Community Advocates

IEP Training 2011

2011-01-06T11:20:00.001-08:00

2011 MICHIGAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP FORUM FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

2010-12-07T08:18:00.001-08:00

The Michigan Youth Leadership Forum is for high school juniors and seniors with disabilities who have demonstrated leadership potential in their communities and schools.

Students - we are inviting you to apply for the MYLF, and we are asking your help in recruiting other students to apply also. The enclosed application form may be duplicated. Deadline for the completed applications is December 10, 2010. Approximately 30 students with disabilities will be selected to attend the MYLF.

The Michigan Youth Leadership Forum is a cooperative project, coordinated by the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns, Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, with the assistance of a number of individuals, non-profit organizations, and agencies. If you are selected, there will be a $100 non-refundable deposit to attend the MYLF.

If you have questions about this forum, please contact Cheryl Mattson at the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns, at our toll-free number, 1-877-499-6232 (voice/TTY); e-mail at MCDC@michigan.gov. Please help us spread the word about attending the 2011 MYLF. Thank you!

DEADLINE TO APPLY: December 10, 2010

Application :http://www.scribd.com/full/44841629?access_key=key-29ewo2toki0ciqlwe9ss

MYLF Brochure Page One in Word 2010

MYLF Brochure Page Two in Word 2010

Free IPADS for individuals with Autism

2010-11-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

The HollyRod Foundation is giving iPads to children diagnosed with autism who are non-verbal or minimally verbal. Application deadline is December 31, 2010.

Link for application: http://www.hollyrod.org/#/holiday-2010/4545650338

What are the eligibility requirements??

1. The individual you are applying for must have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum (as identified in diagnosis report).
2. Reside in the United States of America.
3. Be non-verbal or minimally verbal (as identified in speech pathology report).
4. Be in financial need: Gross income not to exceed $35,000 single income family or $50,000 two-income family (as
identified by documentation).
5. Have access to a computer and an iTunes account (some programs must be downloaded on a computer and transferred to the iPad due to size).
6. A professional on your team (i.e., speech pathologist, doctor, teacher) must be willing to take responsibility of the gift card that downloads the applications.

For more information please visit the foundation's website: www.hollyrod.org

KRESA ’10-’11 Transition Round Table Series:

2010-11-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

An opportunity for students, parents, teachers, and community members to learn about current topics affecting students with disabilities in the transition from school to adult life.

Kalamazoo RESA Service Center, Wile Auditorium
1819 E. Milham (between Lover’s Lane and Portage Rd.)
Thursdays 7:00pm-8:30pm

November 18: Making the Move from High School to Post-Secondary Education

Lois Baldwin, KVCC/ Dorothy Fancher, WMU

December 16: Understanding the Transition Planning Process for Youth with Disabilities

Mindy Miller, Kalamazoo RESA

January 20: Employment for Youth with Disabilities: Michigan Rehabilitation Services

Rebecca Hill/Jessica Vitkin, MRS

February 17: Alternatives to Guardianship: Tools for Self-Directed Adults

Lori West, Community Advocates

March 17: Living Options for Young Adults with Disabilities

Center for Disability Services (WMU), Community Living Options, Disability Network, Residential Opportunities, Inc., Kalamazoo Community Mental Health

April 21: Social Security: Understanding Disability Benefits and Work Incentives for Youth

Peter Mulder/Crystal Haigh, Disability Network

Questions? Would you like information or would like to bring a similar presentation(s) to your school or group? Please contact Mindy Miller, KRESA Transition Coordinator at (269)250-9337 or mmiller@kresa.org.

4th Annual Inclusion Conference

2010-10-20T12:50:00.001-07:00

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:

video platform
video management
video solutions
video player

The Road to Post-Secondary Education: Questions to Consider

2010-10-12T17:40:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-10T16:53:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

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......

Celebrate with us!

2010-09-14T08:21:00.001-07:00

Nominate a hero and join us!

Community Advocates'
Annual Meeting & Awards Dessert

September 30th, 2010 @ 6:30pm

Do you know someone who is always giving their time and compassion towards serving individuals with developmental disabilities? Do you know an individual with a disability who is making strides in the community?

Community Advocates Annual Meeting and Awards Dessert is the perfect place for these individuals to receive the credit they deserve! Nominations are due by Monday, September 20th, 2010.

Award Categories include:

Individual Service Award: an individual who has directly assisted a person with a developmental disability
Community Service Award: an indvidual who has made significant contributions to Community Advocates, the field of developmental disabilities, multiple service areas, and Kalamazoo County
Special Contribution Award: a volunteer or an organization who has contributed toward the development of a project or program that has had significant impact on a group of individuals with developmental disabilities
Trailblazer Award: an individual with a disability who has set an example for others to follow in participating in the life of the community
Community Advocates Award: an individual who has set standards of performance, commitment and character and has set an example of service to others over a lifetime of service
Professional Excellence Award: a professional whose work has been marked by excellence in performance, dedication to principle and the people he/she serves, and a history of contributions to the community and to the field
Pam Miller Self-Determination Award: this award recognizes the work of an individual with a developmental disability to lead a self-directed life
George Martin Scholarship: awarded to a member or participant involved in Community Advocates programming to allow participation in the community in an area of personal interest

Please send your nominations with your name and contact information, the nominee's name and contact information, and a brief description of why you believe the nominee deserves the award.

Nominations should be sent to Deb Russell by
Monday, September 20th, 2010

drussell@communityadvocates.org

814 S. Westnedge Kalamazoo, MI 49008

Fax 269-342-4638

ASD and Employment

2010-09-09T07:27:00.001-07:00

A problem that individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face is high unemployment. Individuals with disabilities are less likely to gain employment than their typical peers (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996); but, more importantly, only 15% of all individuals with ASD gain employment (Cameto et al., 2003). If trends continue, the unemployment rate of individuals diagnosed with ASD may increase as more children who are diagnosed and reach the age of employment. This problem impacts not only individuals with ASD and their families, but everyone who pays taxes as well. Typically, people with ASD who are employable, but not employed, utilize government benefits that, in turn, cost everyone.

The population of individuals diagnosed with ASD reaching adulthood is increasing. Vocational Rehabilitation, a division of the Department of Rehabilitation Services, was created to assist people with disabilities in gaining and maintaining employment nationwide. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992 (PL 102-569) made assisting individuals with significant disabilities in gaining employment the Department's primary focus. The U.S. Department of Education and Rehabilitative Services conducted a longitudinal study (Hayward & Schmidt-Davis, 2003) revealing that 65% of applicants turned away or deemed ineligible for services by Vocational Rehabilitation fell under the classification of "significant" or "most significant" disabilities. Individuals diagnosed with ASD are categorized as persons having significant disabilities or most significant disabilities by Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

One way to assist people with ASD in gaining and maintaining employment is to assist them in finding a good job match. In order for this match to be a win/win situation for the employer and for the employee understanding the needs and characteristics of the individual is vital. That's when an assessment of both is vital.

