Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Autistic students excelling at Spanish Fort High (with video)
SPANISH FORT, Alabama -- Eight profoundly autistic students at Spanish Fort High School interacts daily with typical students through a unique program called Project Reach. The autistic students get individualized instruction throughout the day from two special-education teachers and five teaching assistants. Regular students, meanwhile, join in through Project Outreach, which, with 112 members, is the largest club at the school.
Full Article Here:
Autistic students excelling at Spanish Fort High
Parent Day, Kick off to Kindergarten
.png)
Greensboro Children's Museum
Monday, February 13, 11am - 1pm & 5 - 7pm
High Point Museum
Monday, February 27, 11am - 1pm & 5 - 7pm
Guilford County Schools
KEEPING ALL STUDENTS SAFE ACT (S.2020)
This is NOT a problem in Guilford County Schools, but perhaps you would support children across the nation, by contacting Senator Burr or Senator Hagen.
Thank you!
IMPORTANT ACTION ALERT:
PLEASE EMAIL YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO COSPONSOR THE KEEPING ALL STUDENTS SAFE ACT (S.2020). This bill will protect children nationwide from restraint and seclusion in schools.
The need for this legislation is exemplified yet again in a horrific a situation regarding the use of school seclusion rooms, this time in Middletown, CT – See one of many stories on this situation here: http://www.wfsb.com/story/16490795/middletown
The situation described by parents and students in this report is horrific and abusive. Aptly termed “scream rooms” by students in this media report, such seclusion rooms are exactly what the Federal bill, S. 2020, pending in the Senate seeks to eliminate. The use of a seclusion room for any student is contrary to accepted educational and behavioral standards and has no place in the education setting. Any student who has such a technique imposed upon them and all students and staff who are a witness to such abuse are at substantial risk of harm. Every time a child is forced into an isolated room the risk of injury, death or trauma is exceedingly high, much higher in fact than the alleged danger of their actions. This story also is illustrative of the critical need for the bill’s provision that prohibits writing restraint and seclusion into an IEP.
For more than a decade, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) has protected the rights of students with disabilities and demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities receive the same high-quality education as all children. COPAA has voiced concern over the improper use of restraints, seclusion and aversive interventions in our nation’s schools. We have reported extensively on the abuse of such interventions and been alarmed by the tragic results, including death, that have resulted from these acts. The use of restraint and seclusion continues to disproportionately affect students with disabilities. This past week COPAA members have filed an OCR complaint with the US Department of Education regarding the Middletown CT situation. Tragically, the use of such rooms in schools is happening nationwide.
COPAA is advocating for this federal legislation to prohibit the use of seclusion in schools and establish minimum standards for the use of physical intervention as a necessary step to ensure the safety of children in our schools.
Our sincere thanks to Senator Tom Harkin (Chair, Health Education Labor and Pension Committee) who introduced S. 2020 in December. The bill would ban physical restraint except in emergency situations when there is an immediate threat of serious bodily injury. The bill bans seclusion (confinement) of children in locked rooms or rooms from which they cannot exit. It bans life-threatening restraint that interferes with breathing or the ability to communicate, and mechanical and chemical restraints. It requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours of restraint.
Please email your two Senators and ask them to COSPONSOR the Keeping All Students Safe Act. Ask your friends, family members, and colleagues to send emails. The Senate needs to get emails from many, many parents, self-advocates, advocates, family, friends, and the wider community. Every person is a voter. Be sure you ask them to “cosponsor” the bill.
SEND AN EMAIL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS. You can email your Senators through their Senate website forms. Go to http://1.usa.gov/Senate or http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
You can find your State’s Senators by choosing your state at the top. Every State has two Senator’s PLEASE EMAIL BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS. Please copy govrelations@copaa.org so we can track volume of correspondence and follow-up with Senate offices. Letters mailed through regular mail to the U.S. Congress are delayed for anthrax screening. So, please use EMAIL.
