Dog helps boy rise above disabilities

by Bill Grimes from Effingham Daily News:
EFFINGHAM — When we last featured George the golden doodle in July 16, 2012, edition, he was just a little puppy getting acquainted with the Iffert family before moving on for extensive training.

George was “hired” by the Ifferts to be a service dog for young Hunter Iffert. Hunter, who was born with Down Syndrome, has multiple disabilities, and his family felt that a service dog would be helpful by the time Hunter started kindergarten this fall.

While George’s training wasn’t quite complete by the time school started in August, he finally came back home this month. And, he’s begun going to school with Hunter at Dieterich Elementary School.

George stayed with the Ifferts for 11 months before traveling to Orem, Utah, in March for service training with Molli Baker, director of training for Noelle’s Dogs Four Hope, a Colorado-based company that has trained dozens of service dogs for children with special needs.

Baker said the training she provided was critical to George’s success as a service dog.

Children with Down syndrome are trained up by fire crew

by Matthew Edwards from The Swindon Advertiser UK:
YOUNG people with Down syndrome have been finding out all about the emergency services as they put out fires, cut people out of cars and drove around with the blues and twos on.
A group of young people have taken part in the Salamander Project and spent the week with the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to experience a basic fire and rescue training course.
The programme, held at Drove Road Fire Station, encourages participants to work as a team, while building up confidence and self-esteem.

Yesterday the group put on a display of their new-found skills for family, friends and senior fire officers which included cutting casualties out of cars and climbing ladders to save a woman from a burning building.
Sixteen-year-old Stephen Thomas was taking part in his fourth course and said that he had grown in confidence since he first started.
He said: “I have enjoyed the course because of all the different things we have done. My favourite part was at Coate Water where I was able to jump in the water.

teen teaches kids with Down syndrome how to have tutu much fun dancing

from Moultrie news:

During the weeks of July 29 and Aug. 5, elementary and middle school aged children with Down syndrome are invited to ballet workshops through the not-for-profit, The Purple Tutu.

The mission of The Purple Tutu is to bring the beauty and artistry of ballet to dancers with Down Syndrome who may feel that classical dance training is out of their reach. The first workshop held in April was a huge success. A dancer’s grandmother said “I cried after attending the first class, cried “happy tears” because I was just overcome seeing the joy on the children’s faces and overcome with gratitude for The Purple Tutu”.

Students will be accepted on a first come / first serve basis. Each class will be taught at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church. Classes will start at 9 a.m. and be built around attendance. Classes are at no charge, but donations are appreciated. All proceeds generated by The Purple Tutu will go to a scholarship fund to benefit the education of a child with special needs.

Participants are encouraged to wear sweatpants/yoga pants, a T-shirt and bare feet. Tutus will be provided for class use.

Holland McDowell, who founded The Purple Tutu, began her formal dance training at age 7 with Charleston Ballet Theatre School and has been dancing for nine years. McDowell is trained in classical ballet, pointe, jazz, tap and musical theatre. She has performed in productions including: Charleston Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Cinderella,” “Off to Oz,” “Willie Wonka” and “Alice in Wonderland.” She attended The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities Summer Dance 2012 program.

McDowell currently studies under the direction of the Charleston Dance Institute, teaches ballet to children at Meeting Street Academy and attends the Academic Magnet High School (Class of 2015.)

If you would like to participate with the program or donate to The Purple Tutu, please email thepurpletutuballet@gmail.com.

Episode #17 – DSAIA with Deanna Tharpe!

from the Down Syndrome Radio Podcast:
Remember last episode when we told you how great Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action (DSAIA) was as a resource a resource for you local DSA?  Well we went and got Deanna to join us for this episode to tell you more!

The short version is that Deanna has two sons.  When the second one turned out to have DS, she started a local Down Syndrome Association.  Three years later that DSA was winning awards.  Now she shares her talents with ALL DSAs through DSAIA.
DSAIA is sort of a trade association providing centralized support to all DSAs across the country.  This means better sharing of ideas across the country and results in better lives for individuals with DS!
Their big thing is their conference which is coming up in a few weeks.  This is not really a conference for individuals, but one for DSA board members to come and get trained.  We talked about it quite a bit and the organization and programming of this conference is amazing.  Sort of a Mecca or rite of passage for DS Board Members.  Not only are there very relevant topics by amazing speakers, but there is plenty of opportunity to network and we all know how important that is!  My wife, Kim, is going and so is Rick.  We will get the report when they come back!
DSAIA also does webinars to keep board members current throughout the year.  They also have a big push called ‘Gaps in the Map’.  Check it out on their website at www.dsaia.org
Thanks for joining us Deanna!
Mark
Download Down Syndrome Radio, Episode #17.
Better yet…subscribe, rate us and leave a comment on iTunes!

