F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. -- Did you know one in 10 military children have special educational or healthcare needs? Many of these children need an Individualized Education Program or an Individual Family Service Plan, and others may need a special accommodation plan.

The Specialized Training of Military Parents is an organization dedicated to address the needs of military families who have family members with special medical or educational needs.

A STOMP, two-day workshop takes place May 1-2 at the Fall Hall Community Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

The workshop will cover the areas of Parent Rights and Responsibilities with regard to the Individuals with Disabilities Act, IEPs, the TRICARE program, the Extended Care Health Option, and the Department of Defense Education Activity system in both the Continental United States and outside the Continental United States. Special emphasis is placed on collaboration and communication between families and the professionals who support them.

"We have a special understanding of the challenges families face when they have a family member with disabilities or special needs and have to move from place to place or face deployments," said Heather Hebdon, Director for STOMP. "Our staff members have family members with disabilities and we have all dealt with the challenges and joys that come with military life."

STOMP is a parent-directed program that exists to empower military parents, individuals with disabilities and service providers with the knowledge, skills and resources they might need to create a collaborative environment for family and professional partnerships without regard to geographic location.


The training is beneficial for those who are part of a military family with a child with special needs, educators of children with special needs, and professionals that work with families and children with special needs.

STOMP was established in 1985 and has been recognized as the premiere resource for families within the military who have children, youth, and adult family members who have disabilities and other special education/medical issues. For more information about STOMP, or to talk with one of their staff members, call 1-800-572-7368 or visit their website at www.stompproject.org