies are an innovative way to provide students interested in reading with a structured opportunity to connect with other students across Pennsylvania. We strive to make the book studies accessible, with:

audio recordings of each chapter,

vocabulary resources,

engaging visual content for discussions, and,

by providing copies of the book to families as the book studies gear up.

These four or eight week book studies make room for silliness and curiosity, and we're proud of the stigma-blasting power of the program (and that of the students themselves!).

Include Me connects each book study and accompanying lessons to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards.

For more information, contact: cmorrison@includemepa.org or jmacsisak@includemepa.org

SEE OUR SPRING 2023 BOOK STUDIES!
(click on an area below to view)

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The Arc of PA's Include Me program is excited to present "Disability Acceptance through Literature," a virtual book study for students. Books selected by our facilitators provide opportunities to learn about the many aspects of disability through the perspective of school age protagonists. Discussions center on understanding, acceptance, presuming competence, and friendship.

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The 3 P’s to Phenomenal Para Persistence

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The 3 P’s to Phenomenal Para Persistence

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Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you’re into with the people who get you.

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Hey guys!!! I hope you’re having a great day!! My name is Mike, and I’m a 24 year old paraprofessional! This school year marks my fifth year in education! I’ve also coached basketball and taught kids how to play drums. As a kid, I always looked up to the older kids, and now I strive to be the role model I would have wanted. My goal is to create the best video resources possible for your children! I want to make a positive impact all around the world! Even if it’s just by putting a smile on your face! :) Teachers and Parents, Feel free to message me with any specific video lessons you need for your classroom! You can find me on Instagram at yourfriendmrmike! Just send me a message! I’m always open to new ideas and want to help in any way I can!

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Untitled video - Create and share your videos with Clipchamp

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Watch videos made with Clipchamp, the best video maker for everyone.

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Not Broken, Just Different: The Science, the Struggle and the Strength of the ADHD Brain

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Not Broken, Just Different: The Science, the Struggle and the Strength of the ADHD Brain

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Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sam Faulkner, Ph.D., NCSP

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Simple Shifts to Design and Deliver Awesome Educational Experiences for Everyone

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Simple Shifts to Design and Deliver Awesome Educational Experiences for Everyone

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Keynote Speaker: Christopher R. Bugaj

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Simple Shifts to Design and Deliver Awesome Educational Experiences for Everyone - IncludiCon8326

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Simple Shifts to Design and Deliver Awesome Educational Experiences for Everyone https://tinyurl.com/awesomeincludicon26 chrisbugaj.com

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Day 1 Keynote: Sally Bailey, MFA, MSW, RDT/BCT

Sally Bailey recently became Professor Emeritus of Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS, where she directed the Drama Therapy Program for 25 years, along with the Barrier-Free Theatre for adults with and without disabilities. Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone in Theatre Arts (Idyll Arbor) is the recipient of the American Alliance for Theatre in Education's Distinguished Book Award and Drama in the Inclusive Classroom (Routledge) addresses how to improve all students' executive functions and social skills through drama games and activities. Previous to K-State, she worked for 13 years in the Washington, DC area as a registered drama therapist with recovering addicts and with people with disabilities of all ages. A past president of the North American Drama Therapy Association, she is a recipient of the Gertrud Schattner Award for distinguished contribution to the field of drama therapy in education, publication, practice, and service and their 2018 Teaching Excellence Award.

Drama in the Inclusive Classroom: Activities to Support Curriculum and Social-Emotional Learning by Sally Bailey (2021) https://www.routledge.com/Drama-for-the-Inclusive-Classroom-Activities-to-Support-Curriculum-and-Social-Emotional-Learning/Bailey/p/book/9780367860042

Available in paperback and eBook

Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone in Theatre Arts - in Schools, Recreation, and Arts Programs - Regardless of (Dis)Ability by Sally Bailey (2010)
https://idyllarbor.com/product/barrier-free-theatre-including-everyone-in-theatre-arts-in-schools-recreation-and-arts-programs-regardless-of-disability/

As an Accessibility Specialist on CAST's Accessibility team and a Technical Assistance Specialist for the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES), Kelli ensures accessible educational materials and technologies for equitable learning opportunities. She has extensive presentation, keynote and training experience and excels at connecting theory to practice.

Kelli holds a teaching license in general education and special education, aligned with her masters in Learning and Technology. Her instructional background includes working with students needing various levels of intervention. Before CAST, Kelli was a Specialist for a state education agency, supporting students with learning disabilities and autism, and leading public schools in providing equitable access through accessibility, assistive and accessible technologies (AT), accessible educational materials (AEM), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Dr. Kerry Magro (Mah-grow) Ed.D. was nonspeaking till 2.5, diagnosed with autism at 4 and didn't speak in complete sentences until 7 years old. Today as an adult he is an award-winning autistic professional speaker, best-selling author and autism consultant to Netflix's Emmy-Award Winning Series 'Love on the Spectrum U.S'and the HBO series Mrs. Fletcher. His work also includes being hired as a writer for the PBS Kids new series 'Carl the Collector' featuring the TV Network's first-ever autistic main character.

He started professional speaking 14 years ago via the National Speakers Association after he fell in love with theater as a child to help with his social and communication skills. Today he has spoken at over 1400 events during that time include 2 TEDxTalks and a 'Talks at Google' presentation. In addition, Kerry is CEO & President of KFM Making A Difference, a nonprofit organization that hosts inclusion events and has provided 150 scholarships for autistic students for college and counting since 2011. He's provided 27 small business grants for small businesses that hire people with disabilities and has played Santa Claus for autistic and special needs children for the past decade to give them an opportunity to meet Santa in a sensory-friendly environment.

In his spare time, he hosts a Facebook Page called Kerry's Autism Journey that now has 314,000 Facebook followers where he does on-camera interviews highlighting people impacted by a diagnosis to help break down barriers in our community. His videos he's produced have been watched over 35 Million times.

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Day 1 Keynote: Sally Bailey, MFA, MSW, RDT/BCT Sally Bailey recently became Professor Emeritus of Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS, where she directed the Drama Therapy Program for 25 years, along with the Barrier-Free Theatre for adults with and without disabilities.

