A 2007 project idea proposed :(

Note: this was a course purchase I proposed to Continuing Ed in 07 FRP comprises of pwds and family members who have combined our expertise to address a social issue and have designed a course in disability studies. The course an outcome from various surveys, training and research that members of the committee has participated in within the past decade. We have seen that these researches ect have failed to progress beyond a report, a document and a launching ceremony. The issues revealed with them still exist e.g. marginalization of pwds through ignorance and negative attitudes. As a result of societal isolation most still live in poverty and endure discrimination. This sordid treatment undermining pwds dignity and human rights came primarily from professionals and family members. In solidarity and in a quest to change this situation FRP was formed. Our goal is to change attitudes and behavour through a evolutionary course that emphasizes that pwds can be initiators of change through education and technology. we use the course as an incubator to transform minds fill with prejudices towards pwds to participants becoming empowered members of society, who as change-makers within their sphere of responsibility, will join us in promoting the equal rights of pwds, as stated in the UN convention and other declarations and policies. We have been able to access a limited amount of funding to begin the process and with financial support from your organization we could further strengthen the programme and improve the quality of the course so as to meet the goal of full inclusion of pwds in society. Module 1: Program Orientation -- Getting Most from This Program · Guidelines for You to Get Most from Program · Tips to Improve Your Reading and Studying Skills · Extensive Free, Online Resources About Business · Designing Your Best Approach to Completing the Program Module 2: Starting and Understanding Your Business Organization · Conduct Feasibility Analysis About Starting an Organization · Key Roles in Your Organization · Basic Structures in Your Organization · Life Cycles of Your Organization · Culture of Your Organization Module 3: Understanding Role of Chief Executive · What is a Chief Executive Officer (CEO)? · Major Functions of CEO · Core Knowledge and Skills for CEO Role · Early Preparation for Building Board · Early Preparation for Strong Board-Staff Relationships · Avoiding "Founder's Syndrome" Module 4: Developing Your Basic Management & Leadership Skills · Basic Skills in: · · · Problem Solving/Decision Making · · · Planning · · · Delegation · · · Internal Communications · · · Meeting Management · · · Managing Yourself · Optional -- Advanced Topics in Management and Leadership · Optional -- Designing Your Management and Leadership Development Plans Module 5: Building and Training Your Board of Directors · Understanding Board Roles and Responsibilities · Building Policies and Committees · Building Committees · Recruiting New Members · Ensuring Strong Participation · Board and CEO Evaluations · Board Calendar and Operations · Organizing Board Manual · Training Board Members Module 6: Developing Your Strategic Plan · Understanding Strategic Planning · Writing Your Mission, Vision and Values Statements · Conducting Strategic Analysis · Setting Strategic Direction · Conducting Action Planning · Developing Operating Budgets · Writing and Communicating Your Plan · Monitoring and Evaluating Your Plan Module 7: Marketing Your Products/Services and Promoting Your Organization · Conducting Market Analysis for Each Product/Service · Developing Your Public and Media Relations Plan · Developing Your Sales Plan · Developing Your Advertising and Promotions Plan · Organizing Your Marketing and Promotions Plans Module 8: Managing Your Accounting and Finances · Basics of Bookkeeping · Budgeting · Cash Management · Financial Statements · Financial Analysis Module 9: Staffing and Supervising Your Employees · Defining New Job Roles · Recruiting Job Candidates · Screening Applicants · Orienting New Employees · Delegating to Employees · Ensuring Strong Performance · Firing Employees · Personnel Policies and Handbooks Module 10: Practical Guide to Managing Ethics in the Workplace · What is Business Ethics? · Myths About Business Ethics · 10 Benefits of Managing Ethics · Ethics Management System · 8 Guidelines for Managing Ethics · 6 Key Roles and Responsibilities · Ethics Tools: Codes of Ethics · Ethics Tools: Codes of Conduct · Ethics Tools: Policies · Ethics Tools: Resolving Ethical Dilemmas · Ethics Tools: Training

on call disability style -on going

This is how we roll. In the last decade or so I've embraced the concept of 'on call' because I realized services loopholes are frustrating families with members who have disabilities. These programs consistently fail.They loose the path where they were initially created to therefore,the result is that they reach fewer persons than was intended. Families are dismayed and have lost confidence in the so called 'supportive' systems. I have taken the roll of offering one on one free consultation to individuals, parents of members living with exceptionalities. They call me to vent,to complain and to seek advice. Being the go to person for them not only is personally satisfying it also reinforced my understanding that services and supports to persons with disabilities are only effective when they are individualized. For example in 2011 I stated a meeting day, once a week,and though it never advertised, it took off via word of mouth. during that time I eventually met students with various challenges in the school system. In my quest to never let them leave my office empty handed. I taught myself the specific ideas/skills so as to be able to offer some support with what they struggling with. I also cautioned the parents to understand that this is for life. Together we are looking for management strategies matching the child's needs as there are no cures.

