Assistive Technology Specialists

On Friday I had a weekly meeting with Dawn and Heather. My goal for this week is to come up with a full proposal. I need to do some more research on prices to have a budget worked up for them on Friday of this week.

I feel silly because I cannot for the life of me figure out how to allow Dawn to edit my blogs. I hope she reads this and tells me what to do. :)

Today I contacted talked with Dr. Wills, and he has agreed to be my faculty member to work on this project with me. I am very glad, thankful, and excited to have him on my team. He also gave me some great ideas about what products to look up for a price range. Part of the lecture in class today was about AT, so I took notes that I will post on here at another date. The lesson was very interesting and pertained here though.

I called a source and got the number for an expert on Autism and is a school teacher to hear her opinion on AT and learn some of how she has used it in her classroom. I will get in touch with her very soon.

I am super excited because Dr. Wills gave me a special placement to work with Assistive Technology. I am not sure whether he gave me the placement because of the child or the teacher or both. I am very excited to find out. Tomorrow will be my first day in the classroom, and I am super excited about it!

This is another one of Cara Meade's articles that I am reading through to get a better understanding of what AT is, the challenges involved, and other insights.

Assistive Technology Specialists
Bringing Knowledge of Assistive Technology to School Districts
By Elizabeth A. Lahm

Students per computer is now down to 4.9.
Under 20 years ago, it was 125 per computer.
Schools only spend 5% of their growing technology budgets on training.
In the early 90's on the limited budget, 15% was being used on teacher training.
New teachers are not being taught enough about technology in the classrooms before entering the work force.
The teachers are not aware of the range of possible AT for their students to help them.
The Oregon Report listed five problems:
1. lack of skills among many educators to access the AT needs of their children and youth with disabilities
2.lack of skills among educators to employ AT for children and youth with disabilities.
3. lack of understanding regarding the best ways to address AT in IEPs.
4.lack of resources available to help educators learn to use technology as an instructional tools,
5. lack of information available to educators on the best ways to teach technology skills to students.
RESNA, AOTA, ISTE, and the University of Kentucky were used in a study to determine in what skills special education teachers should be proficient.
With respect to the CEC standards, this article connected each standard to AT standards.
AT should match what the child is learning.
Under Development and Characteristics of Learners-the technology can allow a child to do the same work even though he or she has not have as developed motor skills.
Individual Learning Differences-AT needs to take into consideration diversity and how this relates to using technology.
Instructional Strategies-teach teachers how to use AT, allow trial periods before buying and showing demonstrations.
Learning Environments and Social Interactions-creating positive situations for learning by knowing the technology, making the physical space comfortable, make children feel socially accepted,
Language-possible AT for any special needs, communication devices
Instructional Planning-meet national standards for learning, manage and plan lessons, training for student, teacher, and parent.
Assessment-provides more accurate measure of child's ability, used to measure growth,
Professional and Ethical Practice-use technology as instructional supplement,
Collaboration-team members, look into outside resources

(3 hrs 5 min)

2nd Article Notes

What Should We Expect of Assistive Technology? By: Phil Parette, Gale A. McMahan

Assistive Technology includes:
simple communication boards and wallets
sophisticated electronic communication devices.
mobility aids, such as long canes and powered wheelchairs
Expanded or adapted keyboards, touch windows, and speech recognition systems.
Magnification devices and computer screen reading adaptations.

Some families believe it takes too long to learn how to use.
Some have to attend workshops to learn to use the device properly.
Large time commitment required for some technology.

Transportation of device can also be a problem depending on space for the family.

Culture and linguistic background are very important considerations when implementing technology in the home setting.
Professionals have different views and goals then the family in a lot of cases.
If the family is not taken into full consideration, then the technology will most likely never be successful with the child.
The AT team needs to know what the parents want the child to be able to accomplish.
Are these parents working for their child to be completely independent or are they encouraging dependence?
There is also the religious aspect of special needs and how some families believe that the child's condition is a curse from God.
How much family support there is needs to be factored in as well.
Many large families assume that the child will be taken care of for their entire lifetime by someone within their family.
How the family wants the child to be accepted socially is also a large factor.
Many families feel like it draws too much unwanted attention and stares from people.
They do not like the label that the technology attracts.
This is especially prevalent with families already trying to overcome minority status in the community.
Expectations also need to be addressed.
What are going to be the immediate benefits?
What will be the struggles?
How will the child progress?
Families with Asian cultural backgrounds often expect to see immediate results.
Frustration may cause the families to want to give up on the technology.
Unmet expectations may do the same as well.