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The Way Our Students Learn: Curriculum Practices and Inclusive Classrooms with Dr. Kerry Magro

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The Way Our Students Learn: Curriculum Practices and Inclusive Classrooms with Dr. Kerry Magro

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We will be recapping each day on Facebook, Join Us

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We will be recapping each day on Facebook, Join Us

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Privacy Policy

1. What Information Do We Collect?
When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

2. Personal Information You Choose to Provide
We may request that you voluntarily supply us with personal information, including your email address, postal address, home or work telephone number, and other personal information for such purposes as correspondence, placing an order, requesting an estimate, or participating in online surveys.
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.

3. Website Use Information
Similar to other websites, our site may utilize a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation below, "What Are Cookies?") and web server logs to collect information about how our website is used. Information gathered through cookies and server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our website, and the sites visited just before and just after ours. This information is collected on an aggregate basis. None of this information is associated with you as an individual.

4. How Do We Use the Information That You Provide to Us?
Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing service and support and making available other products and services to our customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. The lists used to send you product and service offers are developed and managed under our traditional standards designed to safeguard the security and privacy of all personal information provided by our users. You may at any time to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers.

5. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are a feature of web browser software that allows web servers to recognize the computer used to access a website. Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored by a user's web browser on the user's hard drive. Cookies can remember what information a user accesses on one web page to simplify subsequent interactions with that website by the same user or to use the information to streamline the user's transactions on related web pages. This makes it easier for a user to move from web page to web page and to complete commercial transactions over the Internet. Cookies should make your online experience easier and more personalized.

6. How Do We Use Information Collected From Cookies?
We use website browser software tools such as cookies and web server logs to gather information about our website users' browsing activities, in order to constantly improve our website and better serve our users. This information assists us to design and arrange our web pages in the most user-friendly manner and to continually improve our website to better meet the needs of our users and prospective users.
Cookies help us collect important business and technical statistics. The information in the cookies lets us trace the paths followed by users to our website as they move from one page to another. Web server logs allow us to count how many people visit our website and evaluate our website's visitor capacity. We do not use these technologies to capture your individual email address or any personally identifying information about you.

7. Notice of New Services and Changes
Occasionally, we may use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. As a user of our website, you will be given the opportunity to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers by clicking on a response box when you receive such an offer or by sending us an email request.

8. How Do We Secure Information Transmissions?
When you send confidential personal information to us on our website, secure server software that we have licensed encrypts all information you input before it is sent to us. The information is scrambled en route and decoded once it reaches our website.
Other emails that you may send to us may not be secure unless we advise you that security measures will be in place prior to your transmitting the information. For that reason, we ask that you do not send confidential information such as Social Security, credit card, or account numbers to us through an unsecured email.

9. How Do We Protect Your Information?
Information Security -- We utilize encryption/security software to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information we collect from unauthorized access or disclosure and accidental loss, alteration, or destruction.
Evaluation of Information Protection Practices -- Periodically, our operations and business practices are reviewed for compliance with organization policies and procedures governing the security, confidentiality and quality of our information.
Employee Access, Training, and Expectations -- Our organization values, ethical standards, policies, and practices are committed to the protection of user information. In general, our business practices limit employee access to confidential information, and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, processes and transactions.

10. How Can You Access and Correct Your Information?
You may request access to all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain in our database by emailing us using the contact form provided to you within the site structure of our website.

11. Do We Disclose Information to Outside Parties?
We may provide aggregate information about our customers, sales, website traffic patterns, and related website information to our affiliates or reputable third parties, but this information will not include personally identifying data, except as otherwise provided in this privacy policy.

12. What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?
We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights.

13. Permission to Use of Materials
The right to download and store or output the materials on our website is granted for the user's personal use only, and materials may not be reproduced in any edited form. Any other reproduction, transmission, performance, display or editing of these materials by any means mechanical or electronic without our express written permission is strictly prohibited. Users wishing to obtain permission to reprint or reproduce any materials appearing on this site may contact us directly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Privacy Policy What Information Do We Collect? When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

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Includi-Con Day 1 Questions | The Arc of Pennsylvania

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NEW Module Just Arrived - Trauma-Informed Care. Visit our E-Learning Module Series. This series provides information and strategies for teachers, families, and paras to support the education of all students.

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Privacy Policy

1. What Information Do We Collect?
When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

2. Personal Information You Choose to Provide
We may request that you voluntarily supply us with personal information, including your email address, postal address, home or work telephone number, and other personal information for such purposes as correspondence, placing an order, requesting an estimate, or participating in online surveys.
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.

3. Website Use Information
Similar to other websites, our site may utilize a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation below, "What Are Cookies?") and web server logs to collect information about how our website is used. Information gathered through cookies and server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our website, and the sites visited just before and just after ours. This information is collected on an aggregate basis. None of this information is associated with you as an individual.

4. How Do We Use the Information That You Provide to Us?
Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing service and support and making available other products and services to our customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. The lists used to send you product and service offers are developed and managed under our traditional standards designed to safeguard the security and privacy of all personal information provided by our users. You may at any time to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers.

5. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are a feature of web browser software that allows web servers to recognize the computer used to access a website. Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored by a user's web browser on the user's hard drive. Cookies can remember what information a user accesses on one web page to simplify subsequent interactions with that website by the same user or to use the information to streamline the user's transactions on related web pages. This makes it easier for a user to move from web page to web page and to complete commercial transactions over the Internet. Cookies should make your online experience easier and more personalized.

6. How Do We Use Information Collected From Cookies?
We use website browser software tools such as cookies and web server logs to gather information about our website users' browsing activities, in order to constantly improve our website and better serve our users. This information assists us to design and arrange our web pages in the most user-friendly manner and to continually improve our website to better meet the needs of our users and prospective users.
Cookies help us collect important business and technical statistics. The information in the cookies lets us trace the paths followed by users to our website as they move from one page to another. Web server logs allow us to count how many people visit our website and evaluate our website's visitor capacity. We do not use these technologies to capture your individual email address or any personally identifying information about you.

7. Notice of New Services and Changes
Occasionally, we may use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. As a user of our website, you will be given the opportunity to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers by clicking on a response box when you receive such an offer or by sending us an email request.

8. How Do We Secure Information Transmissions?
When you send confidential personal information to us on our website, secure server software that we have licensed encrypts all information you input before it is sent to us. The information is scrambled en route and decoded once it reaches our website.
Other emails that you may send to us may not be secure unless we advise you that security measures will be in place prior to your transmitting the information. For that reason, we ask that you do not send confidential information such as Social Security, credit card, or account numbers to us through an unsecured email.

