You never age out of Our Place
Day program, started by parents, helps young people with developmental disabilities build social skills
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-x-n-wilmette-our-place-20101117,0,5165944,full.story
Travis Tassone stood in the center of the room and crooned an Elvis tune for his teenage friends when it happened, again.
"Toenails!" he blurted. He clapped his hands to his mouth. He was trying so hard not to say that word. It's one of those expressions — like "Merry Christmas" — that he says compulsively.
"I'm sorry …" he said.
Life is filled with such small struggles at Our Place, a day program in downtown Wilmette for young people with developmental disabilities. The program was started almost two years ago by parents who saw a gap in social services and filled it.
Tassone, 19, has Down syndrome. More than two dozen other young adults in the program have autism, cerebral palsy and other conditions from birth that leave them with no clear path for jobs and housing.
Increasingly, parents frustrated with the state's waiting lists and funding woes are forming nonprofit corporations such as Our Place of New Trier Township to keep their children busy and closer to home. Special education services end when students reach 22, leaving few options for young adults with disabilities in Illinois.
Jane Gallery, of Winnetka, enlisted the help of others and modeled the program after a community senior citizen center. Other families have formed "microboards" that focus attention on one individual's needs, or cooperatives that involve several families.
The common goal is to form a circle of support that involves family members, friends and service providers who determine how to help the young people succeed and enjoy their lives.
Otherwise, "when you turned 22, you stayed home and watched television," Gallery said. "That's what my son was doing."
Her son, Frank Craven, had experienced the best special education services that New Trier Township High School had to offer, but Gallery knew the day would come when he aged out of programs that gave his life meaning. She could drive him an hour away from his community to participate in a factory-type work program, but what he really needs, she said, is to improve his social skills and find a job closer to home.
Our Place is a safe setting to work on such challenges.
"It reminds me very much of how the whole movement for providing services for people with developmental disabilities started in the 1950s," said Sandy Ryan, director of program and policy for the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. "There was nothing. So families got together in church basements out of necessity and started programs."
Our Place focuses on improving social skills through recreation and community service, with a goal to add vocational training. Located at the Community Church of Wilmette, the program quickly attracted 30 participants and saw its budget surge from $25,000 in 2009 to $150,000 this year, Gallery said.
The program's after-school hours have been especially helpful for single parents, including Vickie Tassone. Her son, Travis, stays busy with Special Olympics and a part-time job, but he had no place to relax with friends after school.
"All the other kids his age are hanging out doing sports," Tassone said. "Our Place just opened that up for kids with special needs. There was never that venue for them, to have a safe place for him to be and to be supervised."
One afternoon, Craven played a North Shore version of Monopoly with friends. He purchased the Baha'i Temple for $3 in fake money and landed on Winnetka Sidewalk Sales a minute later.
Across from him, John Merrill, 22, clutched a clipboard tightly to his chest. Like Tassone, he obsesses on certain tasks and words, which are contained in a list on his clipboard. He checks off each one when he uses up his daily allotment.
Nearby, John Lee, 18, waited his turn for Wii bowling, rocking gently on his heels, making fluttering movements with his hands and smiling broadly. His mother was nervous about signing him up for the program but gradually increased one-hour visits to longer stays because he was so happy there.
"There is always that sense of relief on my part because socializing is not as easy for children on the (autism) spectrum," said Jane Heine, of Wilmette. "John is a sweet boy and so kind, but sensory-wise, a busy place can be distracting."
Organizers hope to immerse the young adults in community life, bringing them into downtown shops and helping them find their niche in work and recreation. One young man, for instance, works part-time at a bank where he verifies information on loan documents because he is good with numbers.
Gallery's son, now 23, has always been shy. "It used to be like pulling teeth to get him to talk about his day," she said. "Now he initiates conversation."
Private donations, fundraisers and grants have helped Our Place afford to hire several staff members and to pay rent for church space. Volunteers from the area high schools help lead activities, which include art classes, poetry readings, trips to the beach and gardening. The participants, age 16 and older, pay a fee to enroll in 10-week sessions that are offered from noon to 6 p.m. weekdays, along with a Saturday social.
No one will grow too old to visit Our Place, as it is intended to form lasting social ties.
Stacia Swan, program director, has worked hard to let the young people know what to expect at Our Place. Every day begins with a warm-up song before participants separate into groups that rotate among activities. Each session ends with gentle yoga and breathing exercises.
Swan is mindful that these are young adults, and resists any urge to talk down to them or lead activities that are intended for young children.
During "circle time," Swan talks about relationships, dating and other more personal issues. A poster displayed on the wall depicts proper social norms, such as when to greet people with a hug, half-hug or handshake.
"Transitions are hard," said Swan, who eases tension if she notices someone is anxious or troubled. "Structure is so important to them."
For instance, one young man refrained from joining the group one day last week when all moved outdoors. He stood close to the building, checking his watch every few minutes, while others played a raucous game involving a parachute and beach balls. A volunteer gently prodded him to join the others, but did not force him to participate.
Slowly, he edged closer to the others. He checked his watch one more time. And then joined in.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Thanksgiving comes early for Dexter Middle students
Thanksgiving comes early for Dexter Middle students
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_16630627
WHITTIER - Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade special education students at Dexter Middle School celebrated an early Thanksgiving on campus Tuesday, part of an annual tradition that prepares them for the holiday ahead.
For some of the students, whose disabilities run the gamut from autism to auditory processing disorders, it's the only chance they'll have to enjoy a formal holiday sit-down with friends, said Special Day Class teacher Judith Ledon-Piñon.
But it takes weeks of preparation. Eighth-graders helped teachers shop for supplies and work out budgets at the grocery store. Classroom lessons this month were geared toward teaching manners, courtesy, responsibility, and treating others with respect.
"In special education, you either have parents who are very involved with them and parents who aren't involved at all," said Ledon-Piñon, who planned the dinner with fellow special education teachers Fred Eldridge and Mario Malagon.
"So we wanted to create an environment where the kids can grow and be successful as a family," she added. "That way, when they're in high school, they can look out for each other, have someone to depend on."
Nearly 50 students filed into the school cafeteria Wednesday afternoon for a huge meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, rolls and fruit salad.
And as they sat with their fellow classmates, they practiced their table manners, like asking to be excused before getting up from their seats and passing items to each other in a clockwise direction.
"I think this is a good way to show our manners," said seventh-grader Marie Aranki, 13. "But my favorite part of this is eating the food."
The WorkAbility program at Whittier High, which seeks to help disabled students transition to independent lives after school, donated the turkeys and also provided weekly lessons for the students.
But for Dexter Principal Diana Kinnart, watching the students excitedly interact with each other while enjoying their meals nearly brought tears to her eyes.
"Our teachers are not only teaching the academics, but they're going above and beyond with programs like this," said Kinnart. "They know many of these students don't have the opportunity to do this on their own."
Read more: Thanksgiving comes early for Dexter Middle students - Whittier Daily News http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_16630627#ixzz17T6EA6jm
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_16630627
WHITTIER - Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade special education students at Dexter Middle School celebrated an early Thanksgiving on campus Tuesday, part of an annual tradition that prepares them for the holiday ahead.
For some of the students, whose disabilities run the gamut from autism to auditory processing disorders, it's the only chance they'll have to enjoy a formal holiday sit-down with friends, said Special Day Class teacher Judith Ledon-Piñon.
But it takes weeks of preparation. Eighth-graders helped teachers shop for supplies and work out budgets at the grocery store. Classroom lessons this month were geared toward teaching manners, courtesy, responsibility, and treating others with respect.
"In special education, you either have parents who are very involved with them and parents who aren't involved at all," said Ledon-Piñon, who planned the dinner with fellow special education teachers Fred Eldridge and Mario Malagon.
"So we wanted to create an environment where the kids can grow and be successful as a family," she added. "That way, when they're in high school, they can look out for each other, have someone to depend on."
Nearly 50 students filed into the school cafeteria Wednesday afternoon for a huge meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, rolls and fruit salad.
And as they sat with their fellow classmates, they practiced their table manners, like asking to be excused before getting up from their seats and passing items to each other in a clockwise direction.
"I think this is a good way to show our manners," said seventh-grader Marie Aranki, 13. "But my favorite part of this is eating the food."
The WorkAbility program at Whittier High, which seeks to help disabled students transition to independent lives after school, donated the turkeys and also provided weekly lessons for the students.
But for Dexter Principal Diana Kinnart, watching the students excitedly interact with each other while enjoying their meals nearly brought tears to her eyes.
"Our teachers are not only teaching the academics, but they're going above and beyond with programs like this," said Kinnart. "They know many of these students don't have the opportunity to do this on their own."
Read more: Thanksgiving comes early for Dexter Middle students - Whittier Daily News http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_16630627#ixzz17T6EA6jm
Disability Summit Promotes Self-Advocacy
Disability Summit Promotes Self-Advocacy
Staunton, Va.
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/Disability_Summit_Promotes_Self-Advocacy_108269669.html?ref=669
It's a conference empowering disabled people to advocate for changes they want to see, and about 85 teens and young adults are meeting in Staunton Monday and Tuesday for that purpose.
The individuals have intellectual, physical, emotional or learning disabilities, but they say, no matter what the disability, they all have the same goal.
Tori Saylor is a 25 year old who works at a vet's office in Harrisonburg.
She has Aspergers and says this youth summit has empowered her to be a self-advocate.
"Your disability is a part of you, but it's not the whole you. And so being proud of it just opens your eyes to a whole new world," says Saylor.
Matthew Shapiro,a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University, has cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair all his life.
He says it's frustrating to see people working on legislation or change who don't have a disability.
"And they try and tell us what we need, but they have no idea what I, as a person in a wheelchair, go through on a daily basis," says Shapiro.
He says things like easier accessibility help, but awareness is key.
"If you don't know that much about disabilities, it doesn't help if you know, down the road we need you to do something," says Shapiro.
Both Saylor and Shapiro say they want to be in classrooms and workplaces with others, because while they may have disabilities, they do have other strengths.
"There's a lot of talk about inclusion and including everybody. And it's not just helping us understand our disability, but it's helping them understand us and helping us understand them, so it helps all of us," says Saylor.
"People with disabilities can do amazing things, if we're given a fair chance to do them," says Shapiro.
Many of the youth at the conference say the event is also opening their eyes to services available to them.
Staunton, Va.
http://www.whsv.com/news/headlines/Disability_Summit_Promotes_Self-Advocacy_108269669.html?ref=669
It's a conference empowering disabled people to advocate for changes they want to see, and about 85 teens and young adults are meeting in Staunton Monday and Tuesday for that purpose.
The individuals have intellectual, physical, emotional or learning disabilities, but they say, no matter what the disability, they all have the same goal.
Tori Saylor is a 25 year old who works at a vet's office in Harrisonburg.
She has Aspergers and says this youth summit has empowered her to be a self-advocate.
"Your disability is a part of you, but it's not the whole you. And so being proud of it just opens your eyes to a whole new world," says Saylor.
Matthew Shapiro,a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University, has cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair all his life.
He says it's frustrating to see people working on legislation or change who don't have a disability.
"And they try and tell us what we need, but they have no idea what I, as a person in a wheelchair, go through on a daily basis," says Shapiro.
He says things like easier accessibility help, but awareness is key.
"If you don't know that much about disabilities, it doesn't help if you know, down the road we need you to do something," says Shapiro.
Both Saylor and Shapiro say they want to be in classrooms and workplaces with others, because while they may have disabilities, they do have other strengths.
"There's a lot of talk about inclusion and including everybody. And it's not just helping us understand our disability, but it's helping them understand us and helping us understand them, so it helps all of us," says Saylor.
"People with disabilities can do amazing things, if we're given a fair chance to do them," says Shapiro.
Many of the youth at the conference say the event is also opening their eyes to services available to them.
UMFS day school's expansion gives students more options
UMFS day school's expansion gives students more options
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/nov/09/umfs09-ar-640281/
Richmond, Va. --
Goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic.
Before this year, you wouldn't have heard Kivon Matthews, 16, talking about foods like that, much less cooking with them.
Now she has expanded her horizons in a new culinary program at Charterhouse Day School at UMFS (United Methodist Family Services), part of an expansion that more than doubled the school's space and increased enrollment by more than half.
"We cook things we didn't know about before," Matthews said. She added that even if nonculinary student Chris Martin, 15, turned up his nose at anything involving olive oil, she liked it.
When the school's new space is celebrated today on the UMFS grounds with a keynote speech by Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, an open house will feature dishes prepared by Matthews and others in the new culinary program.
They have made country ham biscuits with orange and honey butter; tarragon chicken salad; roast beef and cheddar rolls; hummus served with vegetables and pita; mushroom tarts; and platters of domestic and imported cheeses, including marinated goat cheese.
One classroom will be filled with desserts like the seven-layer cookies that Matthews was making in a Friday "bake-a-thon" under the direction of culinary instructor Marie Fitzgerald.
"My day-school kids are awesome," Fitzgerald said. "There are no discipline problems. They get to cook. They get to eat. They're awesome."
Charterhouse Day School offers specialized education for middle school and high school students who aren't successful in a traditional school setting. Each classroom has a teacher and a behavioral specialist to deal with issues that range from learning disabilities to emotional disturbances to Asperger's syndrome. Before the expansion, the school had 25 to 27 students; now it has 42.
The $210,000 renovation created five classrooms in two UMFS cottages that most recently had been used by a program for senior citizens with Alzheimer's disease. Space increased from 5,000 to 11,300 square feet.
A new cosmetology program teaches work-related skills, much as the culinary program does. Cosmetology facilities are within the new school space, while the culinary program uses the kitchen in the UMFS dining hall.
UMFS also has a residential treatment program for 24 young people. About 285 active senior citizens live in Guardian Place apartments on campus.
Other services include foster-care programs, adoption services, intensive behavioral treatment, school-based services, and Project LIFE to prepare students for independent living as they age out of the foster-care system.
The new day-school facilities got a thumbs-up from several students last week.
Martin especially liked the new computer lab, which includes an interactive electronic whiteboard that he described as being like a game show set.
Norman Browning, 13, was also impressed: "It's a lot nicer than the old building."
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/nov/09/umfs09-ar-640281/
Richmond, Va. --
Goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and garlic.
Before this year, you wouldn't have heard Kivon Matthews, 16, talking about foods like that, much less cooking with them.
Now she has expanded her horizons in a new culinary program at Charterhouse Day School at UMFS (United Methodist Family Services), part of an expansion that more than doubled the school's space and increased enrollment by more than half.
"We cook things we didn't know about before," Matthews said. She added that even if nonculinary student Chris Martin, 15, turned up his nose at anything involving olive oil, she liked it.
When the school's new space is celebrated today on the UMFS grounds with a keynote speech by Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, an open house will feature dishes prepared by Matthews and others in the new culinary program.
They have made country ham biscuits with orange and honey butter; tarragon chicken salad; roast beef and cheddar rolls; hummus served with vegetables and pita; mushroom tarts; and platters of domestic and imported cheeses, including marinated goat cheese.
One classroom will be filled with desserts like the seven-layer cookies that Matthews was making in a Friday "bake-a-thon" under the direction of culinary instructor Marie Fitzgerald.
"My day-school kids are awesome," Fitzgerald said. "There are no discipline problems. They get to cook. They get to eat. They're awesome."
Charterhouse Day School offers specialized education for middle school and high school students who aren't successful in a traditional school setting. Each classroom has a teacher and a behavioral specialist to deal with issues that range from learning disabilities to emotional disturbances to Asperger's syndrome. Before the expansion, the school had 25 to 27 students; now it has 42.
The $210,000 renovation created five classrooms in two UMFS cottages that most recently had been used by a program for senior citizens with Alzheimer's disease. Space increased from 5,000 to 11,300 square feet.
A new cosmetology program teaches work-related skills, much as the culinary program does. Cosmetology facilities are within the new school space, while the culinary program uses the kitchen in the UMFS dining hall.
