Special Education

Finding creative, cost-effective approaches to help students with disabilities is the goal of these special education programs housed at BrightWorks. Programs provide technical assistance and cutting-edge staff development.

Charting the Cs

The “Cs” in Charting the Cs (external site) stand for Collaboration, Communication, and Cooperation. It is a two-part, accessible, statewide event focused on low incidence disabilities and includes a popular professional development conference featuring local, national, and international leaders in the field and the Student and Family Summit. This program is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding, CFDA 84.027A, Special Education – Grants to States.

Greater MN Launch PAD

Greater Minnesota Psychological Assessments for Students Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or DeafBlind (GM Launch PAD) is a program that provides culturally affirmative psychological assessments to students (ages 0-22) who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or DeafBlind, who live in Greater Minnesota (outside the seven-county metro area) and attend a Minnesota public school. Through this program, psychologists who have training and experience working with students with hearing differences and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) travel to the student’s school or county offices to complete the evaluation. This program is funded by a grant from Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Judy Wolff Library

The Judy Wolff Library (external site) provides special education resources and specialized assessment tools targeted at low incidence disability areas to Minnesota districts, schools, teachers, and parents. Resources are available September through June for Minnesota educators and Minnesota residents only. The Library is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Special Education Division through IDEA Part B, Section 611 funds – Regional Comprehensive System of Professional Development – Discretionary Projects.

Minnesota Braille Challenge

The Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind for students in grades 1-12 with low-to-no vision. Nationally organized by the Braille Institute, the program has been promoting braille literacy through rigorous academic competitions across the globe for over 25 years. The Minnesota Braille Challenge is a collaborative effort between the Regional Low Incidence Projects, BrightWorks, the Minnesota Department of Education, and SparkPath. A portion of this program is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Special Education Division, through IDEA Part B, Section 611 funds - Regional Low Incidence Projects.

Minnesota Cane Quest

Cane Quest is a fun Orientation & Mobility (O&M) program organized by the Braille Institute and designed for students in grades 3-12 with low-to-no vision. Orientation and Mobility (O&M) focuses on the skills used to understand and navigate one’s environment safely. Cane Quest is an exciting way for students to show off those skills! The Minnesota Cane Quest is a collaborative effort between the Regional Low Incidence Projects, BrightWorks, the Minnesota Department of Education, State Services for the Blind, and SparkPath. A portion of this program is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Special Education Division, through IDEA Part B, Section 611 funds - Regional Low Incidence Projects.

Minnesota DeafBlind Project

The Minnesota DeafBlind Project (external site) provides technical assistance (family support, resource sharing, workshops, webinars, mentoring, etc.) to the families and school teams of children and youth who have a combined hearing and vision loss, birth up to age 22. Any family member, educator, or service provider in Minnesota can request services. Services are free to Minnesota families. This Project is developed with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education. The source of the funds is from federal award 84.326T, H326T230026 PL 108-446 PT. D IDEA.  Special Education - Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities.

Minnesota Low Incidence Literacy Project

The Minnesota Low Incidence Literacy Project supports local-level literacy improvement activities that aim to increase the rates of integration of students with low incidence disabilities, as well as decrease the rates of segregation of students with low incidence disabilities. Special education teachers receive specialized training in teaching literacy to students with low incidence disabilities and in partnering with general education teachers to better include students with low incidence disabilities during literacy lessons and activities in the general education setting. This Project is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding, CFDA 84.027A, Special Education – Grants to States.  

Minnesota Low Incidence Projects

The Minnesota Low Incidence Projects (external site) offer statewide leadership in areas of low incidence disabilities and are designed to assist school districts across the state in fulfilling state special education Rules and Statutes and the federal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA,) provide professional development and insuring the training and availability of high quality and licensed staff in the low incidence area. Technical assistance is offered as a regular function of the project. This Project is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding, CFDA 84.027A, Special Education – Grants to States.  

Minnesota PBIS

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (external site) (PBIS) is a framework or approach for helping schools select and organize evidence-based behavioral interventions into an integrated continuum that enhances academic and social behavior outcomes for all students. Minnesota schools and districts are encouraged to participate in the structured cohort-model training to systemically train staff and embed the framework into their practices and policies. This program is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding, CFDA 84.027A, Special Education – Grants to States.

Region 11 IEIC Project - Help Me Grow

The Help Me Grow initiative is a statewide program in Minnesota aimed at connecting young children with developmental delays or disabilities and their families to free early intervention services and to improve care coordination. The Region 11 Interagency Early Intervention Committee (IEIC) is the group responsible for implementing this initiative across the seven-county metro area. Medical personnel, school district professionals, day care providers, and families can refer infants, toddlers, or preschoolers for assistance when developmental concerns arise. The Region 11 IEIC is supported through an interagency agreement between the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) using federal funding under CFDA 84.181 Special Education Grants for Infants and Families with Disabilities. 

Region 11 Low Incidence Project

The Region 11 Low Incidence Project is a program serving educators, administrators, and caregivers of students with low incidence disabilities in coordination with the Minnesota Low Incidence Projects.

This project addresses identified gaps and needs in special education programs and related services for students identified with any low incidence disability. Coordination of these activities is accomplished through planning and collaboration between Regional Low Incidence Facilitators (RLIF) and district-appointed representatives from school districts across the seven-county metro area. This Project is funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Special Education Division through IDEA Part B, Section 611 funds - Regional Low Incidence Projects and Regional Comprehensive System of Professional Development – Discretionary Projects.