Mike Bailey Inducted into San Jose Hall of Fame

9. December 2007 asaway.com

Mike Bailey is living proof that being born with a disability doesn’t need to stop you from living a full and active life. He regularly gives speeches promoting Special Olympics and takes karate classes at De Anza College. Mike, who happens to have Down Syndrome, was recently inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.

Nov. 20, 2007 (KGO) — A Sunnyvale man is celebrating his induction into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame. He joins some big names such as Brian Boitano and Mark Spitz - athletes you might not immediately associate him with.

Those athletes have nothing on Mike Bailey. He competes in six to eight sports a year. He also has Down syndrome. This Special Olympian has not let it slow him down one bit.

It may not have seemed like the path to the hall of fame — but a little tri-cycle race was the beginning of it all — and 20 years later — Mike Bailey is just as dedicated to the Special Olympics as he was as a 7-year-old boy.

“I like basketball, bowling, bocce ball and power lifting,” said Mike Bailey, SJ Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

Mike has won more medals and ribbons than he and his family can count. But now he has an award that stands out among them all — a spot in the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.

“We felt very proud. He has put a lot of effort into it and it’s been a great organization and it’s very special to get selected,” said David Bailey, father.

The selection committee was impressed by how many years Mike has dedicated to the Special Olympics - and how he uses it to inspire others. Mike often gives speeches about his experiences to generate support for the athletes. weiter…

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Reading Out of the Box Program for Special Needs Children

8. December 2007 asaway.com

This reading program for children with special needs has been on the market a couple of years. Please send us an email or share your comments below if you have any experience with Reading Out of the Box.

(The Guardian) Martha MacLean hopes to teach her child with Down syndrome to read using a new program developed by two women from Ontario.

MacLean is co-chair of the P.E.I. Down Syndrome Support Group.

Her daughter, Margaret, will be six in December. Because she was born with severe heart defects, Margaret’s development has been delayed.

MacLean said she welcomed the opportunity to have the program’s founders, Denise MacDonald and Karen Evershed, present a workshop at Murphy’s Community Centre in Charlottetown Saturday.

“As a parent of a child with special needs, you always think you should be doing more,” she said. “I like the whole idea that (the program is) set out from day

to day. I don’t expect (Margaret) to turn around and be this amazing reader, but maybe she will be. I’m going to try.”

MacDonald said she and Evershed wanted to develop a program that would make a difference in the world.

The concept of the program, called Reading Out of the Box, is to teach written words in a clear, precise and repetitive manner, said MacDonald, who has a background in psychology and education.

weiter…

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Asaway Puppy Program

8. December 2007 asaway.com

Unfortunately, most service dog programs do not train dogs for children with Down Syndrome. However, we have initiated the Asaway Puppy Program to provide family dogs specifically for families with children who have Down Syndrome or severe speech impairments. We select pups for temperament and trainability. Because children with Down Syndrome often have speech issues, we attempt to select pups that can readily learn visual commands.

To ensure complete bonding, each family trains their own pup. For families that have never had a dog, we recommend you obtain one of many commercially available dog  training videos. In particular, we like Teaching Basic Manners (Volume One), which is produced by the founder of “The Loved Dog”, Tamar Geller, a renowned life coach for dogs and their people. This video, while designed for a general audience, will help your special child become a vital member of the pup’s training team, even in the early stages before the pup learns a set of manners.

Children with Down Syndrome are remarkably caring by nature. These children have a deep well of love to draw from. The pups that qualify for our program are suited to provide not only well-behaved companionship, but also to serve as faithful life-long recipients of that love. Applicant families for our program must have a child with Down Syndrome or significant speech impairments.

Our son’s Aussie is the dam for the puppies in our program.  For our son and our family, she is the best dog ever.  Our son, who is a 10-year-old with Down Syndrome, handles each puppy daily.  From observing each puppy with him, we select the puppies for our program.  At present, we have a 6-month waiting list, and growing. Request additional information by email. Be sure to include “Asaway Puppy Program” in the subject line.

Other options for children with other disabilities include the Monroe, Alabama, program featured below. There they have trained dogs for police work, hospice care and seizure alert.

