[Kids Together email newsletter] May 2010
- From: "Kids Together, Inc." <staff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <ktnewsletter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 2 May 2010 17:22:04 -0400
Kids Together Email Newsletter
"promoting inclusive communities where all people belong"
MAY 2010
This list consists of over 3000 people (and growing!)
Suggestions for newsletter items are welcome!
"Differences challenge assumptions"
~ Anne Wilson Schaef ~
Keeping the Promise to All America's Children
Secretary Arne Duncan's Remarks to the Council for
Exceptional Children, April 21, 2010
http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2010/04/04212010.html
President Obama and I believe that every child deserves a
world-class education. When the president says every child, it is not just
rhetoric--he means every child, regardless of his or her skin color,
nationality, ethnicity, or ability. The truth is, however, that virtually
everyone professes to believe that all children deserve a world-class
education.
Yet today, a significant gap between our aspirations and
reality persists. And here is the harder, unspoken truth. Subtle, unexpressed
prejudices and lingering roadblocks still prevent children with disabilities
from receiving the world-class education they deserve. No belief is more
pernicious in education than the conviction that disabilities and demography
are destiny--that the burdens of poverty, disability, and race mean the
children cannot really succeed and should be treated with low expectations.
We should never forget the past. Even in my lifetime,
public schools virtually ignored children with disabilities. Many children were
denied access to public schools, and those who attended didn't get the
individualized instruction and appropriate services they needed and deserved.
>>>to read the entire press release
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iPad as Communication Device
Story and Video
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/proloquo2go-ipad-software-voice-autistic/story?id=10497862
ABC News' Sharyn Alfonsi talks to a man helping people
communicate. The video is worth watching if you have an interest in technology
for communication. It demonstrates some of the possibilities using the iPad as
an AAC device. The software in this video is called Proloquo2Go, and its
available at the iTunes stores like other aps. The software works on the iPod
touch and iPhone. The iPad makes its use more similar to other speech
communication devices.
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Special Ed Advocates, Teachers Divided on Use of Force on
Kids
CourierPostOnline.com
http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20100502/NEWS01/5020342/1006/news01/Special-ed-advocates--teachers-divided-on-use-of-force-on-kids
"As of last year, New Jersey was one of 19 states that had
no laws or regulations specifically dealing with the use of restraints and
seclusion in schools. Teachers and other staff don't need special training.
Schools don't have to report such incidents, or even have written policies that
spell out what's allowed and what isn't. What's more, schools can keep parents
in the dark when their kids are restrained or confined."
"A year ago, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the
investigative arm of Congress, published a report that documented hundreds of
cases in the past 20 years in which children were allegedly abused by these
practices, resulting in scores of injuries and at least 20 deaths."
"In some cases children as young as 5 were bound by bungee
cords or duct-taped to chairs, held face down on the floor as they struggled to
breathe, or locked in seclusion rooms for hours at a time for such minor
infractions as hand waving, slouching and whistling. Virtually all the cases
involved children with disabilities."
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on March 3,
would limit the use of these methods to situations where there is "imminent
danger" of injury. It would ban the use of locked seclusion rooms, restraining
straps and behavior-controlling drugs not prescribed by a doctor. It also would
hold schools far more accountable than they are today. Schools would have to
collect data on the use of forceful measures against students, ensure that
their staffs are properly trained in crisis intervention techniques, and notify
parents immediately after an incident occurs. The Senate has yet to vote on its
version of the bill. >>>to read the entire article
>See Also: Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to
Protect Children from Abuse in Schools
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Pennsylvania Fails to Provide for Adults With Developmental
Disabilities. Petition Opposes Governor
Thousands Get No Supports After Age 21 in Pennsylvania!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/EndPAWaitingList -
Petition (over 830 signatures!)
http://bit.ly/Petition_Opposing_PA_funding - Press Release
Parents fear for their children's futures. Parents and
educators work for years to prepare children with disabilities to be
contributing members of adult society, but what happens when those children
become adults at age 21? The state of Pennsylvania allows all the Early
Intervention and special education supports throughout their lives go to waste.
