College for students with disabilities

In this ever advancing world, bachelors degrees are replacing high school diplomas as the minimum job requirement. This generally means that if you plan to have a decent job - one with a salary that can support you (and your family) - you need to go to college. "Your mom goes to college." (It just felt like a good time to say that...)

So what does this mean for people with disabilities?

Background: The law requires that, if eligible, people with disabilities receive special education services until age 21 - though that does not include college (I'm unsure whether by going to college they automatically unqualify or if they are still entitled to other services). College is a whole new world. "Child Find" is no longer in effect. Meaning that the state, university, or any organization is not required to "identify, locate, and evaluate" people with disabilities. Thus, students need to take initiative if they want accessibility and adaptions from teachers or the university itself.

Issue: I'm not here to argue whether students with disabilities (specifically intellectual disabiliites) should go to college - I would strongly advocate for them to receive support in completing a college degree if they desire. In fact, I'm not going to argue at all (sorry Doug and Brian). I just found this really cool program and I want to share it with you.

What I think: I think this program is awesome: REACH Realizing Educational and Career Hopes is located at the College of Charleston, South Carolina. It is a 4-year post-secondary program designed for people with intellectual disabilities. The College of Charleston provides tutors, mentors, and a supported internship during the junior and/or senior years. I am excited about this program because I hope it will give these people the skill set they need to get a job, retain it, and to do the job well. It is common knowledge that having a job provides independence, a sense of accomplishment and self-worth, and personal development; what more could you want?

Reed Hahne

Reed Hahne is a student at Utah Valley University. He also has Down syndrome. One of my professors, Tina Dyches, talked about him in a speech she gave at BYU. She played a video of Reed and this what he said:

I am a young man who goes to school at Utah Valley State College, where I have a 4.0 grade point [average]. I have to work extra hard in college to earn good grades. I told my mom that there are two things about college that I don’t like: homework and tests.



I also am a young man with Down syndrome. That is one of my characteristics. It is a part of who I am, but it is not all of who I am. All of us are distinct individuals. Some of you are tall or short. Some of you have blue eyes and blond hair; others of you have black hair and brown eyes. Some of us have to study hard to get good grades, while others have to work really hard to be good swimmers and runners. Everyone is gifted in some way.


I just finished performing in the musical Ragtime. I love school and I love performing. I want the same things that all of you want in life. I want to be happy. I want to have opportunities to get a good education and a good job. I want people to listen to me and respect me for my abilities and knowledge. I have many characteristics. I am fun to be around—I love people and making new friends. I’m good-looking. I’m a leader and a self-advocate. I love learning new things, trying new foods, and going to new places. Some other gifts that people with Down syndrome have are [things such as] we have lots of love to share, we are loyal and affectionate, [and] we help all of you to slow down and learn lessons about what is really important in life.


I know that I have Down syndrome because it is part of God’s plan for me and for the earth at this time. I have been told by the Lord that I was sent here at this time to perform special work that only I could do. I have been told that I will have influence upon people that no one else could possibly have and that the Lord has a great work for me to do. I know part of my mission on earth is to be a teacher for other people with disabilities.


It is really hard for me when people look at me and see only the Down syndrome. Sometimes people talk to my parents, asking them questions about me when they should talk to me. I have opinions. Sometimes people call each other “retards.” This is so very disrespectful in so many ways. If a person has a disability, it doesn’t mean that they can’t learn; it just means that they may learn a different way and that some things might take them longer to learn. I think people get in the habit of calling names and then use disrespectful words without realizing their meanings.


Nauvoo was my second mission. My first mission was at the institute of religion in Orem. Then I went to Nauvoo. While I was there I was called to be an ordinance worker in the Nauvoo Temple. I learned all of the temple ordinances. This really surprised many visitors to Nauvoo. I also performed, and I learned all of the scripts for the historic sites. It surprised people that I could do all of this. When we are given a chance, people with disabilities can do so many things.


It is important to look at each other and see our strengths and know that each of us is a child of God. He loves us, [and] He has given us potential and opportunities to grow on this earth.


I have a testimony of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and President Hinckley. I read the scriptures every day. Thank you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Read or listen to the speech here.  I also encourage you to read this article from UVU which talks more about his academic story: Student Success Story. From his words, it is evident that Reed has self-confidence and that he works hard and succeeds at school despite his personal challenges. He inspires me to work hard to believe in people, and to see people for who they truly are.