9. How Do We Protect Your Information?
Information Security -- We utilize encryption/security software to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information we collect from unauthorized access or disclosure and accidental loss, alteration, or destruction.
Evaluation of Information Protection Practices -- Periodically, our operations and business practices are reviewed for compliance with organization policies and procedures governing the security, confidentiality and quality of our information.
Employee Access, Training, and Expectations -- Our organization values, ethical standards, policies, and practices are committed to the protection of user information. In general, our business practices limit employee access to confidential information, and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, processes and transactions.

10. How Can You Access and Correct Your Information?
You may request access to all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain in our database by emailing us using the contact form provided to you within the site structure of our website.

11. Do We Disclose Information to Outside Parties?
We may provide aggregate information about our customers, sales, website traffic patterns, and related website information to our affiliates or reputable third parties, but this information will not include personally identifying data, except as otherwise provided in this privacy policy.

12. What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?
We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights.

13. Permission to Use of Materials
The right to download and store or output the materials on our website is granted for the user's personal use only, and materials may not be reproduced in any edited form. Any other reproduction, transmission, performance, display or editing of these materials by any means mechanical or electronic without our express written permission is strictly prohibited. Users wishing to obtain permission to reprint or reproduce any materials appearing on this site may contact us directly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Privacy Policy What Information Do We Collect? When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

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Each Person is A Person of Worth: Connecting for Social Emotional Learning

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Each Person is A Person of Worth: Connecting for Social Emotional Learning

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Speaker: Dr. Mary Jo Podgursky

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You just need to enter your name and email the first time you access the page. All of the resources and handouts shared during day 1 are available on this website. 

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Speakers: Julie Causton, PhD & Kristie Pretti-Frontczak PhD, Inclusive Schooling

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Privacy Policy

1. What Information Do We Collect?
When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

2. Personal Information You Choose to Provide
We may request that you voluntarily supply us with personal information, including your email address, postal address, home or work telephone number, and other personal information for such purposes as correspondence, placing an order, requesting an estimate, or participating in online surveys.
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.

3. Website Use Information
Similar to other websites, our site may utilize a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation below, "What Are Cookies?") and web server logs to collect information about how our website is used. Information gathered through cookies and server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our website, and the sites visited just before and just after ours. This information is collected on an aggregate basis. None of this information is associated with you as an individual.

4. How Do We Use the Information That You Provide to Us?
Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing service and support and making available other products and services to our customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. The lists used to send you product and service offers are developed and managed under our traditional standards designed to safeguard the security and privacy of all personal information provided by our users. You may at any time to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers.

5. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are a feature of web browser software that allows web servers to recognize the computer used to access a website. Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored by a user's web browser on the user's hard drive. Cookies can remember what information a user accesses on one web page to simplify subsequent interactions with that website by the same user or to use the information to streamline the user's transactions on related web pages. This makes it easier for a user to move from web page to web page and to complete commercial transactions over the Internet. Cookies should make your online experience easier and more personalized.

6. How Do We Use Information Collected From Cookies?
We use website browser software tools such as cookies and web server logs to gather information about our website users' browsing activities, in order to constantly improve our website and better serve our users. This information assists us to design and arrange our web pages in the most user-friendly manner and to continually improve our website to better meet the needs of our users and prospective users.
Cookies help us collect important business and technical statistics. The information in the cookies lets us trace the paths followed by users to our website as they move from one page to another. Web server logs allow us to count how many people visit our website and evaluate our website's visitor capacity. We do not use these technologies to capture your individual email address or any personally identifying information about you.

7. Notice of New Services and Changes
Occasionally, we may use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. As a user of our website, you will be given the opportunity to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers by clicking on a response box when you receive such an offer or by sending us an email request.

8. How Do We Secure Information Transmissions?
When you send confidential personal information to us on our website, secure server software that we have licensed encrypts all information you input before it is sent to us. The information is scrambled en route and decoded once it reaches our website.
Other emails that you may send to us may not be secure unless we advise you that security measures will be in place prior to your transmitting the information. For that reason, we ask that you do not send confidential information such as Social Security, credit card, or account numbers to us through an unsecured email.

9. How Do We Protect Your Information?
Information Security -- We utilize encryption/security software to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information we collect from unauthorized access or disclosure and accidental loss, alteration, or destruction.
Evaluation of Information Protection Practices -- Periodically, our operations and business practices are reviewed for compliance with organization policies and procedures governing the security, confidentiality and quality of our information.
Employee Access, Training, and Expectations -- Our organization values, ethical standards, policies, and practices are committed to the protection of user information. In general, our business practices limit employee access to confidential information, and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, processes and transactions.

10. How Can You Access and Correct Your Information?
You may request access to all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain in our database by emailing us using the contact form provided to you within the site structure of our website.

11. Do We Disclose Information to Outside Parties?
We may provide aggregate information about our customers, sales, website traffic patterns, and related website information to our affiliates or reputable third parties, but this information will not include personally identifying data, except as otherwise provided in this privacy policy.

12. What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?
We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights.

13. Permission to Use of Materials
The right to download and store or output the materials on our website is granted for the user's personal use only, and materials may not be reproduced in any edited form. Any other reproduction, transmission, performance, display or editing of these materials by any means mechanical or electronic without our express written permission is strictly prohibited. Users wishing to obtain permission to reprint or reproduce any materials appearing on this site may contact us directly.

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Include Me PA’s News & Tools | The Arc of Pennsylvania

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NEW Module Just Arrived - Trauma-Informed Care. Visit our E-Learning Module Series. This series provides information and strategies for teachers, families, and paras to support the education of all students.

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Using Drama to Rehearse and Retain Executive Functions in the Inclusive Classroom with Sally Bailey, MFA, MSW, RDT/BCT 

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Using Drama to Rehearse and Retain Executive Functions in the Inclusive Classroom with Sally Bailey, MFA, MSW, RDT/BCT 

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The Include Me Program is designed to promote and expand effective inclusive practices for students grades K - 12 with significant impact of disabilities and the schools they attend. We work with participating student teams to provide highly individualized training and on-site technical assistance.

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Career One Stop is a great resource for researching potential jobs, discovering new career and education options.

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Careers and Career Information - CareerOneStop

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Learn about careers, find career information, and locate career resources and advice with CareerOneStop.

