March 26, 2008

(Columbia, MD) – Project Access of Howard Community College (HCC) will hold a conference, “Transitioning Students with Disabilities…Meeting Students’ Needs on the Postsecondary Level,” on Thursday, April 17, 2008.  The sixth annual conference for parents and professionals will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the HCC campus.  Program details, a conference schedule, and registration materials can be found online at http://www.howardcc.edu/students/academic_support_services/project_access/2008registration.pdf. For more information, contact Assistant Director of Project Access Dr. Linda Schnapp at 410-772-4625.

The Project Access Conference is open to the public for $130 for registration before April 10, or $140 for registration received after April 10 and on-site.  The conference fee includes lunch. Accommodations, such as a sign language interpreter, enlarged print/Braille materials or others, are available upon request.

Catherine A. Raggio, secretary of the Maryland Department of Disabilities is featured as keynote speaker.  Rachel Torgeson Price, a registered nurse with a disability, will be the luncheon speaker. 

Over a dozen workshops are scheduled with experts from throughout Maryland.  Topics include:  the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on high school students with disabilities; the impact of recent changes in IDEA on the high school student; an update on street drug use;  diagnosing bipolar disorder in youth; content area materials for motivating older students and improving reading comprehension; self-advocacy; offerings on the postsecondary campus for students with developmental disabilities; Project Access; three levels of reasonable accommodations; the perspective of the Office for Civil Rights on college students with disabilities; technology for students with cognitive/learning disabilities; and the neurobiology of learning disorders.