Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report To the Prince George ’ s County Board of Education June 20, 2011

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Assisted 35 new employees with requests for reasonable accommodations. For school year , the Disability Issues Advisory Board, in collaboration with the ADA Compliance Officer, completed the following:

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report – –Belair Annex – –Thomas G. Pullen Creative and Performing Arts Academy – –Thomas Clagget Elementary School – –Thomas Johnson Middle School – –Robert Goddard French Iπmmersion – –Robert Goddard Montessori – –Instructional Support Services Center (ISSC)  Conducted employee or community requested onsite school visits at the following facilities:

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report – –Samuel Ogle Middle School – –Surrattsville High School – –C. Elizabeth Rieg Regional – –Montpelier Elementary School – –Croom Vocational High School – –Brandywine Elementary – –Friendly High School – –Fairmont Heights High School More onsite visits:

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report At those facilities, recommendations were made and implemented to improve accessibility.

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Results of those visits included:  Converting bathrooms to meet ADA standards. C.E. Reig RegionalCentral High School

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report   Renovating kitchen space to meet ADA standards. Surrattsville High School

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Installing automatic door openers. C.E. Reig Regional

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Provided signage and striping in parking lots. Seat Pleasant Elementary School

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Initiated the installation of Evacu Tracs in identified high schools with students in wheelchairs and received funding approval. One Super Trac will be purchased. Additional schools will be identified for the school year.

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Designed, printed - in English and Spanish - and distributed a People First Language poster to all schools. To raise awareness of the 2008 Board Policy 0121 regarding the use of People First Language.

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report After testifying in support of the original Rosa’s Law during Maryland’s 2009 legislative session, DIAB Chair Mike McLaughlin and his daughter Erin were invited to the White House last October to help celebrate the signing of the federal version of Rosa’s Law, as well as the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Maintained the ADA website and added updates including People First Language Poster and ADA Photo Galleries showcasing upgrades to school system facilities including: C. Elizabeth Rieg Regional Central HS Glenridge ES Seat Pleasant ES Springhill Lake ES Surrattsville HS

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Participated in Parkdale High School ’ s Disability Awareness Day in April. DIAB member Helen Ballard gave multiple presentations on epilepsy awareness.

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Through the leadership of this Board of Education and the Superintendent, PGCPS was an early supporter of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) bill that passed in the 2010 Maryland legislative session. DIAB monitored the progress of the UDL Task Force - whose members included our Superintendent - that was created by that bill, and was present in April when the Task Force presented its final report to the State Board of Education. We encourage everyone to read this remarkable report entitled “A Route for Every Learner” at: _Every_%20Learner_Report_NSG_% pdf

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Reviewed Disability Issues Advisory Board Membership Mike McLaughlin, Chair Helen Ballard Marie Crabbe Domonique Flowers Margaret Miller Anthony Parker Paul Semelfort Charlina Watson Donna Hathaway Beck Liaison, Board of Education Elizabeth Davis Liaison, Superintendent of Schools Current DIAB members:

Disability Issues Advisory Board Year-End Report Members of the Disability Issues Advisory Board look forward to continued, effective collaboration with the Board of Education and the ADA Compliance Officer. By recognizing the importance of having PGCPS facilities and employment accessible to all, by taking that challenge to heart and making it a part of the fabric of our school system, together we are weaving a systemic and permanent Welcome mat for all of our students, employees and visitors.