4th Annual Inclusion Conference

Time goes by really quickly and Fall is here. This Friday, the 22th we are going to have our 4th Annual Inclusion Conference from 8.30 am to 4.00 pm at the Radisson in Downtown Kalamazoo. We are very excited because these year we are incorporating the touring Sprout Film Festival to our Plenary Session and to our breakout sessions. The theme for this years is Sprout Festival's Making the Invisible Visible who complements Community Advocates Mission so well.

Here we are sharing the program, so you can take a peek at how the day is going to look like:

Conference Program

And a little teaser of one of the documentaries that we are going to show:

The Road to Post-Secondary Education: Questions to Consider

By Marci Wheeler
From the Indiana Resource Center for Autism

Thinking about post-secondary education? Whether you are a parent or an individual with an autism spectrum disorder, you probably have a lot of questions. How does the application process work? What sort of educational program is right for me? What type of supports and services can I expect at college? The article is meant to be a first step for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and parents interested in post-secondary options. This article was not written to provide answers, but to highlight questions that are important to ask yourself, and your son or daughter to begin the exploration process of post-secondary education.

A misconception that many hold is that post-secondary education only includes 4-year universities and colleges. Therefore, it is important to explain the category of post-secondary education and all that it encompasses. Post-secondary education encompasses 4-year universities, 2-year colleges that offer associates' degrees, vocational schools and adult education. Adult education classes are courses typically offered through the community, and are non-degree oriented.

The key to successful post-secondary educational experiences is that individuals with autism spectrum disorders become acutely aware and knowledgeable about their own accommodation needs. In addition to being cognizant of these needs, students must be able to articulate accommodation needs when communicating with universities, disability services and/ or with other entities. Being familiar with what the student needs to succeed in school is ultimately the responsibility of the individual with the disability. Below are a sampling of questions we feel are pertinent to ask yourself when preparing for a post-secondary experience.

Getting Prepared for All Post-Secondary Options

START EARLY

This section is simply addressing your basic interest areas. Answering the questions below can help you decipher which post-secondary experience is right for you. Remember that these questions get more at what you want as opposed to what you think is possible. Do not place any limits on yourself when answering questions in this section. Remember that addressing one's needs and meeting one's desires is a balancing act for all, whether we have a disability or not.

We encourage everyone to dream. However, we acknowledge that making dreams come true can be hard work. Give yourself plenty of time to plan and to create a memorable post-secondary experience. Frequently, the less time you leave for planning the more problems you will encounter later. For example, it is possible that living away from home does not seem feasible to you. It is important, though, to state what you want. Questions are listed below to help you determine what you will need to make specific situations work. For example, you may want to leave home. However, you may feel that you require a certain amount of support that you are currently getting from family. It may be difficult to picture receiving this support outside your family network. Questions to answer to help you determine what you really want include:

• Why are you pursuing a post-secondary experience?
  
• Do you know what job/career interests you?
  
• Is it a career where a 2 or 4 year degree is necessary?
  
• Is it a job/career that requires a certificate from a technical or vocational school?
  
• Do you want to attend a small or large campus?
  
• Do you want to live in a big city or in a small town?
  
• If you desire a college degree, do you know what major you might want?
  
• What future job options will this degree lead to?
  
• Do you want to live at home with family or away from home with or without a roommate?
  

Course of Study

Before choosing a college or other post-secondary program to attend, there are questions you should ask yourself about what you want to study and/or what major you want to pursue. When choosing a four year college, many students do not choose a major until after their first year is completed and/or a certain number of course credits have been successfully completed. Your choice of a major or course of study may help to pinpoint the type of school you want to attend. There are two- and four-year programs as well as technical and specialized training schools available depending on the program/major chosen. Some schools have entrance requirements such as test scores that need to be met.

Some individuals with autism spectrum disorders have intense interests and strengths that make the selection of an area of study very easy. Some questions to consider when choosing a major or area of study include the following:

• What are your interests and strengths?
  
• What is your career goal? In other words, in what field do you envision working? For example, if you are interested in working on or for a newspaper, you may want to think of a major in journalism.
  
• What are the entrance requirements for the program(s) that interest you?
  
• How many credits/classes are required to complete the major/program with a diploma and/or other certificate?
  
• What is the average length of time that it takes students to complete the program?
  
• What courses (if any) are all students required to take, regardless of their major/program?
  
• Is there support offered for advanced students to "test out" of some basic classes?
  
• Is there support offered to students who need to take remedial classes?
  

