What OSN and DoDEA do for military families? Behind the Scenes: Straight from the Source!

Presenters Dr. Ed Tyner, Chief, Office of Community Support for Families with Special Needs (OSN) Dr. Jennifer Masoodi, Analyst, Office of Community Support for Families with Special Needs (OSN) Mr. Tony Lodovico, Instructional Specialist in Special Education, DoDEA Headquarters

Objectives What the DoD’s Office of Community Support for Military Families with Special Needs (OSN) is and their purpose What DoDEA does for children with special needs in their educational system

OSN’s Purpose

OSN DoDI/DoDM Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoD Dependents DoDI/DoDM Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoD Dependents DoDI Exceptional Family Member Program DoDI Exceptional Family Member Program IDEA Services Advisory Panel on Community Support for Military Families with Special Needs EFMP

Responsibilities OSN provides oversight on implementation and compliance with:  DoDI & DoDM , “Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoD Dependents,” June 17, 2015 DoD regulation for the provision of IDEA services to children with disabilities ages birth-21  DoDI , “Authorizing Special Needs Family Member Travel Overseas at Government Expense,” February 16, 2011 DoD’s regulation for the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), currently undergoing revision/ public comment as “the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)”.

Responsibilities Receive input from the Advisory Panel on Community Support for Military Families with Special Needs

The Structure of the DoD’s IDEA Services DoDEA Special Education Services for students ages 3-21 worldwide Related Services for students ages 3-21 CONUS EDIS Early Intervention Services for children ages 0-3 and their families worldwide Related Services for students ages 3-21 OCONUS

What is the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)?

EFMP STANDARDIZATION PROCESS OSN focuses on standardization efforts and program improvements that positively impact military families with special needs. EFMP standardization is a continuous effort as it must be responsive to the changing needs of the DoD.

Information DoD Special Needs Flyer Military OneSource (MOS) Specialty Consultants Military OneSource has a team of highly qualified Specialty Consultants who specialize in the lifestyle of military families with special needs. Call to schedule an individualized, private and confidential consultation. The consultants can answer your questions about family support, as well as questions about transitioning, post- secondary education, housing, moving, support for adults, and much more. Military OneSource consulting services can be especially helpful to Guard and Reserve families who don’t live near an installation, or to members who are geographically isolated. Special Care Organizational Records The Special Care Organizational Record (SCOR) for Children with Special Health Care Needs and the SCOR for Adults with Special Health Care Needs are organizational systems for caregivers. Both provide central repositories for recording and tracking information about a family member’s ongoing support and health needs. Although the focus for each SCOR differs, they share the same fundamental goal of making it easier to organize, track, and update information for special needs family members. Order the SCOR for children in a hard copy binder from Military OneSource. The SCOR for adults is available to be downloaded from the Military OneSource website at DoD Special Needs Parent Tool Kit The DoD Special Needs Parent Toolkit was developed for military families that include a child with special needs. It has comprehensive information to help parents navigate the maze of medical and special education services, community support, and benefits and entitlements. Important facts, records, tools and sample letters are included. The Toolkit is available in hard copy or CD from Military OneSource at Whether you need to learn about early intervention services or want to learn how to be a more effective advocate for your child, you will find the information you are searching for here! HELPFUL PRODUCTS and SERVICES FOR MILITARY FAMILIES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS MILITARY ONESOURCE SPECIAL NEEDS: or CALL DoD Special Needs Parent Tool Kit- kit?content_id= Special Care Organizational Records- ts|product_id=143 Military OneSource (MOS) Specialty Consultants- or

Additional Resources for Military Families with Special Needs (Adult and Child) The Exceptional Advocate: The Exceptional Advocate Published bimonthly for military families with special needs and those who support them, this e-Newsletter focuses on updates and information from the Exceptional Family Member Program. To subscribe, please click on the title above. The DoD Directory of Early Intervention, Special Education and Related Services in outside the continental United States Communities - The DoD Directory of Early Intervention, Special Education and Related Services in outside the continental United States Communities This tool lists services available in military communities outside the continental United States Communities. Education Directory for Children With Special Needs – Education Directory for Children With Special Needs This DoD directory is a Web-based tool with information for military families about national and local resources in the continental United States for early intervention (infant and toddlers) and special education (school-aged children) services. This provides tools and resources to help with the transition to a new location. Military OneSource - relationships/special-needshttp:// relationships/special-needs EFMP Family Support Reference GuideEFMP Family Support Reference Guide - The DoD, in close collaboration with the services, has created the EFMP Family Support Reference Guide. The guide's objective is to provide EFMP Family Support Providers an understanding of the EFMP and their role in assisting military families with special needs. DoD Special Needs Parent Tool Kit Facilitator's GuideDoD Special Needs Parent Tool Kit Facilitator's Guide - The Facilitator's Guide tool for EFMP Family Support Providers to use to introduce the topics contained in the DoD Special Needs Parent Tool Kit. Special Care Organization Record for Adults with Special Health Care NeedsSpecial Care Organization Record for Adults with Special Health Care Needs - This tool is designed for adults with special health care needs, their families and caretakers. It helps keep pertinent medical, emergency contacts and other information organized and easy to access. Special Care Organization Record for EldercareSpecial Care Organization Record for Eldercare - This record is designed to facilitate the care of older family members. It is intended to provide a central location for keeping and tracking older family members' records and other pertinent information.

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) History 1940’s- U.S. Military established schools in Europe and the Pacific to the already well-established stateside schools Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) and Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) brought together under DoDEA

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) DoDEA- one of only two Federally-operated school systems. Responsible for planning, directing, coordinating and managing prekindergarten through 12 th grade educational programs. Approximately 76,000 children of active duty military and DoD civilians attend the schools in seven states, twelve countries, Guam and Puerto Rico. Organization

MISSION: Educate, Engage, and Empower each student to succeed in a dynamic world. VISION: To be among the World's leaders in education, enriching the lives of military- connected students and the communities in which they live. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA)

Three Administrative Areas DDESS (Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools) covers the schools in GA, AL, SC, NC, KY, VA, NY, Puerto Rico and Cuba. DoDDS - E (Department of Defense Dependent Schools - Europe) covers the schools in England, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Bahrain. DoDDS - Pac (Department of Defense Dependent Schools - Pacific) covers schools in Korea, Japan, and Guam.

Special Education Services The DoDEA program serving students with disabilities is governed by the Department of Defense Manual (DoDM) DoDM is aligned with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of DoDEA provides services to all eligible students 3-21 identified with an educational disability indicated in IDEA.

Special Education Services DoDEA serves approximately 8,500 students within school based programs specially designed to meet the instructional needs of a student with a disability. Special educators include teachers trained in specific educational disabilities, paraprofessionals who work under the supervision of a teacher, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, counselors and psychologists.

Special Education Services Special educators work collaboratively with general educators and share the responsibility for ensuring that students with identified disabilities are successful within the general education curriculum. All students are served based on their Individual Education Plan (IEP), which is developed by the Case Study Committee (CSC) and the parent.

For Additional Information The DoDEA website includes information about the structure of DoDEA, DoDEA school locations, policies, and curricular programs and features. The DoDEA website also has several pages dedicated to special education policies, procedures, and general information for families. The DoDEA website includes pages describing each Area, or geographic division of DoDEA and the School Districts located in each Area. Parents moving to a new DoDEA School District can find contact information for each school and District there.

Visit for: These items can be used to: Further understand these programs, Build your Parent Center’s capacity to help military families, and Identify ways to work with these programs for the benefit of military families.

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