I also spent some time tonight looking up assistive technology and their prices. Some technology was even available for computer by free downloads. Then I found voice communication for 540 dollars. There is a wide range depending on the need, new factor, and cutting edge technology.

(1hr 25min)

A Home Centered Appraoch to AT

This is the information that I gathered and felt that was important for this project.
Take into consideration both physical and social aspects of the home environment.
Home is a primary place for learning to occur.
The physical consists of: neighborhood and house,
The social consists of:family system, friends, and neighbors
Self-determination for these kids is very important to consider in the homes.
The technology does not have to be high tech but can also be very simple. Usually a better solution, too.
Family culture, interactions, resources, and goals for the future must also be considered for this project to be effective and successful.
The article stated "African American and Hispanic American family members of children with severe disabilities often resisted the use of augmentative and alternative communication devices because they perceive such systems as unnatural and more stigmatizing than spontaneous communication efforts."
The aspect of culture in this project fascinates me.
"The first step in selecting assistive technology is an assessment of child needs and a survey of family needs and priorities. A family-centered interview or conversation can help identify unique family issues. Good communication skills are critical to understanding the culture, needs, values, and priorities of family members."

"Assistive technology is defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA) as "any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities""
The following examines how seven indicators of child development can be enhanced by the use of both low and high technology in the home.
Nurturence
Territory
Identity
Stimulation
Manipulation
Privacy
Socialization

These were some great questions to really find out what will best benefit the family as a whole while integrating technology.

What are your child's needs and preferences for technology?
What are your family's desires and needs for technology?
What has been clone in the past to meet your child's needs and how was this successful?
Do you perceive that the technology makes your child or family more visibly disabled?
How, if at all, might the technology improve your family's quality of life?
How will this device help your child to be part of your normal family life?
Can you describe any barriers your family might experience in using this technology?
How, if at all, is this device in harmony with your family values or culture?
Will the use of the technology give your child greater access to his or her environment?
What, if anything, is there about this device that concerns or frightens you?
What persons in your family do you want consulted about technology decisions?
Who in the family will be able to comfortably use the technology?
How easy will it be to take care of the device from day to day?
How easy will it be to repair the device?
Will you have to train friends or anyone in your extended family to use the technology?
How will use of the technology change or disrupt your family routine?
How will the technology add tasks to your family routine (e.g., battery charge, cleaning)?
How will it increase or decrease caregiving demands for any one family member?
Will use of the technology make it easier for your child to interact with friends and family?
How, if at all, will siblings have to change to be able to use this device?
How will your home need to be modified to accommodate this technology?
Who else in your family could help with these ideas?
How will this technology place transportation demands on your family?
Can the device be easily moved or transported?
How much will this financially cost your family?
How much time will be required for the child and others to use the device?
How much training will be required to learn to use the device?
Can your home accommodate the size or space needed for this device?
Where will you store the technology?
How will this technology change how your family communicates with each other?
Dreams and desires for the future:
What would you like to accomplish in the next several months with technology?
How would you see this happening in your everyday lives?
Describe what you would like to see happen as a result of using this technology.
Describe what you dream the future will hold for your child.
How will you know when this assistive technology has been successful?
How will you know if it is time to change the technology?
Describe how the school or program can help you to meet your desires.
How long do you foresee it will be before your child outgrows this technology?
Will this technology support your child in building friendships for the future?
Will this technology help your child in the next environment?

1. What is your desired outcome? (Address priorities and concerns)
What have you been told about (assistive technology, etc.)?
If you could focus your energy on one thing, what would that be?
Describe what you would like to see happen for your child after using this technology.
What do you want to accomplish in the next 3 months that will help your child?

2. What can your family and the program do? (Brainstorm alternatives)
How do you see this happening in your everyday life and home?
What are some ways of getting to where you want to be?
What would a trial use of this device be like for you and your child?

3. Think it over and decide on action. (Examine family values, resources, and impact)
Who in your family could help with this device or learn to use this technology?
How, if at all, will this device put demands on your family?
How will this device get from home to school and back home again?
How will your home need to be modified to accommodate this technology?
What will it cost for you to modify or change your home?
Describe for me the ideas with which you are most comfortable.