The Times Plus (MONROE) — They’re more than just pets — they’re professionals. From the more common service dogs, like mobility assistance dogs for the physically handicapped, guide dogs for the blind and hearing dogs for the hearing impaired, to therapy dogs who provide the ill and elderly with cheer and entertainment, to search and rescue dogs, to herding and hunting dogs, to guard and police dogs — these canines are specially trained to act as their handlers’ eyes, ears and hands.When they slip into their uniforms, they transform from playful pet to professional pooch. And they mean business.

ASAWAY Puppy Program, companion dogs | 0 Kommentare »

So, my son has Down Syndrome. Tell me something I don’t know.

9. September 2007 asaway.com

They tell us our son is mentally retarded. Maybe he is, but I can tell you that he is more perceptive than I am. He is a much better improvisational dancer, too. He has something you can’t teach: rhythm.

They tell us our son has significant communication deficits. Maybe so, but I can tell you that he communicates more clearly than I do. He leaves no room for misunderstanding. In fact, he is one of the most expressive people I know.

They tell us our son has Down Syndrome and that we have to learn to accept that he will never be normal. That may be the case, but I can tell you that I don’t have Down Syndrome and I will never be normal, either. I don’t even want him to be normal. He has another thing you can’t teach, too: brotherly love.

I can see his palmar crease. I can even see a characteristic T-21 facial expression at times. But I can tell you that he is a lot like us and our ancestors. First he is our son with our genes and our environmental influences. On top of that he has some sort of chromosomal defect.

Our son attends the local, public elementary school. The staff there is very nice to him. The education specialists expect very little out of him. We have taught him math, reading, and his other academics at home. We have done the same with our other five children who do not have Down Syndrome. As with our other children, we send him to school primarily for socialization.

When I take him on a hike, I know he has his limitations, but I expect him to hold up his end of the bargain. I refuse to pamper him. We all have our limitations. When he sits down to do his studies, he is expected to work. There is a time for work and a time for play, and he knows the difference. At Sunday school and youth group, he doesn’t get any special treatment. There isn’t an aide coddling him along. At school, however, he is treated like a cute little dimwit.

But that is the way of life, and it’s not necessarily our local elementary school’s fault. If it was, our story wouldn’t be so very familiar to our readers who have children like him. We don’t exactly expect to find a school where things will be any different for him, but we hope to. If you are reading this and you know of any school, public or private, anywhere in the U.S. where he might be seen to have the potential we know he has; a school where much would be expected of him and where his potential might be developed to the maximum, we would love to have your comments. Feel free to use the comment section here or email us directly. If, on the other hand, you would like to provide your own Georgia school a little feedback, click here.

special needs school | 0 Kommentare »

Service Dogs for Children with Down Syndrome

10. July 2007 asaway.com

Unfortunately, most service dog programs do not train dogs for children with Down Syndrome. However, we have initiated the Asaway Puppy Program to provide family dogs specifically for families with children who have Down Syndrome or severe speech impairments. We select pups for temperament and trainability. Because children with Down Syndrome often have speech issues, we attempt to select pups that can readily learn visual commands.To ensure complete bonding, each family trains their own pup. In addition to the pup, each family receives a dynamic training video. Teaching Basic Manners (Volume One), is produced by the founder of “The Loved Dog”, Tamar Geller, a renowned life coach for dogs and their people. This video, while designed for a general audience, will help your special child become a vital member of the pup’s training team, even in the early stages before the pup learns a set of manners.

Children with Down Syndrome are remarkably caring by nature. These children have a deep well of love to draw from. The pups that qualify for our program are suited to provide not only well-behaved companionship, but also to serve as faithful life-long recipients of that love. Applicant families for our program must have a child with Down Syndrome or significant speech impairments.

Available breeds are Labrador Retriever and Australian Shepherd. All of are pups are AKC registered. At present, we have a 6-month waiting list, and growing. Request application materials or additional information by email. Be sure to include “Asaway Puppy Program” in the subject line.

Other options for children with other disabilities include the Monroe, Alabama, program featured below. There they have trained dogs for police work, hospice care and seizure alert.