SAMPLE EMAIL.
Here is a sample email you can send your Senators. Feel free to change it as you like. IF YOUR CHILD OR A FAMILY MEMBER/ FRIEND/ FELLOW STUDENT was restrained or secluded, please include that in your email, and tell their story briefly. It is important to write even if you don’t know someone personally, or have not been affected personally, by the use of seclusion and restraint in schools. Include a statement of why this issue is of concern to you.
Dear Senator,
Please COSPONSOR the Keeping All Students Safe Act, S. 2020. It will create minimum standards to protect all children nationwide from restraint and seclusion.
PERSONALIZE YOUR STORY HERE – Explain why this bill is needed or how it will help your family or students in your district, etc.
S.2020 will ban physical restraint except in emergencies when there is an immediate threat of serious bodily injury. The bill bans seclusion of children. This means that schools cannot lock children in rooms or closets or put them in other rooms or spaces they cannot leave (such as blocking the door with furniture). Far too often, children have been restrained or secluded for not doing assignments, being noisy, behavioral control, discipline, or punishment. A Government Accountability Office study found hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death from restraint and seclusion in school. They included a young teen who hanged himself in a seclusion room while a teacher sat outside and a 7 year old who was restrained face down and died because she could not breathe.
The bill bans life-threatening restraints, such as those that interfere with breathing. It bans chemical and mechanical restraint, like locking children into devices and chairs, and tying and duct-taping them to furniture. It requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours of restraint. Many parents never find out their child was abused, or find out months and years later. It requires the collection of data to improve decision-making and provide the public with information. While the bill bans seclusion of students, it does not prevent schools from using time out where staff can help calm a student.
While some states have laws protecting children, many do not, and some state laws are not very strong. Please COSPONSOR THE KEEPING ALL STUDENTS SAFE ACT, S.2020, to ensure that all children nationwide are protected from these abuses.
Sincerely yours,
Your name here
For more information on S. 2020 visit http://www.copaa.org/public-policy/chairman-tom-harkin-introduces-keeping-all-students-safe-act/
National, State and Local groups are urged to sign on in support of the Act at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KeepingAllStudentsSafeAct
Thank you!
IMPORTANT ACTION ALERT:
PLEASE EMAIL YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO COSPONSOR THE KEEPING ALL STUDENTS SAFE ACT (S.2020). This bill will protect children nationwide from restraint and seclusion in schools.
The need for this legislation is exemplified yet again in a horrific a situation regarding the use of school seclusion rooms, this time in Middletown, CT – See one of many stories on this situation here: http://www.wfsb.com/story/16490795/middletown
The situation described by parents and students in this report is horrific and abusive. Aptly termed “scream rooms” by students in this media report, such seclusion rooms are exactly what the Federal bill, S. 2020, pending in the Senate seeks to eliminate. The use of a seclusion room for any student is contrary to accepted educational and behavioral standards and has no place in the education setting. Any student who has such a technique imposed upon them and all students and staff who are a witness to such abuse are at substantial risk of harm. Every time a child is forced into an isolated room the risk of injury, death or trauma is exceedingly high, much higher in fact than the alleged danger of their actions. This story also is illustrative of the critical need for the bill’s provision that prohibits writing restraint and seclusion into an IEP.
For more than a decade, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA) has protected the rights of students with disabilities and demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that children with disabilities receive the same high-quality education as all children. COPAA has voiced concern over the improper use of restraints, seclusion and aversive interventions in our nation’s schools. We have reported extensively on the abuse of such interventions and been alarmed by the tragic results, including death, that have resulted from these acts. The use of restraint and seclusion continues to disproportionately affect students with disabilities. This past week COPAA members have filed an OCR complaint with the US Department of Education regarding the Middletown CT situation. Tragically, the use of such rooms in schools is happening nationwide.
COPAA is advocating for this federal legislation to prohibit the use of seclusion in schools and establish minimum standards for the use of physical intervention as a necessary step to ensure the safety of children in our schools.
