Florida Department of Education - Bureau of Exceptional Student Education (BESE)
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
(850) 245-0475
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/
BESE Publications: http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pub-home.asp
BESE Projects
Please note that BESE Projects often change. See BESE Discretionary Grant Project Descriptions for a complete and current list.
Access Project
The Access Project focuses on strategies and supports that align with the Florida Standards access points. The project provides professional development regarding appropriate supports and strategies for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The project also supports alternate assessment activities that align instruction with assessment, as needed.
Accommodations and Modifications for Students with Disabilities
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/accomm-educator.pdfl
Arts4All
Arts4All is a statewide support network responsible for the implementation of arts programs to ensure inclusion, learning and success through the arts for all students.
Website: https://www.arts4allflorida.org/
Centers for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD)
The Centers for Autism & Related Disabilities are located at seven state universities and provide community-based information and consultation to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities, their families, and school districts.
Contacts: http://florida-card.org/
Websites:
Critical Initiatives in Visual Impairment Project (CIVI)
This project provides teacher training that addresses the critical shortage of highly qualified personnel; effective practices in braille instruction; and the effective use of residual vision for learning by using low vision devices.
Website: www.careersinblindness.com
Contact: Jennifer Coburn, Jennifer.Coburn@fldoe.org
Educational Interpreters Project
Florida's Educational Interpreters Project is a state-funded initiative to improve the skills of K-12 interpreters and transliterators working with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Website: http://www.unf.edu/interpreterproject/
Exceptional Student Education Parent Survey Project
The purpose of this project is to provide support to the Florida Department of Education in meeting the requirements of Indicator 8 of the State Performance Plan.
Website: http://www.education.miami.edu/organization/organizations_Detail.asp?Organization_ID=124
Family Café (Cooperation, Advocacy, Friendship, and Empowerment)
The Family Café exists to provide individuals with disabilities and their families with an opportunity for collaboration, advocacy, friendship and empowerment by serving as a facilitator of communication, a space for dialogue and a source of information.
Website: http://www.familycafe.net/
Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System Associate Centers (FDLRS)
The FDLRS Associate Centers provide diagnostic and instructional support services to district exceptional student education programs and families of students with exceptionalities statewide.
Website: http://www.fdlrs.org
FDLRS Multidisciplinary Educational Service Centers
This network of six regional Multidisciplinary Educational Services Centers provide a range of services for pre-school and school-aged children, including diagnostic and evaluation services, related medical management, consultation services, pre-service and in-service training.
Websites: http://www.fdlrs.org/
Florida Inclusion Network (FIN)
FIN provides learning opportunities, consultation, information, and support to educators, families, and community members resulting in the inclusion of all students.
Website: http://www.floridainclusionnetwork.com
Institute for Small and Rural Districts (ISRD)
The mission of ISRD is to improve outcomes for students with disabilities in the thirty-four small and rural school districts through staff development, information dissemination, technical assistance, product development, and support for district initiatives.
Website: http://www.nefec.org/isrd/
Learning through Listening Project (LtL)
The purpose of this project is to provide digital audio textbooks and equipment to students who cannot read standard print due to visual, perceptual, physical, or learning disabilities. The project also facilitates support services and training to administrators, teachers, parents, and students on the use of this technology provided by Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
Website: http://www.learningthroughlistening.org
Multiagency Network for Students with Severe Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (SEDNET)
SEDNET is devoted to facilitating the creation of a comprehensive "system of care" for high-risk students and students with emotional/behavioral disabilities and their families.
Website: http://www.sednetfl.info/
Parents Educating Parents in the Community (PEP)
PEP provides information, training, and support to parents of children with disabilities in select isolated, rural areas of Florida.
Website: http://fndfl.org/programs/pep-parents-educating-parents-in-the-community.aspx
Positive Behavior Support (PBS)
PBS provides a positive and effective alternative to the traditional methods of discipline. PBS methods are research-based and proven to significantly reduce the occurrence of problem behaviors in the school, resulting in a more positive school climate and increased academic performance.
Website: http://flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu
Project 10: Transition Education Network
The mission of Project 10: Transition Education Network, hereinafter referred to as "Project 10," is to assist Florida school districts and relevant stakeholders in building capacity to provide secondary transition services to students with disabilities in order to improve their academic success and post-school outcomes.
Website: http://www.project10.info