Garrett Holeve, an MMA Fighter With Down Syndrome, Is on His Way to Changing the Sport

 

By Chris Sweeney from the Broward Palm Beach Times:

"I'm dangerous," 23-year-old Garrett Holeve warns as he bounces around a bedroom in his parents' suburban, single-story house, throwing punches and kicks. A pungent combination of protein-powered farts, dirty laundry, and ball sweat permeates the air.

"I'll hurt a guy real bad," Garrett brags. "I'll be covered in too much blood, and I'll keep hurting him. Kick him in the mouth so hard the mouth guard flies out."

The words don't roll off his tongue. They bunch up in his throat and pour out in a slurred manner that's difficult to understand. This is just one of the ways Garrett's Down syndrome manifests itself.

"Oh, umm," he stammers frequently when looking for an answer. "Finding a fight takes time. My friend Chris is going to get me a fight."

He carries other telltale physical characteristics of the genetic condition: small ears that look like half-hearts, almond-shaped eyes, wide hands with short fingers, and a small, round mouth. Further affecting his health is rheumatoid arthritis that afflicts his right knee.

Garrett stands five feet tall and weighs 136 pounds. But he can drop to 125 pounds in a few days to make weight for his beloved sport, mixed martial arts. His black wifebeater reveals the tattoo of a black Punisher skull engulfed in black flames near his left shoulder. His neck and arms are solid muscle, large enough to make clear that his fists could permanently alter the alignment of an opponent's nose.

Here, in a modest home in one of Cooper City's gated communities, the floor is littered with kettlebells, a curl bar, a medicine ball, dumbbells, and two towel-covered milk crates that serve as makeshift pushup stands. Framed on the wall is the white tape in which MMA megastar Tito Ortiz wrapped his wrists for a recent Las Vegas fight. There's a poster of sharks, pictures of a half-dozen other professional fighters, and some torn-out pages of a Hooter's calendar featuring bikini-clad butts.

Playing on the flat-screen TV set is a DVD of Garrett's first exhibition bout earlier this year against a guy named Antonio Martin at Seminole Immokalee Casino. The crowd roars when Garrett throws a spinning backfist, but back in his room, the young man isn't paying attention. He's kneeing an imaginary opponent in the face before dropping to his knees to pound the thin, smelly air into submission. He then lifts his shirt and flexes his abs, a solid undefined wall of muscle padded by pasty white flesh. "This is the new me," he says enthusiastically.

Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai welcomes four trainees from the UAE Down Syndrome Association

from AMEinfo.com:

Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai welcomed four new trainees from the UAE Down Syndrome Association (UAEDSA) this month. The four new colleagues have joined the hotel team in various departments, including training, engineering, culinary and housekeeping.

Each of the trainees is accompanied by an occupational therapist for the duration of the training. The aim of the initiative is for each trainee to learn new skills, apply existing skills and gain valuable career experience in the hospitality industry.

Saif joins the hotel's training team every Tuesday for one hour. Mahmoud, Youssef and Abdulla come to the hotel every Monday for one hour and follow a tailor-made training plan that includes time in different departments, including training, engineering, culinary and housekeeping.

Each of the trainees has assisted in and completed tasks such as towel and linen folding, administration, flower arrangements, beverage preparation and preparing breakfast trays for room service.

"We're delighted to embrace Saif, Mahmoud, Youssef and Abdulla into the Shangri-La family. They are an asset to the hotel and have been a great help in all departments. It is a pleasure to have them training with us," said Eric Mommejac, the hotel manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai.

The hotel has supported the UAEDSA since November 2009. Previous activities include hosting an annual iftar meal for UAEDSA-supported children and their families and UAEDSA staff at the hotel. The hotel also co-hosted the UAEDSA Golf Charity Day in 2011 and hotel colleagues volunteered at the annual UAEDSA sports day on the beach.

Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai encourages its employees to volunteer as part of its "embrace" programme, Shangri-La's Caring People Project, which aims to promote the highest level of education and health support in underprivileged communities. Any colleague can volunteer to work for eight hours per month within working hours.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts remains committed to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner while balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders. In striving to be a leader in corporate citizenship and sustainable development, a corporate-level CSR Committee drives the company's initiatives in the strategic areas of stakeholder relations, environment, health and safety, supply chain and employees. Under the umbrella of sustainability, Shangri-La's social responsibility programme consists of the two elements of "embrace" and "sanctuary." "Embrace" focuses on Shangri-La's Caring People Project, which aims to promote the highest level of education and health support in underprivileged communities. In "sanctuary," the programme concentrates on Shangri-La's Care for Nature Project, which promotes the conservation and restoration of biodiversity.

Little steps for a rewarding result

from the Hindu by R. Sujatha:

Several years ago, when Sujeet Desai visited the city, he performed exclusively for children with Down syndrome. The children were thrilled and the parents at the programme told me that there was hope, even for their children.

Sujeet’s mother told the audience how her son, who had Down syndrome, had discovered a new world, was independent and travelled around the globe for music performances. Sujeet spoke to the children and remained the star attraction on that day.

Last week, the Down Syndrome Association of Tamil Nadu organised a day-long workshop for 30 government school teachers, who were exposed to training methods of therapists from the United Kingdom. D. Sabitha, principal secretary of school education, inaugurated the workshop, and told the teachers that they would in turn, train their peers and colleagues. The aim is to address the needs of children in mainstream government schools, and those in residential centres.

Chronologically, the child could be a teenager, but may have the IQ of a pre-teen, explained Julie Hughes. Children with Down syndrome must be taught using visual cues, given their low attention span and their problems with hearing. Children often hear only the last syllables of a word and they have difficulty in retaining sound patterns in their memory. Suppose you have to teach the child the word ‘ball’. It would be better to use the word repeatedly in as many sentences as you can. So if you are too quick with the words, the child does not understand it.

Children with Down syndrome are at a higher risk for ear infections and hence have difficulty in hearing, ENT surgeon Mohan Kameswaran says. This leads to speech delays and unlike children without the condition, they are unable to understand verbal cues. “Hearing impairments and octological problems are found in 38 to 78 per cent of children with Down syndrome, compared to 2.5 per cent of other normal children. Such children must undergo audiological screenings at birth, and then every six months for three years,” Dr. Mohan said. However, appropriate evaluation and treatment can have a significant impact on the quality of life of children with Down syndrome, he added.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects one in 750 children in India, said Rekha Ramachandran of Down Syndrome Association of Tamil Nadu. The only way to ensure that such children are mainstreamed in schools is by training enough resource persons, she added.

When I asked her about Sujeet and his extraordinary achievement, she said independence comes with confidence in communication. In India we are still taking the first tentative steps towards teaching our children with Down syndrome to communicate. When this is achieved, we will have many Sujeets.

teachers in UAE trained to aid pupils with Down syndrome

from gulfnews.com:

Project fosters greater inclusiveness at public schools

The second phase of a project to train teaching assistants to assist pupils with Down’s Syndrome in public schools has been completed.

The project is being implemented by the Emirates Down’s Syndrome Association in collaboration with the British University in Dubai.

Emirates Foundation for Youth Development in Abu Dhabi has pledged to continue its support for the programme, which was implemented by the British University in Dubai and four sub-centres in Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Dibba.

Sonia Al Hashemi, chairperson of the Emirates Down’s Syndrome Association said the training programme focused on female teaching assistants in public schools and follows the directives by the leadership to adopt ways to overcome difficulties facing children with Down’s Syndrome. She added: “The training programme has contributed to the preparation and rehabilitation of a group of female citizens, who are high school graduates to join the labour market and help people with Down’s Syndrome to merge in public schools to learn naturally with their peers.”

Sonia stressed that the cooperation among the Ministries of Education and Social Affairs besides the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs had greatly enabled the association in facilitating the inclusion of those with Down’s Syndrome in public schools, as well as in the exchange of experiences and studies in this respect.

Dr Eman Gaad, dean of Faculty of Education at the British University in Dubai, who heads the team implementing the programme and is an adviser to Unesco, said the project aims to achieve educational objectives while incorporating pupils with Down’s Syndrome in the school community.