Distance

Deciding whether you want to leave home is one of the first decisions you need to make. In other words, are you ready to leave the house where you have grown up? Or do you want to wait to leave home? Are you more comfortable entering college (a new chapter of your life) from the security of your home? Perhaps, dealing with college life and expectations will be enough of a challenge that you don't want to bring about other life changes. Perhaps you simply want to save your money by not having to pay room and board. All of the above are considerations for people to think about as they explore post-secondary education. The decision about where you want to live will help define the post- secondary opportunities that will be logical for you to choose from.

• Do you want to leave home?
  
• If so, how far away do you want to go?
  
• How often will you want to go home? If you are thinking about traveling out of state or a fair distance, will going home at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break be sufficient for you?
  
• Will travel home be possible from the school that you are thinking about?
  
• If commuting, how far will you need to travel daily?
  
• Do you have the supports (e.g., financial, other person) in place to allow such travel on a regular basis?
  
• Do you receive supports within your home that would need to be recreated if you were to leave home? If so, who might provide that support? Who might fund that type of support? Are you open to receiving personal support from individuals with whom you are unfamiliar?
  
• Do distance education classes or correspondence courses appeal to you?
  

Campus and Community Environment

The size and location of the campus you are going to attend should be decided. What is right for you? Choosing the size of the school that you wish to attend is an individual choice. A size that is good for one person is not necessarily going to work for another. Some people prefer very small schools where it is possible to know everyone who attends. Other people like the variety that a large school offers. Some people who are shy and have difficulty making social connections may favor smaller post-secondary experiences. Questions to answer about the size of a school include the following:

• How many students are enrolled?
  
• How many students live on campus?
  
• How many students commute?
  
• What is the average class size?
  
• How many academic buildings are on campus?
  
• Are the buildings on campus large with many floors or small with one or two stories?
  
• Are there specific buildings or areas on campus for specific majors?
  
• What atmosphere are you looking for (e.g., a place to hide in the crowd, a place with more individualized attention to students)?
  

Most people feel comfortable in an environment that feels familiar. Choosing a program location that offers a comfortable atmosphere should also be addressed. Questions to answer about the location of a school include the following:

• What size is the community? Small, mid-size or large?
  
• What opportunities for recreation are offered on campus? In the community?
  
• What opportunities for entertainment are offered on campus? In the community?
  
• What opportunities for shopping are available on campus? In the community?
  
• What transportation, if any, is needed or offered on campus? In the community?
  
• Is student parking for bikes and cars easy to access?
  
• How long is the average walk from one class to the next?
  
• How safe is the campus? The community?
  

Thinking about the campus and community environment of a college or other post-secondary program is important to the comfort and success of your experience.

Meet our New Board 2010-2011

On September 30^th, 2010 we had our 52th Annual Meeting & Awards Dessert where we celebrated together all the success we had in the last year. We want to share with you a little bit of our new board members.

Jerry Angeletti

In the fall of 2003 Jerry Angeletti accepted an early buy-out from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals after a twenty year career as a scientific programmer. In June of 2004 Jerry founded his own marketing company called "Angeletti Pictures" His son Jonnie is nineteen years old and has Down syndrome. Jonnie's official title with Angeletti Pictures is CEO. Jonnie has his own desk at the office and customers have requested Angeletti Picture's services due to Jonnies' positive promotion of their business.

Mary Connors

Mary and husband Charlie own Ego Imaging, a business established in 1997. They have two kids Alex, 9 and Joy, 6. Alex has autism, which has made Mary want to help all people with special needs, or all people for that matter. She was a previously member of the board of the Autism Society of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek for 4 years. She has been on the SMART team (Southwestern Michigan Autism Resource Team) for 2 years, serving as secretary and developing an autism library that will be accessible to all in Kalamazoo library. Mary has been a parent mentor through Parent to Parent of SWMI for three years. She is heavily involved in her children's school, volunteering for their classrooms, field trips and literacy programs. Mary and her family live in Galesburg and participate in the annual River Clean up in Battle Creek.

Fran Hoard

Fran Hoard has been a tireless advocate for services, supports and choices for people with developmental disabilities and their families. She has been instrumental in supporting the work of a number of organizations serving people with disabilities, including the John F. Kennedy Center, McKercher and MRC Industries, Residential Opportunities Inc., and the Center for Disability Services. Fran Hoard is one of only a few recipient of our Community Advocates Award. Fran's long history of service is due to her two daughters, but her volunteer work has gone far beyond taking care of her own family. Fran has served on Community Advocates' Board more than once. She has agreed to extend her current board term an additional year.