People first -why? ongoing

I had an interesting conversation with some of my students over the year. Segregation and inclusion are opposites.the impression I received was that segregation is comfortable and convenient. Including students with various disabilities is an uncomfortable concept. in this blog though i want to focus on language effects. Guyanese in general speak broken English. the hafa man, one eye lady funny foot ole man ate some of the ways people are refereed to. if they protest against the call name they are laughed at or considered picky, touchy etc who likes to be viewed by their weakness first? South African wrote a book called people first. in it he talked of perception of a person based on disability. the argument could be inferred as 'one eye lady' what will people be looking for first? you guessed it if she has one eye. the lady maybe a great seamstress or mechanic but, she is never referred to as the lady who sews coats well or repairs car engines yet people will casually call her the one eye lady. which one sounds more positive? the one eye lady or the efficient mechanic lady?

A Commentary-Inclusive Education

Wednesday, 3 October 2012 A Commentary-Inclusive Education as it applies to the child with special needs The Education moth 2012 theme is 'transformation the nation through Inclusive education'. As the Subject Specialist, Special Education I would like to highlight what this year’s theme means for the children with disabilities or with a learning needs or both? We all have some basic conception of what that term means. It serves as a reminder to us to put the term in perspective through the provision of appropriate and effective services at varying levels specific to children with these needs. The inclusion process is more than a slogan; it is a philosophy that demands a paradigm shift in thinking where we ask and answer the question “ how can we build an inclusive education system that benefits every child?” Since as a country we are still evolving, it places us in an opportune position to set a task force whose goal it is to examine the inclusive practices already in existence and to tailor them to the local structures. It also demands that we attach funding to needs. Additionally we need to revise the communication structure throughout the layers in the Ministryof Education, a necessary task to enable us to achieve the national goal of delivering quality education to all our children. Some ways we could work to find a holistic approach to successfully meet the needs of our children with disabilities are to waiver the teacher allocation to schools with children identified as having learning needs and allow in classrooms, when it is necessary, para- professionals such as interpreters. The goal of any education system is to provide basic primary education that would grant children a future, enabling them to function within their abilities. Some economically sound executions of the inclusive process for children with learning needs are: 1. Automatic supports within the school system – the Districts’ education personnel are cognizant of a child with needs in specific schools because the communication process from placement to headteacher operates to benefit the child. 2. Inclusive education is placing the student at the centre of education and other support services. It’s emphatically supporting the children with an “eye” on their future. Posted by Special Ed Guyana Ministry of Ed at 10:01 No comments: Email This Monday, 3 September 2012 Janice O’Neill a volunteer from Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) has spent a year in Guyana coaching teachers in Primary and Special Schools. Janice has become a friend to the Special education Unit. We will fondly remember her pleasant and gregarious personality. Professionally she has contributed to building the professional acumen and confidence of trained teachers who were practicing principles of good teaching but were unsure they were on the correct path. On behalf of the students, teachers and Special Education Unit I say heartfelt thank you to Janice and wish her great achievements in her forward journey. Friday, 13 April 2012 In the quarter Jan-March 2012 the SEN Unit Welcomed a New PCRV Susan Steinberg who will be working at St Barbarnas Assessed 14 children referred from mainstream school for evaluation for a disability Prepared national assessment forms for mainstream primary schools Carried out 15 Coaching sessions in Special Schools Completed the module on Autism Monitoring visited SEN schools 2 Headteachers training on curriculum adaptation and teaching reading to students with learning disabilities SEN schools participated in Mash celebrations Congrats to NA Special School and Sophia Special School who won prizes Posted by Special Ed Guyana Ministry of Ed at 09:35 No comments: Tuesday, 17 January 2012 Generic materials put to educational use The SEN Unit hosted a series of workshops in 2011. In April 2011 the unit hosted the teaching materials workshop where the participants were parents and teachers. They hailed from Regions 3, 4,6,10 and Georgetown. The participants made teaching aids from generic materials such as rice, flour, boxes, newspapers etcetera. Items made were: White board slates Beans/rice bag The hidden answer plaque Sewing cards Matching/rhythm dominoes Paper toy Play dough Reposted from http://specialeducationguyana.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-05:00&max-results=5

I was born Karen Anne Hall to a wonderful family comprising of my mother and grandmother and uncle and assorted number of friends and relatives.who accepted me as I am. A child born with a congenital disability.