4. Take action. (Tasks to do with strategies and activities)
What needs to be done to make this happen?
What specific changes will you see for yourself and your child?
Who needs to be involved in getting clone what you want to do?

5. Are we there? (Criteria and timelines for evaluation)
How will you know when this assistive device is successful?
How long do you think it will take?
How will you be able to tell if you (we) are successful at reaching this outcome?
When will you know that the trial period is completed?
When will you know if it is time to change?

(1hr, 20 min)

Meeting 3

One area to be cautious about is that when presenting the idea to a headmaster, I will need to be very careful not to imply that the school is sitting on funds or is doing an inadequate job of providing assistive technology to the special needs students. The school would need to identify three to five students who have been tested and could benefit from assistive technology and have this built into their AYP. By working with students who have already been identified, the parents might be more willing to let me work with their child.
The way this project is heading, the major issues would be addressed for the problems with assistive technology by the funding being provided, the technology being supplied, and I would provide the information, knowledge, and experience with the Assistive technology in order to integrate it into the home life after school hours. I would have the time to work with the child with the AT, the parents, the teacher, and determine whether and how the AT was improving the lives of the child, teacher, and family. This would be a case study to see how much the one item of technology could change lives. From where I sit right now, I feel that everyone would benefit from this arrangement. The school gets the technology. The parents become competent with the technology, and I help them integrate it into the home. Their child also is provided the technology that the testing deems necessary. For me, I would learn about the technology, get the opportunity to work one on one with special needs children, form relationships with these families and teachers, and be challenged to find new ways to use technology in the homes. I would spend a lot of time going to interview/check in with the teachers, parents, and children to find out how the technology is working for them individually. I would love to also look into the cultural aspect of how technology is used in different cultural settings. This fascinates me, too.
Because I would be driving so much, I feel that my proposal would be asking for technology and gas money/food money for interviews. Those are the only things I can think that I would need at this point. On this project, my hours would be very reasonable. I could meet with the teacher, parents, and kids weekly, write up/evaluate those times, and have phone interviews when needed.
To summarize the meeting again, the main problems with AT are Time, Resources, and follow through. With this project, I believe I would be addressing these issues, making a difference, and putting in adequate time and energy according to my role with the Knights Foundation.
I was also reminded in the meeting that we had talked about bring on an adviser to help me with this project. This would be amazing because I would love to not feel like I was bothering someone to ask them to go to a meeting with me to meet with the principal. The project will look so much more official if I have a professor of special education along side of me in the Milledgeville community. At this point in time I would love any of the three I met with, but Dr. Wills makes the most sense to me because he is my cohort leader.
The reason the post before this is marked for an extra hour is that I went to go meet with Cara Meade to get her folders of information about AT, and it took an long time on Tuesday.
My next steps are:
Form an argument to propose
Make sure the Knight team is in agreement, likes the project direction
Bring on an Academic adviser
Pour over Cara Meade's amazing information about AT
Talk to Mrs. Sheila
Look up types of AT
Find out the Price ranges we are talking about

(40 min)

Meeting 2

The main point of that I got out of the meeting was that the technology is out there, but no in use in the Milledgeville area for many many reasons.
Another problem with assistive technology is the potential harms for being outdated. Once the technology is in use and new software comes out, the people have to be retrained in how to use the different systems and understand the changes that have been made to the old software. Although the changes are usually for the better, the people fear the changes, don't want to learn a new operating system, the student may not like it, or the old operating system breaks completely. This sometimes leaves students, teachers and parents wishing they had never started using the technology at all.
The most successful program in the area according to these sources is the GA project for assistive technology. (GPAT) They train teams from schools to go back to the schools and train the other teachers. This is at least the premise and idea, but not actually the reality in most school systems in GA.
There is a center in Macon. I believe it is located at Macon State, but I could easily be wrong. The point of the facility is for people in the community to come in and use the technology, but almost no one does. I asked about the programs set up at the early learning center for parents to come in and use the computers, but hardly anyone ever does. There is not time nor energy in the adults to spend their time working with this technology because they have to seek it out. It is not being made available to them simply within their own homes. If televisions were only available in one spot of town, people would not make the effort often to go watch television. We are lazy people a lot of the time.
I also learned about a program called Tools for life which is supposed to help adults with disabilities have access to the tools and technology they need to function more easily in society.
The project seems to be changing directions a lot. I am definitely coming to the conclusion tht educating the community and bettering it may come in the form of changing a few lives at a time. Because one of the major problems with assistive technology is the funding, I am wondering if this is where the grant money can come in to help with the project.
(1 hr, 20 min)

