Assistive Technology Design Competition

For those who tinker in the basement, or have friends, family that do....
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Cash Prizes to be Awarded to Undergrads Designing AssistiveTechnology

First prize $5,000, Second prize $2400, and a Third prize $1200,will go to undergraduate students who successfully create aprototype of a new assistive technology/tool that enables peoplewith cognitive disabilities to accomplish activities of dailyliving more effectively and independently.

Letter of intent is dueThursday Feb. 1, 2007 and prototype is due Friday, June 1, 2007.

For submission instructions and more information follow the linkto the Student Research Competition at http://mail.rochestercdr.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.rerc-act.org.Funded by the National Institute of Disability and RehabilitationResearch.

Source: Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for theAdvancement of Cognitive Technologies (RERC-ACT)__________________________________________________________

For more news issues, see:http://mail.rochestercdr.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.aapd.com/docs/news.php

The Importance of Penmanship...

I ran across another interesting article. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1578074,00.html
It has been documented that doctors:
1. do make mistakes
2. their mistakes kill people

Lesson:
1. everyone is accountable
2. the Internet is leveling the playing field of accountability
3. penmanship DOES count...

Disability Rights 2006- the year in review

Here is a list of top disability rights news stories from 2006, I would like to share. (Thanks to the Inclusion Daily Express)

http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/top2006.htm

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is a national holiday, recognizing the contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. to peace, freedom and Civil Rights. A lot of people think the civil rights era is long gone--ancient history. But there are those who keep the flame of civil rights and non-violent activism alive and well in the disability and activism communities.

Click on some of the links, and learn a bit more about MLK and what you can do to promote peace and justice at home.

Disability Community is Taking Action on the Ashley Treatment!

ACTION ALERT! STOP THE ASHLEY TREATMENT!

BACKGROUND:

Ashley is a nine-year-old with a severe cognitive disability. In order to keep her small and more easily cared for by her family, doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital are having her undergo hormone “therapy” to stunt her growth. In addition, they surgically removed her breast buds, uterus and appendix. The “Ashley Treatment,” as her parents call it, is a medical “fix” to serious social problems we face in America today.

The first of these problems is a lack of quality home-based services for people with disabilities. The second is the social attitude that people with disabilities are less than human and therefore fair game for experimentation. The third is a lack of understanding of disability vs. illness: as Joe Hall of South Carolina has stated, “When I was born my parents knew that I would never walk, but they would have never thought it would be acceptable to cut my legs off.” Feminist Response in Disability Activism (FRIDA), with the support of Chicago ADAPT, the national ADAPT community and Not Dead Yet, urges you to speak out about the “Ashley Treatment.”Our Targets: Seattle Children’s Hospital staff involved in the case of nine-year-old Ashley’s growth attenuation and sterilization, as well as Melinda Gates, chair of the Seattle Children’s Hospital fundraising committee and Susan Macek, Director of Communications for Seattle Children’s Hospital. We need to let the Seattle Children’s Hospital and its fundraising chairperson know that the Ashley Treatment has not gone unnoticed by those of us who live with disabilities.

ACTION:

Email OR Call the people below.

Tell them to:

-Oppose their permission of what is now known as the “Ashley Treatment,” and
-Condemn further permission of such “treatments” for children with disabilities.

Dr. Douglas DiekemaPhone: 206-987-2380B-5520 – Emergency Medicine4800 Sand Point Way NESeattle, WA 98105Fax: (206) 987-3836E-mail: Douglas.diekema@seattlechildrens.org

Dr. Daniel F. GuntherPhone: (206) 987-2380M1-3 – Endocrinology4800 Sand Point Way NESeattle, WA 98105Fax: (206) 987-3836E-mail: Dan.gunther@seattlechildrens.org

Melinda GatesPO Box 23350Seattle, WA 98102Phone: (206) 709-3100Fax: (206) 709-3252Email: info@gatesfoundation.org

Susan MacekDirector of Communications, Seattle Children’s HospitalPhone: (206) 987-5201Pager: (206) 469-6310E-mail: susan.macek@seattlechildrens.org

OTHER INFORMATION

To review Ashley’s parents’ blog, please see:http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/

To review other articles on this topic, please see:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6229799.stmhttp://www.dredf.org/news/in_news.shtml

MS General Information

There are some links to a variety of topics about MS. Please feel free to share these with anyone who may need it.
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( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz> com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz) _Arm Yourself against MS_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz> com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz) Learn new therapies to help you_ manage your symptoms._ ( http://www.webmd/.