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Include Me Transition Sessions | The Arc of Pennsylvania

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NEW Module Just Arrived - Trauma-Informed Care. Visit our E-Learning Module Series. This series provides information and strategies for teachers, families, and paras to support the education of all students.

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The Elephant in the Playroom: Ordinary Parents Write Intimately and Honestly About the Extraordinary Highs and Heartbreaking Lows of Raising Kids with Special Needs

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A collection of personal accounts by everyday parents of children with such developmental challenges as ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, and autism offers insight into their daily experiences, from the emotional highs and lows of raising children with special needs to their efforts to apply case-specif...

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Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

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Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's [Robison, John Elder] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

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Day 1 TikTok Videos - Create and share your videos with Clipchamp

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Watch videos made with Clipchamp, the best video maker for everyone.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Day 2 TikTok Videos - Create and share your videos with Clipchamp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Watch videos made with Clipchamp, the best video maker for everyone.

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Day 3 TikTok Videos - Create and share your videos with Clipchamp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Watch videos made with Clipchamp, the best video maker for everyone.

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TIES brings together recognized experts in inclusive education to provide evidence-based resources, tools, curricula, and reports so students with significant cognitive disabilities can learn in classrooms with their non-disabled peers.

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HUNE is a not for profit organization that provides free bilingual (English and Spanish) programs, supports, and services on all aspects of special education. HUNE’s programs include special education training and information, support, and limited individual assistance for youth with disabilities and families of exceptional children 0-26 years of age.  HUNE also provides an after-school and summer program for youth 14-21 years of age.

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HUNE is a not for profit organization that provides free bilingual English and Spanish training, technical assistance and individual assistance to families of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and to professionals who work with children. This assistance helps families.

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The mission of the PEAL Center is to educate and empower families to ensure that children, youth and young adults with disabilities and special health care needs lead rich, active lives as full members of their schools and communities.

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Contact and meeting information for each of the 29 LTF's across PA. (Currently showing information from 22-23, but we will update when PaTTAN posts the directory for the 23-24 school year.)

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The IRIS Center is a national center dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities birth through age twenty-one, through the use of effective evidence-based practices and interventions.

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"We initially chose IRIS because of the past experiences and their credible research-based, high-quality modules that align with specific areas of growth and need to support a state-directed corrective action plan in our region."

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"We initially chose IRIS because of the past experiences and their credible research-based, high-quality modules that align with specific areas of growth and need to support a state-directed corrective action plan in our region."

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Understood is a nonprofit dedicated to shaping the world for difference. We provide resources and support so people who learn and think differently can thrive — in school, at work, and throughout life.

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How can we help?

I want help with behaviors , learning , and everyday skills

We are Understood.
We are the lifelong guide for those who learn and think differently. In the past year, we've helped more than 20 million people discover their potentials, take control of their lives, and stay on positive paths.

We support the 1 in 5 Americans who learn and think differently.

Learn more

We believe difference is our greatest strength.

Learn more

When we shape the world for difference, we all thrive.

Learn more

Discover what's possible when you're understood.

We'll email you our most helpful stories and resources.

We just launched our "Be the Reason" stigma campaign. Learn more here.

Helpful guidance from Understood

Essential resource spotlight

Are you wondering why your child is struggling?

We're here to help if you're feeling overwhelmed. Take N.O.T.E. (Notice. Observe. Talk. Engage.) is a simple step-by-step tool that can help you figure out if the struggles you're seeing might be signs of a learning and thinking difference.

"I have a hard time focusing, mostly in school. When I do my homework, I kind of feel stressed out because it feels like so much even though it's not too much."

Emperor Kaioyus, Grade 4

Copyright © Understood for All, Inc.

Understood is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization (tax identification number 83-2365235). Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Understood does not provide medical or other professional advice. The health and medical related resources on this website are provided solely for informational and educational purposes and are not a substitute for a professional diagnosis or for medical or professional advice.

Use of this website is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Copyright © 2014-2023 Understood For All Inc.

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Understood - For Learning and Thinking Differences

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Understood.org is the resource that helps the 70 million people with learning and thinking differences anticipate the challenges, barriers, or opportunities in life and confidently reach their potential.

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TechOWL (formerly PIAT) helps people with disabilities explore the tools and technology they need to be independent.

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PATF is offering a photo contest to celebrate Assistive Technology Month in November! Find out more: Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation PATF is offering a photo contest to celebrate Assistive Technology Month in November! Find out more: patf.us/2020-photo-contest/

Discover how Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) can offer assistive tech services for you. Visit www.lvcil.org/assistivetech to learn more. LVCIL has a partnership with Tech OWL - Technology for Our Whole Lives to offer these services.

#showusyourtech patf.us/2020-photo-contest/

Discover how Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) can offer assistive tech services for you. Visit www.lvcil.org/assistivetech to learn more. LVCIL has a partnership with Tech OWL - Technology for Our Whole Lives to offer these services.

#ShowUsYourTech

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PATF is offering a photo contest to celebrate Assistive Technology Month in November! Find out more: Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation PATF is offering a photo contest to celebrate Assistive Technology Month in November! Find out more: patf.us/2020-photo-contest/ Discover how Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) can offer assistive tech services for you.

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Privacy Policy

1. What Information Do We Collect?
When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

2. Personal Information You Choose to Provide
We may request that you voluntarily supply us with personal information, including your email address, postal address, home or work telephone number, and other personal information for such purposes as correspondence, placing an order, requesting an estimate, or participating in online surveys.
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.

3. Website Use Information
Similar to other websites, our site may utilize a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation below, "What Are Cookies?") and web server logs to collect information about how our website is used. Information gathered through cookies and server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our website, and the sites visited just before and just after ours. This information is collected on an aggregate basis. None of this information is associated with you as an individual.

4. How Do We Use the Information That You Provide to Us?
Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing service and support and making available other products and services to our customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. The lists used to send you product and service offers are developed and managed under our traditional standards designed to safeguard the security and privacy of all personal information provided by our users. You may at any time to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers.

5. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are a feature of web browser software that allows web servers to recognize the computer used to access a website. Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored by a user's web browser on the user's hard drive. Cookies can remember what information a user accesses on one web page to simplify subsequent interactions with that website by the same user or to use the information to streamline the user's transactions on related web pages. This makes it easier for a user to move from web page to web page and to complete commercial transactions over the Internet. Cookies should make your online experience easier and more personalized.