Meeting

On Monday August 24, I met with Dr. Wills, Cara Meade, and Dr. Childre to talk about assistive technology. The meeting lasted over an hour, and I got a ton of new ideas, directions, and information concerning integrating technology into home lives. They were incredibly interested and informative about the project. Here are my notes from the meeting.
There is money set aside within the schools to spend on Assistive Technology, but this is kept quiet within the schools.
The resources are fully underused in the school systems. Most families have trouble getting the technology to begin with because of financing.
Even if the child does get assistive technology to use in school, there is often a huge gap between the school use and home use of the technology.
Legally if the school decides that a student needs assistive technology, then the school is responsible for providing the technology in school and the home. A communication device cannot be ripped from a child's hand at 3 o'clock.
The schools in the area have gotten tech teams trained but not give them time, resources, or compensation to train the other teachers let only go into the homes to take the time to teach the parents.
If the technology breaks, the school is then required by law to replace it, so this makes the schools even more hesitant to send the items home. Everyone has accidents. Dogs eat. Things break. Buttons stick. Glitches happen. Someone drops. Some times parents are too embarrassed or forget to ask for new or more items. So the technology is of no use anymore. The schools have had very negative experiences with sending technology home with the students.
These parents are also very busy and do not have the time or energy to work with the devices. There is already so much going on for them that the last thing they can think about is integrating the technology into their home lives. Sometimes technology scares the parents, or they don't believe in it or want it to play a part in their child's life.
How a child functions within a home is often very different from how he or she functions in the school. The dynamics and personal roles and responsibilities are completely different. this means that the technology would also be used differently in the different situations.
By going into the home, the technology is almost met with cultural differences and challenges as well. Some people don't see the value of the technology within the home setting. Some people also become fearful that the technology emphasizes the students disabilities instead of treating he or she as just a member of the family.
We also got onto a discussion of the YES program here in Milledgeville. How this origonally worked extremely hard to get the parent involvement up and keep the children involved.
The team was very interested in what the purpose of Digital Bridges and the Knights Foundation is going to be in Milledgeville for the long run. A woman named Linda Watson Kauffman is evidentially the expert on getting family involved in programs. She would be a great resource to talk to when the time comes.
I was very curious going into the meeting to hear what these people thought about the program, Successmaker. In all of the school tours the other days, the teachers would always make a point to mention their technology labs and the successmaker programs. The meeting's opinion was that the kids absolutely hate Successmaker. They just get sent to sit in front a computer until their math skills are better. It is much more like a punishment for not being good at something. Maybe some kid likes the computer better, but some would do just as well getting put in a corner with an extra notebook. There is no real fun or engagement in a required time with no choice by the student.
An interesting twist to the meeting was that all of the technology that I thought we might be working to create has already been invented. This was slightly disappointing but makes sense. I was going to be completely shocked if my ideas had not been thought of before now. This also revealed to me that the technology is out there but not at all being implemented here in small town Milledgeville. Whereas in Atlanta, or somewhere like that, there is a lot more resources and technology being used in homes and schools. This project needs to focus more on bring this technology into the homes on a personal level.
(2 hr 15 min)

Last of the Stats and Available Resources

City-data.com

522 people in Milledgeville in mental hospitals or wards
165 people in schools, hospitals, or wards for mentally retardation
37 people in other noninstitutional group quarters
16 people in homes for mentally ill
12 people in homes for the mentally retarted
14.5 percent of GA has disabilities.

Blandy Hills Elem- 10% disability 2007 653 students
Creekside El. 706 total students 12%
Eagle Ridge El. 14% 1216
Midway El. 591 17%
Oak Hill Middle. 1351 19%

Baldwin County High School
Related Vocational Instruction (RVI) is a program designed to support students with disabilities enrolled in a Career & Technology program. The goal is to provide these students with job entry skills at the completion of their Career & Technology experience at Baldwin High School. The goal of the RVI specialist is to provide resource assistance to students with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

RVI students raise money. Biggest project is Relay for Life. Money is also given to the Atlanta Children’s Hospital and is used to pay for the vocational banquet in February. They attend Spring Leadership Conference at Jekyll Island in the Spring where students enter competitions. This year, we are participating in Sam’s Voice, a domestic violence awareness program, the Will Robinson Memorial Run, the Milledgeville Christmas Parade in addition to Relay for Life.