Our sincere thanks to Senator Tom Harkin (Chair, Health Education Labor and Pension Committee) who introduced S. 2020 in December. The bill would ban physical restraint except in emergency situations when there is an immediate threat of serious bodily injury. The bill bans seclusion (confinement) of children in locked rooms or rooms from which they cannot exit. It bans life-threatening restraint that interferes with breathing or the ability to communicate, and mechanical and chemical restraints. It requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours of restraint.
Please email your two Senators and ask them to COSPONSOR the Keeping All Students Safe Act. Ask your friends, family members, and colleagues to send emails. The Senate needs to get emails from many, many parents, self-advocates, advocates, family, friends, and the wider community. Every person is a voter. Be sure you ask them to “cosponsor” the bill.
SEND AN EMAIL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS. You can email your Senators through their Senate website forms. Go to http://1.usa.gov/Senate or http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
You can find your State’s Senators by choosing your state at the top. Every State has two Senator’s PLEASE EMAIL BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS. Please copy govrelations@copaa.org so we can track volume of correspondence and follow-up with Senate offices. Letters mailed through regular mail to the U.S. Congress are delayed for anthrax screening. So, please use EMAIL.
SAMPLE EMAIL.
Here is a sample email you can send your Senators. Feel free to change it as you like. IF YOUR CHILD OR A FAMILY MEMBER/ FRIEND/ FELLOW STUDENT was restrained or secluded, please include that in your email, and tell their story briefly. It is important to write even if you don’t know someone personally, or have not been affected personally, by the use of seclusion and restraint in schools. Include a statement of why this issue is of concern to you.
Dear Senator,
Please COSPONSOR the Keeping All Students Safe Act, S. 2020. It will create minimum standards to protect all children nationwide from restraint and seclusion.
PERSONALIZE YOUR STORY HERE – Explain why this bill is needed or how it will help your family or students in your district, etc.
S.2020 will ban physical restraint except in emergencies when there is an immediate threat of serious bodily injury. The bill bans seclusion of children. This means that schools cannot lock children in rooms or closets or put them in other rooms or spaces they cannot leave (such as blocking the door with furniture). Far too often, children have been restrained or secluded for not doing assignments, being noisy, behavioral control, discipline, or punishment. A Government Accountability Office study found hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death from restraint and seclusion in school. They included a young teen who hanged himself in a seclusion room while a teacher sat outside and a 7 year old who was restrained face down and died because she could not breathe.
The bill bans life-threatening restraints, such as those that interfere with breathing. It bans chemical and mechanical restraint, like locking children into devices and chairs, and tying and duct-taping them to furniture. It requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours of restraint. Many parents never find out their child was abused, or find out months and years later. It requires the collection of data to improve decision-making and provide the public with information. While the bill bans seclusion of students, it does not prevent schools from using time out where staff can help calm a student.
While some states have laws protecting children, many do not, and some state laws are not very strong. Please COSPONSOR THE KEEPING ALL STUDENTS SAFE ACT, S.2020, to ensure that all children nationwide are protected from these abuses.
Sincerely yours,
Your name here
For more information on S. 2020 visit http://www.copaa.org/public-policy/chairman-tom-harkin-introduces-keeping-all-students-safe-act/
National, State and Local groups are urged to sign on in support of the Act at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KeepingAllStudentsSafeAct
Friday, January 13, 2012
My Name is Evan, Call Me by It
From Disability ★ Blog:
By Guest Blogger Evan Heller, Senior at Attleboro High School
Who am I? Easy – my name is Evan, that's who I am and that's what I'm called. And yet, for some of my friends, there are still people who would identify them by saying, “Oh, him? He's a “special needs” kid, “a SPED,” – a “retard.”
Why are some of my best friends, people who just happen to have intellectual disabilities, identified not by their names, but by their disability? Is it out of ignorance? Is it because people feel some unwarranted and overwhelming desire to label others? Or is the sad truth that these friends of mine are not called by name, because their names are not known?
