httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WRrS6xeSe8
A video letter to the elected official in the State of Illinois to let them know why reinstating the financial funding is of the utmost importance.
Jenny Williams, head of Traditional Learning Academy (TLA) Special Needs department, shares her journey in education and with TLA.
Why did Jenny enter the world of education and teaching special needs children? You’ll want to view this video to discover why, and her passion for special needs children and their families.
What’s her vision for families with TLA? What’s her passion for working with special needs homeschooling families? Discover it now.
Jenny Williams and the Traditional Learning Academy team can be reached by toll-free number at 1-800-745-1320 or 604-572-7875. Parents can also email the office using info@schoolathome.ca or research homeschooling your special needs child at http://SchoolAtHome.ca .
Jenny Williams, head of Traditional Learning Academy (TLA) Special Needs department, shares her journey in education and with TLA.
Dead: 12-year old Alex Swigart saved his dad's life after waking he and his girlfriend up when their mobile home caught fire
A 12-year-old autistic boy died saving his father from a fire which destroyed their home.
Alex Swigart, from Bisbee, Arizona, woke his dad and his girlfriend up when he smelled smoke in their mobile home.
His father Joseph said: ‘Alex was the first one who smelled smoke. He woke me up and we were headed out the door.’
But in the confusion of the smoke and the flames, Mr Swigart went to get a hose and then realised that his son was no longer by his side.
He said: ‘I realized at the time he wasn’t there. By the time I got back up on the porch, fire engulfed the living room. I ran around side of the house.
‘I tried to go inside. I had four Border Patrol men grab me and drag me back to the road. They wouldn’t let me go back inside.’
Naco firefighter Joseph Garcia told KGUN9TV: ‘The flames were coming so big, we were having a heck of a time. I could only watch as Swigart tired to get back to his son.’
Mr Swigart, who acknowledges that he would never have got out alive if it wasn’t for his son, then heard something no parent should ever have to hear.
Fighting back tears he said: ‘I yelled inside the window and I heard him call to me, “Daddy I can’t breathe!”‘
In the confusion, Alex never made it out. After the fire was extinguished, a firefighter spotted the 12-year-old’s body huddled near his dad’s bed against the wall.
Naco Fire Chief Jesus Morales said: ‘I always prayed to God I’d never have something like this happen, but it did happen.’
All that is left of their home is a charred roof, a pile of burned out comic books, playing cards and a bicycle on its side.
There was one thing that survived from the fire intact.
Mr Swigart – a Gulf War combat veteran – received a commander’s coin for his distinguished service, something he said Alex really liked. It was found intact near the spot Alex died, all the other metal, including the hubcaps of the car, had melted.
Now, Swigart faces an emotional wall he hopes he can climb. He already has the love and support of Alex’s classmates.
He said: ‘They started a little memorial. “Alex we love you. Alex we miss you”, they said.
So far, neither the cause of the fire nor the cause of death has been determined.
Full story and video at this link…http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Robert Kusel - Catherine Butzen speaking at the Town Hall meeting
Faced with possibly massive cuts in state funding for education, more than 100 parents, teachers, students, and others packed a gym in West Rogers Park on June 16 to urge state officials to protect special education.
The Town Hall meeting, held at the Joy Knapp Center, was organized by Jewish Child & Family Services, Keshet, and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, which operate or support a variety of special-education programs for students from pre-school age to 22. The Town Hall included a panel of five state legislators, plus representatives from the Governor’s office and the Illinois State Board of Education.
Anthonia Akitunde/MEDILL - Students in Gateway to Learning fold bags into boxes for 2 cents per box as part of their vocational worktraining. However, with state funding for developmental disabilities declining, programs like Gateway's expect drastic cuts in the coming months
Students gather around large mixing bowls set atop the high kitchen tables in the classroom. They smile as they stir batter with an electric mixer, chattering among themselves and with their teachers. Laughter can be heard over the loud whir of the mixer.
A staff member asks a student what she is making.
“Strawberry cake,” she responds, the words barely intelligible, her small mouth straining to form each raspy syllable. A fellow classmate staggers over to hug the staff member, his blue eyes bulging, his mouth hanging open.
These students are in an adult day training program at Gateway to Learning in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. All have been diagnosed with some form of a developmental or behavioral disorder. Gateway offers students life training to enter the mainstream world.
Now Gateway faces cutbacks that could end its adult pre-vocational programs based in food services. The program has already used $80,000, more than half of its reserve funds, to keep the center open for these adult students, said executive director Cheryl Hennelly.
“We should be finding out by July if they’re going to cut us again,” Hennelly said. “If they cut us, we’d have to close. It would be too detrimental.” The “they” Hennelly refers to is the Department of Human Service, which funds developmental disability services through grants.
The department received the $6 billion it sought for the 2010 fiscal year despite the state’s financial crisis. Although almost $1.6 billion would support developmental disabilities, many special needs advocates wonder whether that money will continue funding adult programs.
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It has come to my attention that Gateway To Learning Special Education and Training Center, located in Chicago, IL., has fallen victim, like so many centers providing similar care across the nation, to huge budget cuts and dropped government programs.