<http://www.webmd.com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz> com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz) _Vaccine to Reverse the Effects of MS _

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/26/115077.htm> com/content/pages/26/115077.htm) _Get WebMD-trusted information when you Google!_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/26/114984.htm> com/content/pages/26/114984.htm) _Early Results Promising for MS Drug_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/article/127/116686.htm> com/content/article/127/116686.htm) _Treating the Patient, Not Just the Pain_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/article/121/114108.htm> com/content/article/121/114108.htm) _Controlling a Relapse_ ( http://www.webmd/.

<http://www.webmd.com/hw/multiple_sclerosis/hw191022.asp> com/hw/multiple_sclerosis/hw191022.asp) _Join the MS message board_ ( http://boards/.

<http://boards.webmd.com/topic.asp?topic_id=59> webmd.com/topic.asp?topic_id=59) _Quiz: Living Well with MS_ ( http://www.webmd/.

<http://www.webmd.com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz> com/content/tools/1/multiple_sclerosis_quiz) _Don't Let Overactive Bladder Embarrass You_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/tools/1/quiz_quality_of_life.htm> com/content/tools/1/quiz_quality_of_life.htm) _Romance, dating with MS: No need to hide_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/120/113800.htm> com/content/Article/120/113800.htm) _Diagnosis MS: Early Treatment is Best_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/solutions/diagnosis-multiple-sclerosis> com/solutions/diagnosis-multiple-sclerosis) _Living With MS: MS in the Workplace_

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/117/112732.htm> com/content/Article/117/112732.htm) _Find a Physician_ ( http://www.webmd/.

<http://www.webmd.com/pages/dir/toc.asp?sponsor=core&z=1827_00000_2209_wk_03> com/pages/dir/toc.asp?sponsor=core&z=1827_00000_2209_wk_03) _ How Does Geography Affect MS?_ ( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/healthwise/60/15015.htm> com/content/healthwise/60/15015.htm) _Resources for Caring for Someone with MS._

( http://www.webmd/. <http://www.webmd.com/content/article/57/66149.htm> com/content/article/57/66149.htm) Questions about your medication?

Guide Dog for Deaf/Hard of Hearing in Need of a Home

Is there anyone who needs a hearing/service dog? This pup is in a shelter. Here's a copy of the e-mail I received and I agreed to passon info Please forward the announcement.

http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6365572

This dog is a Katrina survivor and is an owner surrender. that hasbeen checked out. This dog knows sign language and should go to someone who needs a hearing dog. He is far too big for Fay she only weights about a 100 lbs. I did talk to her about him she still wants her Hunter. I thought maybe you would know some one or a group thecould place this dog with someone who could really use him.Thanks for your help.

How to Legally Mutate Your Child--Pillow Angel

I donot have the words for this article. But read, click and decide how far it too far for elective surgeries and treatment for children with disabilities.... I posted some comments here

Frozen In Time: The Disabled Nine-Year-Old Girl Who Will Remain A Child All Her Life*

Parents fiercely criticised over 'offensive' surgery* Disability groups say case raises troubling issues. (The Guardian Ed Pilkington in New York Thursday January 4, 2007.)

Ashley's parents call her their Pillow Angel, a moniker that is a reference to the love and joy they feel for their nine-year-old daughter and the severe disabilities she has suffered from birth.She cannot sit up, walk or talk, is fed by tube, and, as her parents put it, "stays right where we place her - usually on a pillow."Ashley won't know this, as she is brain-damaged and has the awareness, her doctors say, of a baby, but she has become the subject of a passionate argument in disability circles and beyond.

Her name is becoming synonymous with the debate about the acceptable limits of medical intervention in the care of disabled people.The cause of the controversy is the "Ashley Treatment" - a course of surgery and hormone supplements devised for her at her parents' request and with the blessing of doctors - that will for ever keep her small. It involves surgical operations, including a hysterectomy, and hormone prescriptions that will, in effect, freeze-frame her body at its current size. Although she has a normal life expectancy, she will, physically, always be nine years old.