Baldwin County Assistive Technology Team Members:

PEC -T. Kitchens, C. Granade, D. Watts
Oak Hill - C. Goforth
Baldwin High - E. Freeman
OT Rep – L. Crumpler
SLP – A. Merritt Psych Services - B. Daniel
SST Coordinator - K. Hornsby
Technology and Countywide Contact person– V. Harmon

Resources:

5 Star AT Accommodations
GAETC Handout - Assistive Technology Devices for Writing
GAETC Handout - Assistive Technology Devices for Reading
Low Technology Spelling Aids
Standard or Adapted Calculators
Graphic Organizers for any Grade Level
Supporting Math Instruction with Assistive Technology
Speech Enhancing Devices
Object based communication displays
Picture communication displays
Dedicated augmentative communication devices
Integrated computer based augmentative communication solutions

Student Support Teams (SSTs) are school level committees who meet with parents to address the needs of students who are experiencing academic or behavior problems. The major responsibilities of an SST are the early and accurate identification of student needs and the planning of appropriate intervention strategies to address those needs, if possible, within the regular classroom. SSTs are opportunities for educators who are trained and experienced in using different educational methods to deal with students with various educational problems to aid and support each other in an effort to meet individual student needs.

Successmaker- I want to learn more about this program. Many many schools are using it.

specialed.about.com
* Speech Recognition
* Screen Reader
* Touch Screen
* Switch Activated EADL
a portable, inexpensive, and easy-to-use device for alerting (paging) caregivers.
* Keyboard with Large Print Keys (four times larger)

Picture Communication Symbols PCS

Iste: international society for technology in Education. We are using this in one of my classes and is a great resource.

I found these next sites and discriptions fascinating. They gave me great ideas to what is happening with technology in education for people with special needs.

Don Johnston empowers educators with supplemental instruction and intervention solutions to help students build core literacy skills with confidence. Since 1980, we have worked with special educators and partnered with literacy authors, psychologists, teachers, researchers, and organizations to develop supportive tools and instructional materials. Our assistive devices, reading and writing technologies and implementation models will help you provide differentiated instruction using a variety of multiple learning approaches. Thousands of struggling students have become independent readers, writers and thinkers using our specially written paperback, audio and computer books.
http://www.donjohnston.com

Freedom Machines profiles lives being transformed by new technologies in educational and work environments. For: Parent and Teacher Education, Diversity, Social Work, Public Policy, Technology & Engineering, Faculty & Staff Development. 54 minutes with chapters, bilingual (English-Spanish); teaching guide & full accessibility (talking menus, captions in both English and Spanish).
http://www.freedommachines.com/

Kingsbury School homepage with content developed in-house for our pupils (who have severe, complex or profound and multiple learning difficulties). The site has a simple visual interface employing PCS symbols, MSAgent and multimedia to aid accessibility by non-readers.
http://www.sldonline.org/Kingsbury/

(WCPRC)
The World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child is a unique project that contributes to young peoples education and grows as humanitarians to become Global Citizens. The WCPRC is an empowerment-process to strengthen young peoples voise. The project is based on The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, democracy and Global Friendship.
http://www.childrensworld.org/

I also had my first weekly meeting to discuss the project on Friday.

(2 hr)

Baldwin County Schools Info

baldwin_county_schools.com gave me this information.
Baldwin County’s PEC Program serves students according to individual exceptionalities and educational needs:

* Autism
* Emotional/Behavior Disorder
* Hearing impaired
* Intellectually Disabled ( includes mild, moderate, profound, severe)
* Orthopedically Impaired
* Other Health Impaired
* Preschool Special Education ( significantly developmentally delayed)
* Specific Learning Disabled
* Speech and Language Impaired - suggestions for parents
* Traumatic Brain Injured
* Visually Impaired
* Regular Education with supplemental Aids and Services
* Regular Education with Special Education Consultation
* Regular Education with Collaborative/Inclusion Instruction (General and special education teachers working together, team teaching, and planning)
* Regular Education with Special Education Resource
* Regular Education with self-contained Special Education
* Assistive Technology
* Community Based Instruction (Instruction and job training on the school campus and in the community)
* Extended School Year (Educational programs beyond the normal school year for disabled students) (Power Point presentation)
* Second Step (Violence prevention program for regular education and disabled students)
* Transition Training (PAES lab at BHS)
* Related Vocational Instruction

The PEC Program works with many local and state agencies, building partnerships that enhance their ability to meet the needs of diverse students.