Assessment of the individual

Should begin in middle school/ Jr. high
It should include:

Functional/Daily Living Skills
Communication
Behavior
Socialization
Employment Skills
Task analysis/ jobs
Preferences/dislikes
Reinforces

Assessment of the Employer/ Job Site

Knowledge of needs of Employer/people
Knowledge of needs of Job
Knowledge of site
Types of jobs
Restrictions
Openness to working with people with disabilities
Openness to accommodations/modifications

Thinks to think about when looking for a match

Skills/abilities for job- Evaluate specific jobs
Hours needed by employer
Environment/Culture – Organization fit and disclosure
Location/transportation
Sensory/allergies
What are the goals/dreams of the individual? Family?
Strengths/Weaknesses ( e.g. communication, self-help)
Realistic Expectations

Suggestions:

Disclosure help get supports
Customize your resume
Fill out applications at home
Practice (a lot!) your Interview. Role play. Keep your answers short.
When faced with an abstract questions, respond with " I like to think about that"

Resources and Links:

http://www.aspiritech.org/about/

http://www.jobs4autism.com/

http://www.autism-help.org/aspergers-syndrome-adults.htm

http://www.dps.missouri.edu/Autism/Adult%20Autism%20&%20Employment.pdf

http://www.brighthub.com/mental-health/autism-pdd/articles/81560.aspx

http://www.coultervideo.com/asatwork.htm

Recipe for Longevity: No Smoking, Lots of Friends

2010-08-23T15:21:00.001-07:00

By: Laura Blue

A healthy social life may be as good for your long-term health as avoiding cigarettes, according to a massive research review released Tuesday by the journal PLoS Medicine.

Researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pooled data from 148 studies on health outcomes and social relationships — every research paper on the topic they could find, involving more than 300,000 men and women across the developed world — and found that those with poor social connections had on average 50% higher odds of death in the study's follow-up period (an average of 7.5 years) than people with more robust social ties.

That boost in longevity is about as large as the mortality difference observed between smokers and nonsmokers, the study's authors say. And it's larger than differences in the risk of death associated with many other well-known lifestyle factors, including lack of exercise and obesity. "This is not just a few studies here and there," says Julianne Holt-Lunstad, lead author on the review and an associate professor of psychology at Brigham Young University. "I'm hoping there will be recognition from the medical community, the public-health community and even the general public about the importance of this."

The friend effect did not appear to vary by sex or by age, with men and women of all ages and health statuses showing roughly equal benefit. Nor were lonely people unusually susceptible to any one disease in particular.

But if it's true that we get by with a little help from our friends, then how, exactly, do our friends do it? That is, how does "social integration" — measured by surveys and questionnaires about friends, family size, marital status and the number of household residents — influence long life? The short answer is that we don't really know yet. "The truth of the matter is that the critical evidence on psychosocial processes and health has come about only within the last 10 to 15 years — even though there's been a lot of theory on it since the 1970s," says psychology professor Bert Uchino at the University of Utah.

That may help to explain why doctors, for the most part, have yet to embrace social support as a factor in good health, on par with smoking habits, diet or exercise. Without a good sense of the physiological mechanisms that may link feelings of loneliness, for instance, to biological markers like blood pressure and resting heart rate, it has been easy to dismiss the power of social connections as nothing more than an artifact of the data or, worse, as touchy-feely pseudoscience.

To be sure, the direct physical evidence of the health benefits of social support is much more preliminary than the population-level association reported by Holt-Lunstad. But the evidence is mounting, says Uchino, who has written widely on the physiological links between social life and health outcomes. (Uchino did not contribute to the new review in PLoS Medicine, but has collaborated with Holt-Lunstad on other projects and was, once upon a time, also her grad-school adviser.)

We turn to family and friends for obvious tangible support when we're sick — from help preparing meals to keeping track of pills, appointments and insurance forms. And caring about others may also prompt us to take better care of ourselves. "A really good example, of course, is someone who has a child," Uchino says. That new bond is often the impetus to quit smoking, to drink less or to curb any number of risky pastimes.

But the influence of social ties may be even more powerful than that. Social relationships, it seems, may also help our bodies help themselves.

Recent lab studies have shown that, in a stressful situation, blood pressure and heart rate will increase less when people are accompanied by a person who is close to them. Brain imaging also shows neurological differences between a person who is alone and a person who has support: in a lab-induced tense situation, brain activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, a region activated in times of stress, is attenuated when people have a close friend or relative alongside them. And it's not just adult stress. In an experiment published this spring, children who were allowed to talk to their mothers after a stressful encounter — giving an impromptu speech or doing math problems in public — showed increased levels of oxytocin, a neurotransmitter thought to dampen the hormonal stress response, compared with children who did not have contact with their mothers.

In one of the most famous experiments on health and social life, Sheldon Cohen at Carnegie Mellon University exposed hundreds of healthy volunteers to the common cold virus, then quarantined them for several days. Cohen showed that the study participants with more social connections and with more diverse social networks — that is, with friends from a variety of social contexts, such as work, sports teams and church — were less likely to develop a cold than the more socially isolated study participants.

The immune systems of people with lots of friends simply worked better, fighting off the cold virus often without symptoms. Studies suggest that the immune response may be affected by stress hormones — catecholamines and glucocorticoids — so that a strong social life thus affects immune function by helping people keep physiological stress in check.

But turning such research into full-fledged medical advice isn't easy. "It's hard to legislate social relationships," Holt-Lunstad says. "And we all know that some relationships are better than others, and not all relationships are entirely positive."

Since Holt-Lunstad's new study reviewed the statistical association between mortality risk and relationship quantity, rather than perceived quality, she wonders whether we wouldn't see even stronger benefits if we focused only on the good relationships. Bolstering these connections may ultimately help people stay healthier than trying to build connections between complete strangers, as in, say, a cancer support group. (Studies on the physical health benefits of support groups show mixed results.) "We need to pay better attention to naturally occurring relationships and to fostering those," Holt-Lunstad says.

Source: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2006938,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

“Working for Change: Using the Power of a Personal Story” with Sandee Koski

2010-08-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

Working for Change Workshop

Family Involvement Mini-Grants

2010-08-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

Mary J. Marin, the executive director of the Family Center Children's Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) Division is happy to announce that the Family center is able to offer Family Involvement Mini-Grants to local health departments. The mini-Grants will increase interaction between the health departments and families,enabling families to provide input and work together to make program improvements at the local level. The grants will allow a variety of activities.

Example of grant activities are:

Increasing the use of parents as paid staff to perform various functions
Building a CSHCS database of client e-mail addresses
Conducting Surveys to assess program effectiveness
Conducting family forums
Underwriting family oriented activities and events
Providing programming costs such as childcare,stipends and speaker fees

Local Health Departments can call the Family Phone Line at (800) 359-3722 for additional information

Ribfest is here ! Be our Potluck Pal!!

2010-08-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

Community Advocates Ribfest 2010 has started!

Please come down to the festival site and visit our tent!There's a lot of food and fun to be had as well as a rockin' entertainment line up:

Friday, August 6
2 pm:Cooking demonstration
5-6:30 pm: Small Town Son
7 pm: Sponsor's Choice
7-9:30 pm: Jedi Mind Trip
10-11:15 pm: Eddie Money
11:45 pm-1:15 am: InCustody

Saturday, August 7
11 am-1 pm: Family Day at the Fest
11 am-1 pm: Kalamazoo Academy of Rock
Noon-4 pm: Kalamazoo Cook-Off
1:30-2:30 pm: Adhesive Pieces
5-7 pm: Midtown Underground
7:30-9:30 pm: Drop 35
8:30 pm: Awards Announcement
10-11:15 pm: The Verve Pipe
11:45 pm- 1:15 am: The Vandrie

Please Vote for Community Advocates

starting today through august 20th at http://one.wkzo.com/stationfiles/loris-cookbook/vote.asp

Select Community Advocates from the list of charities. You may vote once a day every day per computer through August 20th.

Details

Community Advocates has an opportunity to be one of 12 charities to benefit from the sales of Lori Moore’s Potluck Pals cookbook as well as receive a matching gift from the Kalamazoo Community Foundation but we need your vote.

For each donation made through cookbook sales on Community Advocates' designated date, the Community Foundation will match $1/$1 up to $3600. These dollars will allow us continue to serve those with developmental disabilities in Kalamazoo County.

Join us tonight!!!!

2010-08-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of our annual Fundraiser : Community Advocates Ribfest. Some people doesn't know that the Ribfest is our Fundraiser and what we do . We are a non-profit agency who has been supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and their families in the Kalamazoo area since 1953.We are a Kalamazoo County affiliate of The Arc Michigan and The Arc US, and a Greater Kalamazoo United Way member agency.