The British University in Dubai has completed the implementation of the theoretical aspects of the project in the first and second phases at all centres nationwide.

NDSC Convention Schedule for Wednesday 7/18

Wednesday's itinerary for the NDSC Convention in Washington, DC

Training Session for NDSC Day on the Hill

Participation is designed to be easy, and it’s so important! Once you register, NDSC will schedule your appointments with your Senators and Representative, so all you’ll need to do is…Be present at a required training session On Wednesday, July 18th, for final instructions, to meet your fellow advocates, and, to pick up information to take to your elected officials.Review the advocacy training materials outlining NDSC’s policy agenda, messaging, and tips for effective advocacy.

Advocacy Training
Before coming to DC in July, review these materials to ensure a successful visit

What to Expect Rationale and Key Messaging

One Page Summary of Asks In Depth Advocacy Pre-Training Packet 4.17.12

Audio of Pre-Training Session held April 17

Day on the Hill Mandatory Training:Wednesday, July 18, 7:00pm
Marriott Wardman Park, Maryland Suite

See the NDSC Convention website for official details.

documentary spotlights struggles of people with disablities in the workplace

By Graham Lanktree from Metro News:
A Nigerian immigrant who was stunned to see someone with Down syndrome working the aisles of a Kanata dollar store has snagged an award for his documentary about a program helping special needs students get jobs.
“Back in Nigeria when I was a child growing up, we would stone these type of people,” said Wisdom Sanni, who came to Canada in 2008. “Families who had kids with Down syndrome would keep them isolated and hidden away. So it was interesting to see them in a public setting exchanging and mixing with other people.”
Inspired by what he saw, Sanni followed the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board’s Adaptive Learning Program for three months to create “The Genius in Me,” a short film for his documentary production class at Algonquin College. In June he received an award from the board for his work on the project.
“When I started the documentary it was hard for me because I was standoffish because of my upbringing,” he said. “But after one week with them I had a different view.”
“With proper training, people with Down syndrome can contribute greatly to the community. They want to be creative and they wan to do something. They don’t want our sympathy.”
In the adaptive learning program students learn how to talk to customers, their boss and work in an office, along with other life skills, such as learning how to cook and garden for themselves.
In the process of making the film, Sanni said, he made lots of friends and now feels even more comfortable in Canada. “Because of this documentary people want me to come by their place and have a barbeque,” he said.
“I’ve learned so much and I’m happy that I’m in this part of the world,” said Sanni, “where all you need is just to think something and you can do it.”

Feds Allocate Millions To Train Special Educators

from Disability Scoop:

Federal education officials are doling out over $19 million across the country in an effort to better prepare teachers to work with students who have disabilities.

The majority of the funds — $11.5 million — will go to universities in 24 states to train educators to address everything from early intervention to speech and language needs as well as transition.

Meanwhile, $7.7 million is headed to state officials in Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon and Wyoming in order to enhance professional development for special educators.

“The quality of education our students with disabilities receive is dependent on how well the workforce is prepared to address their needs,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said.

“These grants will support states’ efforts to improve their training systems for staff, and better serve students with disabilities as a result.”

$20 million to Improve Employment for People with Disabilities

US Labor Department Announces About $20 million to Fund State-Run Programs Aimed at Improving Employment Outcomes for People with Disabilities

The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration (ETA), in coordination with DOL's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announces the availability of approximately $20 million for a second round of cooperative agreements to state agencies that administer the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). These funds provide an opportunity for states to develop and implement a plan for improving effective and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the workforce.

"Workers with disabilities suffer from one of the lowest employment rates of any group in the American population, even in times of prosperity," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "It is vital that state and local agencies work together with private sector partners to improve these statistics. Through this second round of funding, we are expanding the Disability Employment Initiative to include programs in additional states."

DOL is using this funding to implement the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), through which the Department intends to make six to ten grant awards designed to:

• Improve educational, training, and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities who are unemployed, underemployed, and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits;
• Help these individuals with disabilities find a path into the middle class through exemplary and model service delivery by the public workforce system.

DOL will award DEI grants for a three-year period of performance. The complete SGA and any subsequent SGA amendments are described in further detail on federalregister.gov or dol.gov. The Web sites provide application information, eligibility requirements, review and selection procedures and other program requirements governing this solicitation.