The Arc Kohler School Presents "The Kohler Family Series"

Mountainside, NJ (May 12, 2016) – Together with The Arc of Union County, The Arc Kohler School in Mountainside, NJ, will host a monthly speaker series to support families with children who have special needs. Each month will feature a new topic. The first in the series, offered May 17, 2016, 6:45-7:45 pm, is “Navigating the System”—in which a representative from The Arc of New Jersey will present and discuss various supports and services available to children/families of children with disabilities. Those who attend will learn (a) the difference between DCF and DDD, (b) how to navigate challenges in accessing services, and (c) “service provider language.” Each program is free and open to the public.

The purpose of this series to provide families with access to “inside information” that they often cannot get without working in the system or having already gone through it.

“Our goal is to educate and empower all who attend so that they can better access, utilize and understand what is available to them and their child,” said Kara Sellix, social worker at The Arc Kohler School. “Knowledge really is power, and we believe every family of a child with special needs can be empowered if they know what is out there.”

The second program of the series, “Your Child’s Right to Special Education,” will take place June 8, 2016, 7:00-8:00 pm. Special education attorney Denise Rekem, partner in the firm Parles Rekem, LLP, will provide an overview of special education rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the difference between those two laws. Rekem will explain how children are referred, evaluated, classified, and provided services under IDEA.

About The Arc Kohler School

For more information about The Kohler Family Series, please contact Kara Sellix at 908-518-0021 or ksellix@arckohlerschool.org. Space is limited for each program, which take place at 1137 Globe Avenue, Mountainside, NJ 07092.

The Arc Kohler School is a private school for students with developmental delays and disabilities. The school was founded in 1963 and is approved by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). Under the auspices of The Arc of Union County, Kohler School serves children from ages 3 to age 14.

About the Arc of Union County

With more than six decades of service, The Arc has grown into Union County, New Jersey’s, largest provider of on- and off-site educational, recreational and support services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. A registered 501c3 non-profit, the organization serves more than 1,000 children and adults annually through a continuum of comprehensive programs geared to assist clients and their families throughout all stages of their lives. For more information, visit www.arcunion.org, or call 973-315-0000. Contact Stephanie D’Souza, Director of Development and Communications, at 973-315-0020, or sdsouza@arcunion.org.