As many involved in the special needs community realize, these programs are so important to special needs children and adults in their development and training and as a result of these programs many have become productive members of society. To learn more of Gateway To Learning and the services they provide, please visit gtlchicago.com and feel free to provide a donation to this worthy institute.
Below is a letter sent to the lawmakers of the area that Gateway To Learning is located in. One hopes for the best that action may be taken to spare the special needs children and adults at Gateway, as well as all those across the nation, severe cuts as they are in dire need of the programs that have consistently showed success for their care. These programs are not earmarks or pork barrel projects…these programs are in fact at the very heart of why we as a society show our compassion and extend to those who need it the most the assistance that they truly are entitled to.
It not only improves their lives but ours as well. It may be said that the sign of a healthy and prosperous society is one that provides opportunities and care to their neediest citizens, and our society has always fit that description, which is why I have sent this letter. To wit:
Letter sent to the lawmakers attention…
I am sending you this letter in the hopes that after reading the information contained within, you would see the necessity of lending assistance to an organization that has served the special needs community for over 25 years.
I understand that your time is valuable, and there are many projects that require your attention, which is why I am thanking you in advance for reading this letter and hopefully find it in your heart to intervene and assist those who are so dependent on the kindness of the system in which they live.
Gateway to Learning Special Education and Training Center is in desperate need of government help. The programs that were graciously set aside for the attention, training and development of special needs children and adults are either being reduced dramatically or cut altogether.
This is where your voice may be able to make a difference. As of today, Gateway To Learning serves over 60 special needs children and adults. They represent a wide variety of race and ethnicity. It is through the involvement of the faculty and staff that they receive the proper education and training that is designed specifically for their needs.
Their greatest attributes are the individualized programs that meet the unique needs of each and every student and adult. As a result many former special needs adults trainees have gone on to be productive members of society through the programs and training they received through this reputable institution. I truly feel that Gateway To Learning is an asset to the community they are located in and a benefit to those who need our need our care and specialized attention to them.
For those that can’t speak for themselves, my plea to you is to visit and witness for yourself the good and necessary work that Gateway To Learning provides to the special needs community. I am confident that you will agree that these children and adults need our care and guidance.
This is what have always made our city, state and nation truly great; the ability to have opportunities, concern and compassion to those who need our care and protection.
Thank you once again for your kind attention to this dire matter. The address is:
Gateway To Learning Special Education and Training Center 4925 N. Lincoln Avenue Chicago, Il 60625-2609 773-784-3200Sincerely,
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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiDnX1-Fauo
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Co-Directors: Bob Anderson and Anne Graefin Adelmann
To learn more about Grants in Action and for information on how you can help students and teachers Go Beyond visit www.vbef.org.
The 10th Year Anniversary Gala, to be held on March 25, 2010, will benefit The Victory Center for Autism and Behavioral Challenges, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that works to provide education and services to individuals and families with Autism and similar disorders in a secure and stimulating learning environment.
Miami, FL, March 04, 2010 –(PR.com)– The 10th Year Anniversary Gala is to be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010, at Christine Lee’s Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Proceeds from the Annual Gala will be donated to The Victory Center for Autism and Behavioral Challenges. The mission of The Victory Center, a Florida non-sectarian, non–for-profit Corporation, is to provide children with Autism and similar disorders comprehensive individualized therapy. The students receive one-to-one/ two-to-one student- teacher ratio therapy within a classroom setting based on the principals pioneered by B.F. Skinner and his Applied Behavior Analysis.
Thalya Olmos, Executive Director, states, “Early one-to one and/or two-to-one Applied Behavioral Analysis intervention is the key to the future for our students who face serious challenges in their younger years of life. Is it this very intervention that is provided by The Victory Center which sets a stepping stone for our children to succeed in the future as members in our society. This is why our programs and services are so unique within our community.”
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NEW YORK, Mar 03, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — MetLife, the nation’s largest life insurer, announced today that its nationwide group of highly trained Special Needs Planners serving families and individuals will operate under a new name, the MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning(SM). MetLife has been a pioneer in serving families with special needs through the former MetLife Division of Estate Planning for Special Kids, or MetDESK (R), one of the first dedicated groups of its kind in the financial services industry.
“Awareness of the true scope of the special needs community has expanded dramatically in the past dozen years, and our services and expertise have evolved as well,” noted Lori Epstein, vice president, MetLife. “Families caring for dependents with special needs want guidance to help meet planning challenges. While caregivers are aging, dependents are living longer. We want to be there throughout life’s journey for special needs individuals, helping them to have a more secure financial future and giving the entire family a level of comfort,” Epstein said.
“MetLife has a central role in the special needs community as a financial services provider and trusted source of guidance,” noted Kelly Piacenti, director, MetLife. “We have heard the concerns from the families our Special Needs Planners work with, as well as from our non-profit partners. We want to be able to provide the most comprehensive service to all the families we touch.” In addition to meeting stringent training requirements, many Special Needs Planners are either parents of children with special needs or have close relatives with special needs, Piacenti observed.
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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1JMPB0B-TA
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