The Times Plus (MONROE) — They’re more than just pets — they’re professionals. From the more common service dogs, like mobility assistance dogs for the physically handicapped, guide dogs for the blind and hearing dogs for the hearing impaired, to therapy dogs who provide the ill and elderly with cheer and entertainment, to search and rescue dogs, to herding and hunting dogs, to guard and police dogs — these canines are specially trained to act as their handlers’ eyes, ears and hands.When they slip into their uniforms, they transform from playful pet to professional pooch. And they mean business.

companion dogs, service dogs down syndrome | 0 Kommentare »

SB 10 Unofficial Problem Reporting Terminal

30. May 2007 asaway.com

The Georgia Department of Education is empowered by law to oversee the implementation of the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act. The DOE is in the process of providing online access to applications for participation in the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program. Participating schools must be registered with the state by June 30. After that, the DOE will provide a list of participating schools. No deadline has been set for student participation, although you should be in contact with your present school if you are planning on taking advantage of your wide range of choices.

SB 10 as passed requires that participating schools meet seven specific criteria (see below). Under the law, the DOE is required to approve applications of schools who meet those criteria.

(d) The creation of the program shall not be construed to expand the regulatory authority of the state, its officers, or any public school system to impose any additional regulation of nonpublic schools beyond those reasonably necessary to enforce the requirements of this article.

(f) The board shall approve a participating school´s application to enroll scholarship students if the school meets the eligibility requirements of this article and complies with board rules established pursuant to Code Section 20-2-2117. The board shall make available to local school systems and the public a list of participating schools.

In addition, SB 10 requires that participating schools are in the process of obtaining accreditation through one of the following:

 

• Georgia Accrediting Commission
• The Georgia Association of Christian Schools
• The Georgia Private School Accreditation Council
• The Association of Christian Schools International
• The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• The New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
• The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
• The Northwestern Association of Schools and Colleges
• The Western Association of Schools and Colleges
• The Alabama Independent School Association

The seven criteria specified by the law are listed here.

weiter…

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Georgia Governor to Sign Special Needs Scholarship Act

17. May 2007 asaway.com

We just received word from Senator Johnson’s chief of staff that Governor Perdue will sign SB 10 tomorrow:

Dear friends:

We have just been notified that the Governor will sign SB 10 tomorrow–Friday– at 9:30 a.m. in his office at the Capitol. You are welcome to come. It is an open event. The ceremony itself will probably take no longer than 15 minutes. But the law will go into effect on his signature. If anyone is planning on attending, please let me or my office know. If there is a large enough crowd of families, we can ask that the ceremony be moved from the office to the steps to accommodate more people.

SB 10 is the beginning of a significant shift in the way we provide public education. The benefits of this bill will be seen for many years to come.

Melanie Davis Stockwell,Chief of Staff and General Counsel,Senator Eric Johnson, President Pro Tempore,Georgia State Senate,Atlanta, GA 30334  404-656-5109  404-657-9727 (FAX)
melanie.stockwell@senate.ga.gov

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If it Looks Like a Fish and Smells Like a Fish…

7. May 2007 asaway.com

Delaware’s Response to Intervention (RTI) proposal looks and smells like a case of misappropriation. Delaware parents, educators and union officials are in agreement on one thing: Delaware’s proposed Response to Intervention (RTI) is an unworkable, poorly designed proposal that will fail desperately to achieve the objective of the IDEA 2004 RTI regulations.

The federal regulations are clearly written and designed as an alternative way for states to help students with learning disabilities (LD) qualify for special services by early intervention. In the past, LD students had to fall so far behind their peers that they performed poorly on standardized intelligence tests before qualifying for special services.

Contrary to what Delaware officials would lead one to believe, IDEA 2004 RTI is by no means “another unfunded mandate.” In fact, the federal regulations allow 15% of the total IDEA funds to be appropriated for state RTI proposals, while allowing states broad flexibility in implementing proposals. Many states already have smoothly functioning RTI programs using far less than the allowed 15%.

We are forced to conclude that the education commissioner in Delaware is planning to use RTI as a vehicle for misappropriating special education funds into the general education budget. The Delaware proposal uses regular classroom teachers to implement a seemingly complex, 6-week tier based model. In fact, the proposal does not use any of its appropriated funding to assist the classroom teacher in implementing the plan. Teachers are to figure out on their own how to organize and run three separate, intensive math and reading groups and then identify students in each group who may have learning disabilities. We suspect that officials know what you, I and the teachers already know. This plan will be implemented on paper only.

Appropriated special education funds will be used to help pay general education teacher salaries. Just as now, students with learning disabilities will continue to fall farther behind their peers until their performance broadly affects their academic progress. RTI, which was designed to rescue learning disabled students, will be used to shortchange them.

