After the major success of "The Direction: Lowell HS Advocates" and a high demand for expansion, I have decided to take the organization to a new level!
The mission is to create a space for people with intellectual and neurological differences to advocate for VISIBILITY, ACCEPTANCE and, beyond all else, RESPECT! The expansion will begin with a summer program beginning in July. I have already secured some strong partnerships within the San Francisco area and will be setting up some awesome opportunities for participants to be seen and heard in important ways. For now, I will accept individuals with intellectual and neurological differences, or "disabilities", from ages 13 - 32. More information will be available in the coming weeks regarding specific dates and activities. If you'd like to be involved, please contact me via e-mail at [email protected]
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READ OUr NEWSPAPER ARTICLE!Read about how these EXTREMELY ABLED teen advocates stole the show at a rained out event by clicking this link: http://sfbayview.com/2016/05/against-all-odds-teens-advocate-in-the-rain-for-disability-rights-to-redefine-beauty/
Also, check out the flyer if you'd like to see us LIVE! For MS Teachers using SEIS (Special Ed Info SYstem)In the spirit of ALL THINGS SUMMER, I decided I'd put together a quick checklist for Middle School Teachers who are having to schedule Transition IEP meetings for the first time ever! So, listen: I know it's scary! I know it's annoying! I know that you don't know if you can make it to the end of the year with this ADDED weight on your shoulders! But I'm here to tell you that YOU CAN! I believe in the power of organization, and a good checklist can be MAGICAL! Let me know what you think! There are so many different ways to do things, and this may or may not be consistent with what your district wants from you ...but at least it's a start! If you have any questions, send me an e-mail or reach out to one of your colleagues! If you think I need to make some changes to the document, let me know! If you think I'm gross and senseless, stop visiting my website <3 P.S. You will not be able to access the document through your mobile device. If you want to view or download the checklist, visit the site using your laptop or desktop! Thanks for visiting! Guys! EVERYONE keeps asking me how I do what I do! "How do you know everyone at your school?", "How do you get such amazing opportunities for your students?", "How do build such meaningful relationships?", "Why do you get all of the special treatment?" Well...you asked for it, so I'm bringing it. In fact, it's already been broughten! I'm posting a PDF version of my top-ten list for anyone who'd like to print and/or share, but I'm also going to type in the tips below as I know that mobile users aren't always able to access the documents through the website. Guys!
EVERYONE keeps asking me how I do what I do! "How do you know everyone at your school?", "How do you get such amazing opportunities for your students?", "How do build such meaningful relationships?", "Why do you get all of the special treatment?" Well...you asked for it, so I'm bringing it. In fact, it's already been broughten! I'm posting a fun PDF version of my top-ten list for anyone who'd like to print and/or share, but I'm also going to type in the tips here as I know that mobile users aren't able to access the documents through the website. HERE THEY ARE: Drop the acronyms, unless they are fun (i.e. THOT, LMAO, AF, etc.)! Honestly, your “academic” language will get you nowhere with school staff! You’ll just seem suuuuper annoying! Like, ew! Your likeability, on the other hand, will get you EVERYWHERE! Connect Regularly, It’s as simple as a “Good Morning” when you walk in! I learned this from my grandma (who was even more perfect than I am)! Say hi to EVERY. SINGLE. FREAKING. PERSON! Even the ones who ignore you at first will eventually give in and at least crack a half-smile when you walk by! DO NOT DISCRIMINATE, no person is more “IMPORTANT” than the next! You have no idea how many miracles I’ve made happen JUST by being homies with custodians, guards, secretaries, attendance staff, etc. If you can’t get off of your teacher throne that’s made of aluminum foil because we all know you ain’t rich, then you will absolutely throw away an insane amount of opportunities for collaboration and friendship! Volunteer to HELP OTHERS, (even when it has nothing to do with you!) Do things for people! Simple things! Expect NOTHING in return! This is such a lost skill and I guarantee you that the time you spend doing this will improve your life drastically. Bear Gifts! (but don’t go broke!) The smallest of gifts can make the hugest of difference! Write quick cards for staff who help you, even in the smallest way! Buy coffee for others. Make cookies for your peeps! IDK! Be creative! Gosh do I have to do everything?! Bahaha! Kidding!!! Visit your colleagues, JUST BECAUSE!!! This is probably my favorite tip! It would be to your benefit if colleagues could look at you and not automatically think, “What does this SPED person want now?!” They’ll think this initially, of course, but you need to prove to them that you DON’T always need something! Pop your head into offices and classrooms when you see that someone isn’t so busy and just say, “Hey! How’s your day?”, and then BE ON YOUR WAY! You’ll bring a smile to their faces and you’ll earn brownie points all across campus. Praise the Fleeky Fleeks (People who are On Fleek, or doing well)! If you see someone who is ACTUALLY doing a great job of supporting students with different abilities, PRAISE THEM! This includes teachers, of course, but PLEASE