Her growth has been suspended at 4ft 5in(1.3 metres), rather than the 5ft 6in she would probably otherwise have become. Her weight will stick at around 75lb (34kg) rather than 125lb.This week Ashley's parents, who have chosen to remain anonymous and have only let it be known that they are "college-educated professionals" living in Washington state, have posted on the internet a lengthy explanation of their desire to stunt her growth.

It is the first time they have given a public account oftheir actions. The explanation is accompanied by a gallery of photographs showing Ashley over the years, from her as a smiling baby a few months old, through to today when she is seen nestled in a sheepskin rug. She was diagnosed, they explain, with brain damage with unknown causes just after birth and has remained at the same developmentallevel since about three months. Three years ago she began to show early signs of puberty, and they grew anxious about the impact of fertility and of her rapidly increasing size and weight on the quality of her life.

In discussions with doctors at Seattle Children's hospital they devised the treatment: removal ofAshley's uterus to prevent fertility, excision of early buds onher chest so that she would not develop breasts, and medicationwith high doses of oestrogen to limit her growth by prematurelyfusing the growth plates of her bones.The parents insist that the treatment, carried out in 2004, was conceived for Ashley's benefit and not their own ease orconvenience. With a lighter body and no breasts, Ashley will have fewer bed sores and lie more comfortably. And a smaller Ashley can be cared for and carried. "As a result we will continue to delight in holding her in our arms and Ashley will be moved and taken on trips more frequently instead of lying in her bed staring at TV or the ceiling all day long," they write.

But as news about the treatment became known, Ashley's parents were surprised by the virulence of some of the response. Comments on chatboards have included:

"Ouch - this smacks of eugenics";

"I find this offensive, truly a milestone in our convenience society";

"This smells, I can't agree with this".

Outrage has also been expressed by organisations representing disabled people across the US, with many asking why a course of treatment that would not be countenanced for an able-bodied person should be allowed in this case. "People have been horrified by the discrepancy," said Mary Johnson, editor of Ragged Edge, an online magazine for disability activists. She said she felt for Ashley's parents and could understand why they had made the decision. But she feared that the treatment would open a Pandora's box that could have adverse effects for other children.

"What will now be said in the case of a child with spina bifida, who you could argue has the same physical challenges but whose brain is fully functioning? This is very troubling."Debate has raged among doctors and medical ethicists. JeffreyBrosco of Miami University has co-written an editorial in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine criticising the procedure as an experiment without proper research controls. "This is a technological solution to a social problem. I work with severely disabled children and know how hard it is on families,but what we need most is better federal funding so that they canbe cared for properly."State help for caring for disabled people is available throughMedicaid, which is restricted to poor families. Ashley's parents would not qualify, and say it is impossible to find carers they can afford.

The ethical row is likely to deepen as the Seattle doctors, led by Daniel Gunther, say they are considering other children for similar treatment, though only after monitoring by the hospital's ethics committee. The doctors accept that Ashley's hysterectomy was contentious, given the dark history of sterilization ofdisabled people in Europe and America, and that there were risks involved in the operations and estrogen doses. But they argue the benefits outweigh the risks.

Ashley has, they admit, been "infantilised" but question the harm that would do a person whose mental capacity "will always be that of a young child".Ashley cannot say what she thinks. But in a telephone interviewwith the Guardian last night, her father said that many people had assumed he and his wife had to agonise over their decision."We didn't. It was easy," he said. "We clearly saw the benefits toAshley's quality of life. We have also been criticised for harming Ashley's dignity. But for us, what would be grotesque would be to allow a fully formed woman to grow up, lying helplessly and with the mentality of a three-month-old."