* Central State
* Department of Family & Children Services
* Department of Human Resources
* Central State Hospital
* Early Intervention Disability Adjudication
* Vocational Rehabilitation
* Georgia College & State University (Provides special education majors in the Cohort Program and for Extended school year programs)
* Georgia Learning Resource System (GLRS) Provides resource materials and assistance for parents and teachers, staff development opportunities for teachers/paraprofessionals, sponsors.
* Juvenile Court Services
* Oconee Family Directions (Formerly Oconee Child & Adolescent)
* Oconee RESA
* Private Institutions
* Psycho Educational Program (GNETS)
* Youth Development Centers (YDC)

General Resources for Educators and Parents:

PBS presents MisUnderstood Minds (about the learning disabled)
National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
SPED Lesson Plans for all grade levels
Georgia Department of Education Special Education Website
Georgia Department of Special Education Policies and Procedures
Parent to Parent of Georgia Banner

Some Delving into Demographics

This morning Dr. Wills met me at my desk with a forwarded email discussing a possible meeting with Cara Meade, Dr. Childre, and Dr. Wills on Monday at 3:30 to brainstorm and discuss the project and what it can do for special needs in this community. I am excited about this amazing opportunity and cannot wait to learn from them.

I have spent my time on the internet going through statistics to find out more about the special education population in Milledgeville and how this compares to the state of GA. I am also researching what support groups are available and what the schools provide their students. Some of my research has also touched on trying to find out the newest and most cutting technology and how it is being implemented for people with Special Needs. Here is the beginnings of what I have found and what I am reading about at this time. The rest is in a Word Document which is 10 pages long, and I need to spend some major time sifting through to understand the content.

DISABILITY STATUS OF THE CIVILIAN NONINSTITUTIONALIZED POPULATION
Georgia US census bearu of 2000

Population 5 to 20 years: 1,914,727
With a disability: 157,923 (8.2%)

Population 21 to 64 years: 4,732,912
With a disability: 940,344 (19.9%)

Population 65 years and over: 754,654
With a disability: 358,545 (47.5%)

Georgia Department of Education:
Special education annual report for Pre-school
Percent in special ed classrooms:
2007 0
2008 3.1
2009 3.8

(3 hrs)

First People Connections

On Wednesday I talked with a lot of people to make connections, brainstorm, and learn from other points of view.

A University middle grades cohort student who is creative and forward thinking with technology helped me toss some ideas around and develop my own thoughts. Some ideas that came out of our conversation were:
PCS system that could turn into text messages, emails or word documents.
simplistic touch screen internet
interest based connections/ clubs
simple phone services
computer attached/in a wheelchair and/or phone
easy internet ordering

I had breakfast with Dr. Gower who is the Honors director at GCSU and discussed the project with him. He has connections with the head of the special education department at UGA, if we want to expand the project or get a perspective on Special Needs from outside of Milledgeville. He was very enthusiastic and excited about the project's potential.

A really important connection was made with Dr. Steve Wills who is my cohort leader. I let him know that I got the scholarship, and he is more than willing and excited to help. I explained everything to him, and he told me that the next step within the education department was to talk to Dr. Amy Childre and Cara Meade who are the most technologically inclined within the realm of special education. These people will most likely know what is going on and needed within Milledgeville's special needs community.

That morning I also went to go have my photo taken for the press release.

(2 hrs)

The Beginning

This is the beginning of the project. I successfully created a blog after meeting with Dawn Pendergast today for an hour to discuss the project. Some decisions have been made now about what will be happening with this whole process. I am going to focus the project on special needs since that is what my major is and where my heart is. For this week and next, I am going to be doing a lot of research on the project to get a good background and data base to move forward. Although I do know quite a bit about special needs, I need to learn more specifically about the needs of Baldwin county, Milledgeville, and the special needs community here.
Before moving forward with this project, I also looked back today to the experiences and problems I have witnessed within the special needs community. These are the examples I came up with:
Email Communication
Ordering online
too many choices on internet
unsafe for youths
voice box for pecs system
radio signal for hearing
no friends
parental networking
common interests
common disabilities
entertainment
music
learning games
way to connect regular ed with special ed
make these children feel successful and included
video games
electronic guitar
The next step is to research by having conversations, meetings, and using resources.
(2 hrs)