tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47471784870712466282024-03-12T21:48:41.124-07:00Ed-AbilityA student-led organization at the Harvard Graduate School of Education aiming to learn and advocate the best international practices for the education of children/people with special needs.
Ed-Abilityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772396337366760noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747178487071246628.post-48482495703418340392016-01-15T07:50:00.000-08:002016-01-15T08:08:19.277-08:00Helping Individuals with Sensory Processing Differences: An Interview with Squease<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Squease is a London-based organisation aimed at creating products to help those individuals with Sensory Processing Differences cope with everyday life. We spoke with Sheraz, one of the founders of Squease, to find out more about the Squease Vest and their aims for the future.</i></div>
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We are constantly receiving stimuli through our senses. We
pay little attention to much of the stimuli we receive and they are simply
processed unconsciously. However, people with sensory processing differences
react to the stimuli that they receive in very different ways and may be unable
to tell the difference between an important detail and an unimportant one. They
may be hyper-aware of the feeling of a label inside their t-shirt, or may hear
a buzzing from a light that is not apparent to others. These challenges can
lead to an individual experiencing sensory overload, where the brain is
receiving more stimuli than it can process, and cause feelings of anxiety or
complex behaviours, making everyday life more difficult. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With this challenge in mind, a group of socially minded
designers and engineers set out to create a product that would help individuals
with sensory processing differences. Andy, Katrien, Sheraz and Menno met at the
Royal College of Art and Design in London and worked together for their
graduation project. Inspired by Andy’s nephew Alex, who has autism, the group
wanted to create a product that could be used to help individuals like Alex in
everyday life. They listened to Alex and his friends about their stories and
experiences and worked closely with the people who would use their end product
to find out what would be most effective for them. The team discovered that
many of the people they spoke with found feelings of deep pressure or a
hug-like sensation to be beneficial when they were feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
However, many of them also disliked physical contact, which often introduces
new sensory stimuli. From this, the Squease Vest was born.<o:p></o:p></div>
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An animation on the Squease website gives more information
about how the product came to be: <a href="http://www.squeasewear.com/contact-us/about-us/">http://www.squeasewear.com/contact-us/about-us/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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As Sheraz states, ‘the Squease vest was inspired by Temple
Grandin’s Squeeze Machine. When the vest is inflated with air, it provides a
hug-like pressure to the wearer’s upper body.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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Deep pressure has been widely recognised as a means of
helping to relieve feelings of sensory overload. It has a direct influence on
the amygdala – the section of the brain that produces fight, flight or freeze
responses when it receives what it thinks is threatening stimuli. By providing
a regulatory effect, deep pressure provides a feeling of safety and helps to
reduce the incidence of meltdowns and makes it easier to cope with stress or
overstimulation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When the first Squease Vest was produced, it received
overwhelmingly positive feedback. ‘Based on that, with the help of family and
friends, we decided to turn it into a reality, and launched in 2012. We’ve been
improving the Squease Vest ever since,’ says Sheraz.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The vest is designed to help people with a variety of disabilities
– including Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Anxiety Disorders and Tourette’s,
among others. The team have been working with parents but Sheraz points out
that they ‘also work with a lot of schools, health organisations and therapists
particularly in the UK and Netherlands. Our distributors interact with the same
types of groups overseas.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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Their plans for the future involve awareness building in
both the ASD community and for those with other conditions. Sheraz reports that
they have seen positive results from those with SPD and ADHD, for example. In
addition, the team have been involved in a number of research studies looking
at how the vest can be used in other ways. Sheraz says, ‘we still consider
ourselves in a start-up phase so have a lot of marketing and awareness building
ahead of us. At our core, we are socially minded designers and envision a
pipeline of socially beneficial design products and projects. This will most
likely continue on the theme of Anxiety.’ <o:p></o:p></div>
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The testimonies on the Squease website speak to the impact
that the vest has had on the everyday lives of many individuals, and the team’s
plans for raising awareness in the future will hopefully ensure that more
people are able to access this excellent product. As Sheraz states, ‘we are
really happy that we designed something which helps people deal with the
complexities of life, making their lives and the lives of the people around
them better. The best part of our day here is hearing from a mother explaining
on how the vest has changed the family’s life.’<span style="background: white; color: blue; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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To find out more about Squease, visit their website: <a href="http://www.squeasewear.com/">http://www.squeasewear.com/</a> or email them
at <a href="mailto:info@squeasewear.com">info@squeasewear.com</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Squease Vests can be purchased through their website or
through one of the reselling distributors listed here: <a href="http://www.squeasewear.com/resellers-distributors/">http://www.squeasewear.com/resellers-distributors/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Interview and feature
by Emma Bowell. Many thanks to Sheraz from Squease.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Ed-Abilityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772396337366760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747178487071246628.post-65222925031702088232016-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:002016-01-05T07:51:03.433-08:00Stammerers Through University Campaign (STUC)<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"> Stammerers Through
University Campaign (STUC)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;">Claire Norman, 24, is a graduate and
founder of the UK-based Stammerers Through University Campaign. Here, she shares her
story with us. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm Claire Norman and I’m a 24-year-old graduate from 2014. I have
had a stammer since the age of 5, which has affected many aspects of my life;
from socialising, to participation at school and general telephone use. By the
time it came to entering university, I was increasingly concerned about the
challenges I would face. I read French Studies BA (Hons) at the University of
Warwick and felt that this was a brave decision for a stammerer, because of the
placement year abroad and the French oral segments of the course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">It was at the start of the second term of my final year, in
January 2014, that I noticed a lack of support for stammerers. I found a lack
of resources available for stammerers who are students - whereas children,
teenagers and adults who stammer could more easily find advice. I decided,
therefore, to fill this gap by creating a support campaign that would help
university students who stammer, which I believe I would have found invaluable
had it been in existence during my university studies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The idea came to
me towards the end of my first semester during my final year at University.
