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BEND - Oregon State University will team with a federal project called Rural Links to offer a simulation workshop for professionals, family leaders, and others who deal with families that have children with special needs.

The event is called "Navigating the Resource Maze: A Simulation of Resource Finding for Families of Young Children with Special Needs." It will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, May 19, at Amity Creek Elementary School, 437 N.W. Wall St. in Bend.

To register for the event, call Candace Brey at OSU-Cascades Campus at 541-322-3134, or e-mail OSU professor Sharon Rosenkoetter at sharon.rosenkoetter@oregonstate.edu

More than 10 Central Oregon agencies will send representatives to the workshop. Participants will assume the role of family members and resolve challenging issues by conferring with each other, and with area service providers.

Goals of the simulation include:

• Sensitizing professionals and family leaders to the persistent challenges faced by families of children with disabilities;
• Exploring the financial demands of disabilities, development delays, or serious health issues - especially on family budgets;
• Analyzing the contribution of family service coordinators as they help families discover available resources;
• Increasing the knowledge of available services for children with special needs in Central Oregon.

The simulation has been presented at two international meetings and six state meetings. It was developed by the OSU Extension Service.