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Federal “Response to Intervention” (RTI) Regulations Set to Reek Havoc

1. May 2007 asaway.com

New Federal Special Education regulations are poised to reek havoc across the country. If states follow Delaware’s example, students in states such as Georgia and Florida may pay the biggest price. In these states, beginning special needs students must be identified and served with an IEP in order to qualify for school choice programs.

The new federal “Response to Intervention” regulations are intended to allow states flexibility in early intervention before students are actually identified as learning disabled. Some states, such as Delaware, are implementing complex programs to comply with the regulations. Delaware’s plan could result in delaying vital services for as much as a full year, while overburdened classroom teachers struggle to implement a tier based intervention system. Some states are likely to see this as a convenient method to delay students from being placed with Individualized Education Plans. In a rare move, the Delaware Teacher’s Union actually lines up with parents of special needs students and special needs educators in opposing Delaware’s proposed method of implementing the new regulations.

(Cape Gazette 4/30/07) Delaware’s response to federal laws requiring the state to change its special education regulations has raised concerns among

Cape school district educators.
With public comment on the regulations scheduled to end Monday, April 30, adoption scheduled as early as Monday, June 11, and initial implementation planned for January 2008, local educators say their concern is changing to alarm.

The proposed Response to Intervention (RTI) regulations are expected to decrease the number of students classified as special education students….

Proposed requirements
The proposed regulations require screening and assessment of all students for math and reading skills based on standards set by the state Department of Education (DOE). Students will be divided into tiers based on the assessment.
Approximately 80 percent of the students, those succeeding with normal class instruction, are expected to fall into Tier 1. Those requiring individualized interventions are estimated at 15 percent and would be designated as Tier 2. Tier 3 would be the remaining 5 percent of the students. They would require sustained intensive individual interventions and would be identified as having “special education” needs if the interventions did not succeed. weiter…

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Managing the IEP

30. April 2007 asaway.com

If you’re planning to take advantage of the choices offered by the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act during the 2007-2008 school year, there is no time to waste. New Federal regulations may prevent new students from being identified with special needs and from being served with IEP’s for a year or more. Furthermore, any school that plans to accept students under the program must file with the state by June 30, 2007.

However, before taking the dive, consider this possibility: For your child, maybe your child’s current placement has the most potential. Most likely, the public system has more expertise, equipment and resources than the available private placement.

The IEP process is a negotiation process—and all of a sudden you are in a much stronger negotiating position. Last month, your child’s public school was effectively the only game in town. You had to take what they offered and make the best of it. Now, your child’s public school is competing with private schools and neighboring public schools for your child. You don’t have to be a great negotiator to take advantage of your improved position. But you need to act wisely.

1. Contact your child’s school and request a new IEP before the end of May. It doesn’t matter if they just completed one this spring, everything is different now. If they give you any trouble, tell them “We are looking at our options for next year, and we would like to keep him where he is if we can work a few things out. To do that, we will need a new IEP.”
2. Remember, if you leave and later decide to come back, your negotiating position will be much weaker at that time. The public school will know it didn’t work out for you in the other placement, and you may have an even tougher time getting an appropriate IEP that you have had in the past.
3. Sit down with your spouse or another confidant who understands your child’s needs, and make a short list of the things that would have to change with your child’s IEP to make the current placement work. Take the list with you, in outline form, to the IEP.
4. Don’t spill your guts. Be a little coy about what’s on your list at the IEP. The people running the meeting may be willing to give far more than you realize. Make them open the meeting. Make them make the first substantive remarks. Simply make suggestions concerning the critical issues. When touching on critical topics, decide in advance the least you will accept. And don’t accept less. But don’t let them know where that point is, because they will want to begin negotiations from there. Everyone will be expecting everyone else to give a little in the IEP process, but you need to be sure of your own end points.
5. Sit down with the alternative placement and go through a similar process. Your personal list of key points will probably look a lot different in this meeting. Again, everyone needs to understand the few things you will be expecting. You will need to get those things in writing during the meeting so that everyone understands the importance of those issues, and so that plans are carried out even if teachers and administrators change. Don’t spill your guts at this meeting either. Let the school lay out their plans for your child, and insist upon points you have predetermined.
6. If the new placement seems like the best option, go back to the public school and patch things up as best you can before you exit. You may be back.

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