Hormones
There is a long history of hormones being used to control growth in children. In some cases they are used to counteract a hormonal imbalance or genetic disorder. But there have also been sustained attempts to control body size for cosmetic reasons.In 1956 MA Goldzieher became the first to report using high doses of estrogen to treat exceptionally tall girls. Over ensuing years thousands of tall girls were prescribed estrogen to prevent them tipping over the 6ft mark, protecting their marriage prospects. As the stigma against tallness in women has declined, so has the practice, though it still continues. Boys considered to be shorter than the norm have recently begun tobe treated with a growth hormone, often for cosmetic reasons. US federal restrictions have been loosened, allowing private paediatricians to offer the treatment that can cost up to $40,000a year.
----------------------------
There are several message boards and blogs on this story; some are so full they have been closed, but messages can still be read:

Wheelchair Dancer
Penny Richards at Disability Studies, Temple U.
Mary Johnson of Ragged Edge
Cory SilverbergArthur Caplan, Ph.D., director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania
Thirza Cuthand at Fit of PiqueI'm Funny Too at Did I Miss Something?

Least Restrictive Environment LRE

Everyone loves freebies, so here is one
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Guide to Resources for Promoting Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Practices


http://www.tacommunities.org/ev_en.php?ID=7564_201&ID2=DO_PRINTPAGE

Please also share with others you know who might find this useful --- Thank you.

Best regards ~ RWS
PLEASE FORWARD/CIRCULATE WIDELY WITHOUT FURTHER PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR:Folks - Below is link to a really gorgeous new resource - produced for OSEP - and it relates to a ton of things, not just "LRE" per se. There is a section in here on PBIS which includes a piece on how to evaluate a school-wide PBIS project/program; much on curriculum-based measurement (i.e., frequent objective tests/quizzes/"probes" to see if a student is learning what s/he is supposed to be learning ...These materials can be used in two distinctly different ways: 1) Since they're "official," i.e., OSEP-sponsored, they can be used to help convince school/district/SEA folks to do what's in them, the way they suggest, and 2) They can be used in hearings and litigations to show that a school/district (or even individual teacher) is NOT using a best practice, or recommended method/procedure ... There's even a link to a web page which tells parents how to go about getting curriculum-based measurement (objective!) implemented for their children ..Since these materials are written for school folk, they're pretty much done in very plain language, with complicated concepts explained in very simple, easily-comprehensible ways.Dee Alpert, PublisherSpecialEducationMuckraker.comhttp://www.specialeducationmuckraker.com
http://www.tacommunities.org/ev_en.php?ID=7564_201&ID2=DO_PRINTPAGE

Readers are encouraged to review materials developed by and/or shared through:
OSEP's Regional Resource, Regional Parent TA Center, and Federal TA&D Network, (http://www.rrfcnetwork.org)
The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education's Comprehensive Center Network (http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/oieresearch/edresources_5.html)
The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education's Equity Assistance Center Network (http://www.edgateway.net/pub/docs/262)

Eliot Spitzer and Day One- the Short Version

New York State governor, Eliot Spitzer, gave his first State-of-the-State address - similar to the presidential State of the Union. As far as disability issues go, it was pretty light. He spoke about the needs of seniors to get out of nursing homes and into community care.

He never mentioned PWD (persons with disabilities).

The pols were so busy trying to impress and stay on his good side, there was no critical discussion, questions or debate. The Governor even heckled the audience, when he thought they were not applauding and cheering enough.

Sigh...

So much for One New York.

Christmas Tales from the Disability World

I have no new thoughts on Christmas. But while the huband and kids are out doing last minute holiday errands (taking chairs and disposable party tableware to relatives) I wanted to share some excellent disability Christmas carols and Christmas tales from some of BBC message board's most illustrious disability bloggers.

The Real Meaning of Christmas..

There is a compliation CD that has a song entitled, "The Real Meaning of Christmas". I heard it this morning and it was a nice reminder as we finish up the last minute shopping, holiday eating, festivities and post Christmas Boxing Day, that we should take a few minutes to rest, reflect and be greatful for all we have. We forget and overlook our many blessings--so, give someone a call, send one of those sloppy sentimental email cards and practice random acts of kindness.

Peace

Don't Mess with Me-- I have a 504 Plan!

I have created a Teenage Advocacy Monster!

