by Mary-Clare Reynolds, Executive Director Each year, LDA seeks support for our annual conference and this year was no exception. It is very gratifying to receive the backing from these companies, schools and individuals to allow us to continue to provide this premier conference each year. We are pleased to report the following generous donors who helped fund our 54th Annual Conference in Baltimore in February. We are ever grateful for their support of our annual conference, and of LDA.   Return to LDA Today, Vol.4 No.2- Home Page

by Pat Lillie, LDA President Every February marks the beginning of a new year for the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA).  Committees submit work plans and goals for the year, conference planning for the next year’s conference – in this case the 2018 LDA Conference in Atlanta gets underway, and the Finance Committee delves into budget development.  The Public Policy Committee doesn’t start anew, it continues working on what came before, reacts to what is happening now and tries to get ready for what might happen next.  In February the LDA Board of Directors welcomed two new members Rose Calloway from Georgia and Nancy Hammill from New Jersey. We look forward to… Read More »

by Ann Kornblet, LDA Conference General Chair The 54th Annual LDA International Conference, February 16 – 19, was a grand success! Attendees from all over the US and from many other countries enjoyed four days of learning, networking and sightseeing at the beautiful Baltimore Marriott Waterfront at the Inner Harbor. LDA of Maryland was the perfect host. Led by Judy Lantz, LDA of Maryland President, the Maryland volunteers did a wonderful job all week by supporting the national staff and the 900 attendees. A special thank you to Bonnie Massimino for managing all the Maryland volunteers. The week began by many… Read More »

IDEA provides guidelines for a child with a disability transferring to another school in or out of district within the same state or out of state. The guidelines are specific as to the child’s right to have a free appropriate public education with services that are comparable to those in the previous IEP. It is important that the parents get copies of school records for their files, check with the new and existing schools to be sure the transfer request is made, make sure all records related to special or related services are included, and follow up with both schools… Read More »

by: Myrna Mandlawitz, LDA Policy Director The Administration’s stated intention to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prompted swift action from LDA, as the organization engaged with a broad array of national organizations, including disability, education, civil rights, and health care advocates. With the introduction of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in March, LDA and its partners engaged in direct advocacy on Capitol Hill and mobilized grassroots advocates, ultimately succeeding in defeating a bill that would have caused serious negative impacts on individuals with learning disabilities. LDA had several significant concerns about the AHCA.  First and foremost… Read More »

by: Kristina Scott, State Presidents’ Representative Welcome home from the LDA National Conference! It was a great conference with a lot of networking and sharing in each other’s accomplishments. There were many affiliate accolades and volunteers to recognize this year. This article looks to provide you with a recap about each of these projects and highlights some amazing volunteers this year! Georgia, where our 2018 annual LDA conference is to be held, has been working tirelessly on a “Revitalizing Georgia” campaign. They have begun this campaign by focusing on new branding and new marketing to rejuvenate their current membership and… Read More »

by: Nancy Hammill, Education Committee Social skills are the skills we use to communicate and interact with each other, both verbally and non-verbally, through gestures and body language.  Social skills are basically what the community at large and your grandmother call manners – polite behaviors that are supposed to reflect an attitude of consideration, kindness, and respect for others. Children with poor social skills or manners, often become easy targets for bullies and experience rejection and isolation.  Social skills affect your child’s social relationships, communication, self-esteem, and future career choices.  Manners Matter! People automatically assume that everyone knows these skills… Read More »

One of the highlights of each LDA Conference is the presentation of awards to our members who have accomplished outstanding feats in fulfilling the mission of the Learning Disabilities Association of America on behalf of all individuals with learning disabilities. The Awards,  presented at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland, at the 2017 Conference continued this practice. The following individuals were the recipients of this year’s awards. President’s Award The 2017 President’s Award was presented to Jonathan Jones for his many years of outstanding service to individuals with Learning Disabilities and/or Attention Disorders, by LDA of America President Patricia… Read More »