UMFS also has a residential treatment program for 24 young people. About 285 active senior citizens live in Guardian Place apartments on campus.
Other services include foster-care programs, adoption services, intensive behavioral treatment, school-based services, and Project LIFE to prepare students for independent living as they age out of the foster-care system.
The new day-school facilities got a thumbs-up from several students last week.
Martin especially liked the new computer lab, which includes an interactive electronic whiteboard that he described as being like a game show set.
Norman Browning, 13, was also impressed: "It's a lot nicer than the old building."
Monday, November 8, 2010
Special-ed grads to get new path at UA
Program will extend learning, build skills for living, employment
Special-ed grads to get new path at UA
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/education/college/article_a36b8608-7fee-5be9-b4ae-cd2a0e07d780.html
The first generation of special-education students with individualized learning plans that allowed them to be included in high school classrooms is graduating.
Now they have a new option: college.
Beginning next summer, Tucson students with intellectual disabilities can attend a University of Arizona certificate program.
They'll get help paying for college and support for the transition to college life.
This new effort is called Project FOCUS (Focusing Opportunities with Community and University Support).
It's about academic learning, the campus social experience and skills for independent work and living.
The U.S. Department of Education is funding it with $2.5 million over five years as one of 27 model projects nationwide. Partners in the effort are the Tucson Unified School District and the UA's College of Education.
The UA has long had special resources for disabled students on campus, "but now we're talking about students with more significant types of intellectual disabilities to have the same opportunities, to be on campus, to enroll in a class, and to be part of the University of Arizona community," said Dan Perino, who leads the Tucson Unified School District's Community Transition Programs.
And that's a real first for Tucson students, he said.
Changed outlook
The program won't start until summer, but Tucson families already are changing their expectations about sending their disabled children to college.
Steve Cox, whose 20-year-old son has Asperger syndrome, always thought his son would go to college after Rincon High School, but he hadn't quite figured out how to make it work.
"There are lots of educational opportunities at the U of A that he could take advantage of," Cox said, "but he does need quite a bit more support than what other kinds of kids need."
Cathy Sweeney said she wishes the program had been around when her daughter graduated from Sahuaro High School.
Her daughter Kelly, 27, has Down syndrome, and she was included in regular high school classes, usually with an introductory message to the class from her mom.
Kelly wanted to go to college along with her peers, maybe to study art, but she didn't want her mom talking to her classes anymore, and she had a bad experience when she tried a community college class.
"That's why I'm so excited for this program," Cathy Sweeney said. "It's just exactly what we could have used as a family."
Kelly is experiencing campus life in an office job at the UA, but she talks about going back to college.
"These students coming out of high school are going to have the support to make this dream a reality," Cathy Sweeney said.
Entering adult life
Project FOCUS evolved from TUSD's Community Transition Programs, which help young adults move on from the extra support they receive in high school to life as a working adult.
About 6,000 students districtwide have intellectual disabilities, said Perino, with the TUSD transition programs.
Options after high school are limited for many, said Stephanie MacFarland, from the UA Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies.
"There is a lack of services once they leave the public school system," she said.
The young adults might struggle with work or might not enter the work force at all, instead choosing a group day-care program.
College is a new option for a few.
Next summer, 10 students ages 18 to 21 will participate in orientation and take a class about life at the UA.
Then next fall, the students will take classes part time, with a scholarship paying for half of the classes in that first semester.
What classes they take in the two-year program is up to the students, MacFarland said, but they'd ideally be linked to a job path.
Up to 50 students will participate over five years.
Special-ed grads to get new path at UA
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/education/college/article_a36b8608-7fee-5be9-b4ae-cd2a0e07d780.html
The first generation of special-education students with individualized learning plans that allowed them to be included in high school classrooms is graduating.
Now they have a new option: college.
Beginning next summer, Tucson students with intellectual disabilities can attend a University of Arizona certificate program.
They'll get help paying for college and support for the transition to college life.
This new effort is called Project FOCUS (Focusing Opportunities with Community and University Support).
It's about academic learning, the campus social experience and skills for independent work and living.
The U.S. Department of Education is funding it with $2.5 million over five years as one of 27 model projects nationwide. Partners in the effort are the Tucson Unified School District and the UA's College of Education.
The UA has long had special resources for disabled students on campus, "but now we're talking about students with more significant types of intellectual disabilities to have the same opportunities, to be on campus, to enroll in a class, and to be part of the University of Arizona community," said Dan Perino, who leads the Tucson Unified School District's Community Transition Programs.
And that's a real first for Tucson students, he said.
Changed outlook
The program won't start until summer, but Tucson families already are changing their expectations about sending their disabled children to college.
Steve Cox, whose 20-year-old son has Asperger syndrome, always thought his son would go to college after Rincon High School, but he hadn't quite figured out how to make it work.
"There are lots of educational opportunities at the U of A that he could take advantage of," Cox said, "but he does need quite a bit more support than what other kinds of kids need."
Cathy Sweeney said she wishes the program had been around when her daughter graduated from Sahuaro High School.
Her daughter Kelly, 27, has Down syndrome, and she was included in regular high school classes, usually with an introductory message to the class from her mom.
Kelly wanted to go to college along with her peers, maybe to study art, but she didn't want her mom talking to her classes anymore, and she had a bad experience when she tried a community college class.
"That's why I'm so excited for this program," Cathy Sweeney said. "It's just exactly what we could have used as a family."
Kelly is experiencing campus life in an office job at the UA, but she talks about going back to college.
"These students coming out of high school are going to have the support to make this dream a reality," Cathy Sweeney said.
Entering adult life
Project FOCUS evolved from TUSD's Community Transition Programs, which help young adults move on from the extra support they receive in high school to life as a working adult.
About 6,000 students districtwide have intellectual disabilities, said Perino, with the TUSD transition programs.
Options after high school are limited for many, said Stephanie MacFarland, from the UA Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies.
"There is a lack of services once they leave the public school system," she said.
The young adults might struggle with work or might not enter the work force at all, instead choosing a group day-care program.
College is a new option for a few.
Next summer, 10 students ages 18 to 21 will participate in orientation and take a class about life at the UA.
Then next fall, the students will take classes part time, with a scholarship paying for half of the classes in that first semester.
What classes they take in the two-year program is up to the students, MacFarland said, but they'd ideally be linked to a job path.
Up to 50 students will participate over five years.
New apartment classroom gives students life lessons
New apartment classroom gives students life lessons
By Sharon Roznik
This school year is different for Tamika Moody. She wakes up with a smile on her face, eager to get to her classroom.
“She’s motivated, has a sense of belonging,” said Aricka Moody of her 18-year-old daughter.
As a young adult with cerebral palsy, Tamika joins six other adult students learning life skills in the Fond du Lac School District’s new CWD (Children With Disabilities) apartment classroom.
Opened this fall, the two-bedroom apartment housed at Riverside Elementary School is the shining star in a new program called Cardinal Working Independently Nurturing Goals for Success (WINGS).
Curriculum developed for the program is based on helping cognitively disabled students develop the life skills they need to become independent, said John Whitsett, director of curriculum and instruction.
“We are pretty proud of the way this program has developed since it addresses a clear need and involves the district, the community, county and city agencies, and most importantly, the students. The facility will be an excellent teaching station for students who certainly have a clear need,” he said.
Transition period
By state law, school districts are required to provide services for children with disabilities up to age 21.
“Obviously, this is a small segment of students, 10 at the most,” Whitsett said. “What they really need is to have a transition period into the community. In the past, they’ve always had a program but a lot of the things they were doing were more activities, not really focused on a final goal.
The school district’s maintenance staff spent 2½ months transforming an old lockerroom into a 1,300-square-foot apartment that contains an open concept living room, kitchen and dining room, laundry room, bathroom, bedroom, and second bedroom that serves as a classroom.
“During construction, the students were housed in a nearby classroom. They kept an eye on the progress, looking through the window each morning and asking my staff how it was going. They were so excited watching it come together,” said John Williams, the district’s coordinator of facility services.
Instructor Val Lenz describes her new teaching facility as “beyond her wildest dreams.” Her teaching team includes instructional assistant Yvonne Blackburn.
“Every day, I see improvement. They are learning about everything: how to vacuum, fill a dishwasher, wash windows and make beds, put away groceries and plan meals — all basic skills for functional living,” Lenz said.
The apartment’s proximity to the district’s Community Aquatic Center has also led to swimming classes — something new for two of the students, who had never learned how to swim. The young adults also have access to the gym and tennis courts, along with YMCA memberships.
Collaboration
One of the most significant parts of the project is the collaboration with Fond du Lac County Rehabilitative Services, Diverse Options in Ripon, an integrated employment specialist, and other outside agencies that place students in jobs, Lenz said. Already, two students are employed part-time in the community.
“That’s the goal, for every student to spend part of the day in employment,” she said.
The program provides as many opportunities as possible so that once students graduate, they can make their own decisions related to employment, social, health and daily living skills.
Aricka Moody said her daughter will be working at St. Peter’s Place two hours a day and learning how to take a cab to and from work.
“Tamika now gets up in the morning and tries to make her bed, something she never did before. She finally, just started dressing herself. Living in a home setting, she has gained so much self-worth knowing she can do more. It’s been phenomenal,” she said.
During a recent tour, School Board members and administrators were treated to a meal students helped prepare.
“It was a great opportunity for us to interact, and for me, a very rewarding experience,” Williams said.
By Sharon Roznik
This school year is different for Tamika Moody. She wakes up with a smile on her face, eager to get to her classroom.
“She’s motivated, has a sense of belonging,” said Aricka Moody of her 18-year-old daughter.
As a young adult with cerebral palsy, Tamika joins six other adult students learning life skills in the Fond du Lac School District’s new CWD (Children With Disabilities) apartment classroom.
Opened this fall, the two-bedroom apartment housed at Riverside Elementary School is the shining star in a new program called Cardinal Working Independently Nurturing Goals for Success (WINGS).
Curriculum developed for the program is based on helping cognitively disabled students develop the life skills they need to become independent, said John Whitsett, director of curriculum and instruction.
“We are pretty proud of the way this program has developed since it addresses a clear need and involves the district, the community, county and city agencies, and most importantly, the students. The facility will be an excellent teaching station for students who certainly have a clear need,” he said.
Transition period
By state law, school districts are required to provide services for children with disabilities up to age 21.
“Obviously, this is a small segment of students, 10 at the most,” Whitsett said. “What they really need is to have a transition period into the community. In the past, they’ve always had a program but a lot of the things they were doing were more activities, not really focused on a final goal.
The school district’s maintenance staff spent 2½ months transforming an old lockerroom into a 1,300-square-foot apartment that contains an open concept living room, kitchen and dining room, laundry room, bathroom, bedroom, and second bedroom that serves as a classroom.
“During construction, the students were housed in a nearby classroom. They kept an eye on the progress, looking through the window each morning and asking my staff how it was going. They were so excited watching it come together,” said John Williams, the district’s coordinator of facility services.
Instructor Val Lenz describes her new teaching facility as “beyond her wildest dreams.” Her teaching team includes instructional assistant Yvonne Blackburn.
“Every day, I see improvement. They are learning about everything: how to vacuum, fill a dishwasher, wash windows and make beds, put away groceries and plan meals — all basic skills for functional living,” Lenz said.
The apartment’s proximity to the district’s Community Aquatic Center has also led to swimming classes — something new for two of the students, who had never learned how to swim. The young adults also have access to the gym and tennis courts, along with YMCA memberships.
Collaboration
One of the most significant parts of the project is the collaboration with Fond du Lac County Rehabilitative Services, Diverse Options in Ripon, an integrated employment specialist, and other outside agencies that place students in jobs, Lenz said. Already, two students are employed part-time in the community.
“That’s the goal, for every student to spend part of the day in employment,” she said.
The program provides as many opportunities as possible so that once students graduate, they can make their own decisions related to employment, social, health and daily living skills.
Aricka Moody said her daughter will be working at St. Peter’s Place two hours a day and learning how to take a cab to and from work.
“Tamika now gets up in the morning and tries to make her bed, something she never did before. She finally, just started dressing herself. Living in a home setting, she has gained so much self-worth knowing she can do more. It’s been phenomenal,” she said.
During a recent tour, School Board members and administrators were treated to a meal students helped prepare.
“It was a great opportunity for us to interact, and for me, a very rewarding experience,” Williams said.
Local colleges enable the disabled
Local colleges enable the disabled
Colleges push new tech, teaching, services
By DENNIS TAYLOR
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_16466161?nclick_check=1
Disabilities are a reality for many students at local colleges and universities, but cutting-edge technology, modern teaching methods and specialized services can make education less of an obstacle at CSU Monterey Bay, Monterey Peninsula College and Hartnell College.
Students at the schools are graduating despite speech and language impairments, hearing and sight disabilities, psychological issues and virtually any other problem that can hinder the learning process.
Related: Suit seeks to uphold mental health services for kids
"We work almost exclusively with adults. I think our oldest student, many years ago, was 91," said Terria Odom-Wolfer, faculty coordinator and instructor in MPC's Department of Supportive Services and Instruction, which serves people with physical therapy and rehabilitation needs, heart problems, and students with issues such as blindness, hearing loss and learning disabilities.
"Our program is unique to many community colleges in the sense that we have a fairly extensive instructional side, along with services," she said.
Services provide whatever is needed to help a disabled student master course content.
"That might be done by providing an accommodation that levels the playing field," she said. "For example, we might allow extended time to complete a test, or provide a student with a quiet place in our testing center that would reduce the types of distractions he or she might encounter in a regular
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classroom. Something like pencil tapping or a quiet conversation between another student and the instructor might be very distracting to a person with attention deficit disorder."
The Department of Supportive Programs and Services at Hartnell College, which lost four of its eight staff members to retirements and budget cuts during the past two years, is more counselor focused, said program coordinator Kathy Noble. Disabled students are integrated into mainstream classrooms. Counselors lend support but teach self-advocacy.
"We don't notify our instructors that a student with a disability is coming into the classroom," she said. "We want our students to learn how to discuss their particular classroom needs with their instructors, in conjunction with working with our Department of Supportive Programs."
Both local community colleges help disabled students build learning strategies that will enable them to be successful in mainstream classrooms.
Adaptive physical education classes — courses that accommodate special-needs students — are widely used by locals who may have reached the limits of their medical insurance but require physical therapy.
While community colleges focus heavily on providing disabled students an opportunity to learn what kind of accommodations and support are available, and how to request equal access, CSUMB has an expectation that they will have the skills by the time they arrive.
"We have a very professional staff that is part of Health and Wellness Services here, so we work very closely with our Personal Growth and Counseling and our campus health center on the overall wellness of the student," said Margaret Keith, coordinator of Student Disability Resources at the university. "We have a focus on overall wellness in addition to academic success."
Technological advancements have been a boon to students with disabilities in recent years.
A computer program called Kurzweil 3000 provides students with reading, writing and study skills through electronic textbooks that allow the user to annotate the text by highlighting key ideas, inserting notes to themselves.
Dragon Naturally Speaking converts speech to text, or text to speech — invaluable to a student with limited physical mobility or vision impairment.
SmartPen is a device that records a lecture as the student takes notes, then instantly replays a point in the recording that coincides with a specific note when the pen is touched to that location on the paper.
A program called ZoomText magnifies everything on a computer screen up to 32 times for the benefit of people with impaired vision.
"We're actually seeing a big societal paradigm shift to a more auditory world," said Alexis Copeland, adaptive technology specialist at MPC. "This technology is becoming more universally accessible to everybody, not just disabled students. The SmartPen would be great for somebody trying to copy the minutes of a meeting. Older people who are losing their eyesight can benefit from ZoomText or Dragon Naturally Speaking or Kurzweil."
Students with disabilities graduate at almost the same rate at Hartnell College as the general population, Noble said. CSUMB graduates its disabled students at a rate similar to "other underrepresented groups in higher education," said Keith.