Our Mission:

We exist as an advocacy organization to make it possible for each person with a disability to participate fully in all aspects of community and to support the effort of each individual to determine his/her own future.

Help us make a difference in the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Bring your family enjoy some delicious food and live entertainment for everybody!!!!

For more info visit: http://www.ribfestkalamazoo.com/

19th Annual Community Advocates Ribfest

2010-08-04T21:02:00.001-07:00

Community Advocates' Ribfest is a major fundraising event for Community Advocates for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. The money raised through this event enables the agency to make it possible for each person with a developmental disability to participate fully in all aspects of community and to support the effort of each individual to determine his/her own future. And in 2009 we made more than 4,600 contacts to assist people with disabilities and their families of all ages in Kalamazoo County to do just that.

The 3-day event is hosted at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place in Downtown Kalamazoo. The event features ten national and local rib vendors along with food vendors offering fried veggies, pasta, and traditional food, plus ice cream.

Festival Hours
Thursday, 11 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.

Admission/Entrances
Daily Gate Fee: $5 at 4 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: $10 at 7 p.m.

Located at 145 E. Water Street (Kalamazoo, MI 49007) there are two convenient entrances and exits at Kalamazoo Ave. and Water Street.

For more info visit: http://www.ribfestkalamazoo.com/ and our Facebook Page:

Community Advocates for Persons with Developmental Disabilities

Promote Your Page Too

Dia Familiar en el Ribfest 2010

2010-08-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Día Familiar en el Ribfest de Community Advocates

DON'T MOURN FOR US

2010-07-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

By: Jim Sinclair

[This article was published in the Autism Network International newsletter, Our Voice, Volume 1, Number 3, 1993. It is an outline of the presentation Jim gave at the 1993 International Conference on Autism in Toronto, and is addressed primarily to parents.]

Parents often report that learning their child is autistic was the most traumatic thing that ever happened to them. Non-autistic people see autism as a great tragedy, and parents experience continuing disappointment and grief at all stages of the child's and family's life cycle.

But this grief does not stem from the child's autism in itself. It is grief over the loss of the normal child the parents had hoped and expected to have. Parents' attitudes and expectations, and the discrepancies between what parents expect of children at a particular age and their own child's actual development, cause more stress and anguish than the practical complexities of life with an autistic person.

Some amount of grief is natural as parents adjust to the fact that an event and a relationship they've been looking forward to isn't going to materialize. But this grief over a fantasized normal child needs to be separated from the parents' perceptions of the child they do have: the autistic child who needs the support of adult caretakers and who can form very meaningful relationships with those caretakers if given the opportunity. Continuing focus on the child's autism as a source of grief is damaging for both the parents and the child, and precludes the development of an accepting and authentic relationship between them. For their own sake and for the sake of their children, I urge parents to make radical changes in their perceptions of what autism means.

I invite you to look at our autism, and look at your grief, from our perspective:

Autism is not an appendage

Autism isn't something a person has, or a "shell" that a person is trapped inside. There's no normal child hidden behind the autism. Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person--and if it were possible, the person you'd have left would not be the same person you started with.

This is important, so take a moment to consider it: Autism is a way of being. It is not possible to separate the person from the autism.

Therefore, when parents say,

I wish my child did not have autism,

what they're really saying is,

I wish the autistic child I have did not exist, and I had a different (non-autistic) child instead.

Read that again. This is what we hear when you mourn over our existence. This is what we hear when you pray for a cure. This is what we know, when you tell us of your fondest hopes and dreams for us: that your greatest wish is that one day we will cease to be, and strangers you can love will move in behind our faces.

Autism is not an impenetrable wall

You try to relate to your autistic child, and the child doesn't respond. He doesn't see you; you can't reach her; there's no getting through. That's the hardest thing to deal with, isn't it? The only thing is, it isn't true.

Look at it again: You try to relate as parent to child, using your own understanding of normal children, your own feelings about parenthood, your own experiences and intuitions about relationships. And the child doesn't respond in any way you can recognize as being part of that system.

That does not mean the child is incapable of relating at all. It only means you're assuming a shared system, a shared understanding of signals and meanings, that the child in fact does not share. It's as if you tried to have an intimate conversation with someone who has no comprehension of your language. Of course the person won't understand what you're talking about, won't respond in the way you expect, and may well find the whole interaction confusing and unpleasant.

It takes more work to communicate with someone whose native language isn't the same as yours. And autism goes deeper than language and culture; autistic people are "foreigners" in any society. You're going to have to give up your assumptions about shared meanings. You're going to have to learn to back up to levels more basic than you've probably thought about before, to translate, and to check to make sure your translations are understood. You're going to have to give up the certainty that comes of being on your own familiar territory, of knowing you're in charge, and let your child teach you a little of her language, guide you a little way into his world.

And the outcome, if you succeed, still will not be a normal parent-child relationship. Your autistic child may learn to talk, may attend regular classes in school, may go to college, drive a car, live independently, have a career--but will never relate to you as other children relate to their parents. Or your autistic child may never speak, may graduate from a self-contained special education classroom to a sheltered activity program or a residential facility, may need lifelong full-time care and supervision--but is not completely beyond your reach. The ways we relate are different. Push for the things your expectations tell you are normal, and you'll find frustration, disappointment, resentment, maybe even rage and hatred. Approach respectfully, without preconceptions, and with openness to learning new things, and you'll find a world you could never have imagined.

Yes, that takes more work than relating to a non-autistic person. But it can be done--unless non-autistic people are far more limited than we are in their capacity to relate. We spend our entire lives doing it. Each of us who does learn to talk to you, each of us who manages to function at all in your society, each of us who manages to reach out and make a connection with you, is operating in alien territory, making contact with alien beings. We spend our entire lives doing this. And then you tell us that we can't relate.

Autism is not death

Granted, autism isn't what most parents expect or look forward to when they anticipate the arrival of a child. What they expect is a child who will be like them, who will share their world and relate to them without requiring intensive on-the-job training in alien contact. Even if their child has some disability other than autism, parents expect to be able to relate to that child on the terms that seem normal to them; and in most cases, even allowing for the limitations of various disabilities, it is possible to form the kind of bond the parents had been looking forward to.

But not when the child is autistic. Much of the grieving parents do is over the non-occurrence of the expected relationship with an expected normal child. This grief is very real, and it needs to be expected and worked through so people can get on with their lives--

but it has nothing to do with autism.

What it comes down to is that you expected something that was tremendously important to you, and you looked forward to it with great joy and excitement, and maybe for a while you thought you actually had it--and then, perhaps gradually, perhaps abruptly, you had to recognize that the thing you looked forward to hasn't happened. It isn't going to happen. No matter how many other, normal children you have, nothing will change the fact that this time, the child you waited and hoped and planned and dreamed for didn't arrive.

This is the same thing that parents experience when a child is stillborn, or when they have their baby to hold for a short time, only to have it die in infancy. It isn't about autism, it's about shattered expectations. I suggest that the best place to address these issues is not in organizations devoted to autism, but in parental bereavement counseling and support groups. In those settings parents learn to come to terms with their loss--not to forget about it, but to let it be in the past, where the grief doesn't hit them in the face every waking moment of their lives. They learn to accept that their child is gone, forever, and won't be coming back. Most importantly, they learn not to take out their grief for the lost child on their surviving children. This is of critical importance when one of those surviving children arrived at t time the child being mourned for died.

You didn't lose a child to autism. You lost a child because the child you waited for never came into existence. That isn't the fault of the autistic child who does exist, and it shouldn't be our burden. We need and deserve families who can see us and value us for ourselves, not families whose vision of us is obscured by the ghosts of children who never lived. Grieve if you must, for your own lost dreams. But don't mourn for us. We are alive. We are real. And we're here waiting for you.