6. How Do We Use Information Collected From Cookies?
We use website browser software tools such as cookies and web server logs to gather information about our website users' browsing activities, in order to constantly improve our website and better serve our users. This information assists us to design and arrange our web pages in the most user-friendly manner and to continually improve our website to better meet the needs of our users and prospective users.
Cookies help us collect important business and technical statistics. The information in the cookies lets us trace the paths followed by users to our website as they move from one page to another. Web server logs allow us to count how many people visit our website and evaluate our website's visitor capacity. We do not use these technologies to capture your individual email address or any personally identifying information about you.

7. Notice of New Services and Changes
Occasionally, we may use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. As a user of our website, you will be given the opportunity to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers by clicking on a response box when you receive such an offer or by sending us an email request.

8. How Do We Secure Information Transmissions?
When you send confidential personal information to us on our website, secure server software that we have licensed encrypts all information you input before it is sent to us. The information is scrambled en route and decoded once it reaches our website.
Other emails that you may send to us may not be secure unless we advise you that security measures will be in place prior to your transmitting the information. For that reason, we ask that you do not send confidential information such as Social Security, credit card, or account numbers to us through an unsecured email.

9. How Do We Protect Your Information?
Information Security -- We utilize encryption/security software to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information we collect from unauthorized access or disclosure and accidental loss, alteration, or destruction.
Evaluation of Information Protection Practices -- Periodically, our operations and business practices are reviewed for compliance with organization policies and procedures governing the security, confidentiality and quality of our information.
Employee Access, Training, and Expectations -- Our organization values, ethical standards, policies, and practices are committed to the protection of user information. In general, our business practices limit employee access to confidential information, and limit the use and disclosure of such information to authorized persons, processes and transactions.

10. How Can You Access and Correct Your Information?
You may request access to all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain in our database by emailing us using the contact form provided to you within the site structure of our website.

11. Do We Disclose Information to Outside Parties?
We may provide aggregate information about our customers, sales, website traffic patterns, and related website information to our affiliates or reputable third parties, but this information will not include personally identifying data, except as otherwise provided in this privacy policy.

12. What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?
We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights.

13. Permission to Use of Materials
The right to download and store or output the materials on our website is granted for the user's personal use only, and materials may not be reproduced in any edited form. Any other reproduction, transmission, performance, display or editing of these materials by any means mechanical or electronic without our express written permission is strictly prohibited. Users wishing to obtain permission to reprint or reproduce any materials appearing on this site may contact us directly.

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Privacy Policy What Information Do We Collect? When you visit our website you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and website use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our website.

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PA State Task Force and 29 Local Task Forces (one in each intermediate unit) whose primary purpose is to insure that the intent and spirit of the Right to Education Consent Agreement is carried out throughout the commonwealth.

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Carly's Café - Experience Autism Through Carly's Eyes

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Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities

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People, Not Punchlines - Indiana Disability Awareness Month 2020-2021

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Viewer discretion advised: adult language is used in this video.

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NOT SPECIAL NEEDS | March 21 – World Down Syndrome Day | #NotSpecialNeeds

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Viewer discretion advised, Zach uses some adult language in this video.

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Zach Anner & The Quest for the Rainbow Bagel

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Include Me (@includemepa) on TikTok | 890 Likes. 46 Followers. We aim to develop, support, and enhance disability inclusive practices in PA.Watch the latest video from Include Me (@includemepa).

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The Arc of Pennsylvania, Lemoyne, Pennsylvania. 5,109 likes · 26 talking about this · 42 were here. The Arc of Pennsylvania is an organization that provides advocacy & resources for citizens with...

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Join our Include Me Connection Club for students grades 3-6!

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Join our Include Me Connection Club for students grades 3-6!

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Introducing the Arc of PA's Include Me Connection Club (IMCC)!

Previously known as the After School Hangout Series, the IMCC aims to establish meaningful and authentic connections among diverse student populations across the state of Pennsylvania.

Designed for 3rd - 5th graders of diverse abilities and interests, these virtual club meetings will offer creative opportunities for students to connect through games, activities, and student-driven discussions. Each club meeting will be facilitated by our engaging and energetic staff.

MARCH CLUB MEETING DATES:
Tuesday March 21 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, March 28, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Our March theme is "WE CAN BE HEROES!"
APRIL CLUB MEETING DATES:
Tuesday, April 18 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, April 25 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm

MAY CLUB MEETING DATES:
Tuesday, May 23 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Tuesday, May 30 from 5:30 - 6:30 pm

If interested in joining the club, SIGN UP HERE

For more information: contact: Nick Webster at nwebster@includemepa.org.

Watch the video below with your child or student and find out a bit more
about Include Me Connection Club!

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Previously known as the After School Hangout Series, the IMCC aims to establish meaningful and authentic connections among diverse student populations across the state of Pennsylvania. Designed for 3rd - 5th graders of diverse abilities and interests, these virtual club meetings will offer creative opportunities for students to connect through games, activities, and student-driven discussions.

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Join our Disability Acceptance Through Literature Book Study groups, for all ages! 

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Join our Disability Acceptance Through Literature Book Study groups, for all ages! 

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The Arc of PA's Include Me program is excited to present "Disability Acceptance through Literature," a virtual book study for students. Books selected by our facilitators provide opportunities to learn about the many aspects of disability through the perspective of school age protagonists.

Discussions center on understanding, acceptance, presuming competence, and friendship. Values like compassion, honesty, authenticity and diversity steer the ship, and we love when conversations are led by students' interests. These book studies are an innovative way to provide students interested in reading with a structured opportunity to connect with other students across Pennsylvania. We strive to make the book studies accessible, with:

audio recordings of each chapter,

vocabulary resources,

engaging visual content for discussions, and,

by providing copies of the book to families as the book studies gear up.

These four or eight week book studies make room for silliness and curiosity, and we're proud of the stigma-blasting power of the program (and that of the students themselves!).

Include Me connects each book study and accompanying lessons to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards.

For more information, contact: cmorrison@includemepa.org or jmacsisak@includemepa.org

SEE OUR SPRING 2023 BOOK STUDIES!
(click on an area below to view)

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The Arc of PA's Include Me program is excited to present "Disability Acceptance through Literature," a virtual book study for students. Books selected by our facilitators provide opportunities to learn about the many aspects of disability through the perspective of school age protagonists. Discussions center on understanding, acceptance, presuming competence, and friendship.

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What Listeners are Saying...

