April Villafaña Advocacy

08/24/2025

See you there! 🏀 💫 ✨

08/10/2025

So excited for the clubtwentyone webinar TOMORROW, Monday, August 11th!
The Alternative Pathway to a High School Diploma in California is for students with cognitive disabilities, including intellectual disability, Down syndrome, etc., whose IEP teams determine they qualify for California Alternate Assessments. This pathway helps students earn a state-recognized diploma through instruction aligned to core content connectors and alternate achievement standards. The intent is for students to be included and educated alongside their typically developing non-disabled peers to the greatest extent, in general education classes, co-taught classes, electives, and extracurricular school activities, while focusing on academic skills that prepare them for life skills and success after graduation.
ZOOM LINK:
HTTPS://US02WEB.ZOOM.US/J/7671312005?PWD=WU5PE0WSR6IM9OTRCFYGLN7XKXJJQE.1&OMN=81890889041
Meeting ID: 767 131 2005
Passcode: Club21

08/04/2025

A Due Process Hearing is currently live/open (out of state), and the family, who is represented by Dragan Law Firm, LLC has chosen to make the hearing public. By opening the proceedings, this family is helping to shed light on the experiences of children with disabilities and the systemic issues that often go unseen. Public access to special education hearings is a powerful tool for transparency and accountability.
See attached post below for link from Dragan Law Firm.

Thank you to everyone who supported this family. The hearing is concluded and a decision will post in September.

It will be a deep and painful dive into years of failure to teach a bright young child to read, write or spell. The family is opening the hearing to the public. Allowing the public into these hearings is an important way to shed light on what happens inside of schools to children with disabilities. Please consider supporting this family by joining the Webex live next week.

Go to Webex and enter meeting ID above if link does not work

08/01/2025

California Department of Developmental Services encourages you to explore this Standardized Respite Tool, and share your feedback with DDS by Thursday, August 28, 2025. Please email Respite@dds.ca.gov with any questions. 💌 Links to the Standardized Respire Tool, webinar recording, webinar slides and the online feedback form can be found at the website below 😄

A new tool is being developed to help regional centers determine respite hours. The goal of the Standardized Respite Tool is to: Create an easy-to-use form that provides some consistency across the state. Avoid big changes to the authorized respite hours that individuals and families currently have....

07/30/2025

April Villafaña Advocacy
Over 1,000 Facebook Followers! 🤩🥰
Apparently I'm a
Social Media Star 😂🥳

07/22/2025

Stephanie Swaggerty at Sunrise Services is the BEST... very professional, knowledgeable, and efficient in preparing necessary documents for my clients. Stephanie takes the time to answer their questions clearly and makes the limited conservatorship process feel less overwhelming. She has been helping my clients (who have a family member with a disability) since the end of 2023, and the feedback has been consistently positive. 100 STARS 🙂

Limited Conservatorships are a necessary step to protect our special needs family members.

As a paralegal with special needs siblings, I understand the need to protect their wellbeing. We can help during the transition into adulthood as we provide document preparation for limited conservatorships.

Sunrise Services is accepting new limited conservatorship clients - we offer free consultations at steph.sunriseservices@gmail.com

07/19/2025

Beautiful post from Inclusive Schooling!
Be sure to like/ follow them! 💝
Think exclusion helps with behavior?
The research—and the reality—say otherwise.
Here are 10 reasons inclusion is the behavior support:
• Exclusion is not a neutral act, it sends a message: You don’t belong.
• Students with challenging behavior need more inclusion.
• Behavior tends to worsen in segregated settings.
• Inclusion creates natural motivation for behavior change.
• Relationships are easier to build in inclusive settings.
• Being included doesn’t require “perfect behavior”—it teaches it.
• Exclusion removes opportunities for skill-building.
• Inclusive classrooms benefit from proactive, not reactive, behavior support.
• Belonging is a protective factor against behavioral escalation.
• The longer a student is excluded, the harder it is to return.
Training for School Districts! 🤩 https://www.inclusiveschooling.com/bh360

07/18/2025

FREE Zoom Special Education Fundamentals Course by The Law Office of Matthew Storey, APC... Wednesday, August 20th at 5:30pm REGISTER NOW! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WRJELbR9Qxu4CJhlAuomWQ?fbclid=IwY2xjawLnmuJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGemxFWUVVV2lXTU9xTXZCAR52TIJnC7r6gBwb4LhKXjIOocBa4-6sYM0ElePnlGr5p16bVvCXIxnThHrTbQ_aem_uFERJB9oLlaLFlAvCXWPmQ #/registration

🌟 Join us for a Special Education Fundamentals Course! 🌟

📅 Date: 8/20/2025
🕒 Time: 5:30 PM
💻 Via Zoom

This is a fantastic opportunity for parents and providers to dive deep into the IEP process and learn how to become a stronger advocate for their child. Don’t miss out on this empowering session! 💪✨

🔗 Save the date and share with others who might benefit!

Registration link in our Bio!

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WRJELbR9Qxu4CJhlAuomWQ

                                 

07/18/2025

Do schools have to offer inclusive extended school year? 😄 Thank you for this great video Undivided: Supporting Parents Raising Kids with Disabilities, Vanaman German LLP and Disability Rights California. 💖

Join Undivided’s Karen Cull as she engages in a candid conversation with David German, Partner at Vanaman German, and Melinda Bird, Senior Litigation Counsel...

07/17/2025

Shooting Stars Special Needs Group be sure to register for Basketball TODAY!!! The deadline for basketball uniforms is July 31, 2025. The Volunteer and New Parent Orientation and Uniform Handout is on 8/24. Register here: https://www.shootingstarsgroup.org/activities/basketball/
And use these instructions for registration and payment here:
https://www.shootingstarsgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Registration-Instructions-2025.pdf.

Shooting Stars-Basketball is a vendored activity through the San Diego Regional Center(vendor PY3958, service code 008, dates 9/7 through 11/2). SDRC should be able to assist you with the registration fees. Please get started with your regional center service coordinator (or independent facilitator for self-determination families) as soon as possible, as approval can take some time.

Even if you are going through SDRC for payment, you still need to register using the link above.

Any questions, call Coach Rick
760 504-7242

Join us for our upcoming 19th season. Registration now open! Come join us for our 19th exciting season of Shooting Stars basketball. Our 9-week program offers our special needs participants the ability to learn the basics and teamwork of basketball in a fun and welcoming environment! We pair up volu...

07/17/2025

The Law Office of Matthew Storey, APC

06/18/2025

Shooting Stars Special Needs Group 3-day Tennis 🎾 starts in just in 6 days! Registration is still open at https://www.shootingstarsgroup.org/activities/summer-activities/.
Contact the amazing Coach Rick with any questions!
760-504-7242
Monday 6/23 to Wednesday 6/25
10:30-11:45am for beginners
12:30-1:45pm for folks with some experience
MiraCosta College 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside, CA

So many options, see below for more info... Tennis Anyone? 3-Day Tennis Clinic! Would you like to learn how to play the game of tennis? Our experienced coaches will work with participants on the fundamentals of the game and help develop current skills at our 3-day camp/event. The participants will l...