SPIN
Introduction
The SPIN staff have experience as parents of children with disabilities and have access to a wide range of information. They are available to answer requests for information or to help parents find the answers to more complex problems. SPIN also collaborates with parent organizations, state agencies and other organizations in Maine to expand opportunities available to families.
To see who we are and what we do, Check out this Youtube video
Information
Staff at SPIN provide one-on-one information to parents and professionals concerning needed services, educational rights, and specific disabilities through a toll free statewide telephone number, 1-800-870-7746. SPIN also maintains a TDD, a telecommunication device for individuals with hearing impairments. Click here for a list of some of our materials.
Maine Parent Federation publishes a quarterly newsletter, Parent Connection. The newsletter provides information on disabilities, special education issues, upcoming workshops, parent involvement activities, articles on parenting and much more. To be added to the mailing list, please call, 1-800-870-7746 or email us at: parentconnect@mpf.org.
Workshops
The 125th Legislature, during the First Regular Session, passed Resolve 2011, Chapter 39, which finalized the recommendations of the Stakeholder Group for the Maine Unified Special Education Regulations, Chapter 101. The final adoption of the regulations is effective July 2, 2011. The final regulations can be found at: To view, click on Maine Special Education Regulations.
For a PDF version, click here.
Military Families – Resources
MPF recognizes that military families face special challenges. We want to help support Maine’s military families by providing information, referral and resources.
On line trainings:
Resources:
Military Family Assistance Center – serving all Military Families
1-888-365-9287, www.me.ngb.army.mil/family
Operation Military Kids
1-800-287-1481, (207)622-7546, www.operationmilitarykids.org
STOMP (Specialized Training of Military Parents
1-800-5-PARENT, www.stompproject.org
The Military Child Education Coalition
www.MilitaryChild.org
MilitaryK12Partners offers resources, like Special Education Modules, to assist schools that serve military families. Students at the Center, an educational resource that provides information on important policies, procedures and best practices is also located on the site, as well as links to many resources developed by other government and non-government agencies. The new website is: http://militaryk12partners.dodea.edu.
he OSEP Spanish Glossary of IDEA terms is a tool for translating the specialized terms and jargon found in education and early intervention from English to Spanish. This glossary was developed by the Region 1 Parent Technical Assistance Center@SPAN under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. It provides translators with a list of agreed-upon Spanish translations that are to be used across regions and cultures, to minimize the confusion that results when families see varied translations of the same terms when looking for resources to advocate for their children. Through a collaborative process that included families & OSEP parent center staff representing the diversity of Spanish-speaking cultures throughout North and South America, the developers were able to reach a consensus on translations of more than 200 terms found in IDEA and ESEA. To access this searchable electronic glossary and for more information on its development, visit http://www.neparentcenters.org/glossary/index.html
Library
Publications/Handbooks
The Guide to Special Education in Maine: A Team Approach.
Putting It All Together - A Handbook for Families Raising a Child with a Diagnosis of Emotional/Behavioral Disability or Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED).
Parent Support Network - A Workbook for Creating Successful Community Support Groups. Parent-to-parent support is one of the most important forms of support for families. This workbook will help parents organize and maintain a support group.
Call for a copy.
The Redbook - A Resource for Parents and Consumers. This guide explains the Social Security System and work incentive programs.
Maine Resources and National Resources- a comprehensive list of state and national phone numbers and toll free numbers where available.
Life Success for Children with Learning Disabilities - A Parent Guide. Click to download a copy.
Susan Gendron, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Education, has sent an Information Letter 111 explaining these changes. Click here to view the information letter.
Changes in IDEA 2004 can be found at the Federal Department of Education, Wrights Law, or Fape websites.
Other Resources
AT Resources for families, click here.
Maine Educational Center for Assistive Technology and Software (MECATS)
is a preview center for assistive technology at the University of Southern Maine that provides professional development in the areas of assistive technology, Web accessibility, specialized software, and universal design of curriculum to educators, parents, and students with disabilities.
Maine Employment Curriculum Implementation Project http://www.umaine.edu/cci/employme/
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities NICHCY
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Facts For Families
National Organization for Rare Diseases NORD
GEAR parent network
Maine Learning Disabilties of Maine
ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC EC)
The contents of this website were developed, in part, under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H328M110002. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Marsha Goldberg.
