Surprising idea for special education students: Go to college

It turns out that, at least for a small segment of the Portland area's young adults with intellectual disabilities, college will in fact be possible. Some college officials say such programs will prompt society to stop automatically writing off people with intellectual disabilities as "not college material."

College attendance by people with intellectual disabilities has been shown to translate into better jobs with better pay and greater independence.

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2015/11/surprising_idea_for_students_w.html

Students fight against use of offensive slang

by Savanah Dickinson from The Daily Reveille: 
“Spread the Word to End the Word” encourages people to think before they say the “r-word,” and some at the University are pushing the national campaign on campus.
Youth with and without intellectual disabilities established the “Spread the Word to End the Word” movement at the 2009 Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit. Since then, the movement has spread to universities nationwide.

Deanna Rice, University doctoral candidate and event coordinator for the University’s branch of the campaign, said the movement hopes to eliminate the word “retarded” and replace it with respect.
“This is hurtful to people with intellectual disabilities and other developmental delays,” Rice said. “It not only hurts them but the family members who love them and also people like me that work with them in education and other support in the community.”
Graduate student Catherine Hauth presented a bill before Student Government Senate on Sept. 3 for “Spread the Word to End the Word.” Hauth encouraged each senator to take the pledge and pass along the message.
The bill passed unanimously. Rice encourages students to take the pledge to stop using the “r-word” at www.r-word.org. The movement also utilizes social media — @EndtheWordLSU on Twitter — to reach more students.
In March, “Spread the Word to End the Word” will hold a table-sit outside the Student Union to spread awareness with the hope that more students will take the pledge.

Pizzeria gives student with Down syndrome first job

by Jessica Pace from Franklin Home Page:

On Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons, his family drops him off or stays for dinner while he works rolling silverware, wiping tables and opening the door to customers under the supervision of owner Marc Hanmer.
Hanmer has been in the restaurant business for 24 years and has hired employees with disabilities before in restaurants he previously owned.
“There are things we can do for them. There are menial tasks a lot of people don’t like to do, but task-oriented individuals don’t mind doing, like rolling silverware,” Hanmer said.
“We’re trying it out to see if it works.”
Schrupp started going to Brixx with his family in 2011 when the restaurant first opened because the menu offers gluten-free pizza. Schrupp has celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder irritated by gluten, so he pushes that particular menu item.
“We’ve got the best gluten-free pizza,” he said.
“Steven said he wanted to work there, and the owner said when he’s old enough, he can,” his mother, Susan Schrupp, said.
As an extrovert, Schrupp is getting along with both employees and customers.
“Customers like him, and we have a loyal base of customers here. A lot of people are starting to recognize him. He’s friendly,” Hanmer said.
The owner said Schrupp has to work on understanding when the tables are clean.
“It’s challenging, but he’s a good kid and deserves the opportunity to do something.”
Now that he has an income, Schrupp’s paychecks are going into the bank, and he said he does have a purchase in mind.
“I put it in my bank account. I want to buy a video game, and save it for college,” Schrupp said.
His mother added, “That’s what he wants to do. We’re looking at programs at Vanderbilt; they have a two-year program for people with disabilities. That’s his mission.”

Young man with Down syndrome gets big surprise

Young man with Down syndrome gets big surprise, Twenty-year-old Ryan Holcombe has Down syndrome, and the thrilling moment when he read his ...

Student with Down syndrome makes history at Lee University

from WRCB TV NBC:
CLEVELAND, TN (WRCB) - Lee University student Corey Moore is making big waves.
"A doctor that was kind of ignorant told me your son is probably never going to walk or talk," says Krisi Moore.
WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather
Moore introduced us to her son Corey, who is not only walking and talking, but in the gym two days a week working a part time job. If that isn't enough, he's the first ever student with down syndrome at Lee University.
"Well it's better than laying around the house," says Corey.
Groundbreaking yes - but no big deal if ask Corey.
"Down syndrome is just an extra chromosome. I'm no different than anyone else."
Different only in the way he chooses to tackle life.

Teen with Down syndrome graduates prep school as part of innovative program his parents helped found

By Vikki Ortiz Healy, Chicago Tribune reporter:

A few months before Ryan Burke became the first student with Down syndrome to attend Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, his father made an emotional plea to his son's classmates.

"All we ask is that you say 'hi' to him. Just give him a chance," Kevin Burke recalled saying at a school assembly. "He'll take it from there."

Living up to his father's prediction — and demonstrating the success of a remarkable initiative Notre Dame hopes other Catholic schools will emulate — Ryan Burke, 19, graduates Saturday. His yearbook features pictures of him on the swim team, student council and marching band.