remember: If you think for ONE second that teachers are above custodians, secretaries or paraprofessionals, I ought to yank your eyes out! DON’T be annoying! Praise ALL staff AND STUDENTS! Do it one on one, publically, via e-mail, facebook, snail-mail...whatever! Just do it! They deserve it and it will make them feel proud of their work. Speak the FUTURE into existence! Acknowledge teachers in front of others for doing what you would like them to do (even if they don’t do it...YET…)! Example: “Ms. Smith, I HAVE to tell you how cool it is when Ms. Johnson makes accommodations IN THE MOMENT during class! She totally provided audio support to one of our students during the quiz! It was EPIC!” Even if all she did was read a quiz question out loud out of frustration, she will feel proud of the public praise and she’ll likely take more pride in supporting students with disabilities. Present in General Education Classrooms, particularly those where you or your staff support students! This presentation should be short, sweet and fun! Don’t go talking about how each student with a disability is guaranteed FAPE and the accommodations outlined in their IEP. Any normal person (including myself) would roll their stinkin’ eyes at you! Instead, talk about the importance of accepting all people. Introduce your staff. Talk about differences and support methods. Tell students that they can talk to you anytime with questions/comments/concerns. Meet with Gen Ed Teachers CASUALLY! Drop by. Say, “Hey how are you?” Let the teacher ANSWER! Don’t ask the question just to sound nice and then ramble on about your own agenda. After hearing about the teachers deepest inner feelings, you might say, “I just wanted to check in about Sam. How’s he doing lately?” The less annoying and in-your-face you can be, the better! At the same time, though, you HAVE TO communicate! If you just send students to General Education and never check in, that’s when you get a bad rap! Hope you enjoy the TIPS! And remember...don’t be annoying
Cooking Assessment for High School Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities (SO EASY TO USE!)3/7/2016 This is an easy-to-use cooking assessment that I designed with the help of my mentor and coach, Ms. Katherine Doering! She is literally my inspiration in life and my twin soul, so it was fun working on this as we were having a conversation about cooking skills!
Basically, you can assess up to 6 students with one packet. You write their names in the boxes that are labeled "Student 1, Student 2, Student 3", etc. and then you check boxes using the code. Easy as that! Once you have determined who can do what in the kitchen, you will be able to make informed decisions when designing your cooking and life-skills curriculum.You might even write some IEP goals based on your assessment data. You will also be able to see your students' abilities side-by-side, which might help you to create groups for learning. Anyway, take it if you want it. If not, that's fine. More positive energy for me! :) I have made it a point this year to reach out to Gen Ed teachers, set up a time DURING THE FIRST WEEK of class to visit the classroom if you're not already scheduled to be there, and give a simple, 3 minute spiel that goes a little something like this:
My name is Mr. Stephen and I teach Math and English here at Lowel (obviously, you'd say your school name instead)l. I'm also an inclusion teacher, which means that part of my job is to make sure that we have an inclusive community and that we are able to work together regardless of things like age, race, gender and ABILITY! You have some great teachers this semester! Obviously you know (insert classroom teacher name) by now, but allow me to introduce you to some of the other adults who will be working with you this semester (only applicable if someone other than you will be supporting in the room). My/our job is to support ALL STUDENTS, but what you MIGHT see, is you MIGHT see me/us working with certain students more than others. Let me tell you what this DOES NOT mean. This DOES NOT mean that these students are any less capable than you are. It does not mean that these students are any less "high school" than you are (you can substitute this for whatevuh), and most importantly it does not mean that these students don't want to make friends just like anyone else! If you see one of your classmates struggling, you don't need to wait for a teacher. You can help out by repeating instructions, guiding students who are confused, asking a teacher for help if you aren't sure what to do, and by building friendships with all students, even those who may seem different. This isn't anything crazy or scary. We are all in this together and we will make it work. Know that you are welcome to ask questions, request help or just say hi to any of the teachers in your room at any time! I am confident that we will continue to become more and more inclusive and accepting here at Lowell. Thanks for your time and attention! Have a great semester! This is great because 1.) you and your staff will have a defined presence and you will not seem like dirty creeps lurking in the shadows of the classroom 2.) GenEd students will hopefully understand your roles a bit better, 3.) You are not singling out any student with a special need 4.) it's a super short lesson on ability awareness 5.) it encourages friendships between all people There are more reasons but I have stuff to do. Gotta go. Teach Pop Culture, Social Skills and Ability Awareness with ONE LESSON PLAN! --You're welcome :)10/20/2015 I pride myself in being too legit to quit, so if you're overly basic and can't handle the realness of this lesson ... HASHTAG BYE!