The state lets thousands of adults with disabilities sit at home with no
supports and no services. These individuals become likely targets for abuse,
neglect and exploitation.
Families are terrified for their children's futures. Many
are shocked to find out everything simply ends when their child turns 21,
unless they are one of the few lucky ones who get selected for the limited
slots to get community based services. About 800 students will exit school
funding this year and ONLY 100 will be eligible for community services through
community based waivers, the OTHER 700 get to SIT AT HOME WITH NOTHING "OR" GO
INTO AN INSTITUTION!
The state has proposed increases to insitutional settings
that cost taxpayers an average of $228,000 per year per person, and decreases
in community supports which are far more beneficial, efficient, and improve
quality of life for far less the cost.
Sign the Pennsylvania Petition! at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/EndPAWaitingList
Updates and information
http://www.kidstogether.org/pabudget.htm
Facebook group "Oppose Pa budget cuts causing isolation and
life threatening situations!"
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Man With Cerebral Palsy Helps Teach Special-ed Course
The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_14964737
Wilson Buswell has cerebral palsy, can't talk and answers
only yes-or-no questions: a blink for yes, a stare for no. But Buswell has
become a powerful communicator to a handful of students studying to become
effective special-education teachers.
Buswell, 30, is co-instructing a course at the University
of Colorado at Colorado Springs on how to teach students who have significant
support needs. His presence in the classroom every week provides a valuable
real-life lesson in how people with disabilities can be included - and even
teach a thing or two.
"Just because someone can't speak doesn't mean they can't
learn," said Mallory Barber, a first-grade teacher at Explorer Elementary
School in Colorado Springs who is working toward her master's degree in
education.
Though federal law requires students with disabilities be
placed in the least restrictive classroom environment, a movement has been
growing to fully include students.
That is the mission of Buswell's co-instructor, associate
professor Christi Kasa- Hendrickson, who believes inclusive education is a
social-justice issue.
"There is such value in diversity and such value for people
with disabilities in class," said Kasa-Hendrickson, who travels the country
helping schools develop systems to fully include children with disabilities
alongside their peers without disabilities. >>>to read the entire article
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High-tech House for People With Disabilities
http://www.imaginesmarthomes.org/LONGMONT.htm (SmartHomes
website)
The SmartHomes will provide permanent housing for
individuals with physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities. As the
first such homes in the nation, the SmartHomes will serve as a model for the
future of residential care for people with cognitive disabilities. In addition,
creating this model has enormous potential to impact local groups of people
with related concerns (dementia, autism, chronic mental illness, Alzheimer's)
through partnerships with other agencies.
The kitchen sink and counter raise and lower to accommodate
residents in wheelchairs. A nearby stovetop is designed to not heat up until a
metal pan is placed on the burner. The stove and laundry facilities will
include voice and picture prompts that guide residents through simple tasks
like boiling water, making a sandwich or washing their clothes.
Each of the six bedrooms includes a motion detector at the
door that allows staff to check if residents are inside their rooms. The blinds
are tied into the thermostat and automatically adjust to control room
temperature. Beds include a sensor to detect restlessness or alert assistants
if residents leave their bed during the night. >>>to read the entire article
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The Parent Side (tm)
T-shirts, cards, magnets mugs, stickers & more!
It's a campaign for inclusion and against exclusion!
http://www.theparentside.com
Products that promote inclusion and acceptance of
diversity. Gifts for parents, teachers, self-advocates and others! Mugs, tote
bags, buttons, posters, bumper stickers, cards, t shirts, sweatshirts and lots
more!
Become a fan on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/The-Parent-Side/46673878497
Now you can use Paypal!
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Resources are listed for general information purposes only
Kids Together does not endorse products, services, or
provide any legal advice
Kids Together, Inc. is an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)3
organization
We support the belief that children with disabilities, like
all children,
have the need to be welcomed, cherished and embraced in our
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