He also has something perhaps more precious — memories from four homecoming dances and two proms, as well as a cellphone filled with messages from friends he's made along the way.

The ceremony will mark a sweet victory for the Western Springs parents, who have been campaigning for Ryan's inclusion in normal classrooms since preschool. Kevin and Elaine Burke worked tirelessly to persuade Notre Dame's administration to become one of only a few Catholic high schools in the country with a structured program for students with severe special needs.

And Notre Dame officials say Ryan's example has left a permanent mark on the school, where students now don't think twice about seeing a classmate with special needs carrying the school banner at a football game or in line at the cafeteria.

Next year, the school expects 10 special needs students, with many more applicants than can be accommodated.

"He's a trailblazer," said Principal Dan Tully. "The families have been finding us, sometimes years before they go to high school."

My Special Child: Man Proves Life with Down Syndrome Can be Fulfilling

by Abby Eden from Fox4KC:
In America, the abortion rate for a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome has dropped to 67 percent, according to a study released earlier this year by the National Institute of Health. Yet many people argue that 67 percent is still too high.
In honor of Down Syndrome month, this “My Special Child” report, reminds us that many people with Down Syndrome can complete high school, attend college and be gainfully employed.
Though Lee Jones has Down Syndrome he’s been making great accomplishments since he was just a little boy. It’s a message he wants these medical students to hear.
“Everyone, whether they have a disability or not have the right to have their own dreams, just because a person has a disability doesn’t lessen the importance of their dreams,” said Jones.
Lee learned to read at the age of three, was developing athletically by kindergarten, he graduated from high school, then from college with a bachelors degree. Today Lee lives on his own and works two jobs, including one at the Kauffman Foundation.
“I pass out mail, I know people really well so, I interact with them when I do that, then I do photocopying, mailing, scanning,” Jones explained.
Lee attributes his accomplishments to his personal determination and realistic goal setting. He also attributes his parents’ relentless commitment to his learning which was done with many small steps.
“I did my own laundry when I was in middle school at home,” he said.
Many times it was Lee who was setting the goals, like learning to drive and learning to scuba dive, and yes, it was much harder for Lee.
“We were studying for an algebra test in high school and Lee and I were both to about the breaking point, and he said ‘Mom don’t you realize this is hard for me?’ And I said sure,” Carolyn Jones, Lee’s mother, said.
It may have taken Lee longer to learn, but today, he’s far from being a burden on society.  He works, he volunteers, and he is teaching the rest of us what people with down syndrome CAN accomplish.
October is Down syndrome month. For more information, resources and success stories visit the National Down Syndrome Society’s website at www.ndss.org
Find me on Facebook:  Abby Eden Fox 4
Follow me on Twitter:  @AbbyEden
Email me:  abby.eden@wdaftv4.com

Will Becky Jackson from Glee attend College?

from Disability Scoop by Michelle Diament:
When students on Fox’s “Glee” graduated this season, many considered college. Now a Twitter campaign is calling on the show’s writers to make the same plan for a character with Down syndrome.
Using the hashtag #College4Becky, a social media push launching this week is encouraging the “Glee” writers to send Becky Jackson to college at the end of the show’s next season. Though the character is believed to be a rising high school senior, little has been said about her future...
“We want to plant a seed,” said Meg Grigal, the co-director of the group behind the campaign. “College is a real option for people with intellectual disabilities.”
Lauren Potter, 22, the actress with Down syndrome who plays Becky Jackson on “Glee,” attends Irvine Valley College in Irvine, Calif. in real life.
“I know she will love the idea (of Becky going to college) because she loves the idea that she is in college,” Potter’s mother, Robin Sinkhorn, told Disability Scoop, adding that she had not yet had an opportunity to discuss the campaign with her daughter who was traveling Monday. “It would be a great storyline.”
Potter’s character has long been a fan favorite in the disability community and the actress has not shied away from taking a stand. She’s used her platform as a “Glee” cast member to raise awareness about bullying of people with disabilities among other issues and currently serves as a member of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Officials at Fox did not respond to a request for comment about the Twitter campaign.