Out of ignorance or out of fear, many people do not get to know individuals with intellectual disabilities as anything more than just a label. People need to start taking the initiative to do something as simple as merely talking to someone with an intellectual disability; getting to know them as more than a diagnosis, and maybe, as a friend.
People with and without intellectual disabilities are not that dissimilar. Some may learn a bit differently, behave in a way that doesn't always fit society's definition of “normal” and perhaps, perceive the world in a slightly different light – so what? A bit different? Aren't we all?
If you focus on the similarities, rather than the differences, among people with and without intellectual disabilities, you will find they have more in common than not. People with intellectual disabilities have the same interests and desires as everyone else. They like music (I have two friends who know the lyrics to more songs on the radio than anyone else that I know); sports (indeed, many follow the latest stats, trades and scores far more intently than most of my regular-education peers); to hang out with friends and above all, to be accepted.
This is why I’m passionate about a campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word®”. The purpose of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign is not so much to eliminate the R-word (“retarded” or “retard”) but to promote respect. It's true that we are against the use of the R-Word, but that is only because it inhibits the existence of universal respect.
The R-word, which was once used as only a medical diagnosis, has since evolved to become a word with which we dub the unwanted or seemingly stupid aspects of our lives. Even if you aren't directly calling someone with special needs “retarded,” when you say it to a friend that fell or did something dumb, about a test that you did poorly on or an unfortunate situation, what you are essentially saying about people with intellectual disabilities is, “Hey, do you see this thing that I think is stupid? I'm going to call it the same thing people call you.”
This dehumanizing term that puts my friends with intellectual disabilities on the same level as these unwanted facets of our lives is without a doubt, regardless of intent, bullying – plain and simple. We are not trying to take away anyone's freedom of speech, we are only trying to grant people the right to be treated with respect.
It is hard for me to not get frustrated while writing this blog. I find myself conforming to society’s views more than I would like by repeatedly writing “us” and “them” for narrative clarity. That frustrates me to no end. I want to live in a world that fosters respect, unity and acceptance with only a collective “us.” One day when I have children of my own, I want to be able to raise them in a world that sees people for who they are, not what they look like or what you may think them to be. I want us to live in a world without labels.
Evan Heller, 17, a senior at Attleboro High School in Massachusetts, has been volunteering and coaching for Special Olympics for eight years. He serves on Special Olympics Project UNIFY’s national Youth Activation Committee as well as the Project UNIFY Massachusetts Youth Activation Council.
By Guest Blogger Evan Heller, Senior at Attleboro High School
Who am I? Easy – my name is Evan, that's who I am and that's what I'm called. And yet, for some of my friends, there are still people who would identify them by saying, “Oh, him? He's a “special needs” kid, “a SPED,” – a “retard.”
Why are some of my best friends, people who just happen to have intellectual disabilities, identified not by their names, but by their disability? Is it out of ignorance? Is it because people feel some unwarranted and overwhelming desire to label others? Or is the sad truth that these friends of mine are not called by name, because their names are not known?
Out of ignorance or out of fear, many people do not get to know individuals with intellectual disabilities as anything more than just a label. People need to start taking the initiative to do something as simple as merely talking to someone with an intellectual disability; getting to know them as more than a diagnosis, and maybe, as a friend.
People with and without intellectual disabilities are not that dissimilar. Some may learn a bit differently, behave in a way that doesn't always fit society's definition of “normal” and perhaps, perceive the world in a slightly different light – so what? A bit different? Aren't we all?
If you focus on the similarities, rather than the differences, among people with and without intellectual disabilities, you will find they have more in common than not. People with intellectual disabilities have the same interests and desires as everyone else. They like music (I have two friends who know the lyrics to more songs on the radio than anyone else that I know); sports (indeed, many follow the latest stats, trades and scores far more intently than most of my regular-education peers); to hang out with friends and above all, to be accepted.
