Tagged with ' SPED today'

When thinking back to holiday celebrations in the 1960s and 70s, I remember a time when there were specific timeframes and expectations. Labor Day meant that school was about to start. We did not think about decorating or getting costumes for Halloween until the beginning of October. On November 1^st, we transitioned into Thanksgiving preparation. On Thanksgiving, the Macy’s Parade ended with Santa starting the movement into Christmas. We celebrated holidays after the first of the year one at a time. Usually, we would have stories about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and decorating boxes to receive Valentine’s Day cards the week before those holidays.

I was taken back to those thoughts this year when I began seeing Christmas displays being put up as early as Halloween and heard radio stations which began holiday music at midnight on November 1. I have nothing against the holiday season starting early but am concerned that the overload of emphasis on these days is creating a great deal of sensory overload and a sense of overwhelm in many individuals, both neurotypical and neurodiverse.

It is beautiful at this time of year to take drives and see the holiday lights up around various parts of our cities. While we are doing that, are we taking the proper precautions to make sure some of our friends are not overstimulated? Ideas like keeping them comfortable inside of the car, van, or bus is important. Extreme temperatures within the vehicle can exacerbate potential escalations. Be sure to have time in between the various light displays so that proper time for processing of emotions can take place. If we are outside, are we pacing our walk so that speed is not adding to any potential escalations as well? This is like taking individuals out for Trick-or-Treating. We want to make sure that the pacing is such that there is no overstimulation occurring out on the streets, even before having any of the treats at the end of the evening. How are we protecting our individuals from too much noise? Do we have noise reducing headphones or ear buds to go along with a hat if it is cold out? Halloween is another time where having this type of sound protection is important.

As we move inside, how are the environments decorated? Lots of lights can be overwhelming as well as blinking lights. If we are doing the decorating, are we spacing out the décor so that it does not become overwhelming? There is nothing wrong with having lights on a tree inside, but how are they offset with other decorations? The picture you see is my tree this year and it has a lot of lights. I chose to keep the rest of the room simply decorated as I wanted the tree as a focal point without being lost in a sea of lights and colors. Be purposeful in how you are decorating. Think of what brings joy to you as well as what might create your own level of sensory overload. Work to find that space which highlights the holiday and is not the bare minimum. At the same time, you do not want lights and sounds so overwhelming, one might seek refuge in a casino to stay calm!

You want to think the same way in classrooms, offices, and any area in which there may be a lot of people coming together. Decorate for any holiday with a focus on celebration without overdoing it. Lights and sounds can be distracting as well as overwhelming. When you have lighting, keep it appropriate for the environment. Be sure to keep the sound level down so that it is not distracting for the area as a whole. Halloween is a time when some of the decorations include movement sensor reactions. Be sure that any sounds are at a reasonable level and that individuals know that something will happen when they interact with or pass by the sensor.

Inclusivity with celebrations requires us to make accommodations for those who might not always be able to join in the festivities in a typical format. What are you doing to assist those who have visual impairments. Are you including information in braille? Are you making sure that the scenes in the room can be explained through alternate text in some way? Are you creating some type of path that an individual who uses a cane can navigate to make sure they do not crash into anything like trees or displays that may be in areas where there is usually empty space? What about for those who may be deaf? Are there signs describing the decorations and notifications about celebrations? Is there closed captioning for any videos that are being watched by the group? Always keep your audience in mind!

I was working with a group who wanted to make sure that they had their workplace environment as inclusive as possible. As I was working with them, there was one employee who commented that “it was so much easier when we didn’t have to worry about all this nonsense.” Aside from the gasps from his co-workers, I was taken aback by his lack of understanding. Creating inclusive celebrations allows us to involve as many individuals as possible. Without looking at who will be attending, we can create a restrictive environment for some. It would be like going to some party or dance club where only those invited can enter, but one doesn’t know if they are able to enter until they get there.

Inclusivity also expands beyond the sensory side of things. We want to be aware of the beliefs of those attending the festivities or working in the office. During the holiday season, we have different days that are celebrated by different groups. Are we including some reference to those days as well so it does not seem like a “private” celebration? Are we able to add celebrations with food and activities that fully embrace each of these holidays? Have we set up the opportunity for groups to explain the beauty of their holidays and the traditions around them? Even something as commonplace in many locations as a “Secret Santa” should have some recognition of those who may not celebrate Christmas or those who have economic restrictions which limit even low-end spending. This is not to say we have to cancel these types of activities; we simply need to be aware and make adjustments for the sake of including as many people as possible.

The holiday season and all celebrations throughout the year are reasons for us to come together. By taking a little time and being conscious of our students, our co-workers, and all individuals who may be a part of our celebration, we can make decisions on how we can decorate and celebrate so as not to overwhelm or frustrate people. Instead, we are opening a door to a celebration which everyone can feel the same joy that we might feel.

May all of you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!

Closing the Gap 2022 – Reconnecting and Recharging

By: Dr. Raymond Heipp

For the first time since the onset of the pandemic, we were able to gather in person at the Closing the Gap Conference. This convergence in person created an energy that was uplifting as well as refreshing.  We grew empowered with the success stories while looking at what we must continue to do to support our individuals through inclusivity. That work, although sometimes feeling like we are facing an uphill battle, becomes so much more manageable when we know we are not alone and that experts surround us. Here are some takeaways from sessions and discussions that I wish to share with you.

