District 202 Offers Training Programs for Parents, Caregivers with Disabled Children

PLAINFIELD, IL — J.R. Esquivel will discuss the possibility of starting a Ray Graham Association support program at the first of District 202’s “Next Steps Transition Program” meetings for this school year, on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the District 202 Administrative Center, 15732 Howard Street, Plainfield.

The “Next Steps” program is designed to help parents and caregivers with planning, transitioning and advocating for their children with disabilities.

The Next Steps team comprises District 202 Vocational Education staff focused on improving delivery of services to families of students with disabilities; increasing family awareness of disability options and resources; and linking families in need to agencies that can support them with issues related to transition, said Dee Graves, District 202’s assistant director of private placement and transition.

This is the third year that District 202 is offering the Next Steps Transition training for community members interested in helping parents and caregivers plan, transition and advocate for their children with disabilities.

Additional Next Steps trainings will be held regularly throughout this school year. All trainings will start at 6:30 p.m. Community members can attend as many of the trainings as they want.

The Ray Graham Association is a private DuPage County organization serving and supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Ray Graham provides educational, vocational, community, respite, early intervention, recreational, home-based and residential programs and services, according to its web site.

“Next Steps” team members include Anne Twist from Plainfield North High School; Plainfield South High School’s Kathy Thomason; Plainfield Academy’s Colleen Goldenberg and Project SEARCH teacher Colleen Kelly.

“Next Steps” trainings are scheduled for:

Oct. 18, 2016 “Sharon Butterfield from Park Lawn”
Nov. 15, 2016 “Benjamin Rubin from Rubin Law “
Jan. 17, 2017 “PACE Program, National Louis University”
Feb. 21, 2017 Topic TBD
March 21, 2016 Topic TBD
April 16, 2016 Topic TBD

For more information please contact Dee Graves at 815-577-4023 or dgraves@psd202.org

Submitted by Plainfield School District 202

photo via District 202