"That doesn't mean every student is going to do it in two years — though some will and with an extremely high grade-point average — but they matriculate as the same rate as the other students," Noble said. "It's incredible how hard they work and what they're able to accomplish in light of what their obstacles are."
Keith said the growth of K-12 programs for students with disabilities injected college programs with significant enrollment increases among that population: 20 percent in the past school year, 16 percent in the previous — much higher than the numbers in the mainstream campus population.
"My favorite day of the year is when I volunteer at commencement, where I see students and their families so happy and proud of their academic achievements," she said.
More information about disabled student services programs at MPC, Hartnell and CSUMB may be found on their websites or by calling the schools.
Colleges push new tech, teaching, services
By DENNIS TAYLOR
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_16466161?nclick_check=1
Disabilities are a reality for many students at local colleges and universities, but cutting-edge technology, modern teaching methods and specialized services can make education less of an obstacle at CSU Monterey Bay, Monterey Peninsula College and Hartnell College.
Students at the schools are graduating despite speech and language impairments, hearing and sight disabilities, psychological issues and virtually any other problem that can hinder the learning process.
Related: Suit seeks to uphold mental health services for kids
"We work almost exclusively with adults. I think our oldest student, many years ago, was 91," said Terria Odom-Wolfer, faculty coordinator and instructor in MPC's Department of Supportive Services and Instruction, which serves people with physical therapy and rehabilitation needs, heart problems, and students with issues such as blindness, hearing loss and learning disabilities.
"Our program is unique to many community colleges in the sense that we have a fairly extensive instructional side, along with services," she said.
Services provide whatever is needed to help a disabled student master course content.
"That might be done by providing an accommodation that levels the playing field," she said. "For example, we might allow extended time to complete a test, or provide a student with a quiet place in our testing center that would reduce the types of distractions he or she might encounter in a regular
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
classroom. Something like pencil tapping or a quiet conversation between another student and the instructor might be very distracting to a person with attention deficit disorder."
The Department of Supportive Programs and Services at Hartnell College, which lost four of its eight staff members to retirements and budget cuts during the past two years, is more counselor focused, said program coordinator Kathy Noble. Disabled students are integrated into mainstream classrooms. Counselors lend support but teach self-advocacy.
"We don't notify our instructors that a student with a disability is coming into the classroom," she said. "We want our students to learn how to discuss their particular classroom needs with their instructors, in conjunction with working with our Department of Supportive Programs."
Both local community colleges help disabled students build learning strategies that will enable them to be successful in mainstream classrooms.
Adaptive physical education classes — courses that accommodate special-needs students — are widely used by locals who may have reached the limits of their medical insurance but require physical therapy.
While community colleges focus heavily on providing disabled students an opportunity to learn what kind of accommodations and support are available, and how to request equal access, CSUMB has an expectation that they will have the skills by the time they arrive.
"We have a very professional staff that is part of Health and Wellness Services here, so we work very closely with our Personal Growth and Counseling and our campus health center on the overall wellness of the student," said Margaret Keith, coordinator of Student Disability Resources at the university. "We have a focus on overall wellness in addition to academic success."
Technological advancements have been a boon to students with disabilities in recent years.
A computer program called Kurzweil 3000 provides students with reading, writing and study skills through electronic textbooks that allow the user to annotate the text by highlighting key ideas, inserting notes to themselves.
Dragon Naturally Speaking converts speech to text, or text to speech — invaluable to a student with limited physical mobility or vision impairment.
SmartPen is a device that records a lecture as the student takes notes, then instantly replays a point in the recording that coincides with a specific note when the pen is touched to that location on the paper.
A program called ZoomText magnifies everything on a computer screen up to 32 times for the benefit of people with impaired vision.
"We're actually seeing a big societal paradigm shift to a more auditory world," said Alexis Copeland, adaptive technology specialist at MPC. "This technology is becoming more universally accessible to everybody, not just disabled students. The SmartPen would be great for somebody trying to copy the minutes of a meeting. Older people who are losing their eyesight can benefit from ZoomText or Dragon Naturally Speaking or Kurzweil."
Students with disabilities graduate at almost the same rate at Hartnell College as the general population, Noble said. CSUMB graduates its disabled students at a rate similar to "other underrepresented groups in higher education," said Keith.
"That doesn't mean every student is going to do it in two years — though some will and with an extremely high grade-point average — but they matriculate as the same rate as the other students," Noble said. "It's incredible how hard they work and what they're able to accomplish in light of what their obstacles are."
Keith said the growth of K-12 programs for students with disabilities injected college programs with significant enrollment increases among that population: 20 percent in the past school year, 16 percent in the previous — much higher than the numbers in the mainstream campus population.
"My favorite day of the year is when I volunteer at commencement, where I see students and their families so happy and proud of their academic achievements," she said.
More information about disabled student services programs at MPC, Hartnell and CSUMB may be found on their websites or by calling the schools.
Special education students get on-the-job training Students get training on a special day
Special education students get on-the-job training Students get training on a special day
Thursday, October 28, 2010
By Mary Niederberger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098562-298.stm
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098562-298.stm#ixzz14jOVH3gJ
Connor Thomas, 17, and Thomas Alwi, 19, students at the Mon Valley School in Jefferson Hills, watched video of themselves on a televised screen last week, but it wasn't taken with a conventional video camera.
The image was recorded by the tiny camera in the tip of a scope used to perform colonoscopies at the Waterfront Surgery Center in Homestead.
Connor, of Brentwood, and Thomas, of Jefferson Hills, were among 14 special education students from the Mon Valley School who participated in the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's Waterfront Discovery Day.
The day was held in conjunction with National Disability Mentoring Day, which is sponsored by the American Association of People With Disabilities. The day was designed to allow disabled students and job seekers to have opportunities for job shadowing and hands-on career opportunities.
The 14 students who participated were described as "the cream of the crop," by Mon Valley principal Jack Tachoir. The students had a variety of disabilities, including Asperger's syndrome and other forms of autism.
They were hosted at five different work sites at the Waterfront complex -- the AIU, Eat'n Park, Giant Eagle, Courtyard by Marriott and the Waterfront Surgery Center.
Connor and Thomas dressed in surgical scrubs and caps as they were led on a tour of the surgery center by Director of Nursing Bobbie Voit, who allowed them to hold and examine the $35,000 scope used to perform colonoscopies. She used the camera at the tip to record their faces and display them on the screen usually used to show footage of the colon.
"One of the reasons I'm here is because I have an interest in the medical field and I think a lot of medical places are looking for people," Thomas said.
While Thomas and Connor were handling the colonoscopy scope, classmates Tim Hawkins, 17, of South Park, and Aaron Johnson, 20 of Edgewood, were a few blocks down Watefront Drive handling icing packets as they decorated trays of Smiley Face cookies in the kitchen at the Eat'n Park restaurant.
Tim and Aaron had been instructed in the proper technique by John Frick, executive chef of menu development for Eat'n Park restaurants. Before the young men got to the fun of decorating cookies, they listened to a presentation from Mr. Frick about food preparation and the development of items for the restaurant's menu.
Aaron was particularly interested in the presentation since he attends Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School for food service, baking and meat cutting classes and asked for advice on choosing a culinary school when he is finished with public school.
Mon Valley student Bill McAfee, 19, of Clairton spent the day learning clerical skills in the offices of the AIU. That included making copies, sorting files and making deliveries.
"He was fantastic. Everything that I showed him, he picked up on immediately," said Julie Weigel, an AIU assistant.
Also at the AIU headquarters, Antwon Thompson, 17, spent time with custodial maintenance employee Johnny Odorisio.
"I learned how to install florescent light bulbs, to take the garbage out and to move the bins correctly so not to smash the doors," Antwon said. "I also learned how to work the shredder safely."
Antwon said he is interested in a job in industrial maintenance and found the work with Mr. Odorisio interesting.
The Waterfront Discovery Day was the first one of its type to be held locally and it was the product of a group of professionals who had recently completed training as part the Leadership Pittsburgh initiative.
The group's focus was special education so they reached out the Mon Valley School. The Leadership Pittsburgh group included Roselyn Wilkinson of MD&A Financial; Germaine Williams of the Pittsburgh Foundation; Michelle Figlar, executive director for the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young People; and Steve Nolder, vice president of human resources for Lanxess.
Dee Hoffman, transition consultant at the Mon Valley School, said the day provided the students with a valuable opportunity to team up with professionals and learn about their jobs and be able to make connections between what they are taught in their classrooms and how it applies to the workplace.
"It's such a meaningful experience. It gives the kids such a sense of reality," Ms. Hoffman said.
Mr. Nolder said the day was a benefit for the companies and professionals involved as well. "This is a recruitment issue for us. We need people who can stand to the test in ability and aptitude and do the jobs."
Organizers of the day say they hope to expand it next year to include the other special education centers operated by the AIU -- Sunrise in Monroeville and Pathfinder in Bethel Park -- and more employers.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098562-298.stm#ixzz14jOPQOcA
Thursday, October 28, 2010
By Mary Niederberger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098562-298.stm
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098562-298.stm#ixzz14jOVH3gJ
Connor Thomas, 17, and Thomas Alwi, 19, students at the Mon Valley School in Jefferson Hills, watched video of themselves on a televised screen last week, but it wasn't taken with a conventional video camera.
The image was recorded by the tiny camera in the tip of a scope used to perform colonoscopies at the Waterfront Surgery Center in Homestead.
Connor, of Brentwood, and Thomas, of Jefferson Hills, were among 14 special education students from the Mon Valley School who participated in the Allegheny Intermediate Unit's Waterfront Discovery Day.
The day was held in conjunction with National Disability Mentoring Day, which is sponsored by the American Association of People With Disabilities. The day was designed to allow disabled students and job seekers to have opportunities for job shadowing and hands-on career opportunities.
The 14 students who participated were described as "the cream of the crop," by Mon Valley principal Jack Tachoir. The students had a variety of disabilities, including Asperger's syndrome and other forms of autism.
They were hosted at five different work sites at the Waterfront complex -- the AIU, Eat'n Park, Giant Eagle, Courtyard by Marriott and the Waterfront Surgery Center.
Connor and Thomas dressed in surgical scrubs and caps as they were led on a tour of the surgery center by Director of Nursing Bobbie Voit, who allowed them to hold and examine the $35,000 scope used to perform colonoscopies. She used the camera at the tip to record their faces and display them on the screen usually used to show footage of the colon.
"One of the reasons I'm here is because I have an interest in the medical field and I think a lot of medical places are looking for people," Thomas said.
While Thomas and Connor were handling the colonoscopy scope, classmates Tim Hawkins, 17, of South Park, and Aaron Johnson, 20 of Edgewood, were a few blocks down Watefront Drive handling icing packets as they decorated trays of Smiley Face cookies in the kitchen at the Eat'n Park restaurant.
Tim and Aaron had been instructed in the proper technique by John Frick, executive chef of menu development for Eat'n Park restaurants. Before the young men got to the fun of decorating cookies, they listened to a presentation from Mr. Frick about food preparation and the development of items for the restaurant's menu.
Aaron was particularly interested in the presentation since he attends Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School for food service, baking and meat cutting classes and asked for advice on choosing a culinary school when he is finished with public school.
Mon Valley student Bill McAfee, 19, of Clairton spent the day learning clerical skills in the offices of the AIU. That included making copies, sorting files and making deliveries.
"He was fantastic. Everything that I showed him, he picked up on immediately," said Julie Weigel, an AIU assistant.
Also at the AIU headquarters, Antwon Thompson, 17, spent time with custodial maintenance employee Johnny Odorisio.
"I learned how to install florescent light bulbs, to take the garbage out and to move the bins correctly so not to smash the doors," Antwon said. "I also learned how to work the shredder safely."
Antwon said he is interested in a job in industrial maintenance and found the work with Mr. Odorisio interesting.
The Waterfront Discovery Day was the first one of its type to be held locally and it was the product of a group of professionals who had recently completed training as part the Leadership Pittsburgh initiative.
The group's focus was special education so they reached out the Mon Valley School. The Leadership Pittsburgh group included Roselyn Wilkinson of MD&A Financial; Germaine Williams of the Pittsburgh Foundation; Michelle Figlar, executive director for the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young People; and Steve Nolder, vice president of human resources for Lanxess.
Dee Hoffman, transition consultant at the Mon Valley School, said the day provided the students with a valuable opportunity to team up with professionals and learn about their jobs and be able to make connections between what they are taught in their classrooms and how it applies to the workplace.
"It's such a meaningful experience. It gives the kids such a sense of reality," Ms. Hoffman said.
Mr. Nolder said the day was a benefit for the companies and professionals involved as well. "This is a recruitment issue for us. We need people who can stand to the test in ability and aptitude and do the jobs."
Organizers of the day say they hope to expand it next year to include the other special education centers operated by the AIU -- Sunrise in Monroeville and Pathfinder in Bethel Park -- and more employers.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098562-298.stm#ixzz14jOPQOcA
JJC’s StAR program accomodates those needing extra help
JJC’s StAR program accomodates those needing extra help
By cindy wojdyla cain ccain@stmedianetwork.com Oct 28, 2010 02:37:28PM
http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/news/2107269-418/star-students-jjc-program-disabilities.html
JOLIET — Sarah Krug knew something was wrong all the way back in first grade.
She couldn’t comprehend the material and her reading skills were below grade level.
At first, educators thought she had dyslexia or some neurological disorder. But those tests came back negative. Instead, she was diagnosed with a learning disability that affects her ability to comprehend written words.
She struggled with her studies throughout grade school and high school. But her biggest test was ahead of her as she headed to Joliet Junior College last fall.
Luckily for Krug, 19, of Joliet, JJC has a program designed to help her and any other student with a disability succeed. Called Student Accommodations and Resources (StAR), the program provides tutors, computers, software, note takers and sign language interpreters to accommodate disabilities.
An open house for StAR will be held Wednesday (see sidebar). The open house was scheduled in October because it’s disability awareness month, and 2010 is the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, said Jacque Klika, StAR manager.
During a recent event at the school to raise awareness about disabilities, “students said there has been a lot of shame with having a disability all their lives,” Klika said. But once they heard other students talking openly about their disabilities and they learned how StAR could help them, they felt better, she added. “They kind of lose that shame.”
The program has been a godsend for Krug, who is studying to be an athletic trainer.
On Monday she demonstrated a computer program called Kurzweil that reads printed materials aloud
“I can slow it down or speed it up,” she said.
Without StAR, Krug knows she would struggle.
“Seeing and hearing the material at the same time helps me understand it better and it helps me remember it,” she said.
Students must complete evaluation tests or have an official diagnosis from a licensed professional before they can be eligible for StAR, said Lori Smith Okon, a special needs counselor who works with StAR students.
Students who use the program’s services have disabilities involving learning, hearing, vision, speech, mobility or mental health and autism issues. And it’s up to StAR to help with the accommodation.
For instance, someone with test anxiety can take a test in bite-sized chunks instead of all at once until they overcome their fears, Okon explained.
Students who have physical disabilities get note takers who write down lecture material. Hearing-impaired students get sign language interpreters — whatever it takes to get the students through their classes.
Okon tries to get parents involved, too, by showing them their offspring’s progress in classes in “real time.”
“The more you get parents involved, the greater the success,” she said.
About 400 students are getting help from StAR this year. The number grows as enrollment at the school increases and diagnostic tests improve.
Klika said last year there were 17 students with Asperger Syndrome, one of the autism spectrum disorders; this year there are 32.
Now that she has been in the program for more than a year, Krug is happy to give it a rave review.
“If you’re going to come to JJC and you need an accommodation for anything, go to StAR,” she said.
“They’re there to help you. They’re happy to help you in any way they can.”
By cindy wojdyla cain ccain@stmedianetwork.com Oct 28, 2010 02:37:28PM
http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/news/2107269-418/star-students-jjc-program-disabilities.html
JOLIET — Sarah Krug knew something was wrong all the way back in first grade.
She couldn’t comprehend the material and her reading skills were below grade level.
At first, educators thought she had dyslexia or some neurological disorder. But those tests came back negative. Instead, she was diagnosed with a learning disability that affects her ability to comprehend written words.