I was able to enjoy dinner one evening with three amazing people-- Mo Buti, Candice Steel, and Jodi Szuter. The energy from that dinner alone could light the world for decades. One of the topics of which we spoke was the pre-conference session which Mo and Candice presented. As they looked at addressing deficit areas within students on the Autism Spectrum, they included sensory processing and social emotional learning. I am always reminded in discussions like this how EVERY student can benefit from strategies which focus on the sensory and social emotional parts of daily activities. Mo never ceases to amaze me with her energy and ability to help districts focus on expanding their educational approaches. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to hear Candice present, be sure to sign up for any sessions you see with her in future conferences. Her pragmatic ways of handling students has been a calling card of hers during her career. Now, she can share so much more and spread ideas that work. Finally, Jodi has such a depth of work and understanding in literacy especially for those struggling to read. She spoke about the sensory side of literacy and going back to engaging the students in tactile feedback with letters as well as numbers to create an inclusive foundation.

Kelly Fonner is one of the busiest people in the AT world! That was evident with her pre-conference workshop as well as five other presentations! Although our interaction was brief (we keep threatening to present together and someday we will!), I appreciate her efforts around the idea of mentoring in our AT world. AT needs are as varied as our students. How does one keep up with everything?  How can one make sure that evaluations are done properly and with the strengths of the student in mind? Kelly is that person in our community who keeps us focused on the high level and not get bogged down in the minutiae which is easy to do. Reach out to her about this idea of mentoring!

Finally, one cannot engage in any presentation with a PowerPoint and not be influenced by the work of Kelli Suding around making material accessible. I am more aware now of how much digital information is not fully accessible because of her message. At CTG, she spoke on how to build capacity through effective PD. This message is essential within education as for too long, PD was something we had to do.  A well designed and developed PD program can expand inclusivity through a grassroots pedagogy and not detract from any educational progress.

When we looked at some of the new or “renewed” products, we saw a return to access and literacy support. We also recognize the need for overall sensory support in ways that we had not previously considered.

The C-Pen Reader Pen 2 made its debut in the US. Icons now make it easier to interact with the menu.  This device continues to assist those with dyslexia and other reading issues through giving access to printed texts without having to connect to the internet. The built-in dictionary offers individuals the ability to quickly review word meanings while staying within the text itself. The fact that the words are also highlighted while the text is being read aloud also helps with word-recognition.

The Scanmarker Reader also came to Closing the Gap. Introduced into the US earlier this year, the Scanmarker Reader offers individuals the opportunity to scan and read texts through the Scanmarker app. This device also comes with a unique way of helping those with fine motor issues move along text in a straight line. An amazing strength of this full platform approach is the ability to scan in one language and have it translated into one of many other languages almost immediately. The Scanmarker Reader platform is a game-changer for our ESL students and their families.

Livescribe has also returned to action and was demonstrated. I prefer the Echo II for its ability to record (up to 200 hours) and utilize the special notebooks just like before. The playback is also improved. As individuals get older and begin to transition into the workplace, the Symphony along with the Livescribe app can provide support necessary for individuals to remember and review important information.

When looking to support those with visual impairments, AbleCon devices provide excellent individualized support at a fraction of the cost of other products.  The AbleBaby made its impression on me and many others as a portable vision support system that can hook directly to a laptop or computer and allow magnification, contrast change, and OCR capabilities for less than a document camera without OCR. Its additional products like the AbleGrabber, which sends an individual the signal of what is being broadcast on an interactive whiteboard, as well as the AbleCenter, which gives an individual control of what is being shown around a room helps to make our classrooms even more inclusive for the visually impaired.

Many of you already know that I am a huge fan of Time Timer Visual Timers. The new Time Timer watch along with the ability to have it used in a fob instead of on the wrist lets those with sensory issues around the arms still have access to a smaller and more private visual timer. The dry erase board that works with an insert of a Time Timer Mod can help to lay out specific times or agenda items that can use that timer as well.

Many of you may be familiar with the Active Floor. I remember visiting their headquarters in Denmark back in 2012 and seeing one of the early versions of it. It is a fantastic way to bring interactive learning into any room. The issue that schools with whom I spoke had related to the fact that early versions were only able to be mounted in the ceiling; thereby limiting access. They still have the ceiling mounted version (Active Floor Pro2 or the Active Floor Giga for larger spaces). As you might imagine, the quality of the interactivity and projected images is amazing. I watched it demonstrated under the full light of the conference Exhibit Hall and still was able to see the floor clearly.  For me, the key addition they have to the Active Floor Family is the Mobile Max. They have taken the idea of the Active Floor and made it portable! I can envision buildings using it for many inclusive activities and have the students all work together in movement-based learning.

Finally, the Visilift+ made its US debut. When the TAPit came to its end, many districts began looking at alternative products. Simply using an interactive monitor on a stand does not give the same access that devices like the Visilift+ give to many groups of students. Yes, it is multi-touch and it allows for that touch to be established with any manipulative. I think back to students that I helped interact with the TAPit by using wiffle balls or wands and am excited for the possibilities.

Closing the Gap 2022 was a return to the energy and excitement we have around supporting our individuals. It was a concrete reminder that we have products, the likes of which we have never had before. We also have the ability to create our own products or work with groups like Enabling Devices to personalize devices for our students. Most important though, is the message that when we join together, utilizing each other’s knowledge, we can create a world where inclusivity is transparent because it is naturally occurring.