Click on a title below to learn more about our projects.
Students Teaching Advocacy through Mentoring Program (STAMP)
We are incredibly excited to announce a new program of LDA and that will kick off with the Learning Disabilities Association of New Jersey (LDANJ) as the pilot state! Students Teaching Advocacy through Mentoring Program (STAMP) will reach students from elementary school through post-secondary and will include online as well as in-person, local components. STAMP will be offered as a benefit of LDA membership in New Jersey, and in more states as the program expands.
Goals of STAMP
STAMPNJ wants to help to “stamp out” feelings of shame and lack of information about learning disabilities. Mentoring students so they can recognize, accept and understand their learning disability and providing outreach to parents, teachers, school administrators, etc. about learning disabilities and supports, accommodations, and interventions that have been successful from a student’s perspective are the first steps to success.
STAMPNJ will help students with learning disabilities to:
- Build self-esteem and confidence
- Learn about learning disabilities
- Recognize they are not alone
- Learn self-advocacy skills
- Expand communication skills
- Build friendships and network
Activities
The STAMPNJ Leaders are a group of middle, high school, and post-secondary students who speak about their own learning disabilities, the importance of self-advocacy, and the value of assistive technologies.
- Leaders present at national and regional conferences, colleges and universities, as well as to school districts. Leaders have the opportunity to build their advocacy skills thru STAMPNJ.
- STAMPNJ Leaders will also share their struggles, successes, and experiences directly with students during individual coaching and the four annual STAMPNJ events held during the school year.
- Parents will have the opportunity to attend information presentations at each event and will have the chance to network with other parents. Other parent support groups will be provided during the school year.
To get involved in STAMPNJ
For more information please contact us at: [email protected]
Healthy Children Project
LDANJ is a partner member of the coalition of LDA Affiliates that works with the Healthy Children Project.
Goals of the Healthy Children Project
• raise awareness of environmental factors, particularly toxic chemicals, that can harm brain development, contributing to learning disabilities and behavior disorders.
• promote policies and practices to prevent toxic chemical exposures, especially among pregnant women and children.
• build a nationwide network of LDA members working to protect children’s health and reduce toxic exposures that may lead to learning disabilities in current and future generations.
According to a 2011 report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 6 American children were diagnosed with a learning or developmental disability in 2008. The National Academy of Sciences estimates that environmental factors, including toxic chemicals, cause or contribute to at least a quarter of learning and developmental disabilities in American children. In recent decades, scientists have learned that the developing human brain is much more susceptible to toxic substances than the adult brain and that certain chemicals can have a profound effect on the developing brain at levels that were once thought to be safe.
Together we can make a difference!