Whilst studying for my finals, the stresses of preparing for my oral examination
became too dominating to handle and I started to reflect upon the (lack of)
support offered to me during my 4-year course. I decided that something had to
be done regarding the support offered to stammerers; not just during their
final year, but as soon as they start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I thought of the
initiative and later the name; the acronym ‘STUC’ (Stammerers Through
University Campaign), pronounced ‘stuck’ – emphasises the feeling of being
trapped by having a speech impediment. After the Christmas holidays I presented
my idea to a panel at Warwick University, who then notified me the following
week that I had been successful in gaining a small grant to get the initiative
up and running. It was here that STUC was born!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I was very lucky
to have practical support also, from some Trustees of the British Stammering
Association (BSA). Since then I have been flattered by the number of emails and
messages from university students who seek my support and ask me to persuade
their university to become a partner, as well as BSA members offering their
praise.</span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">STUC aims to
create meaningful change in university settings for anyone who stammers,
whether students or staff. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; letter-spacing: .5pt; line-height: 115%;">We also hope to debunk stammering myths and raise
awareness of stammering more generally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Stammerers -
whether students or staff - can attend a focus group and seminar in a
non-judgemental, supportive environment. These will be attended by a
combination of University stammerers, lecturers, researchers and anyone with an
interest in stammering. In this way, a range of personnel will be available to
discuss the issues and offer responses from different perspectives. By doing
this, the idea of bring together university students, staff and personnel who
stammer will create a group of individuals who can, as a collective, discuss
and examine issues and possible resolutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I work closely
with the university to organise a focus group, during which we identify areas
of concern. These are collated and revised, then used to determine what should
be discussed at a seminar to be held at the university a few months later.
Examples of issues raised in the first focus group at the University of Warwick
included:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">What can be done to help stammerers during their introduction (e.g.
the first fortnight of their first year)</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Ways in which awareness of stammering within the university
environment can be raised</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">How the Students' Union of the university in question can become
involved</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">How certain aspects of university life could be altered in order
to ease the impact, e.g. assessment.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">§<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">How current university students and/or alumni have overcome/are
overcoming this obstacle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">The seminars are a
welcoming, non-judgemental, supportive environment attended by anyone with an
interest in stammering – this is a wide-ranging group including stammerers
themselves (staff, students, stakeholders, etc), lecturers, counsellors and
researchers. The hope is that by bringing together university students, staff
and people who stammer, we will create a group of individuals who can, as a
collective, discuss and examine issues and possible resolutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; letter-spacing: .5pt; line-height: 115%;">STUC currently has 9 partners (Newcastle University; Imperial
College, London; University of Kent; Leeds Trinity University; City University,
London; University of York; King’s College London; University of St. Andrews
and </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">University
College London (with University College London Union). For more information,
contact Claire below:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Email: clairenorman@stuc-uk.org<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Twitter: <span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;">@STUC_UK<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; letter-spacing: .5pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook: </span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/stamcam"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; letter-spacing: .5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">www.facebook.com/stamcam</span></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Ed-Abilityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772396337366760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747178487071246628.post-39258551604389112722015-11-08T18:00:00.002-08:002015-11-08T18:00:37.646-08:00#LetsTalkAboutDisability - a new campaign to raise disability awareness<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In conversations about diversity and difference, disability is often left out, despite the fact that it can traverse race, gender, sexuality and religion. Yesterday, as part of the Fulfilling the Promise of Diversity celebrations at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ed-Ability took the opportunity to put disability back on the agenda by launching a new social media campaign: Let's Talk about Disability.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This campaign is an opportunity for people to share their own beliefs, thoughts and experiences about why we need to make disability a talking point. It is a way of raising awareness for the many 'invisible' disabilities that can have a huge impact on an individual's day-to-day life. It is a way of making sure that disability is not left out of the conversation again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The messages we gathered yesterday ranged from the personal to the profound. What they all had in common was a sense of the need for an inclusive society in which all people are treated as equals and are given the chance to succeed, regardless of their needs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few messages below:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's keep the conversation going. #LetsTalkAboutDisability</span>Ed-Abilityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772396337366760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747178487071246628.post-7142777509351344042015-10-12T00:22:00.001-07:002015-10-12T00:35:15.777-07:00Nick Hoekstra addresses IEP Class of ‘16 <div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Written by Syeda Farwa Fatima</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Co-Founder of Ed-Ability</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ed. M Candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Education</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #404040; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Nick Hoekstra, a former </span><span style="background: white;">graduate of the International Education Policy (IEP) program