Improving Diversity

Diversity. What makes someone diverse? Is it inherently good; something to be desired? Is there a cost for achieving diversity?

Background

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Some criticize special education classrooms for having too many Latino and African American students. The same criticize gifted and talented programs for having too many White and Asian students. Accordingly, the district officials in New Haven decided to change their process of identifying gifted and talented students in order to improve diversity in their program. Their previous process, "resulted in a disproportionate percentage of white and Asian GATE [gifted and talented education] participants, while black and Latino students lagged." Their new process has two ways of identifying students: 1. academic achievement 2. referral by teacher of having other talents such as creativity and leadership. Officials then accept into GATE the highest performing 5% in each racial group.

Issue

Is this new process a fair way to determine GATE participants?

What I think

I have two big umbrages. (That's way more fun than saying, "I take umbrage with two things.")

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One: Superintendent Kari McVeigh stated, "We know through research that giftedness and talent is equally distributed across all ethnicities." Fortunately he didn't say where to find the research so we could check up on his sources. His assumption may very well be true on a worldwide, or even nationwide, level but at the school district level, there is undoubtedly more variation in the distribution of talent and ethnicity. Two: They claim their process has led to the "remarkable results" of proportionate participation of race and gender in their program. I am more inclined to believe that taking the top 5% of each group had more to do with it. The results are not as remarkable when you force them yourself.

I think this top 5% of each group business is unfair if GATE's priority is to challenge gifted and talented students (as determined by talent). It is unfair when students who have worse scores are accepted into the program instead of those who scored better. The intellectual test the students take is blind to race and gender. I do believe there is value in diversity of talent and experience; therefore, I wholeheartedly support the second way they identify students. Now, if their priority is to provide equal opportunities for all ethnicities, genders, and other subgroups, then just call it that. Don't pretend your pseudo-science gets you there.

**Imagine if the process for determining eligibility for special education included taking the bottom 5% of each ethnicity, gender, and subgroup and putting them into self-contained classrooms to make the numbers proportionate to the population. To the unhappy parent: "Sorry, we have a new policy which places your student in this classroom in order to provide him/her with enriching experiences."** Students should be placed in environments where they learn the best regardless of the color of their skin.

Diversity. There is more to a person than their race and gender. Diversity is good and can provide valuable experiences but, it should not be forced.

The blind will hear and the Deaf will watch

Since Delfina brought it up, and I think it's a wonderful topic, I want to discuss the benefits of special needs students getting involved in extracurricular activities. Two different articles were published this week on this very discussion!

In this article, Chianese is a ballet teacher for the blind and visually impaired. In the second article, 3 Deaf young adults take a karate class. Most blind or Deaf people do not consider themselves as having a disability. Still, because special education is my discipline, and I may work with Deaf/blind students who have a disability in addition, I want to incorporate these techniques and philosophies into my teaching.

Ballet for the blind. I love it! I know how much joy ballet brings me and I think it's great that teachers are thinking out of the box to share that joy with people who wouldn't naturally participate. When asked if she enjoyed ballet, one student said that "she discovered muscles she never knew she had." That's exactly what I say every first class of the season! That tells me that this student is having fun and exercising at the same time (that's what I mean when I say that!). I imagine that strenuous physical activity would be difficult as a blind person; but it could be fun in a controlled setting like holding on to a bar in the ballet studio, or feeling tape on the floor to guide yourself. I know from personal experience that dancing gives me confidence, it makes me feel beautiful and accomplished. In fact, that's exactly why I do it (as I've said in several previous posts). I'm so glad that people have made the impractical happen.

The karate class is a very similar scenario. While I disagree with several of the assumptions made in the second article, this statement made sense to me:

“They [the Deaf students] learn incredibly fast,” said Joan Lopas, who serves as their interpreter, along with Tori Robinson. “Karate is a visual language. They pay attention to every move.”

It makes sense that Deaf people would be more attentive to body movement than hearing people and that they might learn quicker. Similar to doing ballet, it is logical that learning karate, and legitimately earning belt rankings (sorry, I don't know karate lingo!) creates a sense of accomplishment and confidence. See what can happen when pedagogy is modified to the student?? I love my job. (Technically, I don't have a job. But it's my job. My responsibility. Yeah?)

