2008 Governor's Conference on Developmental Disabilities

Mark Your Calendars!
The 2008 Governor’s Conference on Developmental Disabilities will be held April 10 & 11 at the Cox Convention Center in OKC.

You won’t want to miss this great conference or the premier of the documentary “Wagons to Waivers: A Century of Change”, narrated by Reba McEntire.

Look for more information soon. Registration will be available online in March through a link on the OKDHS Website at http://okdhs.org

Disability awareness comes in many colors

For many parents and professionals it can be challenging to find effective ways to talk about inclusion and disability awareness with young children. But you know what? Sometimes we are just making it too hard.

The folks at the Wyoming Institute on Disabilities have got the right idea ..... just go back to what kids know & love. In this case, coloring! They have started a coloring book project and the first book is now available as a PDF download online.

The series features Sam and his friends as he learns about the differences and similarities between himself and his friends with disabilities. The first book focuses on a young boy who uses a wheelchair. Future books are planned with focuses on other types of disabilities such as blindness, cognitive disabilities, cerebral palsy, etc. The books are designed to help adults start discussions and to help kids understand that differences are just a natural part of life.

To check out the first coloring book, entitled "Play Ball" --- click here