She struggled with her studies throughout grade school and high school. But her biggest test was ahead of her as she headed to Joliet Junior College last fall.
Luckily for Krug, 19, of Joliet, JJC has a program designed to help her and any other student with a disability succeed. Called Student Accommodations and Resources (StAR), the program provides tutors, computers, software, note takers and sign language interpreters to accommodate disabilities.
An open house for StAR will be held Wednesday (see sidebar). The open house was scheduled in October because it’s disability awareness month, and 2010 is the 20th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, said Jacque Klika, StAR manager.
During a recent event at the school to raise awareness about disabilities, “students said there has been a lot of shame with having a disability all their lives,” Klika said. But once they heard other students talking openly about their disabilities and they learned how StAR could help them, they felt better, she added. “They kind of lose that shame.”
The program has been a godsend for Krug, who is studying to be an athletic trainer.
On Monday she demonstrated a computer program called Kurzweil that reads printed materials aloud
“I can slow it down or speed it up,” she said.
Without StAR, Krug knows she would struggle.
“Seeing and hearing the material at the same time helps me understand it better and it helps me remember it,” she said.
Students must complete evaluation tests or have an official diagnosis from a licensed professional before they can be eligible for StAR, said Lori Smith Okon, a special needs counselor who works with StAR students.
Students who use the program’s services have disabilities involving learning, hearing, vision, speech, mobility or mental health and autism issues. And it’s up to StAR to help with the accommodation.
For instance, someone with test anxiety can take a test in bite-sized chunks instead of all at once until they overcome their fears, Okon explained.
Students who have physical disabilities get note takers who write down lecture material. Hearing-impaired students get sign language interpreters — whatever it takes to get the students through their classes.
Okon tries to get parents involved, too, by showing them their offspring’s progress in classes in “real time.”
“The more you get parents involved, the greater the success,” she said.
About 400 students are getting help from StAR this year. The number grows as enrollment at the school increases and diagnostic tests improve.
Klika said last year there were 17 students with Asperger Syndrome, one of the autism spectrum disorders; this year there are 32.
Now that she has been in the program for more than a year, Krug is happy to give it a rave review.
“If you’re going to come to JJC and you need an accommodation for anything, go to StAR,” she said.
“They’re there to help you. They’re happy to help you in any way they can.”
County students learn about opportunities for workers with disabilities
County students learn about opportunities for workers with disabilities
by leslie Richardson (staff writer lrichardson@republicanherald.com
http://republicanherald.com/news/county-students-learn-about-opportunities-for-workers-with-disabilities-1.1052880
Bret Gehres has known what he wants to do after he graduates from high school since he was 7 years old.
"I am going to enlist in the military, spend four or five years there, then go to college and get a degree in criminal justice. I want to go to the State Police Academy after that," Gehres, a junior at Pine Grove Area High School, said Friday.
Gehres was one of about 100 students from 11 school districts attending Empowering Employment, a daylong workforce diversity seminar held Friday at McCann School of Business & Technology.
Gehres, like all those attending, is a student with a disability.
"I am hoping I will learn more about college options today and that this will help me get the job I want," Gehres said.
Empowering Employment is sponsored by the Schuylkill County Local Transition Coordinating Council and paid for with funds from the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through a grant to the state Department of Public Welfare. The program - in promoting the idea that post-secondary education may increase employment opportunities and economic independence for individuals with disabilities - was designed to give students information they need to begin planning for their futures.
"Students with disabilities need to be aware that post-secondary education or training is required for many employment opportunities in today's workforce and that they can be successful in post-secondary education with the right programs and adaptations," Melanie Wagner, Intermediate Unit 29 educational consultant, Transition Council member and seminar coordinator, said in a news release.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Edward Butler, Minersville, executive director of the Governor's Cabinet and Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, brought the governor's proclamation.
"Our wish is that all of these students will be gainfully employed," Butler said Friday. Butler said according to information from Cornell University and the U.S. Census Bureau, there is a 60 percent unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities, the largest of any minority group.
"Employment opportunities are very competitive for people with disabilities," Butler said.
Butler said because of action taken by President Barack Obama on the federal level and recommendations made by Gov. Ed Rendell's Advisory Committee at the state level, over the next five years, people with disabilities should have more job options.
On Friday, the students heard from Greg Selmer, rehabilitation supervisor from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Reading.
Selmer told the students about help the office can provide in workforce placement as well as attending college, including help with funding.
Joan Breslin, Schuylkill Transportation System, told the students STS buses are available to take students from around the county to McCann, Penn State and the Tamaqua campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College.
The students also had a two-hour session with Sam Iorio of the Dale Carnegie Leadership Institute.
"Self-consciousness is the enemy," Iorio said. "Self-consciousness is you thinking about yourself. Self-confidence is you thinking about everyone else. It's not about being sure of yourself, it's about doing it anyway, taking action in spite of self-doubt. We all have doubt. There's nothing wrong with doubt. The problem is what do you do when you have doubt."
Students also toured the McCann facility and were presented with information on school programs.
The Schuylkill County Local Transition Coordinating Council has sponsored similar events in the past and is planning a follow-up event to Friday's seminar.
The group plans to set up Empowering Employment: The Reality Tour.
Four or five students from each county high school will visit job sites around the county that employ workers with disabilities, where they will have the opportunity to see empowerment in action.
A follow-up luncheon with the students, workers and employers will enable the students to ask questions and receive advice through conversations with people in the workforce.
by leslie Richardson (staff writer lrichardson@republicanherald.com
http://republicanherald.com/news/county-students-learn-about-opportunities-for-workers-with-disabilities-1.1052880
Bret Gehres has known what he wants to do after he graduates from high school since he was 7 years old.
"I am going to enlist in the military, spend four or five years there, then go to college and get a degree in criminal justice. I want to go to the State Police Academy after that," Gehres, a junior at Pine Grove Area High School, said Friday.
Gehres was one of about 100 students from 11 school districts attending Empowering Employment, a daylong workforce diversity seminar held Friday at McCann School of Business & Technology.
Gehres, like all those attending, is a student with a disability.
"I am hoping I will learn more about college options today and that this will help me get the job I want," Gehres said.
Empowering Employment is sponsored by the Schuylkill County Local Transition Coordinating Council and paid for with funds from the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through a grant to the state Department of Public Welfare. The program - in promoting the idea that post-secondary education may increase employment opportunities and economic independence for individuals with disabilities - was designed to give students information they need to begin planning for their futures.
"Students with disabilities need to be aware that post-secondary education or training is required for many employment opportunities in today's workforce and that they can be successful in post-secondary education with the right programs and adaptations," Melanie Wagner, Intermediate Unit 29 educational consultant, Transition Council member and seminar coordinator, said in a news release.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Edward Butler, Minersville, executive director of the Governor's Cabinet and Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities, brought the governor's proclamation.
"Our wish is that all of these students will be gainfully employed," Butler said Friday. Butler said according to information from Cornell University and the U.S. Census Bureau, there is a 60 percent unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities, the largest of any minority group.
"Employment opportunities are very competitive for people with disabilities," Butler said.
Butler said because of action taken by President Barack Obama on the federal level and recommendations made by Gov. Ed Rendell's Advisory Committee at the state level, over the next five years, people with disabilities should have more job options.
On Friday, the students heard from Greg Selmer, rehabilitation supervisor from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Reading.
Selmer told the students about help the office can provide in workforce placement as well as attending college, including help with funding.
Joan Breslin, Schuylkill Transportation System, told the students STS buses are available to take students from around the county to McCann, Penn State and the Tamaqua campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College.
The students also had a two-hour session with Sam Iorio of the Dale Carnegie Leadership Institute.
"Self-consciousness is the enemy," Iorio said. "Self-consciousness is you thinking about yourself. Self-confidence is you thinking about everyone else. It's not about being sure of yourself, it's about doing it anyway, taking action in spite of self-doubt. We all have doubt. There's nothing wrong with doubt. The problem is what do you do when you have doubt."
Students also toured the McCann facility and were presented with information on school programs.
The Schuylkill County Local Transition Coordinating Council has sponsored similar events in the past and is planning a follow-up event to Friday's seminar.
The group plans to set up Empowering Employment: The Reality Tour.
Four or five students from each county high school will visit job sites around the county that employ workers with disabilities, where they will have the opportunity to see empowerment in action.
A follow-up luncheon with the students, workers and employers will enable the students to ask questions and receive advice through conversations with people in the workforce.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Wilmington store operated by people with disabilities
Wilmington store operated by people with disabilities
By Cece Nunn
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20100927/ARTICLES/100929709/-1/news300?p=all&tc=pgall
In good economic times or bad, people with disabilities can have a hard time finding jobs, according to federal government studies.
Tim Corbett doesn’t have to look at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports to know that. It’s one reason the Surf City resident started Carolina Country Store, a business that employs three people with disabilities. The store, with Wilmington locations in the Old Wilmington City Market at 119 S. Water St. and Blue Moon Gift Shops at 203 Racine Drive, sells, among other goodies, flavored pecans made by residents of the O’Berry Center, a state institution in Goldsboro that houses more than 300 people with developmental disabilities.
The pecans are $6 for a 4-ounce bag, $10 for an 8-ounce jar and $13 for a 12-ounce jar.
Corbett worked at the center as a vocational consultant for more than 10 years. With a bachelor’s degree in education of the hearing impaired from Atlantic Christian College and a master’s degree in special education from East Carolina University, Corbett taught special education in Greene County schools for 20 years before working at the O’Berry Center.
“My goal was to one day have a business that could be run and operated by people with disabilities,” Corbett said.
One of Corbett’s employees, Wilmington resident Lindsay Schulz, works four hours a day, three days a week at the store’s location in the Old Wilmington City Market. Schulz, 30, has Down syndrome.
“I like to work here,” Schulz said on a recent Thursday as she waited for customers next to a table topped with samples of the store’s pecans. “I love it. I pass out pecans to everybody. I say, ‘Would you like to try one?’ ”
Schulz also runs the credit card machine, bags merchandise for customers and restocks the shelves. Before the Carolina Country Store, Schulz worked at another business off Randall Parkway selling food and other items. That venture, called W.A.V.E. mart, is part of a vocational program for people with disabilities at RHA Health Services in Burnt Mill Business Park.
Nick Mullins, a Carolina Country Store assistant, said Schulz is a good employee. “She’s very conscientious,” Mullins said.
Schulz’s mother, Natalia Schulz, said, “For Lindsay, I think it’s a great experience. It allows her to interact with people and it gives her an opportunity to learn new skills.”
Lindsay’s brother Michael Schulz, 28, who also has Down syndrome, works at Cici’s Pizza one day a week.
“I would like him to have more hours or have a second job,” Natalia Schulz said.
She said in her experience employers in Wilmington aren’t as receptive to hiring people with disabilities as other places she and her children have lived.
“It’s almost like fear of the unknown,” Natalia Schulz said. “People aren’t as aware of their capabilities and aren’t willing to try them whereas (Corbett) is willing to put himself out and give these kids an opportunity to learn skills.”
Corbett said he hopes to hire more employees as the business expands. Open for three months, the store at Old Wilmington City Market has doubled in size recently. The Blue Moon Gift Shops store, which relocated to a bigger space within the business, has been open for more than a year.
“Our goal is to have somebody working every day with us,” Corbett said.
By Cece Nunn
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20100927/ARTICLES/100929709/-1/news300?p=all&tc=pgall
In good economic times or bad, people with disabilities can have a hard time finding jobs, according to federal government studies.
Tim Corbett doesn’t have to look at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports to know that. It’s one reason the Surf City resident started Carolina Country Store, a business that employs three people with disabilities. The store, with Wilmington locations in the Old Wilmington City Market at 119 S. Water St. and Blue Moon Gift Shops at 203 Racine Drive, sells, among other goodies, flavored pecans made by residents of the O’Berry Center, a state institution in Goldsboro that houses more than 300 people with developmental disabilities.
The pecans are $6 for a 4-ounce bag, $10 for an 8-ounce jar and $13 for a 12-ounce jar.
Corbett worked at the center as a vocational consultant for more than 10 years. With a bachelor’s degree in education of the hearing impaired from Atlantic Christian College and a master’s degree in special education from East Carolina University, Corbett taught special education in Greene County schools for 20 years before working at the O’Berry Center.
“My goal was to one day have a business that could be run and operated by people with disabilities,” Corbett said.
One of Corbett’s employees, Wilmington resident Lindsay Schulz, works four hours a day, three days a week at the store’s location in the Old Wilmington City Market. Schulz, 30, has Down syndrome.
“I like to work here,” Schulz said on a recent Thursday as she waited for customers next to a table topped with samples of the store’s pecans. “I love it. I pass out pecans to everybody. I say, ‘Would you like to try one?’ ”
Schulz also runs the credit card machine, bags merchandise for customers and restocks the shelves. Before the Carolina Country Store, Schulz worked at another business off Randall Parkway selling food and other items. That venture, called W.A.V.E. mart, is part of a vocational program for people with disabilities at RHA Health Services in Burnt Mill Business Park.
Nick Mullins, a Carolina Country Store assistant, said Schulz is a good employee. “She’s very conscientious,” Mullins said.
Schulz’s mother, Natalia Schulz, said, “For Lindsay, I think it’s a great experience. It allows her to interact with people and it gives her an opportunity to learn new skills.”
Lindsay’s brother Michael Schulz, 28, who also has Down syndrome, works at Cici’s Pizza one day a week.
“I would like him to have more hours or have a second job,” Natalia Schulz said.
She said in her experience employers in Wilmington aren’t as receptive to hiring people with disabilities as other places she and her children have lived.
“It’s almost like fear of the unknown,” Natalia Schulz said. “People aren’t as aware of their capabilities and aren’t willing to try them whereas (Corbett) is willing to put himself out and give these kids an opportunity to learn skills.”
Corbett said he hopes to hire more employees as the business expands. Open for three months, the store at Old Wilmington City Market has doubled in size recently. The Blue Moon Gift Shops store, which relocated to a bigger space within the business, has been open for more than a year.
“Our goal is to have somebody working every day with us,” Corbett said.
School special-needs program trains ‘work force ready’ students
School special-needs program trains ‘work force ready’ students
Posted on Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 at 7:08 pm.
By Michael Hansberry
http://www.madisoncountyrecord.com/2010/09/29/school-special-needs-program-trains-%E2%80%98work-force-ready%E2%80%99-students/
Employees from HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology visited Bob Jones High School Sept. 29 to help a special-needs class extract DNA from strawberries, kiwis and peaches.
The activity was part of Charlene Sandford’s delayed development class study of cells.
“Our students are in school until they are 21, so we have longer to work with them,” Sandford said. “We are working with students that have Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other types of disabilities. It takes them a little longer to learn, so this program allows us to educate them while they work and have fun.”
Three students in the class work at HudsonAlpha preparing and packaging DNA kits. Their work with the company is part of a community-based work program the school initiated 12 years ago. The program sends students with developmental problems to local businesses for six weeks, where they train and become work force ready once they exit Bob Jones.
“Our goal is to get students exposed to the community and let everyone know that we are here and employable,” Sandford said. “We have them train at certain jobs, so when they graduate high school, they’ll already have that experience.”
Sandford said the program gives each student well-rounded training experience.
Other employers such as the Westin Hotel, PESA manufacturing, the Huntsville Botanical Gardens and Domino’s Pizza also employ students from the program. The school pairs each student with a job skill of their choice. Sandford said some students prefer clerical work while others prefer to work outside.
Three male students in the class currently work for PESA, a company that designs and produces routing switching systems.
“It’s all about careers and teaching the students that they can be productive,” Sandford said. “I am definitely proud of them all. They go out and give a 100 percent every time.”
Bob Lipinski, with the Madison City School System, is responsible for finding companies to employ students. He said it’s great to have businesses and organizations in the area that are willing to provide training opportunities for students who are “far end” special education.
