School conference focuses on special needs students

Sessions open to parents, educators

Vermilion Local Schools will host a conference this week to share resources with area parents and teachers who work with children with special needs.

“Let’s Get R.E.A.D.Y.” is a free training and resource fair for parents and teachers.

The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 21, at Vermilion High School, 1250 Sanford St.

R.E.A.D.Y. stands for “Resources, Education, Advocacy and Discussion for Youth.”

“It’s geared to people who have some kind of barrier to education,” said Karen Blackburn, director of special education for Vermilion Schools.

The conference will have experts and vendors to provide strategies and information about topics such as autism, anxiety, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, assistive technology and apps, classroom management, parental rights and tools for students with disabilities and in transition to adulthood.

The event will feature two Ohio authors who will share their recent publications.

Maria Balotta is the author of “The Little Box of Truth,” a children’s book about self worth and uniqueness of each person.

The book has a CD with songs that go with the story and is available in English and Spanish.

Author Paul Daugherty is the keynote speaker for the conference.

Daugherty penned, “An Uncomplicated Life: A Father’s Memoir of His Exceptional Daughter,” a memoir about dealing with a daughter with Down syndrome.

The conference is open to parents and educators of northern Ohio.

Child care will be available for children ages 3 to 10.

Registration is available online at http://tinyurl. com/2017GetReady/Erie.

For more information, call Blackburn at 440-2041701 ext. 33.