Kim Squires

Kim Squiers brings expertise in communications, strategic planning, financially accountability, team leadership, volunteer mobilization and project/program management. In 2002-2003, while completing her Master's degree in Public and Nonprofit administration, she worked as a researcher with Community Advocates and the Arcadia Institute. Kim's career has included work with Goodwill, Battle Creek, Girl Scouts Louisiana East, American Red Cross, and St.Bernard Parish Chapter in Louisiana, Holland Hospital Foundation and Haworth. She was also a Program Director for Allegan County Community Mental Health, for two programs assisting people with disabilities to secure and maintain employment and launch microenterprises.

We are really exciting of having our new Board of Directors and looking forward to a wonderful 2010-2011 year here at Community Advocates!!

Our 2009-2011 Board of Directors

Back Row from left to right: Carl Phalin, Kim Squiers, Diana Devries, Michael Payne, Brian Bruce, Steve Barber & Jerry Angeletti

Front Row from left to right: Ian Kennedy, Susan Brooks, Dawn Pantaleo, Fran Hoard and Mary Connors

Self Advocacy: Bullying Part 2

Continued from : yesterday entry

• Children with hemiplagia (paralysis of one side of their body) are more likely than other children

their age to be victimized by peers, to be rated as less popular than their peers, and to have fewer

friends than other children (Yude, Goodman, &McConachie, 1998).

• Children who have diabetes and who are dependent on insulin may be especially

vulnerable to peer bullying (Storch et al., 2004).

• Children who stutter may be more likely than their peers to be bullied. In one study, 83 percent of

adults who had problems with stammering as children said that they had been teased or bullied;

71 percent of those who had been bullied said it happened at least once a week (Hugh-Jones &

Smith, 1999).

How does bullying affect children?

Bullying can have serious consequences. Children and youth who are bullied are more likely than

other children to:

• Be depressed, lonely, anxious;

• Have low self-esteem;

• Experience headaches, stomachaches, fatigue, poor appetites;

• Be absent from school and dislike school; and

• Think about suicide.

Can bullying of my child be illegal?

Yes. Bullying behavior may cross the line to become “disability harassment,” which is illegal under

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.According to the U.S. Department of Education, disability harassment is “intimidation or abusive

behavior toward a student based on disability that creates a hostile environment by interfering with or denying a student’s participation in or receipt of benefits, services, or opportunities in the

Institution’s program” (U.S. Department of Education, 2000). This behavior can take different

forms including verbal harassment, physical threats, or threatening written statements. When a school finds out that harassment may have occurred, staff must investigate the incident(s) promptly and respond appropriately. Disability harassment can occur in any location that is connected with school: in classrooms, in the cafeteria, in hallways, on the playground or athletic fields, or on a school bus. It also can occur during school-sponsored events (Education Law Center, 2002).

What can I do if I think my child is being bullied or is the victim of disability

Harassment?

• Be supportive of your child and encourage him or her to describe who was involved and how and

where the bullying or harassment happened. Be sure to tell your child that it is not his or her fault

and that nobody deserves to be bullied or harassed. Do not encourage your child to fight back. This may make the problem much worse.

• Usually children are able to identify when they are being bullied by their peers. Sometimes, however, children with disabilities do not realize they are being targeted. (They may, for example, believe that they have a new friend, when in fact, this “friend” is making fun of them.) Ask your child

specific questions about his or her friendships and be alert to possible signs of bullying—even if your

child doesn’t label the behaviors as bullying.

• Talk with your child’s teacher immediately to see whether he or she can help to resolve the problem quickly.

• If the bullying or harassment is severe, or if the teacher doesn’t fix the problem quickly,

contact the principal and put your concerns in writing. Explain what happened in detail and

ask for a prompt response. Keep a written record of all conversations and communications

with the school.

• Ask the school district to convene a meeting of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team

or the Section 504 team, a group convened to ensure that the school district is meeting the

needs of its students with disabilities. This meeting will allow you to explain what has been

happening and will let the team review your child’s IEP or 504 plan and make sure that the

school is taking steps to stop the harassment. If your child needs counseling or other supportive

services because of the harassment, discuss this with the team.

• As the U.S. Department of Education (2000) recognizes, “creating a supportive school climate

is the most important step in preventing harassment.”Work with the school to help

establish a system-wide bullying prevention program that includes support systems for

bullied children.

• Sometimes children and youth who are bullied also bully others. Explore whether your child may

also be bullying other younger, weaker students at school. If so, his or her IEP may need to be

modified to include help to change the aggressive behavior.

• Be persistent. Talk regularly with your child and with school staff to see whether the behavior

has stopped.

What if the bullying or harassment does not stop?