"I listen to you every day while walking my dogs Sam and Shiloh. They know your opening sounds and voices. This signals a good, long walk is coming. I am pumped and energized to work with my nonspeaking clients after listening to you. Your podcast provides inspiration and encouragement for me to never give up on my people."

- No Voice Left Behind

"Keep up the great work! You both are wonderful to listen to! I just started listening last month and I love all the content. When I start a show, I always think "I wonder what I will learn today?" and then I always have some kind of takeaway. It's helped me feel like I'm not alone on this AAC journey and has helped me with professional development and feeling like I'm a member of an AAC community. You are making a difference, even in my rural town!
-tiggerkw6

" Equal parts informative and inspirational, Rachel and Chris our incredibly knowledgeable and compassionate hosts. This podcast has helped me so much in understanding the use of AAC as a critical communication system for clients. A must-listen!"
-LAleads

"This podcast has completely transformed my clinical practice and the way I perceive my therapeutic role. I am better equipped to support the needs of my students, families, and teams because of the relevant, evidence-based, practical content that Chris and Rachel bring to the table in each episode. This resource is invaluable and essential- one of the first tools in my toolbox. Thank you for inspiring me and re-igniting my love for this field and profession!"
-Yay2

"When I discovered there was an AAC podcast my heart filled with joy! Finally, a show for me to learn about the latest research, clinical techniques and even hear from AAC users themselves. Talking with Tech is my go-to SLP podcast in the sea of my mant true crime ones. I love hearing the weekly updates and following both Rachel and Chris on social media. I even had a spazzed fangirl moment when I got to meet them at ATIA. AAC doesn't need to be scary and this podcast makes all things AAC and assistive tech accessible to it's listeners. Thank you Rachel & Chris!

- AACed It Communication

"I have been an SLP for 27 years but will never stop learning. AAC and AT have always been a special interest of mine. I have been blessed the past two years to work with 4 students with complex communication needs. Your podcast is helping me advance my teaching/coaching with the 9 paraprofessionals that I work with and to gently overcome the overuse of a prompting method that has been pervasively used with these students. Keep Talking 😃"
- LindabSLP

"I've been procrastinating writing a review for a long time because it has been difficult for me to find the right words to truly express my gratitude for this podcast.I stumbled upon Talking with Tech unexpectedly, but it has changed my professional career and personal life in so many ways. They share real life experiences, research, and strategies that can be implemented immediately."
- GiaSLP

"I am completely in love with your podcast. I am an SLP and AAC Specialist for our county board of developmental disabilities and we actually have a "podcast club" (like a book club) where the AAC Specialists on our team get together once a month and have a discussion about one of your episodes. It has led to great discussions that have caused us to sometimes validate and sometimes challenge our service model. You always have interesting, fresh content and the supporting materials are extremely helpful. Thank you for this incredible resource, we are very grateful for it!!"
- Rachael CCBDD

I am currently enrolled in the AAC course for my graduate program, and I am disappointed to say that it is outdated and disorganized. I am SO grateful for access to resources such as this for students like myself who are motivated to self educate, but can't necessarily afford to attend CEU events yet. Thank you!
- Karen F.

"I am an Assistive Tech Leader working overseas. I listen to your podcast as I commute to work and love it as it keeps me on the cutting edge of AAC despite the physical distance. I meet with a team of AT professionals and we have used your podcast as a 'jumping off point' for our discussions."
- Overseas SLP

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"I listen to you every day while walking my dogs Sam and Shiloh. They know your opening sounds and voices. This signals a good, long walk is coming. I am pumped and energized to work with my nonspeaking clients after listening to you.

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Peer Mentoring Guide - National Mentoring Resource Center

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Written by former peer mentors and youth mentees of the NMRC Youth Advisory Council, this guide serves to inform and support young people interested in peer mentoring. Current peer mentors and mentees, aspiring peer mentors and prospective mentees, and organizers/facilitators of peer mentoring programs can all find helpful tips to foster healthy and effective mentoring […]

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The ACRE Basic Certificate is a type of professional certificate offered by training members of the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE). Receiving the ACRE Basic Certificate shows that you have met the knowledge and skill requirements deemed by ACRE to be essential to providing high quality supported employment services.
Is there a renewal period for ACRE Certificates?
There is no renewal period for ACRE certificates at this time.
Who is required to have an ACRE certificate?
Many states across the country require ACRE certification as proof that you can provide quality supported employment and community participation support services. Pennsylvania's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Office of Developmental Programs both require this certification for direct support providers offering supported employment and/or community participation services. Rules and regulations may vary by state. Please confirm with your local regulatory agency.

Additional questions can be directed to Anthony Chan at achan@includemepa.org.

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The ACRE Basic Certificate is a type of professional certificate offered by training members of the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE). Receiving the ACRE Basic Certificate shows that you have met the knowledge and skill requirements deemed by ACRE to be essential to providing high quality supported employment services.

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A documentary about growing up non-speaking. What can happen when we judge people based on what they can or can’t say.

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CODA is available on Apple TV+, viewer discretion is advised while watching the movie - adult language and adult themes are used and explored.

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References from Dr. Mary Jo's Presentation 

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References from Dr. Mary Jo's Presentation 

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The power of the Nonnie Series is the message “It’s OK to talk about this together” – for adults and children!

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Search by state for colleges and universities offering opportunities to students with intellectual disability

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What is a common error made during IEP meetings?

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References for Dr. Mary Jo's Presentation

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References for Dr. Mary Jo's Presentation

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Finding Joy in the Journey Through Autism

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Finding Joy in the Journey Through Autism

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Swinging From the Chandelier - Book Order

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Consensus is an AI academic search engine for peer-reviewed literature—your research OS for finding, organizing, and analyzing science 10x faster.

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How to Play the Games Listed on the PowerPoint

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What is Special Education? The answer will surprise you!

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Email:

podmj@healthyteens.com

mpodgurski@washjeff.edu

Cell: 412-877-4906

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The link is for Amazon, but feel free to get the book from wherever you prefer!