Lizzie is so lovable and a new face to the celebrity crowd. She was born with a rare syndrome, was dubbed "The World's Ugliest Woman" by bullies on YouTube, then became a motivational speaker who won her fame after performing a TED TALK. She released her first ever documentary called "A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story" and has become a sensation amongst the pop culture squad. She's even become friends with my little sister, Kylie Jenner! If you're interested in using this lesson plan, GO AHEAD! I'm teaching a High School SDC in San Francisco and believe that it's important to expose these kids to what the rest of the teens in America are being exposed to. GOOOO LIZZIE!!!!! If you're looking for an easy data packet for community learning, this may or may not work for you....BUT IT'S FREE, so you might as well take a quick look!
I've included generic goals in the following areas:
Questions? Comments? Advice? HMU (hit me up)! The ONLY acronyms you should ever use in real life are the cool ones! Say what you want about the Kardashians, but I think every Special Educator should watch a season or two! I LEARNED TO WORK IT SO HARD JUST LIIKE MY FAVORITE #MOMAGER, KRIS JENNER, AND THIS MONTH ONE OF MY STUDENT'S WORK WILL BE FEATURED IN A SAN FRANCISCO NEWSPAPER, THE INGLESIDE EXCELSIOR LIGHT!
You can totally do this with your children, friends and students too! It's actually important that we DO do this! We need to show the world that people can make their dreams come true whether they have a disability or not! I didn't go into great detail about her disability, but I did write the short description at the end of the article and it was important to me to mention that she had an IEP. Most people might not even know what that means. I didn't use the word disability or say that she was in Special Education. I simply made a discreet reference to the idea and let her work speak to her progress. ***Just in case you're not down to learn from the best (The Kardashians), I'll describe exactly how I did this so that you might be motivated to do something similar. *** Alexis is a student of mine who struggles majorly with all school subjects and often shuts down for hours at a time. She is obsessed with animals and dreams of becoming an Animal Activist. I have been using this to motivate her in reading and writing. I tell her that she needs to be able to read to learn more about ways that she can help and she needs to write because writing will spread her message further than speaking it ever could. FIRST: I e-mailed every newspaper that I could get my hands on asking for a spot. I finally heard back from Neil Ballard who said that he was excited to work with us and that he would be happy to feature my young activist as long as we let him illustrate the article. NEXT: I created a timeline with a series of deadlines. Normally we can play with these a bit, but this time it was imperative that we meet our deadlines as the journalist needed time to illustrate and submit the article for publication. THEN: We worked so hard. She read some articles and books about animals with a little bit of help. She also came up with the theme of her article and filled in graphic organizers I created that would later help her to piece it all together. LAST: During the final week, Alexis began to regress and it was frustrating because we had both worked so hard to get the spot in the paper. She was feeling the pressure and began to shut down anytime she was asked to focus on any kind of work. I didn't think we would make the deadline, to be honest. Actually, we didn't, but the journalist was nice enough to give us 2 extra days! I reminded her of her purpose in life: to help animals in need. I told her that this was her chance and that she was the only one who could decide whether or not she'd take it. WE MET THE DEADLINE! She hasn't seen it yet, but Neil will send copies to the school AND I also stole a giant stack from the laundromat! :) She's literally going to die! |
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