If your school district does not take reasonable,appropriate steps to end the bullying or

harassment of your child, the district may be violating federal, state, and local laws. For

more information about your legal rights, you may want to contact:

• The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights

Phone: (800)-421-3481; or Web: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html

• The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special

Education Programs

Phone: (202) 245-7468; or Web: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/

index.html

Reference:

http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/HHS_PSA/pdfs/SBN_Tip_24.pdf


To have a preview of the kind of documentary we are going to show on our Sprout Film Festival and Community Inclusion , we leave with a teaser :

The Boy Inside

Self Advocacy: Bullying

Here at Community Advocates we are very excited and working hard on the last details of our 4^th Community Inclusion Conference. This Conference is going to be on October 22, 2010 from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm, at the Radisson Hotel in Downtown Kalamazoo. And we are setting precedent; it’s going to be the first time the Sprout Film Festival is going to be used as a Plenary and as a kick off for discussion in the afternoon workshops. Themes discussed in these years conference:

Self-Advocacy: Bullying

Autism: Transition

Community Inclusion: Social Networking

You can register online, just click here: https://acrobat.com/#i=hfDoIvCsAx2NwvFa*8KvSA. If you have any trouble downloading it just click here:

2010 Inclusion Conference Registration Brochure3-FINAL_distributed_0001

Also I want to invite you to the 1st Sprout Film Festival that same day at the Radisson beginning at 7.00 Pm. For more info click here: FB

Our presenter for the Self Advocacy: Bullying Workshop is Lisa Freeman. She shared a little bit of her story and her mission with us.

“My entire family/dogs have been abused in some form, but we haven't stayed in those situations, we've been healed, restored, and gotten free, and that's what we share with others, how they can get help/safe when bullied or abused, we also talk about prevention.”

Our dogs have very distinct positions and we use their stories to share important learning techniques. The way we teach is very unique. We do not stereotype or single out the bullies. We educate. Because truthfully all of us can bully someone at certain times. Yet, we explain what TRUE BULLIES are, that they do it all the time. And at the end of the presentation, the dogs put on a fun trick presentation to reinforce what we have learned.

My dealing with special needs is this: all four of my children were born with varying disabilities. My son, Brian, just passed away three weeks ago.
He had Asperger's and a rare heart condition. Doctors said he'd only live to be 1, yet he had an amazing faith and lived to be 22. He was bullied his entire life, yet he lived and died forgiving his bullies and even befriending them. That is why when we found a jar of change Brian had been saving after he passed; we decided to make a CHANGE of Heart for Brian and others like him by raising the money to go all over the USA to educate others on how to stop abuse, bullying and violence. More about our mission and what we hope to do can be found by logging onto Brian's page @ http://www.takeabiteoutofabuse.com/change.html

Our family/dogs have presented at the ARC Shiawassee, RAVE, Peckham in Lansing, and lots of schools, churches, nursing homes all over Michigan.”

Also we recommend visiting her blog Abuse bites. We’re looking forward to meet her and her family on October 22th at our Conference.

And now we are going to share a little bit of more info about: Bullying among Children and Youth with Disabilities and Special Needs

What is bullying?

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. Often, it is repeated over time. Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting, kicking, or
shoving (physical bullying), teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying), intimidation through gestures or
social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional bullying), and sending insulting messages by text
messaging or e-mail (cyber bullying).

What is known about bullying among children with disabilities and special needs?

There is a small but growing amount of research literature on bullying among children with
disabilities and special needs. This research indicates that these children may be at particular
risk of being bullied by their peers. For example, research tells us that:

• Although little research has been conducted on the relation between learning disabilities (LD)
and bullying, available information indicates that children with LD are at greater risk of being teased
and physically bullied (Martlew & Hodson, 1991;Mishna, 2003; Nabuzoka & Smith, 1993;Thompson, Whitney, & Smith, 1994).

• Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are more likely than other
children to be bullied. They also are somewhat more likely than others to bully their peers
(Unnever & Cornell, 2003).

• Children with medical conditions that affect their appearance (e.g., cerebral palsy, muscular
dystrophy and spina bifida) are more likely to be victimized by peers. Frequently, these children
report being called names related to their disability (Dawkins, 1996).

• Obesity also may place children at higher risk of being bullied. In a study of children aged 11–16,
researchers found that overweight and obese girls (aged 11–16) and boys (aged 11–12) were more
likely than normal-weight peers to be teased or to be made fun of and to experience relational
bullying (e.g., to be socially excluded). Overweight and obese girls were also more likely to be
physically bullied (Janssen, Craig, Boyce, & Pickett,
2004).

To be continued......