“Not only do the kids get the work done, they do it with a smile,” Lipinksi said. “They learn work etiquette skills and overall how to function in the work environment.”
Funding comes from special education funds through the Individuals with Disabilities Act, along with some funds on the state and local levels.
Katy Weaver is one of the students in the class and participants in the program. Her job at HudsonAlpha entails mixing different types of solutions.
Come Friday night, Katy will be the first special-needs student in Bob Jones history to be on homecoming court.
“It’s a complete honor, I feel very special,” Weaver said. “It if weren’t for my friends, cheerleading squad and Bob Jones students, I wouldn’t be on it, of course.”
Weaver is also an honorary cheerleader and assistant coach. She “lives and breathes” cheerleading and even knows all the routines.
“The football games are one of my favorite parts of the school year because it’s the clash of the titans with Sparkman,” she said.
Weaver will sing the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics.
Sandford said Weaver is a “unique and very special” student who is a proven example that as long as one dreams big, they can accomplish anything.
Posted on Wednesday, September 29th, 2010 at 7:08 pm.
By Michael Hansberry
http://www.madisoncountyrecord.com/2010/09/29/school-special-needs-program-trains-%E2%80%98work-force-ready%E2%80%99-students/
Employees from HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology visited Bob Jones High School Sept. 29 to help a special-needs class extract DNA from strawberries, kiwis and peaches.
The activity was part of Charlene Sandford’s delayed development class study of cells.
“Our students are in school until they are 21, so we have longer to work with them,” Sandford said. “We are working with students that have Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other types of disabilities. It takes them a little longer to learn, so this program allows us to educate them while they work and have fun.”
Three students in the class work at HudsonAlpha preparing and packaging DNA kits. Their work with the company is part of a community-based work program the school initiated 12 years ago. The program sends students with developmental problems to local businesses for six weeks, where they train and become work force ready once they exit Bob Jones.
“Our goal is to get students exposed to the community and let everyone know that we are here and employable,” Sandford said. “We have them train at certain jobs, so when they graduate high school, they’ll already have that experience.”
Sandford said the program gives each student well-rounded training experience.
Other employers such as the Westin Hotel, PESA manufacturing, the Huntsville Botanical Gardens and Domino’s Pizza also employ students from the program. The school pairs each student with a job skill of their choice. Sandford said some students prefer clerical work while others prefer to work outside.
Three male students in the class currently work for PESA, a company that designs and produces routing switching systems.
“It’s all about careers and teaching the students that they can be productive,” Sandford said. “I am definitely proud of them all. They go out and give a 100 percent every time.”
Bob Lipinski, with the Madison City School System, is responsible for finding companies to employ students. He said it’s great to have businesses and organizations in the area that are willing to provide training opportunities for students who are “far end” special education.
“Not only do the kids get the work done, they do it with a smile,” Lipinksi said. “They learn work etiquette skills and overall how to function in the work environment.”
Funding comes from special education funds through the Individuals with Disabilities Act, along with some funds on the state and local levels.
Katy Weaver is one of the students in the class and participants in the program. Her job at HudsonAlpha entails mixing different types of solutions.
Come Friday night, Katy will be the first special-needs student in Bob Jones history to be on homecoming court.
“It’s a complete honor, I feel very special,” Weaver said. “It if weren’t for my friends, cheerleading squad and Bob Jones students, I wouldn’t be on it, of course.”
Weaver is also an honorary cheerleader and assistant coach. She “lives and breathes” cheerleading and even knows all the routines.
“The football games are one of my favorite parts of the school year because it’s the clash of the titans with Sparkman,” she said.
Weaver will sing the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics.
Sandford said Weaver is a “unique and very special” student who is a proven example that as long as one dreams big, they can accomplish anything.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Collaboration!
One thing that was stressed several times throughout our PDP workshops was collaboration: we should be collaborating with other professionals and students on achieving our PDP goal. I already do this frequently, but yesterday I got to do this with another fellow PDPer that sent me this email:
Hello, my name is (name removed for privacy) and I am a CDB teacher at a local High School. I am working on my PDP for license renewal and part of my plan is finding out what other teachers and schools are doing in the area of life skills with their students. If you would be able to, I would really appreciate a short rundown of the skills or activities you incorporate in your classroom to increase student success in independent living once out of high school. I am looking for things like cooking, cleaning, job skills, social skills, community outings, etc. and a reference of some/any materials you use to develop these skills.
Thank you for your time!
I thought this was fantastic, so I responded yesterday afternoon:
Hello!
I would be glad to help out. As a fellow PDPer, if you don't mind, I am going to ask for similar information from about my goal, but I will include that at the bottom.
One way to improve independent living is through weekly community outings. What I try to do is choose a place for the month, and then each week (Tuesdays this year), we go to that place for the month. For example, in October, we will go shopping at Target and go to McDonald's for lunch. By doing this weekly for the entire month, it gives the kids to generalize the new skills they learn at those places. We started it last year and it's worked out pretty well.
To promote social skills, we also participate in a monthly outing with 4 or 5 other school districts to encourage our kids to interact with others from other schools. It actually has worked out really great and some friendships have developed because of it. Along with that, I incorporate many social skills lessons into life skills and sort develop lessons based on each students needs. For example, one of my students with Asperger's worked specifically on conversation skills and respecting opinions, as that was one of his needs. I take a lot of my information from the book "Social Skills Activities for Secondary Students with Special Needs" as well as the LCCE curriculum. I also google for ideas a lot too, and find things on the internet.
I also do a cooking activity each week (Thursdays). This year, I am trying find foods/snacks for cooking that are healthier and can be made in a microwave, to promote independence at home too. We also practice shopping for the food we need for the recipe as well, to familiarize ourselves with the grocery store.
For jobs around school, we pick up recycling around the school and also fill the staff lounge soda machines. Filling the soda machines includes shopping for the soda, managing the soda machine checking account (including depositing money and writing out checks), and filling the soda machine. It's been a very good job actually that includes a lot of different skills.
We also do a work experience class where we talk about job skills and what you need for a job. Some of my students also go out and work in the community a couple days a week with a job coach. We usually start with the local grocery store and then move on from there. The grocery store is a great place to develop those initial skills. Last year we had about 7 different businesses helping us out with this. While our goal is to have these businesses pay our students, with our hard economic times, that becomes a challenge, so we developed a work contract that is signed by our special education director, myself, my job coach, the student, the parents, and the supervisor at the business that states that they will do jobs like any other employee, will be supervised by one of our staff members, and will actually be paid through the school district. This has worked out very well and we have developed quite a rapport with the businesses, which has been great. And by paying the students, the experience becomes more meaningful and the students certainly enjoy it. I have done this with students with mild CD, Asperger's, Autism, and LD students. If you would like to see a sample of our contract, I can send you one. Just let me know.
I hope all of that helps. If you would like more ideas about something specific, just let me know.
As for my goal, my goal is similar but focuses a lot more on transition specifically. So if you would, could tell me some of the things you do to help promote transition for students in your school district? I am thinking along the lines of self-determination/self advocacy, work skills, life skills, independent living, and anything to go along with Indicator 13. Along with that, I also want to improve my students' involvement with the IEP process specifically related to transition, so if you do anything related to that, that would be awesome!
Thanks for your help :) Hope my information was helpful for you! And like I said, if you need anything else or have any other questions, just ask.
Just out of curiosity, what year are you in the PDP process? I am starting my 3rd year of teaching, so I wrote my goals and stuff last year.
Bobbi Jo
And this morning I received this response:
Bobbi Jo,
Thank you so much for responding to my email! You were the first one I got, including the people in my own district...I am in my 4th year of teaching so I am putting my portfolio together this year.
Our district has a few different avenues for transition services. Both of the high schools have a “Transition Specialist” who assist students in determining what line of work they would like to explore using interest inventories. They also plan trips to local colleges and tech schools based on student interest, help them fill out applications, make resumes, etc., practice entrance tests, and the work experience for special ed students is run through them.
Another program we have for CD students is called Transitions and is run at the High School. It is a non-paid work experience program that is designed to provide work experience in a variety of settings for students with cognitive disabilities. They rotate to different jobs in the community and/or school settings every 8-10 weeks. Monday through Thursday they are at jobs sites and on Fridays they work on additional workplace skills such as resume and portfolio development. Some of the jobs they do include making bed frames for a spring company, food prep work at Applebee’s, assisting with making snacks and in the classroom at an early learning center, going through donations and placing them on the sales floor at Goodwill and like stores, food prep and dishes at our central kitchen for the district, and food prep and other minor jobs at a local hospital.
The last program we have district wide is the SAIL program. I have attached their program brochure...it is a little outdated as they now have another level of the program for students who have lower skills (low CDB/high CDS) as well and need a little more assistance/guidance.
As for our IEPs, we do have short worksheets that the students fill out before the meeting that discuss what they would like to do after high school, where they want to live, level of independence, strengths, weaknesses, things to work on, etc. that they then share during the meeting. Also, in study skills class (a supported study hall) they discuss self-advocacy and have different tasks the students need to do (talking to their teachers about questions or grades, discussing their needs in the classroom, etc.).
I hope this is the kind of information you were looking for and let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
Thanks again
This was a really great way to get some information from other teachers, and it happened quite randomly! It was nice to hear from someone else working on the PDP, though, and hear of some things they are doing!
Check another activity off the list...check!
Hello, my name is (name removed for privacy) and I am a CDB teacher at a local High School. I am working on my PDP for license renewal and part of my plan is finding out what other teachers and schools are doing in the area of life skills with their students. If you would be able to, I would really appreciate a short rundown of the skills or activities you incorporate in your classroom to increase student success in independent living once out of high school. I am looking for things like cooking, cleaning, job skills, social skills, community outings, etc. and a reference of some/any materials you use to develop these skills.
Thank you for your time!
I thought this was fantastic, so I responded yesterday afternoon:
Hello!
I would be glad to help out. As a fellow PDPer, if you don't mind, I am going to ask for similar information from about my goal, but I will include that at the bottom.
One way to improve independent living is through weekly community outings. What I try to do is choose a place for the month, and then each week (Tuesdays this year), we go to that place for the month. For example, in October, we will go shopping at Target and go to McDonald's for lunch. By doing this weekly for the entire month, it gives the kids to generalize the new skills they learn at those places. We started it last year and it's worked out pretty well.
To promote social skills, we also participate in a monthly outing with 4 or 5 other school districts to encourage our kids to interact with others from other schools. It actually has worked out really great and some friendships have developed because of it. Along with that, I incorporate many social skills lessons into life skills and sort develop lessons based on each students needs. For example, one of my students with Asperger's worked specifically on conversation skills and respecting opinions, as that was one of his needs. I take a lot of my information from the book "Social Skills Activities for Secondary Students with Special Needs" as well as the LCCE curriculum. I also google for ideas a lot too, and find things on the internet.
I also do a cooking activity each week (Thursdays). This year, I am trying find foods/snacks for cooking that are healthier and can be made in a microwave, to promote independence at home too. We also practice shopping for the food we need for the recipe as well, to familiarize ourselves with the grocery store.
For jobs around school, we pick up recycling around the school and also fill the staff lounge soda machines. Filling the soda machines includes shopping for the soda, managing the soda machine checking account (including depositing money and writing out checks), and filling the soda machine. It's been a very good job actually that includes a lot of different skills.
We also do a work experience class where we talk about job skills and what you need for a job. Some of my students also go out and work in the community a couple days a week with a job coach. We usually start with the local grocery store and then move on from there. The grocery store is a great place to develop those initial skills. Last year we had about 7 different businesses helping us out with this. While our goal is to have these businesses pay our students, with our hard economic times, that becomes a challenge, so we developed a work contract that is signed by our special education director, myself, my job coach, the student, the parents, and the supervisor at the business that states that they will do jobs like any other employee, will be supervised by one of our staff members, and will actually be paid through the school district. This has worked out very well and we have developed quite a rapport with the businesses, which has been great. And by paying the students, the experience becomes more meaningful and the students certainly enjoy it. I have done this with students with mild CD, Asperger's, Autism, and LD students. If you would like to see a sample of our contract, I can send you one. Just let me know.
I hope all of that helps. If you would like more ideas about something specific, just let me know.
As for my goal, my goal is similar but focuses a lot more on transition specifically. So if you would, could tell me some of the things you do to help promote transition for students in your school district? I am thinking along the lines of self-determination/self advocacy, work skills, life skills, independent living, and anything to go along with Indicator 13. Along with that, I also want to improve my students' involvement with the IEP process specifically related to transition, so if you do anything related to that, that would be awesome!
Thanks for your help :) Hope my information was helpful for you! And like I said, if you need anything else or have any other questions, just ask.
Just out of curiosity, what year are you in the PDP process? I am starting my 3rd year of teaching, so I wrote my goals and stuff last year.
Bobbi Jo
And this morning I received this response:
Bobbi Jo,
Thank you so much for responding to my email! You were the first one I got, including the people in my own district...I am in my 4th year of teaching so I am putting my portfolio together this year.
Our district has a few different avenues for transition services. Both of the high schools have a “Transition Specialist” who assist students in determining what line of work they would like to explore using interest inventories. They also plan trips to local colleges and tech schools based on student interest, help them fill out applications, make resumes, etc., practice entrance tests, and the work experience for special ed students is run through them.
Another program we have for CD students is called Transitions and is run at the High School. It is a non-paid work experience program that is designed to provide work experience in a variety of settings for students with cognitive disabilities. They rotate to different jobs in the community and/or school settings every 8-10 weeks. Monday through Thursday they are at jobs sites and on Fridays they work on additional workplace skills such as resume and portfolio development. Some of the jobs they do include making bed frames for a spring company, food prep work at Applebee’s, assisting with making snacks and in the classroom at an early learning center, going through donations and placing them on the sales floor at Goodwill and like stores, food prep and dishes at our central kitchen for the district, and food prep and other minor jobs at a local hospital.
The last program we have district wide is the SAIL program. I have attached their program brochure...it is a little outdated as they now have another level of the program for students who have lower skills (low CDB/high CDS) as well and need a little more assistance/guidance.
As for our IEPs, we do have short worksheets that the students fill out before the meeting that discuss what they would like to do after high school, where they want to live, level of independence, strengths, weaknesses, things to work on, etc. that they then share during the meeting. Also, in study skills class (a supported study hall) they discuss self-advocacy and have different tasks the students need to do (talking to their teachers about questions or grades, discussing their needs in the classroom, etc.).
I hope this is the kind of information you were looking for and let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
Thanks again
This was a really great way to get some information from other teachers, and it happened quite randomly! It was nice to hear from someone else working on the PDP, though, and hear of some things they are doing!
Check another activity off the list...check!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
New Students in Work Experience
Last week, I had a few students start a community work placement. They are going to work at the local grocery store with a job coach from our district. This is a great placement for teaching initial job skills, as there are a lot of tasks that are essential for many different jobs in life.
One of my student has been anxiously waiting to start his job this year. He saw seniors participating in it last year, so he was very excited to do so this year. This is a student that, two years ago when he came to our distirct, was very shy and didn't really express himself at all. He has made great strides since then. He has found a social circle of friends at lunch (he chose to sit by himself for 3 semester before finally joining another group) and he more openly expresses himself to others. It's fantastic.
When he came back from his first day at work last week, I asked him how it went, and he responded with "Excellent!" I have never heard him so excited or enthusiastic about anything before. It was really awesome! Just a great example of how these types of experiences really can be great for students with disabilities.
One of my student has been anxiously waiting to start his job this year. He saw seniors participating in it last year, so he was very excited to do so this year. This is a student that, two years ago when he came to our distirct, was very shy and didn't really express himself at all. He has made great strides since then. He has found a social circle of friends at lunch (he chose to sit by himself for 3 semester before finally joining another group) and he more openly expresses himself to others. It's fantastic.
