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.
Monday, November 8, 2010
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
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