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Social Stories provide REAL social understanding! Carol Gray developed the Social Story in 1991 to promote social understanding in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Now, nearly twenty years after their inception, Social Stories have become a standard approach for teachers and parents all over the globe, and the stories are more effective than ever! Winner of an Outstanding Literary Work of the Year Award by the Autism Society of America, this 10th Anniversary Edition of The New Social Story Book offers over 150 of the most requested Social Stories, each one professionally written by Carol Gray. But it doesn t end there Carol also teaches you how to write Social Stories yourself! Years of experience and trial-and-error have led to updated Story guidelines. Carol explains her fine-tuned process in the included ten-step learning module The Social StoryTM 10.1 Tutorials perfect for parents and teachers! INSIDE ARE GEMS SUCH AS: Mistakes Can Happen on a

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The New Social Story Book: 10th Anniversary Edition

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Social Stories provide REAL social understanding! Carol Gray developed the Social Story in 1991 to promote social understanding in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Now, nearly twenty years after their inception, Social Stories have become a standard approach for teachers and parents...

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Our outdated school systems of drawing sharp lines, labeling and segregating students has never made sense. The first in a series, this book takes a playful look at what is possible when we think differently about human difference. Intended to inspire everyone to widen our school communities to finally and actually include all.

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5 Ways to Circle Makers - Inclusive Schooling

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Our outdated school systems of drawing sharp lines, labeling and segregating students has never made sense. The first in a series, this book takes a playful look at what is possible when we think differently about human difference. Intended to inspire everyone to widen our school communities to finally and actually include all.

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Speaker: Ben Hartranft, Self Advocate

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This link is to Amazon, but feel free to get the book wherever you prefer!

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The book we need NOW to avoid a social recession, Murthy's prescient message is about the importance of human connection, the hidden impact of loneliness on our health, and the social power of community.

Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.

But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.

The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application. These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis, but also to heal our social world far into the future.

1. Spend time each day with those you love . Devote at least 15 minutes each day to connecting with those you most care about.

2. Focus on each other . Forget about multitasking and give the other person the gift of your full attention, making eye contact, if possible, and genuinely listening.

3. Embrace solitude . The first step toward building stronger connections with others is to build a stronger connection with oneself. Meditation, prayer, art, music, and time spent outdoors can all be sources of solitary comfort and joy.

4. Help and be helped . Service is a form of human connection that reminds us of our value and purpose in life. Checking on a neighbor, seeking advice, even just offering a smile to a stranger six feet away, all can make us stronger.

During Murthy's tenure as Surgeon General and during the research for Together , he found that there were few issues that elicited as much enthusiastic interest from both very conservative and very liberal members of Congress, from young and old people, or from urban and rural residents alike. Loneliness was something so many people have known themselves or have seen in the people around them. In the book, Murthy also shares his own deeply personal experiences with the subject--from struggling with loneliness in school, to the devastating loss of his uncle who succumbed to his own loneliness, as well as the important example of community and connection that his parents modeled. Simply, it's a universal condition that affects all of us directly or through the people we love-now more than ever.

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Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World

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Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World [Murthy M.D., Vivek H] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World

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“Inclusive Lesson Planning” Dr. Julie Causton & Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontzcak Includi-Con 2024

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This link is to Amazon, but feel free to get the book wherever you prefer!

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" An extraordinary, eye-opening book." - People "A rousing wake-up call . . . this highly engaging, provocative book prove[s] beyond a reasonable doubt that millions of lives depend on us finally coming to terms with the long-term consequences of childhood adversity and toxic stress." - Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow biological systems, and lasts a lifetime. For anyone who has faced a difficult childhood, or who cares about the millions of children who do, the fascinating scientific insight and innovative, acclaimed health interventions in The Deepest Well represent vitally important hope for preventing lifelong illness for those we love and for generations to come​.

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris was already known as a crusading physician delivering targeted care to vulnerable children. But it was Diego - a boy who had stopped growing after a sexual assault - who galvanized her journey to uncover the connections between toxic stress and lifelong illnesses.

The stunning news of Burke Harris's research is just how deeply our bodies can be imprinted by ACEs-adverse childhood experiences like abuse, neglect, parental addiction, mental illness, and divorce. Childhood adversity changes our "Nadine Burke Harris . . . offers a new set of tools, based in science, that can help each of us heal ourselves, our children, and our world." - Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed

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The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

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The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity [Burke Harris M.D., Nadine] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

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autism speaker show razedtypical atypical gaming "atypical gamers" "retro games" "video games"

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My name is Ben and I have autism, I started my own company and speak about autism awareness, inclusion, and kindness. I am glad I get to speak on the impact that kindness can have. I will do my best to care for every person I meet while I pursue my dream of becoming a full time public speaker.

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"Hidden Curriculum and Engagement Strategies"

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"Hidden Curriculum and Engagement Strategies"

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Speakers: Dr. Bev Evans, M.Ed & Patrick Holland, Self Advocate

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Speakers: Include Me Specialists

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Drama in the Inclusive Classroom: Activities to Support Curriculum and Social-Emotional Learning by Sally Bailey (2021)

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Drama in the Inclusive Classroom: Activities to Support Curriculum and Social-Emotional Learning by Sally Bailey (2021)

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Drama for the Inclusive Classroom: Activities to Support Curriculum and Social-Emotional Learning

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Incorporate drama and improvisation into your classroom to build confidence, support social-emotional learning, and engage every student in the curriculum. This book’s detailed and easy-to-implement chapters walk you through using drama to develop critical listening and communication skills, conflict resolution abilities, behavior regulation, and even grow new skills in math, literature, geography, and more! Each chapter builds on the skills learned in previous le

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How to Tackle Your To-Do List if You Struggle with Executive Functioning

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Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone in Theatre Arts — in Schools, Recreation, and Arts Programs — Regardless of (Dis)Ability by Sally Bailey 

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Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone in Theatre Arts — in Schools, Recreation, and Arts Programs — Regardless of (Dis)Ability by Sally Bailey 

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Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone in Theatre Arts — in Schools, Recreation, and Arts Programs — Regardless of (Dis)Ability – Idyll Arbor

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Distinguished Book Award for 2010 from the American Alliance for Theatre in Education (AATE)

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We believe theatre is for everyone

A youth theatre company of inclusivity, imagination, and inspiration.

All In Theatre creates a welcoming environment for children of all backgrounds to explore the magic of musical theatre. We focus on creating life-changing opportunities for young people, especially supporting those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Our driving focus is creating an ensemble that encourages both collaboration and independence, providing everyone with an important part to play in the process.

"Seeing this finished production of HSM Jr was the most wonderful and amazing event I have witnessed in a long time! Tears of joy streamed down my face during all 3 shows, and not just for my girl, for the whole cast! Young artists, neuro-typical and neuro-divergent, performing together!! So yes, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND All in Theatre to be your young artists theatre of choice!!"