He prowls the hall of a public school, that shall not be named:

1. seeking lairs to use for private test taking
2. bouncing other kids from the library study carrels
3. running teachers from unofficial break areas

He marks his territory:

1. setting up time to use the computer lab for his test modification that can be administered
2. setting up time after school or during study halls to have his extended time test modification

He stalks him prey:

1. commanding the Building Specialist (code language for Special Education Teacher) to get get him out of class based tests
2. ratting out teacher non compliance to the Building Coordinator of Special Education
3. demanding his test modifications from teachers
4. reminding teachers about his test modifications
5. demanding again his test modifications

He takes his prize:

1. He gets his test modifications
2. He doesn't feel the need to explain his test modifications to peers
3. He brags about his test modifications when he gets good grades and others fail
4. He brings home his test and quiz grades-- WITHOUT BEING ASKED

I have created a monster.

I am so proud!!

How do you spell Elliot (Spitzer)?

Today was the last day of the legislative calendar in New York State. Legislators returned to the Capitol Building Complex (euphemistically called 'The Egg') to pass a flurry of end-of-the-session, go-out-with-a-bang, give-ourselves-a-quick-raise, and not-pass-too-much-that-while-l make-those-who-didn't re-elect a lot of us happy.

So, we are left, like a prom date, after the big fanfare, hoopla, and romance are done, wondering "What comes next?"

We have a New Governor (Eliot is spelled with one L) and Lieutenant Governor Patterson-- the first blind or visually impaired official at this level. There are more websites (election, write in your opinion, transition team, inauguration, online ads, and Hevesi spin doctoring) and levels of social marketing in this administration than you can shake a stick at. The inauguration is shaping up to be uber PC-- with representation from organizations, vendors, business across the state, to make Jesse Jackson's concept of the rainbow coalition look monochromatic.

Meanwhile, we are still wondering if this 'relationship' with Eliot is going to work out or not.....

Stay tuned.

Disability Carnival #3

Check out the Disaiblity Carnival #3. There are several great poems, and essays on the theme of Spirituality.

How to Engage a politician-- Part IX

On Friday September 22, 2006 a band of forty ADAPT members met at Rundell Library, in downtown Rochester. Under the ADAPT ‘invisibility cloak’, we were ‘hidden in plain sight’-- just a group of people with disabilities on a field trip, chatting amicably while watching the Dick Cheney motorcade of regional law enforcement, come to town. Vice President Cheney was coming to Rochester to support Congressman Randy Kuhl at a fundraiser. There were sharpshooters on the roofs of the Convention Center, police on all floors of the parking garage, and four square blocks were cut off to pedestrian and car traffic. A protest action looked impossible. Nevertheless, ADAPTers tightly lined up, and marched across the police line at South Avenue and Broad Street, in to the Vice Presidential Security Zone. RPD met protesters, physically moving wheelchair users and grabbing people by the arm, to pull them back behind the line. Bruce Darling was restrained, face down, on a police car, but that did not stop the ADAPT crew. Norita Darling, Bruce’s mom, saw the incident, but kept on walking. Aware that there were larger issues at stake, she focused upon what needed to get done by ADAPT. Unable to get through the police barricade, the ADAPTers did an about face, and marched off, down the Broad Street Bridge.
We headed for Main Street, wheelchairs leading the way. The group attempted to cross over Main Street, to enter the Convention Center, but was met in the middle of the street by police, effectively stopping traffic. RPD redirected protesters, routing wheelchairs back to the yellow line, in the middle of the street. The ADAPT contingent filled in, urging the group forward, but the police brought in barricade fences. Eventually, the group agreed to go onto the sidewalk, next to other quiet protesters, where we stayed. Several officers were assigned to ‘watch’ us, to make sure we did not attempt to cross the street and enter the Convention Center. (One person literally "took it on the nose" for ADAPT, getting ‘bumped’ in the face with her camera, from a hostile employee of the Rochester Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. In the true spirit of non-violent protest, she did not respond in kind, but she has his picture!)

Q: What does ADAPT do when we are going to be somewhere for awhile?
A: Chant!

