Topic “Disabilities”

Specialized Sitters website...

Read more »

Posted: Monday, 30 April 2012 3:35pm on MediaAccess.org Sony has just launched its much anticipated cinema access technology which displays captions on a pair of glasses, replicating the look of open captions. One independent cinema chain in the USA has already signed on to install the device. After a year of testing at a handful of its cinemas, the independent Regal Entertainment Group has formalised an agreement to install Sony’s Entertainment Access Glasses in each of its locations, in line with the chain’s move to digital projection. As reported in May last year, Regal has undertaken a nationwide rollout of accessible cinema which is expected to be completed by early 2013. The rollout of personal access devices will see closed captions, aud...

Read more »

Written by M.J. Ziemba, April 29, 2012, for Pensacola News Journal Our country places a high priority on providing free education for all children, regardless of their race, gender or any other differentiating factor. The civil rights movement for racial equality had, at the center of its struggle, the aim of providing integrated and equal education for children of all races. The champions of civil rights knew beyond a doubt that separating one group of students from the rest and providing sub-standard education in this unequal dynamic was wrong. I propose that educating students with disabilities in separate environments is also wrong since those classrooms may not afford the same quality learning opportunities as the other students receive. The solution to this problem in the idea of inclusion, which seeks to treat stude...

Read more »

HOUSTON (April 2, 2012) – Easter Seals Greater Houston is proud to announce that it has changed the name of its SNApps4Kids Project to BridgingApps(TM) to reflect the tremendous growth and expansion of its services. BridgingApps(TM) is a project of Easter Seals Houston comprised of a community of parents, therapists, doctors and teachers who share information about how they are using touch based technology like iPads and Androids to help people with disabilities. In 2010, co-founders, Cristen Reat and Sami Rahman, launched an app review system focused on skills -- not age, diagnosis or development level – to help people with disabilities develop particular skills. As the effort grew, “We felt that the brand name was not all encompassing - SNApps4Kids was created based on the idea of community. Although the group is primarily parent-driven, our efforts are naturally co...

Read more »

By Kevin Simpson The Denver Post For 10-year-old Kaitlyn Chin, the first few weeks of school came packed with holidaylike anticipation — especially when the fourth-grader at Legacy Academy in Elizabeth saw boxes delivered to the building. "I would always hope they were the iPads," she says. And finally, they arrived — a wave of tablet devices that, combined with other Apple technology, created a schoolwide learning system based largely on the second-generation iPad2. "The first day we could bring them home, I was up all night," recalls Kaitlyn. "I learned so many things, it really shocked me." Well into a first, full year of experimentation, many educators also describe a steep learning curve with their introduction to the popular touch-screen tablet. Students use the $600 devices to read novels, shoot videos, conduct research, hone their writing skills and bring new...

Read more »

by Cheri Fuller and Louise Tucker Jones The single parent has unique needs and stresses, especially if he or she is the sole caretaker of a disabled child. One of the biggest pitfalls is the tendency to neglect your own needs. As Rosemarie Cook says, "We parents of children with special needs often forget how to take care of ourselves. We may be able to get along fine until some major stress or crisis develops. If we continue to ignore our own needs, we will suffer the consequences, mentally or physically or both It's a natural reaction to want to compensate for the loss in our children's lives, whether that loss is by death or divorce." She suggests several ways to cope and keep balance in your life as a single parent: Find a network of support... READ MORE......

Read more »

By Megan Quinn, Arvada Press September 21, 2011 | 02:01 PM Kesley Levad always wanted to be a cheerleader. With the help of her friends, Wildcat Sparkles was born. Arvada West High School always had a traditional cheer and pom team, but Levad uses a motorized wheelchair to get around and has trouble moving or speaking quickly. Levad's friends, John Braselton and Alex Merkins, set out to do some research. They came across the Sparkle Effect, a nationwide, student-run organization that enables schools to create spirit squads that include students with disabilities. Disabled students, called Sparkles, cheer alongside peer coaches from their school. "We wanted to make it more fair for people, so we started this," said Merkins, a member of the school's spirit squad. "It's an amazing feeling to see that everyone is doing the same routine as everyone else." Levad said the team is the ri...

Read more »

New York, N.Y. (August 23, 2011) – Autism Speaks, the world’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, today released Individualized Education Program (IEP): Summary, Process and Practical Tips, a free, new online guide that provides parents with important and reliable information and advice about navigating the IEP process, created by a team of pro bono lawyers at Goodwin Procter.  The 26-page guide includes an overview and timeline of key events in the typical IEP process, and clearly explains the steps parents need to take throughout – including how to contest an unfavorable decision. In addition to a list of questions to consider in developing a draft IEP,the guide also includes tips, resources, a checklist and answers to frequently asked questions, as well as a list of helpful web sites and other resources. “The IEP process can be daunting, overwhelming and highly frustrating for parents who ar...

Read more »

Include, Belong, Learn, by George Theoharis and Julie Causton-Theoharis (associate professors at Syracuse University in New York) Two schools serving many students with disabilities show it's possible to let everyone learn together. --------- Kenny is a student at River View, a public K–8 school in central New York. Kenny spent his first few school years in a self-contained special education class because, according to an evaluation, he was "too disabled to be in the general education setting." In Kenny's 4th grade year, River View undertook a new schoolwide intervention. As part of that change, Kenny began learning in a general education classroom. Within a year, he no longer qualified for special education because he had made such significant academic progress. At River View—and a similar school that serves K–6 grades called Summer Heights—more students are now achieving at grade level in math and at a proficient or advanced level in reading than was the case before these schools rolled out a schoolwide intervention. Achievement went up for both nondisabled students...

Read more »

International Day of Persons with Disabilities - 3 December 2010 The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December was established by the International Year for Disabled Persons (1981). The Day aims to promote a better understanding of disability issues with a focus on the rights of persons with disabilities and gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of the political, social, economic and cultural life of their communities. The goal of full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in society and development was established by the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1982.   Through the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons (1982) and the Standard Rules on Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with D...

Read more »