This is what I think autism societies should be about: not mourning for what never was, but exploration of what is. We need you. We need your help and your understanding. Your world is not very open to us, and we won't make it without your strong support. Yes, there is tragedy that comes with autism: not because of what we are, but because of the things that happen to us. Be sad about that, if you want to be sad about something. Better than being sad about it, though, get mad about it--and then do something about it. The tragedy is not that we're here, but that your world has no place for us to be. How can it be otherwise, as long as our own parents are still grieving over having brought us into the world?

Take a look at your autistic child sometime, and take a moment to tell yourself who that child is not. Think to yourself: "This is not my child that I expected and planned for. This is not the child I waited for through all those months of pregnancy and all those hours of labor. This is not the child I made all those plans to share all those experiences with. That child never came. This is not that child." Then go do whatever grieving you have to do--away from the autistic child--and start learning to let go.

After you've started that letting go, come back and look at your autistic child again, and say to yourself: "This is not my child that I expected and planned for. This is an alien child who landed in my life by accident. I don't know who this child is or what it will become. But I know it's a child, stranded in an alien world, without parents of its own kind to care for it. It needs someone to care for it, to teach it, to interpret and to advocate for it. And because this alien child happened to drop into my life, that job is mine if I want it."

If that prospect excites you, then come join us, in strength and determination, in hope and in joy. The adventure of a lifetime is ahead of you.

Jim Sinclair.

Functional Behavioral Assessments: What, Why, When, Where, and Who?

2010-07-13T09:43:00.001-07:00

by:Stephen Starin, Ph.D.

The recent amendments to IDEA are final. School districts are now required to conduct functional behavioral analyses of problem behaviors, under certain circumstances.

Unfortunately, IDEA does not provide specific guidelines regarding the conduct of a functional behavioral assessment. Each school district is left to its own devices when interpreting the guidelines and may opt for lower quality standards.

Below are my comments on conducting a functional behavioral assessment (FBA). These comments are based upon my formal training as a behavior analyst and over 20 years experience working with children, adolescents, and adults with serious problem behaviors. I've tried to avoid technical jargon for ease of discussion.

What is a "Functional Behavioral Assessment"?

The term "Functional Behavioral Assessment" comes from what is called a "Functional Assessment" or "Functional Analysis" in the field of applied behavior analysis. This is the process of determining the cause (or "function") of behavior before developing an intervention. The intervention must be based on the hypothesized cause (function) of behavior.

Why Do Functional Behavioral Assessments?

Failure to base the intervention on the specific cause (function) very often results in ineffective and unnecessarily restrictive procedures.

For example, consider the case of a young child who has learned that screaming is an effective way of avoiding or escaping unpleasant tasks. Using timeout in this situation would provide the child with exactly what he wants (avoiding the task) and is likely to make the problem worse, not better. Without an adequate functional behavioral assessment, we would not know the true function of the young child's screaming and therefore may select an inappropriate intervention.

How Do You Determine the Cause or Function of Behavior?

There are three ways of getting at the function (cause) of the behavior:

(a) interviews and rating scales,
(b) direct and systematic observation of the person's behavior, and
(c) manipulating different environmental events to see how behavior changes.

The first two are generally referred to as functional assessments whereas the third is generally referred to as a functional analysis.

Several different interviews and rating scales have been developed to try to get at the function (cause) of behavior. However, reliability is usually poor and these should be used only as a starting point
for systematic and direct observation of the person's behavior. Relying exclusively on interviews and rating scales should neverbe considered a functional assessment. Besides having poor reliability, it would never hold up in court with an expert witness.

A more reliable method involves directly observing the person's behavior in his or her natural environment and analyzing the behavior's antecedents (environmental events that immediately precede the problem behavior) and consequences (environmental events that immediately follow the problem behavior).

Types of Problem Behavior

Problem behavior typically falls into one or more of three general categories:

(a) behavior that produces attention and other desired events (e.g., access to toys, desired activities),
(b) behavior that allows the person to avoid or escape demands or other undesired events/activities, and
(c) behavior that occurs because of its sensory consequences (relieves pain, feels good, etc.).

The antecedents and consequences are analyzed to see which function(s) the behavior fulfills. Problem behavior can also serve more than one function, further complicating the matter. The interview, combined with direct observation of the behavior is what most people use in determining the function of the behavior. This is fine when the data collected on the antecedents and consequences is clear. Most of the time this is sufficient in determining the behavior's function(s).

Systematic Manipulation of Environment

In some cases, however, direct observation does not give a clear picture of the behavior's functions and systematically manipulating various environmental events becomes necessary. The most common way of systematically manipulating the environment is to put the person in several different situations and carefully observe how the behavior changes.

For example, to determine the function of screaming, we could arrange for attention to be given to the child each time she screams and measure how frequently screaming occurs. We could also make demands on the child, terminating them each time she screams and measure how frequently it occurs. In addition, we could leave the child alone and measure how often screaming occurs. If screaming is more frequent when attention is given, we hypothesize that it occurs to get attention. If screaming is more frequent when demands are made, we can assume that screaming has served to let the person escape or avoid demands. Finally, if screaming is more frequent when left alone, we can assume that it is occurring because of its sensory consequences. This third method should be reserved only for situations in which the functions of behavior are not clear through systematic and direct observation.

What About Qualifications and Training?

An important question is "Who should be involved in the functional behavioral assessment?" The interview is important in gathering preliminary information that will guide later direct observation. As such, it is important to talk to the people who know the child the best: parents, teachers and significant others.

Direct observation should be carried out only by a person who has been thoroughly trained on collecting and analyzing this type of information. Directly manipulating environment events should be conducted only by a well-trained behavior analyst or someone else with a high degree of training and experience conducting these manipulations for they can pose danger to the person if not done correctly.

As can be seen, a functional behavioral assessment is more than a group of people sitting around a table trying to determine the cause. Although it is important to gather information from significant people in the person's life, it is not enough.

Someone knowledgeable about behavior must be in the classroom and/or family home directly observing and measuring the behavior. Although this takes time, it is usually time well spent because the intervention is more likely to be effective than one developed without careful consideration of the behavior's function(s).

Don't Waste Valuable Time!

Time is precious. Time should not be wasted on interventions (behavioral or otherwise) when there is no evidence that this particular intervention is likely to work, for this particular child, in this particular situation.

About the Author

Dr. Stephen Starin is the Executive Director and Senior Behavior Analyst for Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Inc. He is the former Director of Behavior Analysis for the State of Florida and is a Past President of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis.

You can contact Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Inc. at (888) 423-4284 or on the Internet at http://www.behavior-analysis.org/

We need Crafters and Artists for Ribfest!!

2010-07-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

crafters

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

2010-06-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Match Day

2010-06-18T06:58:00.001-07:00

Dear Supporter of Community Advocates for Persons with Developmental Disabilities:

The Kalamazoo Community Foundation is celebrating its 85th birthday this year and has given Kalamazoo's nonprofit community—and generous donors like you—85,000 reasons to celebrate with them on Match Day!

Match Day is a very special event designed to help nonprofit organizations like Community Advocates for Persons with Developmental Disabilities build the endowment fund established for our benefit at the Community Foundation. On Match Day, which will take place on June 23 in Bronson Park, the Community Foundation will match each dollar donated to the Community Advocates for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Fund with 50 cents that will be available for us to use immediately. There is $85,000 in match dollars available!

On Match Day, you are invited to come to the park anytime between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and make a donation to the "Community Advocates for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Fund." Donations must be made in person and can be made by cash, check or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express).

