The 12th Annual Family Café Conference is just days away and Disability Rights Florida is looking forward to it! Since the Family Café began in 1998, Disability Rights Florida has been involved as a presenter or exhibitor. The conference is a place where families and people with disabilities can connect with peers, service providers, advocates, and public agencies. Visit Disability Rights Florida in the Exhibit Hall and attend one of the three workshops Disability Rights Florida staff are providing!
Restraint and Seclusion: What you Need to Know to Protect Your Child
June 19 at 4:00 p.m. at the Family Café at Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort
Ann Siegel, Attorney and Education Team Manager, will give a presentation about what parents need to know about school restraint and seclusion use. Topics will include the new parental notification laws in Florida law as well as ways to prevent, detect and respond to abusive use of restraint and seclusion.
Ann Siegel has been an advocate for children in Broward County for over fifteen years. She received her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center. During law school, Ann was a Disability Law Fellow at the Children First organization and volunteered as a Guardian Ad Litem. For eleven years, she has served as a surrogate parent for children in the foster system within Broward County. She gained substantial legal experience working as a staff attorney in the Education Legal Rights Project of the Children’s Advocacy Program at Legal Aid Service of Broward, Inc. from April 2001- January 2009. Her first job after law school was at Disability Rights Florida and then in January 2009, she returned to Disability Rights Florida to assume the position of Manager of the Education Team. Ann is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts as well as in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal.
Visit the Family Café website for registration and to confirm date and time.
Navigating through IEPs
June 19 at 1:00 p.m. at the Family Café at Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort
Ann Siegel, Attorney and Education Team Manager, will give a presentation about Individual Education Programs and how parents and advocates can most successfully advocate for the educational needs of students with disabilities.
Ann Siegel has been an advocate for children in Broward County for over fifteen years. She received her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center. During law school, Ann was a Disability Law Fellow at the Children First organization and volunteered as a Guardian Ad Litem. For eleven years, she has served as a surrogate parent for children in the foster system within Broward County. She gained substantial legal experience working as a staff attorney in the Education Legal Rights Project of the Children’s Advocacy Program at Legal Aid Service of Broward, Inc. from April 2001- January 2009. Her first job after law school was at Disability Rights Florida and then in January 2009, she returned to Disability Rights Florida to assume the position of Manager of the Education Team. Ann is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts as well as in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal.
Visit the Family Café website for registration and to confirm date and time.
Don’t Be Denied – Get Help from Disability Rights Florida
June 18 at 4:30 p.m. at the Family Café at Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort
Paula Roberts, Disability Rights Florida External Affairs Coordinator, will give a presentation about self-advocacy and Disability Rights Florida.
Paula Roberts has worked for Disability Rights Florida’s Tallahassee office for four years and currently serves as its External Affairs Coordinator. Paula is responsible for a lot of Disability Rights Florida’s face-to-face outreach! She provides information about Disability Rights Florida to individuals and organizations and particularly enjoys conducting self-advocacy skill/motivation workshops. Paula has served on the Family Café Conference Planning Committee for three years and she has been active on several Family Café committees. Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration with a minor in Secondary Education from the Florida A & M University.
Visit the Family Café website for registration and to confirm date and time.