The National Center on Dispute Resolution in Special Education

"Encouraging the use of mediation and other collaborative strategies to resolve disagreements about special
education and early intervention programs."

Since 1983, Joicey has worked on various TA projects at FPG's Child Development Center, which have supported the development of comprehensive services for young children with special needs and their families. Her special interests and expertise include family-centered services, service coordination systems, and procedural safeguards. In this context, she has pursued interests in mediation and other alternative dispute resolution procedures. She believes that service systems with conflict prevention and informal problem-solving mechanisms, (in addition to the formal complaint processes) will be better able to support partnerships among service providers and families, which result in more effective services and better outcomes for young children.

For the past several years, Joicey has been working in collaboration with Josephine Gittler, Professor of Law and Director of the Conflict Management Institute (CMI), University of Iowa, to adapt CMI's training programs on problem-solving negotiation for early intervention. They have provided training to groups of early intervention service providers, Part C Coordinators, ICC Chairs, and families, who are included in all training activities. The following selected publications further describe these interests:

Hurth, J. L. (1998) Mediation in Early intervention: Results of a national survey of the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities in 50 states. Part C Updates. 41-42. National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Gittler, J., & Hurth, J.L. (1998). Conflict management in early intervention: Procedural safeguards and mediation. Infants & Young Children, 11 (1), 15-27.

Gittler, J., & Hurth, J.L. (1998). Conflict management in early intervention: Problem-solving negotiation. Infants & Young Children, 11 (1), 28-36

Hurth, JL & Goff, Paula. (1996) Assuring the Family's Role on the Early Intervention Team: Explaining Rights and Safeguards. National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

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