When he came back from his first day at work last week, I asked him how it went, and he responded with "Excellent!" I have never heard him so excited or enthusiastic about anything before. It was really awesome! Just a great example of how these types of experiences really can be great for students with disabilities.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Richmond Hill school opens for pupils with autism
Richmond Hill school opens for pupils with autism
BY ANNA GUSTAFSON
http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/09/23/queens/qns_richmond_hill_school_opening_20100923.txt
Last week’s ribbon cutting for the School for Language and Communication Development’s high school in Richmond Hill was lauded as a dream come true by the school officials who have spent the past eight years in a contentious legal battle with the state Department of Education.
The SLCD, which serves students with language and autism spectrum disorders, and the state DOE settled the eight-year lawsuit this past February, which allowed the Richmond Hill school at 87-25 136 St. to open for this school year. The SLCD had sued the DOE over a cap the state had placed on the number of students the SLCD could serve, essentially prohibiting the group from opening a high school.
The SLCD provides services to more than 400 children ages 3 to 21 and has been given the green light by the state to enroll as many as 540 students. It also runs a pre-K and elementary school in Glen Cove, L.I., and a middle school in Woodside.
“This is a dream come true,” Ellenmorris Tiegerman, the founder and executive director of the SLCD, said at the high school’s ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday. “It’s been a long, hard fight. At the end of the day, what are we fighting for? We’re fighting for these wonderful children who have so much potential, so much to give.”
SLCD Director Christine Radziewicz said it was a “combination of mitzvahs and miracles” that made the high school a reality, including help from the bevy of state legislators who attended Friday’s celebration.
“Dealing with Albany was indeed an experience, but we wanted to give any help that we could,” state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) said. “What Dr. Tiegerman has done here, what she has been all about, is to see every child reach their maximum potential.”
Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) said the SLCD’s schools should prove to be models for institutions across the state.
“As a member of the [Senate] Education Committee, I can tell you we need to invest more into schools like this,” Addabbo said. “Today, this is a great snapshot, a great snapshot of success for our children.”
Students can attend the Richmond Hill school for as long as six years until they hit the age of 21. At the school, students engage in academic classes as well as vocational courses. There is a model of a Calvin Klein retail store, in which students learn how to work a cash register, fold and sort clothes and deal with customers. The school also has a model apartment, so students can learn how to live on their own after graduation, and a business office in which students learn skills needed to work in an office environment.
“My dream was to create a high school program that prepared children with disabilities for independent life,” Tiegerman said.
“The Calvin Klein store is great because the students find out quickly there’s a life after the textbooks, the blackboard,” said Davis, of Hempstead, L.I.
Davis, a journalism major at Howard who authors a blog on the SLCD website, said he fondly remembers his time at the school.
“We were all in it together, the students and the teachers,” Davis said. “The only way we got over hurdles was to be here.”
For more information about the School for Language and Communication Development, visit slcd.org.
BY ANNA GUSTAFSON
http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/09/23/queens/qns_richmond_hill_school_opening_20100923.txt
Last week’s ribbon cutting for the School for Language and Communication Development’s high school in Richmond Hill was lauded as a dream come true by the school officials who have spent the past eight years in a contentious legal battle with the state Department of Education.
The SLCD, which serves students with language and autism spectrum disorders, and the state DOE settled the eight-year lawsuit this past February, which allowed the Richmond Hill school at 87-25 136 St. to open for this school year. The SLCD had sued the DOE over a cap the state had placed on the number of students the SLCD could serve, essentially prohibiting the group from opening a high school.
The SLCD provides services to more than 400 children ages 3 to 21 and has been given the green light by the state to enroll as many as 540 students. It also runs a pre-K and elementary school in Glen Cove, L.I., and a middle school in Woodside.
“This is a dream come true,” Ellenmorris Tiegerman, the founder and executive director of the SLCD, said at the high school’s ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday. “It’s been a long, hard fight. At the end of the day, what are we fighting for? We’re fighting for these wonderful children who have so much potential, so much to give.”
SLCD Director Christine Radziewicz said it was a “combination of mitzvahs and miracles” that made the high school a reality, including help from the bevy of state legislators who attended Friday’s celebration.
“Dealing with Albany was indeed an experience, but we wanted to give any help that we could,” state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) said. “What Dr. Tiegerman has done here, what she has been all about, is to see every child reach their maximum potential.”
Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) said the SLCD’s schools should prove to be models for institutions across the state.
“As a member of the [Senate] Education Committee, I can tell you we need to invest more into schools like this,” Addabbo said. “Today, this is a great snapshot, a great snapshot of success for our children.”
Students can attend the Richmond Hill school for as long as six years until they hit the age of 21. At the school, students engage in academic classes as well as vocational courses. There is a model of a Calvin Klein retail store, in which students learn how to work a cash register, fold and sort clothes and deal with customers. The school also has a model apartment, so students can learn how to live on their own after graduation, and a business office in which students learn skills needed to work in an office environment.
“My dream was to create a high school program that prepared children with disabilities for independent life,” Tiegerman said.
“The Calvin Klein store is great because the students find out quickly there’s a life after the textbooks, the blackboard,” said Davis, of Hempstead, L.I.
Davis, a journalism major at Howard who authors a blog on the SLCD website, said he fondly remembers his time at the school.
“We were all in it together, the students and the teachers,” Davis said. “The only way we got over hurdles was to be here.”
For more information about the School for Language and Communication Development, visit slcd.org.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Woodburn School District helps bridge the gap to those with disabilities
Woodburn School District helps bridge the gap to those with disabilities
District took over the Bridges Program from Willamette ESD
By: Lindsay Keefer
http://www.woodburnindependent.com/news/2010/September/12/Education/woodburn.school.district.helps.bridge.the.gap.to.those.with.disabilities/news.aspx
WOODBURN — A fairly new program through the Woodburn School District is bridging the gap between school and the real world for young adults with disabilities.
The Bridges Program, which is starting its third year, transitions 18- to 21-year-old young adults with disabilities into independent living and the working world.
This year, the program, which used to be run by the Willamette Education Service District, is being run by the school district.
The name is derived from the transition process.
“We’re trying to bridge that gap so it’s not this giant leap, they’re not totally on their own trying to navigate confusing agencies and groups,” said Jennifer Spencer-Iiams, director of student services for the district.
“We’re trying to help them have a more positive and confident transition to their next phase in life.”
According to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), any student that hasn’t received a standard diploma and fits in that age group is eligible for the program, reaching 11 categories of disabilities.
“Another part of that law says that we need to provide transition services once they’re 16, to start planning for what comes next and helping them prepare,” said Spencer-Iiams.
“It’s really hard for families. When they’re in school, everything is centralized, but when they’re out of school, they have to deal with agencies and brokerages and they have to be educated about what’s out there.”
Bridges helps families find and connect with resources in the community and helps students develop or connect with job skills.
“That looks different, depending on the student,” Spencer-Iiams said. “Some are very capable but maybe they need help getting their foot in the door, and others need a lot of basic support on the job site.”
One way, vocationally, Bridges students have been supported is through a collaboration with the district.
She said when they first started the Bridges Program, they were looking for “meaningful work” and one avenue was helping the district with the refurbishing of science kits.
She said the collaboration has turned into a win-win situation, with the Bridges students gaining working skills while the district saves money.
“The amount of work is on their individual plan and what works for them,” Spencer-Iiams said.
“It’s always from that perspective. There are so many opportunities. Putting a certain number of cups in the bag can be meaningful. It’s based on their individual goals, things that will translate to the working world.”
Bridges also helps students with independent living and offers support for recreation leisure and social time.
“At high school, there’s a lot of built-in social group time,” Spencer-Iiams said.
“Suddenly they’re only in the workplace and they sometimes struggle with recreation and social peer groups. We help them with activities … planning a party, card games. Someone might be very sociable but needs help on how to establish appropriate behavior.”
The program, which is currently run during the day out of a three-bedroom apartment at Cascade Meadows Apartments, is looking to move its location downtown.
“One of the reasons we want to move to a location downtown is there are lots more opportunities for recreation,” Spencer-Iiams said. “(The current site) is further away from some community things, but it would be great to just be able to practice going to a store or restaurant or take a class at Chemeketa (Community College).”
The program is run by Charlotte Hazel, three instructional assistants and a recreation leisure specialist, Kathy Schnebly.
“(Charlotte) has a passion for transition-age youth,” Spencer-Iiams said. “That’s her specialty and she’s great at it.”
She said professional development is better now that Woodburn has taken charge of the program.
“The teacher participates in professional development with other special education teachers. She’s more connected so she knows the students before they come into the program,” Spencer-Iiams said.
There are currently 18 students in the program from Woodburn, North Marion, Gervais and Mt. Angel school districts.
“Each year we’re getting more kids and expanding the range,” Spencer-Iiams said.
She said there has been nothing but positive feedback from the students and their families.
“They see the confidence and the skills that their students gain in that setting,” Spencer-Iiams said.
“Traditional school was always really hard for them. Here we can really just create a plan that’s all about them, it’s very individualized. … I look at what we were doing for students before and what we’re doing now — the amount of time in the community, the independent skills they’ve gained and they have better connections, resources and vocational opportunities.”
District took over the Bridges Program from Willamette ESD
By: Lindsay Keefer
http://www.woodburnindependent.com/news/2010/September/12/Education/woodburn.school.district.helps.bridge.the.gap.to.those.with.disabilities/news.aspx
WOODBURN — A fairly new program through the Woodburn School District is bridging the gap between school and the real world for young adults with disabilities.
The Bridges Program, which is starting its third year, transitions 18- to 21-year-old young adults with disabilities into independent living and the working world.
This year, the program, which used to be run by the Willamette Education Service District, is being run by the school district.
The name is derived from the transition process.
“We’re trying to bridge that gap so it’s not this giant leap, they’re not totally on their own trying to navigate confusing agencies and groups,” said Jennifer Spencer-Iiams, director of student services for the district.
“We’re trying to help them have a more positive and confident transition to their next phase in life.”
According to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), any student that hasn’t received a standard diploma and fits in that age group is eligible for the program, reaching 11 categories of disabilities.
“Another part of that law says that we need to provide transition services once they’re 16, to start planning for what comes next and helping them prepare,” said Spencer-Iiams.
“It’s really hard for families. When they’re in school, everything is centralized, but when they’re out of school, they have to deal with agencies and brokerages and they have to be educated about what’s out there.”
Bridges helps families find and connect with resources in the community and helps students develop or connect with job skills.
“That looks different, depending on the student,” Spencer-Iiams said. “Some are very capable but maybe they need help getting their foot in the door, and others need a lot of basic support on the job site.”
One way, vocationally, Bridges students have been supported is through a collaboration with the district.
She said when they first started the Bridges Program, they were looking for “meaningful work” and one avenue was helping the district with the refurbishing of science kits.
She said the collaboration has turned into a win-win situation, with the Bridges students gaining working skills while the district saves money.
“The amount of work is on their individual plan and what works for them,” Spencer-Iiams said.
“It’s always from that perspective. There are so many opportunities. Putting a certain number of cups in the bag can be meaningful. It’s based on their individual goals, things that will translate to the working world.”
Bridges also helps students with independent living and offers support for recreation leisure and social time.
“At high school, there’s a lot of built-in social group time,” Spencer-Iiams said.
“Suddenly they’re only in the workplace and they sometimes struggle with recreation and social peer groups. We help them with activities … planning a party, card games. Someone might be very sociable but needs help on how to establish appropriate behavior.”
The program, which is currently run during the day out of a three-bedroom apartment at Cascade Meadows Apartments, is looking to move its location downtown.
“One of the reasons we want to move to a location downtown is there are lots more opportunities for recreation,” Spencer-Iiams said. “(The current site) is further away from some community things, but it would be great to just be able to practice going to a store or restaurant or take a class at Chemeketa (Community College).”
The program is run by Charlotte Hazel, three instructional assistants and a recreation leisure specialist, Kathy Schnebly.
“(Charlotte) has a passion for transition-age youth,” Spencer-Iiams said. “That’s her specialty and she’s great at it.”
She said professional development is better now that Woodburn has taken charge of the program.
“The teacher participates in professional development with other special education teachers. She’s more connected so she knows the students before they come into the program,” Spencer-Iiams said.
There are currently 18 students in the program from Woodburn, North Marion, Gervais and Mt. Angel school districts.
“Each year we’re getting more kids and expanding the range,” Spencer-Iiams said.
She said there has been nothing but positive feedback from the students and their families.
“They see the confidence and the skills that their students gain in that setting,” Spencer-Iiams said.
“Traditional school was always really hard for them. Here we can really just create a plan that’s all about them, it’s very individualized. … I look at what we were doing for students before and what we’re doing now — the amount of time in the community, the independent skills they’ve gained and they have better connections, resources and vocational opportunities.”
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saline schools' Young Adult Program gives disabled adults job and life skills
Saline schools' Young Adult Program gives disabled adults job and life skills
By: Tara Cavanaugh
http://www.annarbor.com/news/saline/saline-schools-young-adult-program-gives-disabled-adults-job-and-life-skills/
A few years ago, Cathleen Whiteman faced a conundrum. Her then 16-year-old son Daniel, who has autism, wasn’t doing well in school. At 6 feet 2 inches tall and 250 pounds, he was getting harder to control. He had already been held back twice. Three doctors suggested an out-of-home placement. Whiteman homeschooled Daniel for a year, and she thought she might have to quit her job to look after her son full-time.
But around that time, Saline Area Schools special education teacher Kevin Musson had an idea. He decided to create a program with the goal of transitioning young adults with disabilities into adult lives.
The award-winning young adult program, now in its fourth year, helps students like Daniel grow more independent, take care of themselves, and even find work. The Michigan Association of School Boards recognized the program with its Education Excellence Award in 2009, and Musson received an Everyday Hero Award from the Warren, Mich.-based RARE Foundation in 2009 as well.
Some of Daniel’s problems stemmed from the fact that he was bored at home but was too anxious to be comfortable somewhere else, Whiteman said. “Kevin’s staff just worked with him.”
The staff, made up of four teachers and 10 para-educators, recognized that Daniel needed a place to feel safe when he started to get anxious. So they found a small room at the school and turned it into his personal office, “to do some academic work there, look at books, do something that was centering for him… And then when he felt like he had gotten recharged, … he could come out and join the group,” Whiteman said.
“That allowed him to gradually increase his ability to deal with normal life sensory input. Rather than being overwhelmed, he could deal with it more and more,” she said, noting that Daniel didn’t need to use his office this summer.
The staff works with students so that they can focus on learning important life and job skills in the year-round program. As long as the student hasn’t received a high school diploma, and is between the ages of 18 and 26, he or she can participate in the program.
Musson said students shop for their own groceries, make their own lunches, attend classes, and do a daily news report. Students also exercise at the Saline Recreation Center every morning before heading to a job.
“They work like any other adult,” Musson said, usually from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at one of 20 different sites in Saline and Ann Arbor.
A new job site is the Saline Recreation Center. The students in the young adult program will provide vending services, starting in mid-September.
“Students will go to, say Sam’s Club, and shop for the items, purchase them, work on recordkeeping and bookkeeping and things like that, that are important to working a micro-enterprise,” Musson said.
Musson said the program started to do vending at other businesses two years ago, and organizers realized it was a great way to get regular funding.
The program is funded by the Saline school district, but it also does fundraisers. An upcoming one will be Sept. 25th at the Brookside Golf Course in Saline.
Another component of the young adult program is a class for high school students Musson leads. Connecting with Exceptional Individuals teaches high school students to mentor special needs students.
Juliana Whiteman, Daniel’s fraternal twin, attended this class in her junior and senior year of high school. She attended partly to learn more about her brother. Now she is a sophomore at Adrian College, studying teaching. She hopes to be a special education teacher in the future, an interest that was largely sparked by Musson’s class, she said.
Whiteman nominated Musson for the RARE Foundation Everyday Hero Award in 2009. She won a $2500 scholarship for her essay.
Juliana and her mother say that the program made a huge difference in their family life. In families like theirs, “if the special needs kid isn’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Just like having any family member who is miserable is really hard,” Whiteman said.