at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and current </span><span style="background: white; color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Advisor on Inclusive Education at Ecuador's
Ministry for Knowledge and Human Talent</span><span style="background: white;">, visited
Cambridge last week. He brought together</span><span style="background: white; color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> an Ecuadorian delegation of leaders in higher education to understand
the inclusive practices and specialized facilities offered at different
institutions across Massachusetts. His aim was to help the delegation explore
the best practices of inclusive education that they all can take back home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxgDi_We3LfSYqgh1tb5bcYGRHq3wfENi9LJ7aPzkDgDPxWJ1jR3JyQ7bsrNPXR3tguMYnzfdUFHBBF2djv_fJx_8JUtjhxtM9v_ij58tBzdlsVGB0-i1P_Qtmf-OMfKMuWgDlKWaiPc/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxgDi_We3LfSYqgh1tb5bcYGRHq3wfENi9LJ7aPzkDgDPxWJ1jR3JyQ7bsrNPXR3tguMYnzfdUFHBBF2djv_fJx_8JUtjhxtM9v_ij58tBzdlsVGB0-i1P_Qtmf-OMfKMuWgDlKWaiPc/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
inspirational as Nick is, he addressed a group of current IEP program students and
reaffirmed the resolve of many present there to determinedly work for Education
For All (EFA). Having lost his sight at the age of 8, Nick led a tumultuous
life that not only helped him learn how to overcome his own battles, but also
how to help others surpass theirs. As he recalled, he felt very fortunate to
have grown up in the US where he always had the experience of being treated as
a ‘normal’ student. With the exception of a year in the beginning when he was
in placed in a special education environment to learn how to use the braille
and other technological facilitations, he proudly spoke how he always studied
in inclusive settings. He believed that it was because of such settings that he
was able to come this far. </span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Drawing
on his college experiences, Nick spoke about his time at the University of
Michigan where he felt very comfortable with the accommodations offered and
support available. However, when he did a study abroad program in Santiago,
Chile, he for the first time realized what it was for students with
disabilities elsewhere, other than the US. He humorously recalled as to how
there were no special accommodations for students with disabilities at the
university and he had to send his textbooks back home to be digitized. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">However,
Nick drew his real inspiration to change the education systems for children </span>with
disabilities around the world, from his experiences in Japan. He describes how
the Japanese education system viewed students with disabilities or cognitive
impairments as ‘dumb kids’ who were bunched together into one big group,
regardless of what grade level they belonged to, and administered extremely
substandard services. As he worked as an English teacher in a general education
public school, he was requested to visit some blind children at a nearby school
one day. It was there that he met a young eight-year old boy, full of passion
and intelligent energy but unfortunately had been put together with children
much younger than him and was forced to follow the same trajectory of learning
as those around him. This triggered Nick’s provocation as he sorely reflected that
‘this was the age when I lost my sight and how easily this could have been me
in another country and context’.<span style="background: white; color: #141823; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nick
understood how he needed to work with the policy makers to change the reality
of countries like Japan. Although HGSE did not offer a customized master’s
program in special education, Nick took advantage of the flexibility of the IEP
program and shaped it to his interests. He took up all the classes offered that
related to the subject from Special Education Policy with Laura Schifter,
Inclusive Education with Tom Hehir, to Universal Design Learning with David
Rose. He also organized an international conference on inclusive education
practices and built many resources and connections through that experience. He
graduated from HGSE and began working with an international organization called
Creative Associates in Washington D.C when an opportunity to work for the
Ministry in Ecuador knocked his doors- stemming from some great connections he
managed to maintain over the years. He immediately prepared himself for yet
another rollercoaster and set off to explore a land that was once again,
nothing like home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #141823; font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Nick’s
unwavering courage and positive energy was definitely contagious. It helped
strengthen the resolve of many of us to believe in our capabilities and strive
in the way of our drive, no matter how difficult and remote it may seem-the
distance eventually closes and success comes forth-ideals that echo through
many of our discussions, resonating with Jimmy Carter, Frances Fowler and
Fernando Reimers- as we #learntochangetheworld.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ed-Abilityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17154772396337366760noreply@blogger.com0Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA42.3754729 -71.12196389999996942.3747399 -71.12322439999997 42.376205899999995 -71.120703399999968