Welcome to PartnersTx!
Partners Resource Network (PRN) is a non-profit agency that operates the statewide network of federally funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI's) in Texas. The PTI Projects are: PATH, PEN, and TEAM.
The programs and services of PRN are based on the concept of parents helping parents. Our mission is to empower parents of children and youth with disabilities in their roles as parents, decision makers, and advocates for their children and to promote partnerships among parents and professionals.
Our web site is designed to provide timely information and to link the visitor with other resources in Texas and the nation. Our goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of infants, toddlers, children and young adults with disabilities and their families who live in the great State of Texas.
Janice S. Meyer
Executive Director
Now Available - The Parent Advocate Quarterly Spring 08 Issue
Check out the latest issue of our newsletter, The Parent Advocate Quarterly. This issue's articles are: When Should We Begin Planning for Transition?, Is No Child Left Behind Important to Students with Disabilities?, Developmental Milestones for Infants, and Food for Thought.
Download the Summer 08 issue of The Parent Advocate Quarterly*>>
NEW - Procedural Safeguards Online Course
Since the first federal law dealing with the education of students with disabilities in public schools was passed, legal rights for parents has been an important part of the law. These legal rights for parents are generally referred to as "procedural safeguards". The current federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004 (IDEA), continues to provide the parents and guardians of children with disabilities with a variety of legal rights to be involved in and make decisions about a student's education. The purpose of this course is to let parents know that they have legal rights and to help them understand what these rights are.
NEW - How is "Educational Need Determined?" Fact Sheet
Frequently parents hear schools or ARD/IEP committees talk about ““educational need”. There is a two part process in determining if a student is to be provided services through special education. Federal regulations require that eligibility for special education services be based on:
- The presence of a disability, and
- The student’s need for special education and related services.
The term “educational need” is not in the law or regulations, but is a common way of referring to the second part of the determination process. An evaluation determines if the student has a disability. The ARD committee looks at a variety of information to decide if the student needs special education and related services.
To learn more, download PRN's How is "Educational Need" Determined? fact sheet*
Helping Your Child Find a Passion: One Mother’s Story from GreatSchools.net
If you have a child with learning disabilities, chances are someone has given you the same advice I’ve been hearing since our son was first struggling to learn to read. “Just find his passion,” teachers, counselors and tutors would tell me, “Once you know what he is really great at, you can use it to teach almost any skill — from memorizing math facts based on baseball scores to writing a great essay about a favorite musician.”
It took years for our Alex to find his own passions — golf and playing the drums. And they aren’t necessarily activities that will win him scholarships or public recognition. What is much more important, we have learned, is that he has discovered the things he can be reasonably good at and that he can enjoy doing for relaxation and pleasure. Read full article>>
Advocating for Your Child - Getting Started
Good special education services are intensive and expensive. Resources are limited. If you have a child with special needs, you may wind up battling the school district for the services your child needs. To prevail, you need information, skills, and tools. Read more>
Resolution Meetings: A Guide for Parents Fact Sheet
With the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), Congress recognized the need to provide additional opportunities for early dispute resolution. The resolution process was added as another way schools and parents can work out their differences whenever a parent has filed a request for a due process hearing.
To learn more, download PRN's Resolution Meetings: A Guide for Parents fact sheet*
Helping Your Young Adult Find Employment
Having a job can be exciting, fun, hard work, scary, and full of new skills to learn and master. This is true for all young people with or without disabilities. In the past, many people with disabilities didn't have jobs. This was especially true for people with mental retardation and those with autism. Today, fortunately, the employment prospects for such individuals are changing. Young people with disabilities are learning important skills in school and on the job. These skills are proving useful to employers, and so are the other talents that people with disabilities bring to the workplace. Read this article at the Texas Transition Resource Center >