The common thread in these two articles is that participation and success in these activities leads to increased confidence. I love that. One of my biggest goals in life is to raise confident children -- so that concept really speaks to me. Often, kids with special needs are seen in their disabilities rather than in their abilities. I believe that a lack of confidence and knowledge of self-worth is a direct result of others not believing in them. Involvement in these activities, especially when the activities are scaffolded to the students' unique needs and supported by someone who believes in them, will hopefully help these students feel more confident. Who knows, maybe that confidence can spread to other areas of their lives!

See? Like that :)

I find this quite hard to believe...

This article reviews the CDC study that found 1 in 6 US children (ages 3-17) have a developmental disability. I haven't read the actual study so I will be brief about this.

Background

There have been several studies showing that autism, adhd, and other diagnoses are more prevalent now than ever. The common man criticizes those findings saying, "they are finding what they want to find" or "autism is not more prevalent, but now that we know more about it, we can better find it."

Issue

True or not true: autism, adhd, and/or developmental disabilities are more common now than 10 or 20 years ago?

What I think

No. The article mentions causes behind the rise in diagnoses: "Researchers said the increase may be due in part to more preterm births and parents having children at older ages. They also said that improvements in screenings, diagnosis and awareness have pushed the numbers higher." If anything, I think it's the latter. I find it hard to believe that cases of these disabilities are rising by 30+% per year! At this rate, in a few years, all of our children will have some diagnosis.

What struck me was how the data was collected: "The surveys are representative samples of U.S. households and asked PARENTS to report diagnoses of ADHD, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, seizures, stuttering or stammering, moderate to profound hearing loss, blindness, learning disorders and other developmental delays." PARENTS. Did you catch that? Do you see anything wrong with that? I do. Parents are not doctors and (no offense please) without the training and experience, can we trust their diagnosis of their own children? Yes, they know their child better than anyone. Yes they can research up on adhd (click here to learn what the symptoms are and you'll find that all children show some or most of them at one point in their lives). But I can't trust these surveys to accurately represent the disabilities that these children have.

Note: I am not discounting the reality of these disabilities, this is why I went into Special education after all...just the sudden and extreme rise in numbers.

Am I being unreasonable? What do you think: is the rise in cases of autism, adhd, and developmental disabilities legitimate?

Ballet 2 stay

There is something about New York, summer, beauty, classical music, that makes me want to dance. Maybe it's just life that makes me feel that way. Or maybe it's just me. Whatever the reason, I want to dance again. And I get to!

I got a job this summer (which justifies the cost) and my wonderful employer is flexible (which means I can get to class on time). And a wonderful husband who supports me in things I want to do. So I'm set.

Ballet is a favorite hobby of mine. For me, it is a way to stay in shape, feel beautiful, relax, and enjoy myself. I used to wonder (and I guess still wonder) if I would be able to do ballet throughout my life. My first AOL screen name was ballet2stay. I dreamed about one day having a studio in my basement. (Alongside those dreams were dreams of teaching math in underground backyard hideouts to the neighborhood kids... I've been a teacher at heart for a long while I guess.) But as you know, my degree is not in dance education, but special education. As you also know, once we have kids, I will be a full-time mom. Never again will my schedule revolve around my ballet classes. But hopefully, throughout my life, there will be pockets of time where I can dance. This summer is one of those pockets, and I'm going to fill it.

~Ballet4now

Common sense, please!

Background:

Behavior management is a crucial component of a special education classroom. In fact, on some days I felt like I spent more of my time managing behaviors than teaching academic content! Some common (and general) techniques to manage behavior include: positive reinforcement, self-management,  charts and contracts, and restraint and seclusion. Restraint and seclusion often include putting a student in a timeout room, buckling a student into a seat (with the intention of keeping him from getting up), holding a student still, or intentionally blocking a student's path. Because of the potentially harmful nature of restraint and seclusion, it is a very debated topic. Currently, Oregon's legislature is looking at passing a law to ban most use of restraint and seclusion.

The Issue:

Restraint and seclusion can definitely be taken to the extreme--abuse. As in this case:

"DES MOINES — After failing to finish a reading assignment, 8-year-old Isabel Loeffler was sent to the school's time-out room — a converted storage area under a staircase — where she was left alone for three hours. The autistic Iowa girl wet herself before she was finally allowed to leave."

