FDLRS+Interview+Assignment

 =Come learn what FLDRS can do for you! =

During the course of this semester, one of the educational opportunities I had was to conduct an interview of one of my local representatives from the Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resource System, a support network serving individuals working with students with disabilities and their families here in central Florida. In order to complete this assignment, I first contacted Mrs. Marsha Hill, who is the Director of Instruction for the North East Florida Educational Consortium of FDLRS. She was kind enough to connect me with her Program Administrator, Mrs. Jan McLain, who was endlessly helpful and informative. Below are listed the questions I presented Mrs. McLain to discover more about her support network and what they offer for my future students, their families, and myself as a soon-to-be Exceptional Education Teacher. In addition, I have included the wealth of FLDRS-related resources that Mrs. McLain so thoughtfully shared.

__Interview:__ 1. What does FDLRS stand for? Can you tell me a little bit about what your organization does? //FDLRS stands for the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System. We provide support services to exceptional student education programs statewide here in Florida. That's accomplished through close partnerships between families and district personnel working with ChildFind, human resource development, parent services, as well as through the provision of assistive or adaptive and instructional technology.//

2. Any idea how many students in Florida your organization serves? // For a really great visual, have a look at this map which shows the different school district which participate or are members in our organization. // []

3. What types of Assistive Technology and/or other services do you offer? //We offer needs assessment, dissemination of information about Special Needs and Disabilities, professional development, technical assistance, consultation, and resources for all sorts of AT.//

4. How do you determine if a particular child would benefit from AT and the other services your organization has to offer? Is there some special screening method or intervention process they must pass through before they reach you? //We operate with the aid of Child Find. By having the children and their parents attend special screening and consultation sessions, we are able provide early intervention services and place the children in appropriate special education programs//. //At that point, any AT best suited to the children's needs would be assessed and provided for, if such a need has not already been met.//

5. What are the most popular types of assistive technology or software supports you offer? //A form of AT that you might be most interested in is the Online Distance Learning Program the state offers for ESE students. Follow this link for more information ://[| http://www.fdlrs.ocps.net/Virtual%20ESE%20Course%20Offerings%20Flyer_Spring%202008_10-29-2007.pdf]

6. Do you provide special training for parents or teachers in the field of exceptional student care, education, or assistive services? //Absolutely, we sure do! There is so much out there, and the field is constantly growing, FDLRS does all that it can to help professionals and parents alike stay abreast of all the different technology and best practices that can help children with special needs become productive, proud members of society.//

7. Are you involved in the IEP process in any way for the children you serve? //Indirectly, yes. Since we provide support services for disrict faculty and staff, as well as parents, we operate as a resource for the development and implementation of IEPs. // __ For even more information, check out these wonderful resources:

__  To visit FDLRS Action!, the center that serves Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Sumter counties, simple click on the logo above!

Each of the following files offers lots of information about the mission of FDLRS, its staff, and so much more. Have a look around & Happy exploring!