You can come to the park and donate anytime throughout the day, but we encourage you to come early, because while donations will be accepted all day, they will only be matched until the $85,000 is exhausted. For complete Match Day details, including information about maximum donations, how your gift will be receipted, and Michigan Community Foundation Tax Credit eligibility, please visit the Kalamazoo Community Foundation's Web site at www.kalfound.org

Thank you for considering a gift to Community Advocates that will benefit the people we serve for years to come.

Sincerely,

Carl Phalin, Chairperson

Deb Russell, CEO/President

And members of the Board of Community Advocates:

Brian Bruce, Chairperson Elect Dawn Pantaleo, Immediate Past Chairperson Michael Payne, Treasurer

Steve Barber, Secretary

Susan Brooks , Diana DeVries , Fran Hoard , Ian Kennedy & Mary Connors

Guardianship and its Alternatives Presentation

2010-06-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

As an advocacy organization for persons with developmental disabilities, we at Community Advocates would like to share information with you on this subject. It is truly our desire to provide you with as much information as possible so that your family can make an informed decision about this very personal and emotional subject. We would like to invite you to an informal presentation and discussion.

Please allow us the pleasure of your presence on Tuesday, June 22nd at 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at our office. We will present information from full guardianship to possible alternative options for persons with Developmental Disabilities. There will also be an opportunity to network with other families who are experiencing this same cross road. Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP to Lori West. 1-269-342-9801 at extension 203 or e-mail: lwest@communityadvocates.org

Looking forward to seeing you.

Community Advocates on Monday Night Live

2010-06-13T16:21:00.001-07:00

Community Advocates was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 1953 as an affiliate of both the state and national units of what was then known as the Association for Retarded Children. Those organizations are now known simply as The Arc. Our affiliation remains close and continues its purpose to seek the best possible services and support for children and adults with disabilities.

Initially, our constituency was individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. Over time, we have broadened our outreach to include people with a variety of developmental disabilities. Our geographical scope is Kalamazoo County, but although we have provided advocacy assistance to people from surrounding counties on a case-by-case basis.

In the early years our organization was a direct provider of services, organized and run by volunteers, primarily parents. In the 1960's we began to create other programs, and during the 1980's and 1990's we created programs run by other agencies and incorporated new organizations as needed.

During the 1970's we spearheaded a planning process that prepared this county to provide the services needed to further the task of deinstitutionalization. That network of services remains largely intact today.

Our mission remains:
We exist as an advocacy organization to make it possible for each person with a disability to participate fully in all aspects of community and to support the effort of each individual to determine his/her own future.

And here is our Deb Russell (CEO) and Carl Phalin (Board Chair) with Keith Roe the host of Monday Night Live. This was televised on June,7 2010.

Community Advocates’ Ribfest 2010 Preview

2010-06-09T12:45:00.001-07:00

Who: YOU!

You loved Ribfest last year! You're gonna love it this year too!

Please join us Tuesday evening for a sneak preview of Ribfest 2010 and to learn more about the organization behind Ribfest: Community Advocates.

What: Community Advocates' Ribfest 2010 Preview

When: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 from 6-7:30 PM

Where: Art Van Furniture Showroom (550 Ring Rd. Portage, MI)

Through this preview we will inform our partners and sponsors who help to make Community Advocates' Ribfest successful about the mission of our organization and to preview highlights of the 2010 Annual Community Advocates' Ribfest. There will be refreshments, great people, displays, games, and sign up to volunteer, Ribfest prizes, and a brief program.

Bring your friends and family but don't forget to let us know if you're coming- so we have enough food to go around! Please RSVP by Friday, June 11th to Vickie at Commadvocates@communityadvocates.org or by calling 269.342.9801 ex. 200 or you can RSVP via Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129320043760121&index=1

Defining Normal

2010-06-08T18:31:00.001-07:00

by : Kelsey Cline

What is normal? Who is normal? I have been faced with this dilemma for the past couple of years. From the several dictionaries that I have searched, the definition of normal is something along the lines of: "conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural". So from that definition, anybody or anything that does not conform to the decided standard is not normal. Who decided this standard that is mentioned in the above definition? Do I decide for myself? Is it decided by my peers? Or is it decided by the environment that I grew up in?

I am currently attending college pursuing a degree in Special Education. Many of my classes compare people with disabilities to their "normal" peers. These statements in the past couple of years have forced me to think about who my normal peers are. Everybody talks about them, but I have yet to be told who they are. It makes me question whether I am normal or not. Using myself as an example, let's dive into the definition to figure out whether I am normal or not.

Because the definition stated above still lacks what the "standard or the common type" actually is, let's use the proposal that the definition can be set by peers. Growing up in a public school system in middle class suburbia, the unspoken, but well known definition of normal set by my peers was "a person who is not weird, who does not have a disability, and somebody who fits in." So basically the popular kids are the normal ones. Although, after knowing some popular kids, I don't see how that can be right. I, myself, was certainly not a popular kid and I do not think I would have had as nearly a good high school experience as I did if I had to fit in those parameters. I didn't play any sports, I took AP classes, and I played percussion and the clarinet for the school marching band. I was a total band geek (despite my trying to hide it for the first couple of years), so of course I'm going to be weird, and I'm not going to be popular and fit in with the cool kids! I just didn't realize that being in band was going to make me not normal. If I had to give up everything I loved in high school, just to attempt to not be weird, and fit in with the crowd, I'm happy to be classified as not normal.

I have several non-normal points against me (recall the nerdy bank geek thing), but let's look at my family to see if they are any more normal than me. Let's see…I have a mom, a dad, and a sister. My parents are still married after 26 years, which, let's face it, isn't exactly normal anymore with the divorce rates these days. My parents only had the two of us, and that doesn't match up to the average 2.3 kids per family, so I guess that's a couple more non-normal points. Oh yeah, my sister has autism. That automatically threw me out of the running based on the reactions from my peers in school. So based on all the points that I've racked up from my family, I guess it's safe to assume that I am not normal.

The definition that I grew up with from my home differs from the definition set at school. The way I grew up, I learned that everybody has quirks, and everybody is different. That completely contradicts the definition of normal set by the environment at the school. So now the big question is, what should I believe?

I have taken the definition set by my peers in school, and the environment in which I grew up, and my experiences in the past several years, and I have formed my own definition of normal. My definition is blurry, but can be described as "an inappropriate way to describe oneself when comparing themselves to people who are different." This definition may seem harsh, but then again, the situations in which this term was used that I've witnessed have also been harsh.

The above statement is my personal definition of normal, and I know that not everybody is going to agree with me. Instead of just accepting other people's definitions and taking that as fact, please decide what normal is for you. If you truly believe you know who is normal, and who is not normal, then I can't stop you from believing what you believe. What I do want people to consider before deciding on a personal definition is this: a person only knows his or her own life, and it is the only life he or she will ever know, so why do other people get to decide whether it is normal or not? What if somebody judged you on the way you walk, or the way you talk, or the way you go about life? What if because of your differences, people called you "not normal"?

What I have proposed to people regarding this definition has rewarded me a lot of weird looks, but what I advocate to people is that nobody is normal, so we should just remove that word from our dictionaries, at least with regards to people. If nobody fits the stereotype, there really is no use for the word, so let's not use it. Everybody has something different about them, or a deficit in some area of life. If everybody has them, I just do not understand how some people are considered normal, and other's not. I have not found a person who does not have some quirk about them, so until I find that perfect person with no flaws, I maintain that there is nobody out there who is truly normal.

12 Things Parents and Professionals Must Understand About Educating Students with Autism and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders

2010-05-20T08:40:00.001-07:00

By: Nicole Beurkens, M.Ed.