Now that Daniel is more comfortable with change and social situations, the family can enjoy going out together, seeing movies and going grocery shopping. These are things Daniel couldn’t do before. And because Daniel is so active in the community through the program, “Every place we go people know Daniel,” Whiteman said.
Christopher Macy, 24, is another student in the young adult program who has blossomed. Macy is also autistic and has been in the program for three years.
One of the best things about the program, his mother Jackie said, is that he has a lot of work experience. “He’s been at a CVS, he’s been at a grocery store, a golf course, giving him some idea of the things he would like to do and also kind of a resume to go from,” she said.
Many students, when they leave, have a resume with experience that can help them get jobs. Students have found work at stores such as Walmart and Busch’s.
“We’ve had a good track record with finding paid employment for our students,” Musson said.
Since starting the program, Christopher has become more independent. “He’ll volunteer to clean up and wash the dishes and do those things,” Macy said. He often surprises the family with his new capabilities.
“Lo and behold, he got up one morning and made himself waffles,” Macy said, chuckling. “I didn’t even know he knew how to make waffles.” It’s something he learned at school.
Macy used to worry that her son would be dependent on their family for the rest of his life. Now, she predicts that he could end up living with friends or co-workers.
Not every student leaves the program with a job, Musson said. Some transition to adult homes, and the young adult program helps the students and families make that change too.
This emphasis on making the change is important, Macy said. “Every young adult goes to the next step,” she said. “They either go to college, or community college, or a vocational school, or get a job or do something at that stage in life. So why shouldn’t these young people have a new phase or a new stage in their life too?”
By: Tara Cavanaugh
http://www.annarbor.com/news/saline/saline-schools-young-adult-program-gives-disabled-adults-job-and-life-skills/
A few years ago, Cathleen Whiteman faced a conundrum. Her then 16-year-old son Daniel, who has autism, wasn’t doing well in school. At 6 feet 2 inches tall and 250 pounds, he was getting harder to control. He had already been held back twice. Three doctors suggested an out-of-home placement. Whiteman homeschooled Daniel for a year, and she thought she might have to quit her job to look after her son full-time.
But around that time, Saline Area Schools special education teacher Kevin Musson had an idea. He decided to create a program with the goal of transitioning young adults with disabilities into adult lives.
The award-winning young adult program, now in its fourth year, helps students like Daniel grow more independent, take care of themselves, and even find work. The Michigan Association of School Boards recognized the program with its Education Excellence Award in 2009, and Musson received an Everyday Hero Award from the Warren, Mich.-based RARE Foundation in 2009 as well.
Some of Daniel’s problems stemmed from the fact that he was bored at home but was too anxious to be comfortable somewhere else, Whiteman said. “Kevin’s staff just worked with him.”
The staff, made up of four teachers and 10 para-educators, recognized that Daniel needed a place to feel safe when he started to get anxious. So they found a small room at the school and turned it into his personal office, “to do some academic work there, look at books, do something that was centering for him… And then when he felt like he had gotten recharged, … he could come out and join the group,” Whiteman said.
“That allowed him to gradually increase his ability to deal with normal life sensory input. Rather than being overwhelmed, he could deal with it more and more,” she said, noting that Daniel didn’t need to use his office this summer.
The staff works with students so that they can focus on learning important life and job skills in the year-round program. As long as the student hasn’t received a high school diploma, and is between the ages of 18 and 26, he or she can participate in the program.
Musson said students shop for their own groceries, make their own lunches, attend classes, and do a daily news report. Students also exercise at the Saline Recreation Center every morning before heading to a job.
“They work like any other adult,” Musson said, usually from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at one of 20 different sites in Saline and Ann Arbor.
A new job site is the Saline Recreation Center. The students in the young adult program will provide vending services, starting in mid-September.
“Students will go to, say Sam’s Club, and shop for the items, purchase them, work on recordkeeping and bookkeeping and things like that, that are important to working a micro-enterprise,” Musson said.
Musson said the program started to do vending at other businesses two years ago, and organizers realized it was a great way to get regular funding.
The program is funded by the Saline school district, but it also does fundraisers. An upcoming one will be Sept. 25th at the Brookside Golf Course in Saline.
Another component of the young adult program is a class for high school students Musson leads. Connecting with Exceptional Individuals teaches high school students to mentor special needs students.
Juliana Whiteman, Daniel’s fraternal twin, attended this class in her junior and senior year of high school. She attended partly to learn more about her brother. Now she is a sophomore at Adrian College, studying teaching. She hopes to be a special education teacher in the future, an interest that was largely sparked by Musson’s class, she said.
Whiteman nominated Musson for the RARE Foundation Everyday Hero Award in 2009. She won a $2500 scholarship for her essay.
Juliana and her mother say that the program made a huge difference in their family life. In families like theirs, “if the special needs kid isn’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Just like having any family member who is miserable is really hard,” Whiteman said.
Now that Daniel is more comfortable with change and social situations, the family can enjoy going out together, seeing movies and going grocery shopping. These are things Daniel couldn’t do before. And because Daniel is so active in the community through the program, “Every place we go people know Daniel,” Whiteman said.
Christopher Macy, 24, is another student in the young adult program who has blossomed. Macy is also autistic and has been in the program for three years.
One of the best things about the program, his mother Jackie said, is that he has a lot of work experience. “He’s been at a CVS, he’s been at a grocery store, a golf course, giving him some idea of the things he would like to do and also kind of a resume to go from,” she said.
Many students, when they leave, have a resume with experience that can help them get jobs. Students have found work at stores such as Walmart and Busch’s.
“We’ve had a good track record with finding paid employment for our students,” Musson said.
Since starting the program, Christopher has become more independent. “He’ll volunteer to clean up and wash the dishes and do those things,” Macy said. He often surprises the family with his new capabilities.
“Lo and behold, he got up one morning and made himself waffles,” Macy said, chuckling. “I didn’t even know he knew how to make waffles.” It’s something he learned at school.
Macy used to worry that her son would be dependent on their family for the rest of his life. Now, she predicts that he could end up living with friends or co-workers.
Not every student leaves the program with a job, Musson said. Some transition to adult homes, and the young adult program helps the students and families make that change too.
This emphasis on making the change is important, Macy said. “Every young adult goes to the next step,” she said. “They either go to college, or community college, or a vocational school, or get a job or do something at that stage in life. So why shouldn’t these young people have a new phase or a new stage in their life too?”
Lessons on living with Autism
Lessons on living with autism
By Joanna Weiss
LIKE MOST college students, the kids at the College Internship Program have spent the last few weeks gearing up for classes, meeting roommates, readying for life away from home. But on this tiny campus in the Berkshires, they’ve been getting extra help.
For instance, they take courses in “executive functioning’’ — not business techniques, but the cognitive work of decision-making and self-control. In their classroom, posters offer tips for talking to acquaintances. “Smile and say ‘hello’ to initiate a dialogue. Ask them how they are to build rapport.’’
For people with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder, this is hardly intuitive stuff. And if the number of autism diagnoses has risen dramatically, so too will the number of teenagers who reach this tentative place: ready to leave the cocoon, but not quite ready for the world.
The question of how to help them isn’t flashy, controversial, or celebrity-studded. That may be why far more attention goes to the torrid debate over autism’s causes, the hunt for ways that the disorder can be “cured.’’
The staff at the College Internship Program chafes at the notion that autism is something to cure or defeat. A diagnosis is a piece of your identity, says the program’s founder, Michael McManmon. His philosophy centers on self-knowledge. “If you understand who you are and what makes you tick,’’ he said recently, “then you can alter it and you can fit into the world.’’
For McManmon, self-knowledge came years after he founded the program. It was his staff that pointed out that he probably had Asperger’s, which explained his vast energy, his entrepreneurial skills, his trouble managing personal relationships. It also explained his interest in 1984 — when kids with social disabilities were getting deinstitutionalized — in finding ways to ease their transition to independent life.
Since then, McManmon’s program has expanded dramatically. It now serves young adults with autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities, and has five campuses across the country. At the original campus in Lee, about 40 students live in group apartments downtown, aided by a 24-hour residential staff. Many take classes at Berkshire Community College and have internships at local businesses. They also get lessons in nutrition and hygiene, help with grocery shopping and cooking, twice-weekly sessions with advisers who help them organize and plan.
They come with a range of issues and needs. Some have trouble with basic social skills, and might get intense coaching on holding conversations or making eye contact. Others have trouble managing time. Recent graduate Liz Gray, a 24-year-old with Asperger’s, told me she’s easily distracted: “God help me if I’m working on a task and there’s something shiny or sparkly in the room.’’ Before she came to Lee, she had dropped out of a mainstream college, burned by one disastrous semester. Now, she’s living on her own in Pittsfield, feeling strong.
Young adults often find their way here after experiencing failure, according to Jeff Wheeler, the program’s academic coordinator. “You see somebody come in who has such great potential, and has never really been able to find their legs under them,’’ he said. “They typically have this ‘lazy and dumb’ label.’’
His task, he says, is to convince them that they have the power to meet their goals, to seek their dream careers. That sometimes means making mistakes and learning how to fix them: last year, one student skipped so many papers in a college course that he had to write four in a single day. But it sometimes means success, by anyone’s standards. One student recently sold his photographs at a solo exhibit at the Lee public library.
The stories are encouraging, but for many families, they’re also out of reach. The program’s large staff of teachers, tutors, and advisers comes at a price: The most intense set of services can cost more than $70,000 a year, though prices typically drop as students progress.
The program has a small foundation to finance scholarships. A handful of students get help through state programs or local school systems. But many high school graduates who could use a school like this are on their own — invisible, despite all the attention over autism’s rise. And searching, as usual, for ways to navigate an unforgiving world.
Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com.
By Joanna Weiss
LIKE MOST college students, the kids at the College Internship Program have spent the last few weeks gearing up for classes, meeting roommates, readying for life away from home. But on this tiny campus in the Berkshires, they’ve been getting extra help.
For instance, they take courses in “executive functioning’’ — not business techniques, but the cognitive work of decision-making and self-control. In their classroom, posters offer tips for talking to acquaintances. “Smile and say ‘hello’ to initiate a dialogue. Ask them how they are to build rapport.’’
For people with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder, this is hardly intuitive stuff. And if the number of autism diagnoses has risen dramatically, so too will the number of teenagers who reach this tentative place: ready to leave the cocoon, but not quite ready for the world.
The question of how to help them isn’t flashy, controversial, or celebrity-studded. That may be why far more attention goes to the torrid debate over autism’s causes, the hunt for ways that the disorder can be “cured.’’
The staff at the College Internship Program chafes at the notion that autism is something to cure or defeat. A diagnosis is a piece of your identity, says the program’s founder, Michael McManmon. His philosophy centers on self-knowledge. “If you understand who you are and what makes you tick,’’ he said recently, “then you can alter it and you can fit into the world.’’
For McManmon, self-knowledge came years after he founded the program. It was his staff that pointed out that he probably had Asperger’s, which explained his vast energy, his entrepreneurial skills, his trouble managing personal relationships. It also explained his interest in 1984 — when kids with social disabilities were getting deinstitutionalized — in finding ways to ease their transition to independent life.
Since then, McManmon’s program has expanded dramatically. It now serves young adults with autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities, and has five campuses across the country. At the original campus in Lee, about 40 students live in group apartments downtown, aided by a 24-hour residential staff. Many take classes at Berkshire Community College and have internships at local businesses. They also get lessons in nutrition and hygiene, help with grocery shopping and cooking, twice-weekly sessions with advisers who help them organize and plan.
They come with a range of issues and needs. Some have trouble with basic social skills, and might get intense coaching on holding conversations or making eye contact. Others have trouble managing time. Recent graduate Liz Gray, a 24-year-old with Asperger’s, told me she’s easily distracted: “God help me if I’m working on a task and there’s something shiny or sparkly in the room.’’ Before she came to Lee, she had dropped out of a mainstream college, burned by one disastrous semester. Now, she’s living on her own in Pittsfield, feeling strong.
Young adults often find their way here after experiencing failure, according to Jeff Wheeler, the program’s academic coordinator. “You see somebody come in who has such great potential, and has never really been able to find their legs under them,’’ he said. “They typically have this ‘lazy and dumb’ label.’’
His task, he says, is to convince them that they have the power to meet their goals, to seek their dream careers. That sometimes means making mistakes and learning how to fix them: last year, one student skipped so many papers in a college course that he had to write four in a single day. But it sometimes means success, by anyone’s standards. One student recently sold his photographs at a solo exhibit at the Lee public library.
The stories are encouraging, but for many families, they’re also out of reach. The program’s large staff of teachers, tutors, and advisers comes at a price: The most intense set of services can cost more than $70,000 a year, though prices typically drop as students progress.
The program has a small foundation to finance scholarships. A handful of students get help through state programs or local school systems. But many high school graduates who could use a school like this are on their own — invisible, despite all the attention over autism’s rise. And searching, as usual, for ways to navigate an unforgiving world.
Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com.
Friday, September 10, 2010
School's ice cream parlor dishes up life skills
School's ice cream parlor dishes up life skills
Special-needs students at Tobinworld go to the Baskin-Robbins shop for job experience, social skills and sweet rewards.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/18/local/la-me-ice-cream-20100718
Joseline Reyes had the scoop on the hottest day of the year so far at her school.
She had two scoops, in fact.
"I've got cookies 'n cream. It's my favorite," the 15-year-old said as she relaxed in the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor that sits in the middle of a Glendale school's grounds.
Joseline, of Van Nuys, attends summer school classes at Tobinworld, a 300-student campus for autistic and emotionally disturbed youngsters.
Besides being a popular place on a hot day, the Baskin-Robbins store is a centerpiece of the school's curriculum.
Teachers use it to motivate students to learn and modify their behavior. The not-for-profit store also helps build business and social skills and prepares teenagers for the work world.
Open since 1995, the one-of-a-kind school store resembles a real Baskin-Robbins outlet, right down to its signage, furnishings and cheery pink paint scheme.
"The company made us change the shade of pink before we opened. Baskin-Robbins wanted it right," said Judith Weber, founder and executive director of Tobinworld. "The president of Baskin-Robbins was here for the store's grand opening."
The school is named after Weber's son, Tobin, now 43. She established the campus in 1977 after discovering there was no public school program available for him in the Los Angeles area.
These days, 23 local school systems, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, send special-needs students to the five-building campus on East Broadway. Federal and state funds pay about $30,000 a year per student to cover Tobinworld's operating costs.
Classroom work for the school's K-12 student body is based on what Weber describes as a reward system. Youngsters earn tokens for positive behavior and for completing assignments.
They use the tokens to pay for their ice cream. A menu board above the store's freezer counter lists the prices: One scoop costs one token, three-scoop sundaes sell for three tokens, floats cost four and malts and shakes require five. Banana splits sell for six tokens.
The school's 250 staff members can also buy ice cream cones and sundaes, but they have to pay cash.
Twenty-six teenagers work at the school's Baskin-Robbins. They apply for the positions like real employees do and undergo a pre-employment interview. On the job, they wear official company uniforms. They are not paid for their work at the not-for-profit store.
Special-needs students at Tobinworld go to the Baskin-Robbins shop for job experience, social skills and sweet rewards.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/18/local/la-me-ice-cream-20100718
Joseline Reyes had the scoop on the hottest day of the year so far at her school.
She had two scoops, in fact.
"I've got cookies 'n cream. It's my favorite," the 15-year-old said as she relaxed in the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor that sits in the middle of a Glendale school's grounds.
Joseline, of Van Nuys, attends summer school classes at Tobinworld, a 300-student campus for autistic and emotionally disturbed youngsters.
Besides being a popular place on a hot day, the Baskin-Robbins store is a centerpiece of the school's curriculum.
Teachers use it to motivate students to learn and modify their behavior. The not-for-profit store also helps build business and social skills and prepares teenagers for the work world.
Open since 1995, the one-of-a-kind school store resembles a real Baskin-Robbins outlet, right down to its signage, furnishings and cheery pink paint scheme.