This (in)famous story is one of several in which a child a child dies because of their teacher's insanity. This year, in Oregon: "The proposed law would ban prone restraints—in which children are face down, mechanical restraints such as duct tape, handcuffs, or straps, and chemical restraints including medications and drugs." [my opinion interjected: WHERE IS THE COMMON SENSE? This is obviously unacceptable and begs me to wonder how these people have been in the education system so long!!]

Teachers who use this method (in humane ways) to manage their students' behavior often have "difficult" students. In other words, students who behave such that they put themselves and others in danger. Consider this recent story. An 8-year-old boy is arrested, and suspended (for the fifth time) due to his behavior at school. The story does not give much detail but this it presents a valid concern and need for restraint.

What I think:

I believe that the way a teacher manages behavior is in the teacher's control, not the students'. (Honestly, I have spent less than a year in the classrooms, so my experience with implementing these principles is still limited.) I firmly believe in establishing a positive environment and applying positive techniques in order to prevent misbehavior. I worked in a classroom of students who have autism (and students with autism-like behaviors) and consequently, I learned a lot in behavior management. I believe that a teacher can be effective without the use of handcuffs, time-out rooms, duct tape, or chemical treatment. (I've seen time-out rooms and chemical treatment used, not in my classroom, as regular consequences for certain students when they misbehave.)

Fortunately, the extreme stories mentioned above are far and few between. Unfortunately, they are not far and few between enough because we have to establish laws to prevent it. I am glad for the teachers out there who use common sense and who recognize that these students are human beings, not animals we spray in the face or shut up in a room when we don't approve. I pray that everyone can recognize that they are people first, disability second, and treat them as such.

Funding Special Education in Rochester

So one of my new years resolutions is to read at least one current article about Special Education weekly. Accessing the articles is really easy, I get emails with about 10 articles every day. The trick is finding one that I'm interested in. Also, these generally aren't studies or experiments, it's mostly just news about what's happening in the education of exceptional students (on both ends) across the nation.

This article (Jan 9, 2011) is about a current debate over funding in SpEd preschool in Rochester, NY. Doug and I usually disagree about funding policies (at least, he's really good at playing devil's advocate) which makes this issue that much more interesting and thought-provoking.

Let me break the issue down (mostly for my sake).

Background: Wikipedia tells us that most preschools in the US are tuition based though it is common for counties to provide some preschool services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) declares that children with disabilities have a right to early intervention (preschool is one option). An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is written for these children as early as 3 years old (obviously the parents can refuse services). This means that once the child turns 3, goals are written for the child's progress AND related services are provided to meet those goals. The IEP is a legally binding document; therefore, there are legal consequences if the services are not provided.

Issue: New York has offered (and the counties have paid for) preschool for children (3-5yrs) with disabilities for over two decades (). Monroe county (in Rochester) wants to discontinue funding this service because it is getting too expensive--14 million annually. According to the article, this financial responsibility was supposed to be shared with school the school districts; this obviously did not happen. They also say that the program is inefficient, there are few options for parents, and that the county does not have the power to make any changes.

What I think: Discontinuing Special Education preschool is not an option. Disregarding that it would go against IDEA, removing SpEd preschool would be a great detriment to students with disabilities. These children are already at a disadvantage in the education world because learning does not come naturally to them. Preschool is meant to teach kids how to learn, expose them to the routine of school, and ease them into elementary school. In fact, in Monroe county, about 60% of SpEd preschool students will not need services once they reach elementary school (that's a red flag to me - if that's the case, they must be accepting students who do not need intensive intervention and probably would qualify for regular preschool anyway. Despite that, I do believe that preschool programs do much for children with disabilities).

With that conclusion, if Monroe county is not going to pay for it, who should? I think parents should pay a subsidized cost (about equal to the cost of paying for regular preschool). Unfortunately, that cost is still really high (averaging around $6500/year/child - varying on length of day, quality of care, teacher:student ratio, etc). So, one solution is to provide parents with more options (not just public preschools). Namely: less expensive private schools; essentially, charter preschools. I really like the Parent Co-Op preschool alternative addressed in this article. This is where parents often volunteer in the preschool, decreasing the need for more teachers but increasing the demand on parents' time and involvement. The Co-Ops cost about $120/month or $1080/year. This would obviously require that Rochester set up a Co-Op which initially might be expensive, but I think in the long run, it would reduce the costs on Monroe county because parents would take their children to other preschools.

What do you think?