Working with parents and educators for over a decade has taught me some important lessons about what it means to provide a meaningful education to students with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. It is easy to get bogged down in the moment-to-moment challenges and lose perspective on what we are trying to accomplish. Too often we employ strategies that address an immediate problem, without figuring out how to build the foundations that are required for addressing the challenge over the long-term. In searching for the elusive "quick fix" we fail to implement some basic but powerful concepts that support learning for all students.

Here are 12 important concepts every parent and professional should consider when designing appropriate educational opportunities for students with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders:

1) Attitude: Your attitude is the most important tool you bring to your work with students. You do not need to have experience teaching students with neurodevelopmental disorders in order to be successful with them, but you do need to build trust through acceptance, patience, mutual respect, and a willingness to learn.

2) Remediation and Compensation: Solutions that solve a problem in the short term may not create foundational change in the long term. A balance of short-term and long-term strategies is needed for students to be truly successful.

3) Relationships are Essential for Growth and Development: We learn and grow through our relationships with others. Behavioral and emotional self-regulation begins with being able to regulate with others.

4) Our Communication is a Powerful Tool: Speaking and communicating are two very different things. The ways in which we use verbal and nonverbal communication has a significant impact on our students' communication development.

5) Processing: Neurological disorders impact students' abilities to take in, make sense of, and respond to information. We need to learn to slow down in order to speed up in order to support and improve their processing.

6) Promoting Independence, Thinking, and Problem Solving: The most important outcome of the educational process is to teach students to think. We need to create daily opportunities for students to think about and flexibly respond to what is happening around them.

7) Environments Make a Difference: The physical environment plays a significant role in student success. We need to take the time to observe and understand how the physical environment is impacting student functioning.

8) Promoting Competence: Students who feel incompetent do not learn and thrive. It is crucial to find ways to help all students have meaningful roles in the classroom, help them know they are supported, and send the message that we know they are capable.

9) Labels: The names we give students, classrooms, and programs are far less important than understanding their unique characteristics. It is easy to give children labels, and much more challenging to understand what really makes them tick so as to best support them. Labels should be viewed as a beginning, not an endpoint.

10) Obstacles: Everyone has obstacles—challenges that impact their ability to function at their best. The responsibility for identifying and resolving behavior obstacles and challenges lies much more with adults than it does with children.

11) Families as Partners: Parents are the primary players in the growth and development of their children. Professionals and families must be more than a team for the purpose of completing required paperwork. A working relationship based on trust and mutual respect is required for students to reach their highest potential.

12) Collective Visions: Having a vision of what constitutes a satisfying quality of life for students and their families allows us to create educational plans that accomplish meaningful outcomes. Shared visions created by parents and professionals provide a powerful map for moving forward.

Approaching the education of students with neurodevelopmental disorders with these 12 powerful concepts in mind provides a more meaningful and successful experience for everyone involved. Application of these principles allows us to best guide students to reach their highest potential in school and beyond.

Source: http://horizonsdrc.blogspot.com/

Siblings of kids with Special Needs 2

2010-05-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

Continued from:http://commadvocates.blogspot.com/2010/05/siblings-of-kids-with-special-needs.html

13. Weigh the cost of actions to all children against the benefit to one.

14. Find manageable ways to spend quality time individually with sibling.

15. Look for workshops and seminars offered by community groups.

16. Remember that the siblings of special needs kids are kids first. Before "blaming" sibling problems or family issues on the challenges around living with special needs, first see if there is another reason that is unrelated to the special needs. Maybe the sibling is acting out because he or she is having a hard time at school or a problem with friends or a girl/boy friend. Look at the whole child first, before assuming that it is the issue of special needs that is causing the problem. Again, when parents feel guilty, the situation is more easily confused.

17. Think positively. A positive attitude about situations and yourself is your most important asset in coping with stress.

And at last but not the least important …….

Please remember that you, as the parent or caregiver for a special needs child, are a special person too. Be kind to yourself. Watch out for burnout.

Source: Delores Curran,"100 ways to reduce Family Stress" Family Support Bulletin

Siblings of Kids with Special Needs

2010-05-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

Caring for a child with special needs along with all the other demands of work and caring for the rest of the family can be very challenging. If the demands and the stress level are high in your family, it is difficult for everyone. Siblings of children with special needs have special needs themselves. Their sister or brother with special needs will get a bigger share of attention. While having a special needs sib presents challenges, it also comes with opportunities. Here are some suggestions for supporting siblings:

Don't expect children or teenagers to accept adult roles, particularly in caring for the family member with a disability.
Don't imply that the sibling without disabilities has a lifetime responsibility to care for their brother or sister
Integrate the whole family into community activities: sports, music groups, church or civic organizations.
Encourage siblings to observe their sibling with a disability in therapy.
Set reasonable expectations for all of the children in the family.
Seek Family counseling if any member experiences prolonged periods of depression or anger that cannot be relieved.
Relay information to siblings so they feel like part of the family.
Use family conferences to provide an open setting for siblings to ask questions and acknowledge feelings.
Prepare siblings for changes in home life before they actually occur.
Understand that each child has different needs. Allow siblings to set their own pace for learning and involvement.
Legitimize reasonable anger. All children behave badly sometimes.
Help siblings to develop their own identities, seeing the differences and similarities between themselves and a child with special needs, and achieving successes without guilt.

To be continued……

Source: Delores Curran"100 ways to reduce Family Stress" Family Support Bulletin.

Rate your community’s implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act!

2010-05-07T07:02:00.001-07:00

People with disabilities, their family members, and their advocates are invited to complete the survey so that their voices are heard when accessibility issues are being addressed in their communities! We want to know what you have to say!

SPEAK YOUR MIND! The survey is available online at:

www.TheADASurvey.org

The ADA has been in effect since 1990 - nearly 20 years have passed for communities to remove physical, programmatic, and attitudinal barriers that prevent people with disabilities from becoming active participating citizens. Progress has been made, but there is still need for further compliance. The ADA SURVEY asks citizens from Michigan to identify how they view current implementation of the ADA in their own communities. Here is your opportunity to provide opinions and ideas about where to improve accessibility!

The results of the ADA SURVEY will be used to "grade" your communities on their response to the ADA and will become a tool to educate policy makers, administrators and the public about the ADA. We hope that you will join us in this effort to learn more about community responses to the ADA.

To request the survey in an alternative format, or for additional information, contact Dr. Vicki Pappas by phone: 1-800-825-4733 or e-mail: beheard@indiana.edu.

This survey is being conducted by the Great Lakes ADA Center

and the Michigan ADA Steering Committee

in conjunction with the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community

5th Annual Kalamazoo Wraps National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day Carnival

2010-05-04T09:49:00.001-07:00

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds (Hazel Gray Building)

4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Each year the Kalamazoo Wraps National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

Carnival is bigger and better. Over 1,200 were in attendance last year!

As in years past, this year's event will focus on education regarding children's

mental health issues and awareness of the services available for youth and their

families, within our system of care. This event also serves to reduce the stigma

of receiving mental health services and having mental illness.

In addition, we will also focus on: the positive effects/results of youth who receive

the mental health and substance abuse services they need, thereby increasing

graduation rates and decreasing their involvement with the juvenile justice system.

The carnival also provides a rare opportunity for parents, youth, families, service

providers, community members, and business owners, to spend time together in a

relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, promoting better communication, while building

relationships and trust within our system of care.

The event is open to the public and is entirely FREE: Attendance, Food, Games,

Prizes and Entertainment. We serve hotdogs, cotton candy and popcorn. A clown, who

makes animal shapes, hats and jewelry out of balloons, walks around throughout the

event, delighting everyone... KIDS LOVE THE BALLOON MAN. There are "bouncy

castles", professional face painters, and "experiential" games, organized by the

KCMHSAS Adventure Group staff, on the lawn. In addition, each organization that

participates has a game, or some fun activity, at their booth. Each year we have live

music and dancing, and "entertainment with a purpose" activities like instrument petting zoos.