The life journey was stormy, often riddled with eruptions of volcanic proportions. Hemmed in from every side all I could do was wade through until I find a flickering light. Change was my constant, here today,and there tomorrow.

My flickering light was education. Free education I embraced then struck out paid ones I could not afford. Acceptance in society was limited and sporadic just like that flickering candle in the wind they were short and quickly burned out. Many scholarships I applied for until one was approved.

Ear to the ground I listed for opportunities. Ones people told people never me though. viewed as half a woman- a spoiled identity ignored when it truly mattered.

Volunteer a bit here and volunteered a bit there -labour in exchange for training and work experience. Slowly and painfully struggled to carve my path through the the tsunami of discrimination, ignorance and segregation.

Today I stand before you a qualified educator, an advocate and a warrior for social revolutions where I join with like minded souls to scroll back the waves of poverty and lack of equity as it dissipates in the face of determination, self assurance and endurance.

Articles- revisited.

I laughed and laughed while re-re-reading my previous posts. I have grown so much  since then and as I reflect on those experiences I realize gutsiness, faith and  determination were  my greatest allies.

The]masters degree? I got it! looking at the  next one now. Fingers crossed and prayerfully seeking avenues to make it happen.

The prosthetic woes continue, unfortunately, that area of my life is a serious affliction. A useful way to I found as a helpful compensation is dance to be fit exercises. They give me the  buoyancy and balance I need to survive/avoid falls.

I am still living pay check to pay check though on the  other hand I am working. I am even repairing an old  building in preparation for the non-profit project for persons with disabilities.

The well meaning but visionless relatives and friends I realize what they think is 'none of my business'!

So with pleasure I introduce the new serene and self assured me.

Discrimination base on disability -a reprint

I call myself a visionary, my idea of personal success was based on the things I learned as a youth in church and read along with my family however when I voice these goals the reaction I get is absolute silence -is that silence I wonder from shock? Dismay that this disable child and later woman dare to dream big or just plan judgmental based on disability?
Well I was born in the late 60's with three incomplete limbs and one fully formed hand so based on reaction from relatives and family friends not much was expected from me. "Ahh if she doesn't die before age five well she will just be a burden but is we own so we gaffa try wid she". This was the common tone of referral to me, "hey I wanted to shout I ain't gat much limbs but I'm not deaf. I could hear your dismal pronunciation on my life"

But thankfully I am from a family that love to read and I was a sponge, before I was age 11 I'd read books by Norman Vincent Peal, Herbert W Armstrong on the power of the mind and seven laws of success, I'd read Malcolm X and a series of books on the power of affirmation by Charles Fillmore from Silent Unity. These were the ones that stood out.

I began strategizing for my life, advocating to my mother and using arguments to swing her thoughts and attitude from the negative to positive. I was campaigning for my life! Well I did a reasonable job. For after attending special school and learning kinder garden work for the first eight years of my life and being bored. I manage to finally cross over and enter mainstream school at age 13. I just wanted the foot in. There began the route to my academic goals.
25 years later I have a degree and am about to pursue a masters, I have 15 years working experience in teaching in mainstream school, working in clerical and accounting projects and currently manages projects. All this I did wearing prosthesis and sometimes from a wheelchair. Same mostly limbless child turned mostly limbless women has began to achieve my vision of academic and professional successes.
In this journey I battled abuse - both psychological and physical. My parental team have all died and I live one paycheck away from poverty. I live in a developing country where real enabling services for disabled people are still absent.
My secret to achievement lie in focusing on my vision irrespective of what others predicted or whether they fail to support or encourage me. It lies in my belief in my creator that he brought me here for a purpose and its evolving. It lies in actively seeking opportunities and building allies, it lies in letting go of some of allies and in reconnecting with others after a while. It lies in my willingness to go it alone when all others around me fail to visualize a successful future for me.

I endured depression, low blood pressure, financial and housing woes, lost of assets and opportunities, high cost of accessing a pair of prosthesis. Yet through it all my strong faith and my tireless pursuit of a life of independence has continues and is ongoing.
My next goal is to in partnership with my disable peers and other stake holders build hotel access and an employment integrative village in my country Guyana to minimize the struggles of persons with disabilities who could live independently but are being forced to accept charity and welfare because of the attitude prevalent in society of “low expectations for persons based on disability.
(first appeared on disboom.com)