the open letter from Think College:
Dear Glee writers,
We think Becky Jackson is fabulous. And we'd like to ask you to send her to college.
More and more colleges across the U.S. are enrolling people with intellectual disabilities, just like Becky. Vanderbilt, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Highline Community College in Washington are just a few examples. All of Becky's friends on the show are heading off to college next year. That's something she can do too--but we haven't yet heard what her plans are after graduation.
Your show has made a huge impact on young people. Lesbian and gay teens have been inspired by Kurt Hummel to stand up to bullying. Glee is inclusive in a playful, non-preachy way. That includes Becky--both the way you write her, and how she's played by Lauren Potter.
If you make college plans for Becky, you'll be raising the expectations of all your viewers with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. You'll be helping them dream big, and know what options are out there after high school. We think that would be brilliant.
And if Sue Sylvester's baby does have a disability, she'll have a tremendous role model in Becky as she heads off to college.
Thanks for considering this idea! And thanks for all you do as writers on Glee.
With appreciation,
Meg Grigal, Ph.D.
Co-Director, Think College
Institute for Community Inclusion
University of Massachusetts Boston
meg.grigal@umb.edu

from Down Syndrome in the Arts and Media:
This is an excellent idea and could be in the works at GLEE since Becky has at least one more year of HS. But did anyone pick up the phone like a grown-up and talk to the producers first? Is the DS community becomming the bullies launching this sort of cyber campaign? There are many of us in Hollywood who advocate for many different causes. We work with producers and call on these tactics as a last resort. The next time someone has an idea and wants to talk to producers give me a call. We can set up a phone call or a meeting. I hope you don't estrange your cause because of the manner in which you took it on.

Self-advocate pushing for change in law

from The Herald News:

When he’s not taking classes at MassBay, working at one of his three jobs or volunteering, Brian Heffernan is making sure that other young people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities get the same opportunities he’s had.

Most recently, Heffernan, 20, of Newton, has been advocating for a bill at the State House that would change the special education licensing requirements to provide optional advanced training for teachers who want to focus on transitioning children with intellectual disabilities into the competitive work force.

Newton resident Julia Landau, senior project manager for the advocacy group Massachusetts Advocates for Children, said the bill would allow more children with intellectual disabilities like Down syndrome and autism to become productive members in their communities.

“Right now three-quarters of the youth with disabilities in our state ages 16-26 end up in sheltered workshops or [day habilitation] programs or unemployed and we know that youth with disabilities when provided the appropriate transition planning and services can measure up with their potential and can live and work competitively,” she said. “That’s the difference between the tapped and untapped potential.”

Heffernan has been taking classes in courses like criminology, mass media and career and life planning at MassBay for the past two years through the school’s partnership with the Newton Public Schools. The Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment grant program allows public high school students with severe intellectual disabilities who are between 18 and 22 and have not yet passed the MCAS test the opportunity to take inclusive college courses aligned with a career goal.

“I’m really proud of the career and life planning class,” Heffernan said. “It made me think a lot about my career.”

During the school year, Heffernan takes public transportation from his house in Newton to the Wellesley Hills MassBay campus, takes general college classes with his peers and works out after school in the school gym. Last summer, Heffernan was looking for activities to join on campus and noticed that the college didn’t have a glee club like his favorite TV show, “Glee,” so he researched and sought out the required number of signatures to form his own glee club.

Heffernan said his classes at MassBay have helped him decide that one day he wants to have a career in the film or television industry. He’s already written a 52-page TV script, “The Heffernan Show,” loosely based on “The Cosby Show.”

“One day I got on my computer and just started writing,” he said, while walking around MassBay last week.

In between his busy class schedule at MassBay and camp during the summer Heffernan finds time to work as a host at Wally’s World in Fenway Park, as a bagger at Shaw’s Supermarket in Auburndale and as a guest speaker in the “Understanding Our Differences” curriculum in the Newton Public Schools. He speaks to graduate students about his disability at Brandeis, Harvard and Boston universities and during the summer he volunteers at City Hall delivering mail and stacking books at the Newton Free Library.

“He’s really remarkable,” said Landau of the Massachusetts Advocates for Children, in a phone interview.

Heffernan’s mother, Julie Hefferman, said that her son wants to continue to take classes at the college after he passes his English MCAS test. She said that once he passes the English MCAS test he will place out of the special education program in the Newton Public Schools, but will still be able to receive special education services at the college.

“We’ve had a partnership for the past five years with the [Newton schools] to give students with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to take college courses,” said Jayme Finstein, inclusive concurrent enrollment grand coordinator at MassBay. “The goal is to have the courses connect with future career goals. You spend your whole day on campus doing anything that any other student would do.”

Julie Heffernan said her son has flourished through his classes and the new friends he has made at MassBay.

“On Facebook, he has all these friends we’ve never met because he has this whole college life now,” she said.

Landau said she is hopeful that the bill will soon be voted out of the Joint Committee on Education.