For more info: http://www.kalamazoowraps.com/

ASPERGER’S SYNDROME: EXPLORING THE GIFTS AND THE CHALLENGES

2010-05-04T07:14:00.001-07:00

Don't Miss out the opportunity to see Dr. Nick Dubin's presentation:

Asperger's Syndrome:

Exploring the gifts and challenges

Wednesday, May 12

6.30 pm to 8.00 pm

Hicks Banquet Hall

Kalamazoo College

If you want to learn more about Dr.Nick Dubin,you can visit his website: http://www.aspergerwisdom.com/

Sponsored by the Kalamazoo College Autism Awareness Group, the Autism Society of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning, and the Kalamazoo College Student Development Office

Contact Bruce Mills at bmills@kzoo.edu if you have questions.

Kalamazoo County Interagency Coalition a Children’s Foster Care Collaboration

2010-05-04T07:01:00.001-07:00

Presents:

What: Join the Kalamazoo Interagency Coalition for a day of training, Q & A session, and dinner

When: May 21, 2010, 1:00-8:30 (Attend part of the day or the entire event)

Where: Christian Life Center, 1225 W Paterson, Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Attend part of the day or the entire event!

Schedule of Events:

12:30 Registration begins
1-3:00 Speaker Jeanne Fowler

*Jeanne grew up in foster care

*Author of Peter's Lullaby

*Visit her website at:
http://www.bigfamilyofmichigan.org/

3-4:30 Q & A Session-There will be foster parents, foster youth and representatives from local

Foster care and adoption agencies available to answer any questions.

4:30-5:30 Dinner/Snacks
5:30-8:30 Panel, Session 9-The panel includes foster parents, workers and foster youth.

You can pre-register by contacting Julie Urbanski at 269-337-5034 or urbanskij@michigan.gov.

Pre-registration is required if you wish to receive a dinner. If you do not pre-register, snacks will be provided.

*Trainings will be facilitated by Kalamazoo County Interagency Coalition Members from the following agencies: Kalamazoo County DHS, Bethany Christian Services, Family & Children Services, Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, Starr Commonwealth, and Catholic Charities of West Michigan.

2nd Annual Spring Luncheon

2010-04-30T07:35:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the air and we are getting ready for our Second Annual Luncheon, which is going to be on May 13, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel in Downtown Kalamazoo. This year were going to have Johnnie Tuitel as our keynote speaker.

Johnnie Tuitel (pronounced title like a book) was born with cerebral palsy, and has used a wheelchair his entire life. He attended East Grand Rapids Public Schools where he was the first disabled student legally mainstreamed in the State of Michigan. His disability has never kept him down.

Johnnie loves making people laugh through his humorous and entertaining stories of life. He easily puts to rest any tensions that may arise because of the wheelchair and he makes his audience comfortable with his disability.

We are looking forward to meet him and learn about his term Handicapitalism(©) to learn a little bit more about it visit :

http://www.johnnietuitel.com/home.html

For more info on our 2^nd Annual Luncheon click here :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Community-Advocates-for-Persons-with-Developmental-Disabilities/307532964225?v=app_2373072738#!/event.php?eid=113088865397344&index=1

COMMENCEMENT CHALLENGE - VOTE FOR KALAMAZOO CENTRAL!!!!!

2010-04-27T10:39:00.001-07:00

Kalamazoo Central is one of six high schools in the nation, and the only one in Michigan, selected to compete in the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge. During the next two weeks, the field will be narrowed to three schools, and then, one.

President Obama will speak at the commencement ceremony of the high school selected!!.

Today through Thursday, people across the country will be voting on videos created by each of the six high schools. I encourage you to participate and support the entry from Kalamazoo. Please link to the following site to cast your vote! http://www.whitehouse.gov/commencement

The finalists were chosen from among hundreds of entries based on a number of measurements for improvement and success. This is already an extraordinary honor for K-Central, Kalamazoo Public Schools, our city, county and state.

Join us in voting for Kalamazoo in the Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge.

Building a bridge between special-ed and regular students: Schoolcraft students share talents and good times in Common Bond program

2010-04-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

By Alison Black Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

It isn't always easy for special education students to feel connected to a school community through extracurricular activities.

At Schoolcraft High School, a student club named Common Bond has been making it easier for more than a decade.

Over 100 students — about one quarter of the high school's student body of approximately 400 — signed up last fall to join Common Bond, an extracurricular club that pairs regular and special education students in a variety of monthly activities and events.

More than 90 percent of the school's cognitively, developmentally and emotionally impaired students have joined mentor students this year in activities such as a trip to a local bowling alley, a video game and crafts night, and a magic show, said Common Bond founder and special education teacher Amy Green.

"I see the club as a win-win situation for both the challenged kids and the mentors because they all learn from each other," Green said.

The club gives special education students peers that they can relate to and feel comfortable around in classes or the hallways, Green said.

"For our mentors, all of us are out there in the real world know people who have challenges, and I think this experience brings a lot of compassion," Green said.

Carlee Stoker, a junior, has been a mentor in this "X-treme friendship club" since her freshman year. Stoker joined to spend time with a special education student with whom she has been friends since first grade.

"You always know you're going to have fun and you get to interact with unique people you might not have talked to," Stoker said.

"Sometimes, you have to talk to people and just kind of get them to do the things that we're all doing"--such as rock-climbing on a recent trip to Sherman Lake YMCA camp, Stoker said--"but it always works out."

Sophomore Riley Pressley, a second year club member, said that she enjoys eating lunch and spending time with club members outside of a classroom setting.

"I've learned a lot about the other challenge students in the (autistic instruction) room," Pressley said. "Challenge students can be fun to be around, too."

For some students, "some of their challenges are social skills, so this gives them a chance to practice being outside of class with others," Green said. "It's not just a good time -- it's a chance to interact."

Higher-functioning special education students often make the transition from mentee to mentor, Green said.

"They sign up just wanting to be a part of something, but when they get here, they end up stepping up, shining and evolving as mentors," Green said.

For Green, a constant challenge is funding: Common Bond was started with funds from a mini-grant awarded by the State of Michigan that has since dried up, and the club stays afloat with donations from parents and community organizations, Green said.

"The big question is always, 'How do we fund this?' I always say, 'Beg, borrow and pray,'" Green said.

Students pay what they can to participate in monthly activities, and club funds make up the balance where families have trouble. Often, parents will send double the amount needed for their own child's participation in order to help out another student, Green said.

On tap for the rest of this year: a miniature golf outing, another trip to Sherman Lake camp, and the annual "Senior Send-off" party to thank the club's seniors for their participation.

"It's just been kind of cool how the whole thing has evolved over the years," Green said.

Resource link: http://www.mlive.com/living/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/04/building_a_bridge_between_spec.html

Real Spirit

2010-04-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Autism information subject of conference

2010-04-19T11:09:00.001-07:00

--Awareness, community resources, intervention and parent and family issues regarding autism are topics of a conference Friday, April 23, on the campus of Western Michigan University.

WMU President John M. Dunn will deliver opening remarks for the free event at 3 p.m. in Room 2000 of Schneider Hall. Other speakers will follow, including:

Dr. Stephanie Peterson, WMU associate professor of psychology, who will give an overview and evidenced-based treatments for autism.
Dr. Diane Chugani, Wayne State University professor of pediatrics, who will speak on biological advances in understanding autism.
Brenda Gagie, teacher consultant for the Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency Autism Program, who will talk about community resources for autism.
Dr. Bruce Mills, Kalamazoo College professor of English, who will give his perspective as the parent of a son diagnosed with autism.
Andrew Ackner, a Michigan native and noted presenter with autism, who will speak about his personal experiences.