Anita ‘O’Brien and Susan Norwood led the group in a variety of chants including:
What do we want? MiCASSA!
When do we want it? Now!
Our homes, not nursing homes!
Free our brothers, free our sisters, free our people now!
Settled into a tight group on the sidewalk, we continued chanting. RPD brought in the mounted patrol, forming a Line of Five in front of the Convention Center. Several Cheney reception attendees and Convention Center staff peered out the windows at the demonstrators. Rochester ADAPT was situated in the front of the crowd. Users of power chairs/scooters were on the frontline, facing the Convention Center. Meanwhile, in the rear of the crowd, members of Rochester ADAPT passed out flyers about the need for Randy Kuhl to sign onto MiCASSA. After about an hour, the anti-war groups in Washington Square Park marched down Main Street, and joined us, in front of the Convention Center. This group was composed of Metro Justice members, college students, gay activists, and anti war activists. Cars driving by honked their horn, in support of our demonstration.
As the protests continued in the non-violent manner, the police became friendlier, asking questions about MiCASSA, tapping their toes in time with our chants, and nodding their heads in support of our cause! At the end of the fundraiser/picture event with Dick Cheney, a special bus was brought in for the Republican fundraiser guests, so they could scurry to safety, fearful that people across the street, behind barricades might ‘get’ them!! While leaving the event, Kuhl staffers and others leaving received a rousing round of “Boo’s!!” from the anti-war protesters.
While the protest was in its last hour, others hit the parking garage with MiCASSA leaflets. The Convention Center was empty, as Vice President Cheney and fundraiser guests were gone. However, a group conversation was in progress in one of the meeting rooms. Being curious, both Mike and Bruce walked in to see Randy Kuhl doing a press conference. Ever ready with a question, Bruce Darling cut off a reporter to ask why Kuhl did not support MiCASSA and would not meet with ADAPT. (Mike Volkmer added that it was much more cost effective than nursing home placements.) Congressman Kuhl replied that this was a staffer oversight and he would be interested in getting more information and MiCASSA sounds like something he would like to support! Bruce got his business card and agreed to follow up.

In reflection, this action was another ADAPT victory! The karma of success in unexpected places continues for Rochester ADAPT!

Question: How do you spell power?
Answer: A-D-A-P-T!

Candidate Forums and Elected Officials

The Center for Disability Rights is hosting an Election 2006 Forum, not a debate. Each person get four to five minutes, to come and explain their platforms, and how it impacts people with disabilities.
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The Center for Disability Rights and The Regional Center for Independent Living will be hosting a Candidate Forum on Disability Issues for Election 2006. This forum will focus upon key issues that impact people with disabilities.

Do Housing, transportation, and healthcare and education matter to you?
Do you want to know more about the Candidates views on disability issues?

Then come join us!

Monday, October 23, 2006
5:30PM-8PM
Kate Gleason Auditorium
Bausch and Lomb Public Library Building
115 South Avenue
Rochester, New York.

The forum will present Candidates for the offices of:
NY Governor, NY Attorney General, US Congress and NYS Legislature.

The Bausch and Lomb Public Library Building is wheelchair accessible.
Sign language interpreters will be provided.

If you have any questions, or need more information, contact Arlene Wilson at (585) 546-7510 or awilson@rochestercdr.org.

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This should be interesting, as many never thought through a platform to this degree, even the Gubenatorial candidates. But, as most politicians, they are fast on their feet, and seeking to make hay while the sun shines.

Future DocWilson’s Book Meme

I have seen this great idea on The Goldfish's website, so I wanted to add my two cent...

Future DocWilson’s Book Meme

1. One book that changed your life?
The Autobiography of Malcom X, would be at the top of the list. I man whom American history is just starting to consider for his oratory and personal triumph or adversity.

2. One book that you have read more than once?
Well, I would have to concur with The Goldfish, about The Bible. Not only is it a religious text, but is the source of many philosophical (Proverbs), and cultural (Creationism versus Evolution) concepts and ideas.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?
I do not think one book would do it, so I would have to hedge this one, and go with a completed works set, in a leather binding. I think the collected speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These speeches are motivational, and insightful. I would also go with the Complete Works of Tolstoy.

4. One book that made you laugh?
I'm sorry, I can not restrict myself to one. If I choose The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy then that means I have to neglect Puckoon, and Three Men in a Boat, and No Bed for Bacon, and Clive James's Unreliable Memoirs, and My Family and Other Animals, and The Cat Who Came in from the Cold, and Pickwick Papers, and....so I won't choose any.