"The company made us change the shade of pink before we opened. Baskin-Robbins wanted it right," said Judith Weber, founder and executive director of Tobinworld. "The president of Baskin-Robbins was here for the store's grand opening."
The school is named after Weber's son, Tobin, now 43. She established the campus in 1977 after discovering there was no public school program available for him in the Los Angeles area.
These days, 23 local school systems, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, send special-needs students to the five-building campus on East Broadway. Federal and state funds pay about $30,000 a year per student to cover Tobinworld's operating costs.
Classroom work for the school's K-12 student body is based on what Weber describes as a reward system. Youngsters earn tokens for positive behavior and for completing assignments.
They use the tokens to pay for their ice cream. A menu board above the store's freezer counter lists the prices: One scoop costs one token, three-scoop sundaes sell for three tokens, floats cost four and malts and shakes require five. Banana splits sell for six tokens.
The school's 250 staff members can also buy ice cream cones and sundaes, but they have to pay cash.
Twenty-six teenagers work at the school's Baskin-Robbins. They apply for the positions like real employees do and undergo a pre-employment interview. On the job, they wear official company uniforms. They are not paid for their work at the not-for-profit store.
Disabled kids at P.S. 107 feel at home in its kitchen, which youngsters built
Disabled kids at P.S. 107 feel at home in its kitchen, which youngsters built
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/07/18/2010-07-18_disabled_kids_feel_at_home_in_kitchen.html
The Great Recession hasn't stopped a Flushing elementary school from coming up with its own recipe for success.
Public School 107 created a custom-built, handicapped-accessible kitchen to help its physically and mentally disabled students learn day-to-day living skills along with arithmetic - without costing the school a cent.
"We wanted to go beyond paper and pencil activities for kids," said Principal Jim Phair. The kitchen "puts a real life spin on the activities they would normally do in therapy."
Even though the pre-K-through-5 school took a deep budget cut, Phair and special education coordinator Jane Turetzky forged ahead with the kitchen. It helps students learn reading, math and teamwork through activities like making a batch of sugar cookies, he said.
They transformed a musty old classroom into a bright kitchen able to accommodate wheelchairs, thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Home Depot in College Point and a $5,000 donation from PS 107's veteran Principal for a Day Michael Goldstein, a former Toys "R" Us CEO.
A group of Home Depot employees even volunteered to do the installation free of charge.
"You can't be held hostage by the economy," Phair said. "Every school has a wealth of community that virtually goes untapped."
Cooking can play an important role in some of the special needs children's therapy, he said. Simple tasks like holding a bowl with one hand and stirring the batter with the other can develop motor skills, Phair explained.
And so far, the kitchen seems to be a hit with the kids.
Lorraine Casey, 10, of Whitestone, who will be in fifth grade this fall, said her favorite comestible lesson is making pizza. Handicapped accessibility is another plus for the aspiring chef, who uses a wheelchair.
"There's space for me to move around," said Lorraine, who has cerebral palsy. "Some kitchens don't have enough room for people with wheelchairs."
Her mother, Vita Casey, 46, said the kitchen therapy sessions have boosted her daughter's self-esteem - along with her math skills.
"She's able to grasp the concept of measurements a little bit easier than in textbooks," she said.
Teaching special needs students day-to-day skills early on is key, said school occupational therapist Cristina Abramovich.
"Having the kitchen allows us to work on making the children more independent in school as well as at home," Abramovich said. "Rather than just reaching up to put a ring on a cone, now we're having them reach into a cabinet for a spoon."
Abramovich said she's seen improvement in her students since the kitchen opened this spring. But the kids aren't always aware of their progress "because they're having so much fun," she said.
Using a kitchen to tap into a child's potential is nothing new, said Mark Alter, a professor of educational psychology at New York University.
But "it's not common enough," he said. "The idea of putting kids in a real-life environment is a good one. It's preparing the kids to live independently."
Phair doesn't want to limit these types of life lessons to just his special needs students. He plans to open the kitchen to the entire school in the fall.
"This is going to be something everyone benefits from," he said.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/07/18/2010-07-18_disabled_kids_feel_at_home_in_kitchen.html#ixzz0z9WdRxkr
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/07/18/2010-07-18_disabled_kids_feel_at_home_in_kitchen.html
The Great Recession hasn't stopped a Flushing elementary school from coming up with its own recipe for success.
Public School 107 created a custom-built, handicapped-accessible kitchen to help its physically and mentally disabled students learn day-to-day living skills along with arithmetic - without costing the school a cent.
"We wanted to go beyond paper and pencil activities for kids," said Principal Jim Phair. The kitchen "puts a real life spin on the activities they would normally do in therapy."
Even though the pre-K-through-5 school took a deep budget cut, Phair and special education coordinator Jane Turetzky forged ahead with the kitchen. It helps students learn reading, math and teamwork through activities like making a batch of sugar cookies, he said.
They transformed a musty old classroom into a bright kitchen able to accommodate wheelchairs, thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Home Depot in College Point and a $5,000 donation from PS 107's veteran Principal for a Day Michael Goldstein, a former Toys "R" Us CEO.
A group of Home Depot employees even volunteered to do the installation free of charge.
"You can't be held hostage by the economy," Phair said. "Every school has a wealth of community that virtually goes untapped."
Cooking can play an important role in some of the special needs children's therapy, he said. Simple tasks like holding a bowl with one hand and stirring the batter with the other can develop motor skills, Phair explained.
And so far, the kitchen seems to be a hit with the kids.
Lorraine Casey, 10, of Whitestone, who will be in fifth grade this fall, said her favorite comestible lesson is making pizza. Handicapped accessibility is another plus for the aspiring chef, who uses a wheelchair.
"There's space for me to move around," said Lorraine, who has cerebral palsy. "Some kitchens don't have enough room for people with wheelchairs."
Her mother, Vita Casey, 46, said the kitchen therapy sessions have boosted her daughter's self-esteem - along with her math skills.
"She's able to grasp the concept of measurements a little bit easier than in textbooks," she said.
Teaching special needs students day-to-day skills early on is key, said school occupational therapist Cristina Abramovich.
"Having the kitchen allows us to work on making the children more independent in school as well as at home," Abramovich said. "Rather than just reaching up to put a ring on a cone, now we're having them reach into a cabinet for a spoon."
Abramovich said she's seen improvement in her students since the kitchen opened this spring. But the kids aren't always aware of their progress "because they're having so much fun," she said.
Using a kitchen to tap into a child's potential is nothing new, said Mark Alter, a professor of educational psychology at New York University.
But "it's not common enough," he said. "The idea of putting kids in a real-life environment is a good one. It's preparing the kids to live independently."
Phair doesn't want to limit these types of life lessons to just his special needs students. He plans to open the kitchen to the entire school in the fall.
"This is going to be something everyone benefits from," he said.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2010/07/18/2010-07-18_disabled_kids_feel_at_home_in_kitchen.html#ixzz0z9WdRxkr
Free State High School’s summer autism program encourages social interaction
Free State High School’s summer autism program encourages social interaction
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/jul/19/free-state-high-schools-summer-autism-program-enco/?city_local
From an outsider’s point of view, the scene looked pretty chaotic as students and staff from Free State High School’s summer autism program took a trip to a restaurant.
Of the dozen students on the outing, several were yelling, one was crying, and others expressed emphatically that they simply didn’t want to eat there.
One by one, staff members worked to calm the students.
Summer autism program winds to close
A summer program for autistic students came to a close Thursday. The program helps the students learn to function independently and will resume again in the fall. Enlarge video
A Fun Endeavor
The Free State Summer Autism Program takes a field trip to a dance studio for a lesson in yoga. Enlarge video
The program and the community outings are all part of social skills lessons the program emphasizes during the summer months when the students are away from regularly scheduled classes.
“These kids need to be out in the community as much as anybody else,” said staff member Emily Hughes. “Our biggest goal is to help them learn how to be independent.”
Through the five-week program, the staff works with the 13 enrolled students on handling money, ordering food at restaurants and how to act when interacting with the community.
Staff also learn about each student’s verbal and non-verbal behaviors as their way of communicating.
“It’s their way of telling us ‘this is uncomfortable,’” said Becky Armstrong, one of the lead teachers for the program and a speech pathologist at Free State. “Our job is to try and figure out what they’re trying to tell us.”
The program, which runs four hours each day, Monday through Thursday, builds and maintains the skills the students learn during the autism program at Free State during the school year.
“A lot of times there can be regression throughout the summer,” Armstrong said. “And then sometimes when they come back to school it takes a month or so to catch back up to where they were.”
The regular outings help to maintain those skills, said Jake Thibodeau, another lead teacher for the program.
Thibodeau, who engages the students in the classroom like a seasoned stand-up comic, said he worries that when the group is out in the community, the public sees only what at times can be disruptive and intense behavior.
“They’re just trying to express themselves,” he said. “They have wants and needs just like everybody else. ... I want the community to see these people as individuals.”
For the staff, the work can be challenging. The key, say the staff, is patience and kindness, leading to some strong relationships.
The summer program is wrapping up, but the students and many of the staff will work with each other once school starts in the fall.
On a recent outing to a dance studio, hugs, high-fives, praise and laughs kept the students, and the staff, smiling.
“This is why we do what we do. Because we love working with kids with special needs,” Armstrong said. “It’s a great, awesome, gratifying experience.”
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/jul/19/free-state-high-schools-summer-autism-program-enco/?city_local
From an outsider’s point of view, the scene looked pretty chaotic as students and staff from Free State High School’s summer autism program took a trip to a restaurant.
Of the dozen students on the outing, several were yelling, one was crying, and others expressed emphatically that they simply didn’t want to eat there.
One by one, staff members worked to calm the students.
Summer autism program winds to close
A summer program for autistic students came to a close Thursday. The program helps the students learn to function independently and will resume again in the fall. Enlarge video
A Fun Endeavor
The Free State Summer Autism Program takes a field trip to a dance studio for a lesson in yoga. Enlarge video
The program and the community outings are all part of social skills lessons the program emphasizes during the summer months when the students are away from regularly scheduled classes.
“These kids need to be out in the community as much as anybody else,” said staff member Emily Hughes. “Our biggest goal is to help them learn how to be independent.”
Through the five-week program, the staff works with the 13 enrolled students on handling money, ordering food at restaurants and how to act when interacting with the community.
Staff also learn about each student’s verbal and non-verbal behaviors as their way of communicating.
“It’s their way of telling us ‘this is uncomfortable,’” said Becky Armstrong, one of the lead teachers for the program and a speech pathologist at Free State. “Our job is to try and figure out what they’re trying to tell us.”
The program, which runs four hours each day, Monday through Thursday, builds and maintains the skills the students learn during the autism program at Free State during the school year.
“A lot of times there can be regression throughout the summer,” Armstrong said. “And then sometimes when they come back to school it takes a month or so to catch back up to where they were.”
The regular outings help to maintain those skills, said Jake Thibodeau, another lead teacher for the program.
Thibodeau, who engages the students in the classroom like a seasoned stand-up comic, said he worries that when the group is out in the community, the public sees only what at times can be disruptive and intense behavior.
“They’re just trying to express themselves,” he said. “They have wants and needs just like everybody else. ... I want the community to see these people as individuals.”
For the staff, the work can be challenging. The key, say the staff, is patience and kindness, leading to some strong relationships.
The summer program is wrapping up, but the students and many of the staff will work with each other once school starts in the fall.
On a recent outing to a dance studio, hugs, high-fives, praise and laughs kept the students, and the staff, smiling.
“This is why we do what we do. Because we love working with kids with special needs,” Armstrong said. “It’s a great, awesome, gratifying experience.”
Martin program to help developmentally disabled young adults transition to work, independence
Martin program to help developmentally disabled young adults transition to work, independence
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/aug/05/martin-county-program-to-help-developmentally-to/
Local young adults with developmental disabilities are getting the job and life skills training they need to succeed in the workforce thanks to a new learning program set to begin in Martin County this month.
Led by the Martin County School District and Martin Memorial Medical Center, the Project Search program aims to provide skills training and work experience for students ages 18 to 22 with disabilities ranging from autism to cerebral palsy.
After four years of research and planning, a kick-off celebration will be Aug. 11 at Martin Memorial Medical Center to acquaint students and parents with the faculty, staff and the facility. Attendees will get an exclusive sneak peek at the classroom furnished with new desks, computers and the latest technology, which is also on the hospital’s grounds.
“This experience is going to be uplifting for us and the patients, to be able to work alongside of individuals with unique challenges,” said Debbie Perez, supervisor of human recourses at the hospital. “It’s going to be great to see them shine.”
The state-funded program will help the students transition from high school.
Classes for the 12 participating students begin Aug. 24. A typical school day in the one-year program includes classroom instruction, where students will learn about being independent, responsible and punctual. They’ll also learn tasks such as how to use a cellular phone. Students will also get real-life job experience at the hospital. They will work internships in virtually every department, from the operating and emergency rooms to the nutritional and housekeeping departments.
“We’re all very, very excited. We’ve waited a long time for this for our students,” said Maryellen Quinn-Lunny of the School District. “Our hope is that after the program ends, the kids can apply for positions at the hospital.”
Hiring program graduates is already an option for the medical center, which hopes to hire the students upon completion of the course.
“Being one of the largest employers in the community, it’s important to keep on giving back to those who have helped us,” Perez said. “We want to diversify our workforce and want to see the students succeed beyond all expectation.”
Advocates for the Rights of the Challenged and Helping People Succeed have also been an integral part in the program’s launch on the Treasure Coast. Both organizations are providing their services and trained instructors and counselors for the students.
“We’re all collaborating for the success of the students,” said Keith Muniz of ARC. “This program provides a seamless transition from school life to adult life.”
Project Search was launched nationally in 1996 and has more than 140 sites in 42 states with private and public employers. Countries as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia have adopted the model.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/aug/05/martin-county-program-to-help-developmentally-to/
Local young adults with developmental disabilities are getting the job and life skills training they need to succeed in the workforce thanks to a new learning program set to begin in Martin County this month.
Led by the Martin County School District and Martin Memorial Medical Center, the Project Search program aims to provide skills training and work experience for students ages 18 to 22 with disabilities ranging from autism to cerebral palsy.
After four years of research and planning, a kick-off celebration will be Aug. 11 at Martin Memorial Medical Center to acquaint students and parents with the faculty, staff and the facility. Attendees will get an exclusive sneak peek at the classroom furnished with new desks, computers and the latest technology, which is also on the hospital’s grounds.
“This experience is going to be uplifting for us and the patients, to be able to work alongside of individuals with unique challenges,” said Debbie Perez, supervisor of human recourses at the hospital. “It’s going to be great to see them shine.”
The state-funded program will help the students transition from high school.
Classes for the 12 participating students begin Aug. 24. A typical school day in the one-year program includes classroom instruction, where students will learn about being independent, responsible and punctual. They’ll also learn tasks such as how to use a cellular phone. Students will also get real-life job experience at the hospital. They will work internships in virtually every department, from the operating and emergency rooms to the nutritional and housekeeping departments.
“We’re all very, very excited. We’ve waited a long time for this for our students,” said Maryellen Quinn-Lunny of the School District. “Our hope is that after the program ends, the kids can apply for positions at the hospital.”
Hiring program graduates is already an option for the medical center, which hopes to hire the students upon completion of the course.
“Being one of the largest employers in the community, it’s important to keep on giving back to those who have helped us,” Perez said. “We want to diversify our workforce and want to see the students succeed beyond all expectation.”
Advocates for the Rights of the Challenged and Helping People Succeed have also been an integral part in the program’s launch on the Treasure Coast. Both organizations are providing their services and trained instructors and counselors for the students.
“We’re all collaborating for the success of the students,” said Keith Muniz of ARC. “This program provides a seamless transition from school life to adult life.”
Project Search was launched nationally in 1996 and has more than 140 sites in 42 states with private and public employers. Countries as far away as the United Kingdom and Australia have adopted the model.
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