The event is sponsored by WMU's Department of Psychology, Residential Opportunities Inc., the Autism Society of Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, KRESA and Parent to Parent of Southwest Michigan.

Free public parking is available next to Schneider Hall in Lots 72R and 72W.

For more information, contact Dr. Wayne Fuqua, chair of the Department of Psychology, at wayne.fuqua@wmich.edu or (269) 387-4474.

Respite Network Meeting

2010-04-08T11:12:00.001-07:00

WHO:
families who have children/young adults who can't always be left home alone and who don't qualify for other respite services /can't find respite that matches their needs

WHAT: an informal get-together to start a respite community, a family to family support network

WHEN: April 29^th at 7 pm

WHERE: ROI,1100 South Rose Street Kalamazoo MI 49001

INTERESTED? call Anna Miron at (269)343-2580 so we know how many people to expect

This is a meeting for people who would like to explore the option of creating a community where families both receive and provide respite by being there for each others' children as parents/caregivers get a chance to do something outside the home. The person who is helping would come to the home of the family who wants the respite- just like a "sitter" would. We would interview each other and introduce/help each other just like we would a "sitter", except there will be no pay, just an exchange of providing respite.

We will use this first meeting to introduce ourselves and to share what we are hoping to get out of this.

ROI is graciously letting us use their meeting room, but ROI is not the organizer of this meeting. I think this is worth exploring. If you do as well, please join us at ROI!

Anna Miron

Alternatives to Guardianship Presentation

2010-04-05T09:24:00.001-07:00

When you have a loved one with a developmental disability there are a lot of decisions to make. It is very important to be informed on all the choices available regarding guardianship.

Lori West, Individual and Family Advocate will explore all the options and will speak about the importance of self determination and will help you decipher the language around Alternatives to Guardianship Issues.

Date:	Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Time:	6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location:	Community Advocates Office
Street:	814 S. Westnedge Avenue
City/Town:	Kalamazoo, MI

Summer Options for Youth

2010-03-29T17:49:00.001-07:00

Presented by: Arcadia Institute and Partners

When: April 7, 2010

10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Where: Georgian Room

3299 Gull Road

Nazareth, MI 49074

Workshop Description:

How to structure community options for success and fun for youth with developmental

disabilities and serious emotional disturbance.

This course fulfills 2 of the 24-hour Children's training requirement.

Registration Information

Registration deadline is Friday, April 2, 2010 by 5:00 PM.

For questions contact Stephanie Thompson at 553-8143 or at:

sthompson@kazoocmh.org

Helping Families and Young Adults Protect Their Rights

2010-03-26T07:54:00.001-07:00

Michigan
Family-to-Family
Health Information & Education Center
Helping Families and Young Adults Protect Their RightsTraining
April 13, 2010
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Van Buren ISD
490 Paw Paw Street
Lawrence, Michigan 49064

This workshop is for anyone who wants to gain a basic
understanding of the complaint process including timelines and what someone could expect during the process for:
· Children's Special Health Care Services
· Community Mental Health Services
· Medicaid
· Special Education Services
Sessions provide information relative to what makes someone eligible and how to gain access to each system. Participants will be provided with resources for groups and organizations available to assist in protecting a client's rights.

Cost to attend is $10. Lunch will be provided. Scholarships may be available to families.

This program has been approved for 5 CE Hours by the Michigan Collaborative for Social Workers (Course Approval #012109-28) and .5 SBCEU's by the State Board Office of Certification Services. The cost for CE/SBCEU participants is $15. Checks or money orders should be made payable: SEMHA-F2FHIEC. Attendance for the entire day constitutes course completion and CE/SBCEU certificate award.
Register Online at www.bridges4kids.org/f2f Families may Call 1-800-359-3722

For more information or to request accommodations call 1-800-359-3722 For ADA procedures or grievances call MPAS at 1-800-288-5923.

Think Beyond the Label

2010-03-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Think Beyond the Label was formed to set the facts straight about hiring people with disabilities. They provide "expert tools and resources for businesses looking to evolve their workforce." You can visit there website at http://www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com/.

Project Search

2010-03-16T20:21:00.001-07:00

Project Search: 1 year school-to-work program for youth with developmental disabilities

NAA applauds Congress for Passing Federal Legislation to End Abusive Restraint and Seclusion in Schools

2010-03-05T07:23:00.001-08:00

NIXA, Mo., March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the National Autism Association celebrated the passing of H.R. 4247, the Keeping All Students Safe Act, on Wednesday and those responsible for spearheading the bill. Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced the federal legislation as a much-anticipated solution to the issues of unregulated restraint and seclusion in schools.

The bill, which passed 262-153, sets guidelines that allow physical restraint or locked seclusion only when there is imminent danger of injury. It bans restraint that restricts airflow, mechanical restraints such as strapping children to chairs or duct-taping body parts, mandates notification to parents, and prohibits behavior-controlling medications that aren't prescribed by doctors.

In January of 2009, a report from the Disability Rights Network spurred the May 2009 Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report that investigated hundreds of cases, including deaths from "mechanical compression to the chest," or "smothering." One schoolchild died from restraint following a seizure, another died from hanging himself in a seclusion room. Other cases included a four-year-old girl who was tied to a chair and abused, five children who were duct-taped to their desks, and a ten-year-old boy who was put in a seclusion room "75 times over a 6-month period for hours at a time for offenses such as whistling, slouching and hand-waving."

The report also revealed no federal laws regulating restraint and seclusion in schools, no laws in 19 states, and "widely divergent" laws in remaining states.

Although state laws have been nonexistent or inconsistent, many Republican lawmakers were not in favor of the bill. "One of our parents received a letter from their Republican Congressman that stated, 'The responsibility for ensuring that students are properly treated lies with state and local governments, as well as school boards. Therefore, I encourage you to contact your state and local officials regarding this matter.' But relying on States isn't keeping our children safe," explained National Autism Association Board member Leslie Phillips. "Our children are being abused and killed. This legislation is so necessary and actually provides resources to States. We're grateful for Congressman Miller's efforts and all who support this bill."

In addition to the legislation, NAA feels surveillance cameras in special education classrooms are imperative. "Many of our children are nonverbal and cannot communicate acts of abuse. Surveillance cameras will protect both schoolchildren and staff," stated NAA Executive Director Rita Shreffler.

To support the Senate companion bill, please visit NAA's Autism Action Center at http://naa.kintera.org/actioncenter

CONTACT: Lori McIlwain (Cary, NC) 919-741-1646
Wendy Fournier (Portsmouth, RI) 401-835-5828

SOURCE National Autism Association

All Kids Can!! Recreation Expo

2010-03-04T11:06:00.001-08:00

We would like to invite you to visit our booth at the All Kids Can!! Recreation Expo. In this Expo, you can learn about all the camps, educational and recreational programs are available in our community for kids of all ages and abilities. Door prizes and scholarships will be given away.

Date: March 6^th, 2010

Place: Radisson Plaza Hotel in Downtown Kalamazoo

Time: 10 am to 2 pm

Price: Free

Sponsored by:

Parent to Parent of SW MI

Kalamazoo WRAPS

The Arcadia Institute Community Participation Initiative

Community Advocates

Welcome

2010-02-21T08:38:00.001-08:00

We are very pleased to welcome you to our new Blog ,a little space where we can share news, information about our current and new programs and advice about issues concerning our consumers and community. Also we want to let you know that we have a Facebook Fan page, where we are going share about our events and the like. To be one of our fans ,just go to the Sidebar in our Blog and click on the Facebook icon.

Another of the purposes of this blog ,is to give our Community a forum where they can give us their input on the issues affecting our community in Kalamazoo,share personal stories and advice, so feel free to write to us at: communityadvocates@communityadvocates.org

We are very excited about all the changes and good stuff for this new year!!

Have a good one!!

Looking forward to hearing from you !!