This is why I’m passionate about a campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word®”. The purpose of the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign is not so much to eliminate the R-word (“retarded” or “retard”) but to promote respect. It's true that we are against the use of the R-Word, but that is only because it inhibits the existence of universal respect.
The R-word, which was once used as only a medical diagnosis, has since evolved to become a word with which we dub the unwanted or seemingly stupid aspects of our lives. Even if you aren't directly calling someone with special needs “retarded,” when you say it to a friend that fell or did something dumb, about a test that you did poorly on or an unfortunate situation, what you are essentially saying about people with intellectual disabilities is, “Hey, do you see this thing that I think is stupid? I'm going to call it the same thing people call you.”
This dehumanizing term that puts my friends with intellectual disabilities on the same level as these unwanted facets of our lives is without a doubt, regardless of intent, bullying – plain and simple. We are not trying to take away anyone's freedom of speech, we are only trying to grant people the right to be treated with respect.
It is hard for me to not get frustrated while writing this blog. I find myself conforming to society’s views more than I would like by repeatedly writing “us” and “them” for narrative clarity. That frustrates me to no end. I want to live in a world that fosters respect, unity and acceptance with only a collective “us.” One day when I have children of my own, I want to be able to raise them in a world that sees people for who they are, not what they look like or what you may think them to be. I want us to live in a world without labels.
Evan Heller, 17, a senior at Attleboro High School in Massachusetts, has been volunteering and coaching for Special Olympics for eight years. He serves on Special Olympics Project UNIFY’s national Youth Activation Committee as well as the Project UNIFY Massachusetts Youth Activation Council.
Join Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green and some very amazing students for the State of Our Schools on Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. at the High Point Theatre. The event begins with a reception at 5:30, and the program begins at 6 p.m. Get the latest updates on all of GCS' initiatives outlined in the strategic plan, and hear about exciting new opportunities for 2012. This event is free and open to the public, but if you can't make it, you can watch it as it streams live on www.gcsnc.com and catch replays of it in its entirety on GCSTV 2. Big thanks, also, to News 14, who will rebroadcast the event.
SAVE THE DATE!
PTA EC ADVOCATE TRAINING
EC Advocates get involved by helping to promote disability awareness at their school; by either hosting a support group(s), or inviting a speaker to discuss topics important to families, or starting a resource center the school for staff, parents, and students to use. EC Advocates make a positive difference in the lives of our children.
If you are interested in serving, or if you are currently serving, on your school's PTA as an EC Advocate, you are invited to attend the training being offered on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 6:30pm in the PTA Room at 712 N. Eugene Street, Greensboro.
You will be provided with a packet of information that will help you in your role and a staff member from the EC Department will be available for any questions that you may have.
If you are an EC Advocate and/or a PTA President that would like to attend, please contact:
Jacqui Hawkins at hawkinsj68@gmail.com or
336-617-0128, for more information, or to REGISTER.
(Registration is required to ensure that their will be enough materials available.)
Thank you!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
PTA EC ADVOCATE TRAINING
EC Advocates get involved by helping to promote disability awareness at their school; by either hosting a support group(s), or inviting a speaker to discuss topics important to families, or starting a resource center the school for staff, parents, and students to use. EC Advocates make a positive difference in the lives of our children.
If you are interested in serving, or if you are currently serving, on your school's PTA as an EC Advocate, you are invited to attend the training being offered on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 @ 6:30pm in the PTA Room at 712 N. Eugene Street, Greensboro.
You will be provided with a packet of information that will help you in your role and a staff member from the EC Department will be available for any questions that you may have.
If you are an EC Advocate and/or a PTA President that would like to attend, please contact:
Jacqui Hawkins at hawkinsj68@gmail.com or
336-617-0128, for more information, or to REGISTER.
(Registration is required to ensure that their will be enough materials available.)
Thank you!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)