5. One book that made you cry?
One Thousand Years of Solitude. A strange book, that tells the story from the end, and threads its way backwards, to explain tragedy. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has the power to find the paintful, private truth of life and love. gem.

6. One book you wish you had written?
Roots, by Alex Haley. This book created a whole academic specialities around genology, travel through the African Diaspora to slavery sites, and increase the number of African American family reunions. It also helped to decrease several prevalent myths around the dynamics of slavery, and slave families. Fascinating.

7. One book you wish had never been written?
Mein Kampf. It creates a platform for serious consideration of racism, antisemetism and other Ayran disfunctional constructs.

8. One book you are currently reading?
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, by himself. This is a great book, which gives insights on slavery, and American political thought of the 1800’s. It also is inspiring on how far someone can come, by grit determination and a few random acts of kindness.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?
I have hear and seen various versions of Homer’s the Oddessey. Any book that have been so copied, parodied and retold is a must for required reading.

10. Now tag five people.

Illogical Syllogisms and the Dissertation

Five months of revisions, rewrites, edits.
Done.
Committee approved.
Just when I thought there might be smooth sailing ahead, the dissertation process runs into another snag...NEW procedures implemented.

Q: Was the doctoral student told in advance of submission?

A: No.

Q: Then the doctoral student is grandfathered in under old standards, right?

A: Wrong

Q: SO what happened to due process, uniformity of standards and accountability?

A: Do you want this doctoral degree, or not?

Special Education Determination- A Paradigm Shift

Some good news on the special education front for parents...

August 4, 2006
The New York Times
By Diana Jean Schemo

WASHINGTON, D.C. For more than 25 years, federal law had required that schools nationwide identify children as learning disabled by comparing their scores on intelligence tests with their academic achievement. This meant that many students had
to wait until third or fourth grade to get the special education help they needed.

In regulations issued today after changes to the law, the federal Education Department said states could not require school districts to rely on that method, allowing districts to find other ways to determine which children are eligible for
extra help.

It was the final step in the federal government's repudiation of the old approach, which had come under severe criticism from advocates for children with disabilities, testing experts and eventually federal officials themselves. Advocates for those
children applauded the change.

"If you talk to principals and special ed directors, there is pent-up demand for better ways to serve struggling kids than waiting until they crash and burn in third and fourth grade," said James H. Wendorf, executive director of the National
Center for Learning Disabilities. The new rules also require schools to alert parents as they begin exploring whether children may need special education, another change that won praise from advocates for children with disabilities.

The regulations come after Congress updated laws covering special education for some six million schoolchildren nationwide in late 2004.

Comparing intelligence tests with academic achievement, known as the discrepancy model, came under intense criticism in the debates over the law and over special education.

Federal officials and advocates for children with disabilities contended that the practice of waiting for children to fall behind on tests in third or fourth grade before getting them extra help consigned them to failure, and opened the way for
the disproportionate numbers of poor and minority children to be labeled as needing special education.

The 2004 law abandoned reliance on that approach. And the new regulations favor alternative methods of identifying children who need services, like evaluating the response of struggling children to extra help before the third grade.

The 2004 law also streamlined procedures and reduced the paperwork involved in providing children special education services, and relaxed burdens on schools when children with disabilities had behavioral problems.

A draft of the regulations published in June 2005 prompted an outpouring of 5,500 letters and comments to the Education Department from advocates for children with disabilities, as well as parents, teachers' unions, and state, district and
local education officials.

The department posted the final regulations on its Web site today, along with answers to each of the comments it received. The final regulations will be published in the Federal Register on Aug. 14, and will take effect 60 days later. In unveiling the new rules, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said her priority was "that we not lose our vigilance for educational attainment for every child."

Advocates for children with disabilities said they were disappointed that the regulations did not address some problems they saw in the 2004 federal law. For example, the law says that instead of reviewing each disabled child's educational plan every year automatically, schools could review them only once every three years, provided parents agree to the change. The regulations do not help ensure
parents are properly notified, advocates said.

"But who is going to make sure that parents now know what they're giving up if they agree to that?" said Ricki Sabia, associate director of the National Down Syndrome Society Policy Center. "The department could have made clear what constitutes
that agreement."

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But it goes to show that constant vigilance is always required....