FAQs

My child doesn't have a diagnosis. Is this program for them as well?

ABSOLUTELY! We are an inclusive program, which means young people with and without diagnoses perform and learn together. In order to remain inclusive, we need young people with and without diagnoses to participate. Our program is valuable to those without diagnoses to help learn empathy and to work with individuals who they may not have an opportunity to otherwise.

Why do you charge a registration fee?

Maintaining a theatre company involves many expenses. Even seemingly minor items like paper, ink, and markers for a class can accumulate a significant cost. The expenses associated with producing a show, including props, costumes, set pieces, sound equipment, and more, can be substantial. Despite these costs, we take pride in creating a unique and memorable experience for our performers. Additionally, we offer scholarships to ensure accessibility to all, having never turned down an applicant.

My child is a bit shy and would prefer helping backstage. Does the musical include backstage work?

Not yet, but it will in the future! Right now, we have a summer camp that focuses on elements of theatre, which would be good for a student who wants to learn about the other aspects of theatre that don't involve performing. We have had students work backstage as stagehands in the past and help out in the lobby for performances. If your child is interested in being a part of the production in a non-performing capacity, contact us and we will find a way for them to be involved!

How does casting work for the shows?

Auditions can be stressful, even for seasoned actors! Our goal is to make this process as fun and stress-free as possible. To start, our auditions are called role placements because everyone who registers for our program gets a featured part! At our first rehearsal for each show, we spend time getting to know each other, playing theatre games, and learning role placement materials. The following rehearsal, we have role placements. This involves singing a portion of a song from the show and performing a few of a character's lines from the show. We all perform the same material and cheer each other on!

What ages are your programs for?

Our classes and summer camps are for ages 7 and up. The musical programs are for ages 10-22 for performers and ages 14 and up for stage crew. We welcome volunteers of all abilities for our musical programs who are over the age of 22.

Give what you can, and help us grow!

Sponsor a performer, & make a difference.

100% of your donations go directly to funding our mission of creating an inclusive musical theatre community for the youth of Harrisburg.

Any amount you would like to donate is greatly appreciated. We thank you for your compassion and generosity!

Inclusivity is our driving focus. To allow students of all financial situations to join, we've developed our sponsorship program.

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Join our inclusive theatre program in Harrisburg, PA! Our program welcomes middle and high school students of all cognitive and physical abilities. Our mission is to make theatre accessible to everyone, so that everyone can join in the creative and collaborative experience of the performing arts.

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Tickets and Events View upcoming events and order tickets Click Here Auditions CHSD and community audition information Read More Employment Opportunities Check out our available openings. Read More Private Lessons […]

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Print-friendly handouts for creating accessible documents are also available:

Are you new to accessibility? This page is meant to be your entry point into the creation of accessible content with familiar tools such as Microsoft Office and Google Docs. You will learn about five practices that can have a significant impact on the learner experience for all students, especially those who rely on assistive technology for their access to the curriculum.

To help you remember these practices, we've created the mnemonic SLIDE, which stands for:

Styles are used for section headings.

Links are descriptive and meaningful.

Images have text descriptions.

Design is perceivable, with high contrast.

Evaluation is holistic and authentic.

Each of the practices is also described in more detail in a playlist of closed-captioned videos with step-by-step directions you can follow at your own pace. Pause the videos, try things out, and reach out to us if you have any questions. While the practices are explained in the context of creating an accessible document, with one exception (Styles) the techniques apply to slide decks as well.

Once you've watched the videos, put your new skills into practice with a document you will revise based on the best practices you've learned about in the videos.

Styles

Section headings will help you break up your content and make it easier to understand through "chunking." Section headings will also be helpful to your learners who use screen readers. With a special keyboard shortcut or touch gesture, they can navigate by heading to find the section with the most relevant content. This can save them valuable time when navigating long documents.

However, not all section headings are created equal in the digital world. It is not enough for you to just select the text and choose formatting options to make it stand out (by making it bold and increasing the text size). You also need to assign an appropriate heading style.

Slide titles can perform a similar function as headings in your slide decks: they orient the reader and improve navigation. Use the Outline view (View, Outline) to review your slide titles in Microsoft PowerPoint and make sure they are unique and descriptive.

Links

Your learners who are screen reader users can also use a keyboard shortcut or touch gesture that brings up a list of links on a web page or document. If several links read as "click here" or "learn more" when presented on a list, they will find it difficult to determine what will happen when a link is selected. Make sure your links are meaningful on their own, without the surrounding text to provide additional context.

Images

Screen readers can only describe images if you provide a text description for them (also known as alternative text). The text description can also take the place of the images to ensure important information is not lost if your learners turn off images to save bandwidth on a device with a poor connection or a limited data plan.

Design

Use color to add visual appeal and make your content more inviting to learners, but remember that text with low contrast will be difficult to see and require more effort to read. Provide good color contrast to help your learners focus more of their energies on gaining an understanding of the information, rather than on overcoming barriers caused by poor design.

Evaluation

Use the accessibility checker in your authoring tool if one is available to make sure your work meets basic accessibility requirements. Just remember that even the best of these automated accessibility checking tools have their limitations due to the subjective nature of many accessibility techniques. For example, an automated checker can determine if an image has alternative text, but it will not indicate whether the alternative text accurately describes the content of the image. As long as you keep the limitations of these checkers in mind and don't see them as a replacement for learning accessibility best practices, they can make a valuable contribution to your accessibility work. The best automated checkers will include extensive guidance on how to fix identified errors, and will be a valuable tool for building your knowledge of accessibility.

The ultimate measure of whether content is accessible or not, however, is how well it supports learners in reaching their goals. You should seek feedback from users of assistive technologies along with the results of accessibility checkers to ensure content is usable for all.

Try it yourself

Are you ready to put what you learned from the videos into practice? This activity will allow you to check your understanding of the new practices you have learned, and you can contact us at any time if questions arise as you explore your new accessibility skills.

Use the provided Google Docs document and apply the techniques discussed in the videos to improve the heading structure, include descriptive hyperlinks that make sense out of context, and add alternative text to the images.

When you are done, use the built-in Office accessibility checker (or the Grackle add-on for Google Suite) to check your work. There are also "after" versions of each document you can use as exemplars.

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AEM Center at CAST
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