Yahoo Accessibility Blog

The Yahoo Accessibility Blog is a must read. Please make sure you watch the short video on Yahoo Independence 2011. This blog is a great place to see what is happening in the area of disability, independence and access. If you work in schools, please make sure you share it with your students.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

On September 22nd there will be a world wide celebration of Special Olympics which was originally founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. There are special events happening everywhere. Please use the links to find events in your area or to read more about Eunice Kennedy Shriver who was an amazing woman. If you have the time, please read one of her original and most famous articles from the Saturday Evening Post.

Free Visual Supports

This page has quite a few free visual supports for learning, communicating, behavioral interventions/rewards, daily routines, and schedule systems. Take a look at it and share it with others! Visual Supports

New Free Symbol Resources.

This is another resource to add to your list for free symbols. I have also posted it on the Free Symbol Project Page. SEN Teacher

The resource site from Widget offers many free and low cost symbol packages.

Social Justice Part 2: Obama and Romney Present Their Disability Policy Positions - National Forum on Disability Issues

On Friday September 28th, President Obama and Governor Romney will be presenting their positions on issues related to disability. This is a non-partisan forum which can be viewed live by registering at this website: Disabled World. It is important to view all or part of this discussion and talk about this in our classrooms with our older students. Decisions regarding their future will be made as a direct result of the election. For our students 18 years and older who can vote, this is part of how they will inform themselves in the process. It is our responsibility to support the voices of people with disabilities and make sure they are heard. Previously this blog discussed the need for ongoing "New Voices". People with disabilities have to be supported in their leadership roles. This national forum is an opportunity for students and adults to participate in some manner and at the very least, hear what is being said directly from each candidate.

Autism and Bullying in Time Yields Harsh Comments

This was shared on Linkedin today by Gary James. As a parent of a child with Aspergers who has faced a life long battle with acceptance, the comments on this article stung. Autism and Bullying in Time Yields Harsh Comments  It is a stark reminder of how much more we need to do to create opportunities for people to get to know our children, adult children, friends, family members etc. who have difficulties. We talk a lot about people first language but this does not mean that others actually see the person first. Sometimes we jump to conclusions where we give ourselves permission to separate from the situation which makes us feel uncomfortable or requires us to work a bit harder or a lot harder. I would hope that in time we can all stop and think about how hard and uncomfortable it must be for someone to be judged by their disability each day and never being able to separate themselves from the situation so that they could feel more comfortable.

Duty to Learn & Act- Social Justice Part 1

Technology plays a significant role in the lives of our students now and certainly in their future. It is a resource which has opened doors which had remained shut for many years. So many were left in silence because we were not able to figure out how to enable all of their abilities so that they could share their ideas and insights as well as live in a world that should have always been made available to them. The point of the conversation is that as teachers, family members and professionals we have a duty to remain up-to-date on the low and high technology available. In the first free election in Afghanistan, symbols were used to assist in voting because the majority of the population was unable to read. This provided greater accessibility to the voting process and allowed many to exercise their newly formed rights. As we get closer to the elections in the United States, I wonder how many symbols will be present on the ballots. We hear about making sure voters are registered. The two predominant parties spend a lot of time working on this. Why are we not also making sure that the voting process itself is accessible? There are still many Americans who cannot functionally read. This is an issue which needs to continue to be addressed. That being said, everyone still has the right to be informed about the candidates and have an accessible ballot. I would suggest one that is more universally designed so that one does not have to be embarrassed to ask for a symbol supported ballot. This is easy to do. Some may already use pictures and symbols. We need to make sure all citizens who wish to vote can physically access the voting sites and understand or are supported in making the selection using an accessible ballot for the individual(s) they wish to elect.

Here is a great resource on technology, please share it with people you know. http://www.emergingedtech.com/

US Paralympic Medals

Hope everyone has had a chance to watch some of the games! The US as of today has 33 medals. Here is a link to the updates: http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/country/united-states/medals/index.html . There have been several records set. Please make sure you are supporting the athletes.

Rick Hoyt's New Autobiography: A Must Read!

Rick Hoyt (http://www.teamhoyt.com/ ) has written his autobiography. You can purchase it through this link: http://www.civinmediarelations.com/Store-Front.html . Rick has been a wonderful mentor to many people. Please take a look at this interview and remember that your students and staff should be reading these books.

Update to Free Symbol Project

Please see the Free Symbol Project Page. We now have an email account people can send suggestions, ideas or volunteer through. freesymbolproject@ssec.org