Susan Pompa describes a day at the Special Education School in Ambato.
Our visit to the Special Education school ended in a spectacular ¨Show and Tell¨ session led by the teachers who participated in the Make and Take¨ Workshop all morning. Starting out on Friday, breaking into groups according to interest, CITTI Project Ambassadors met with teachers to discuss challenges the teachers face in the classroom regarding transition students, communication disorders, educational learning materials and outcomes, and assistive technology applications.
After assessing the needs of the teachers, we gathered together for a demonstration of products that CITTI Project brought along to share. With lots of enthusiasm, the teachers asked questions and gave scenarios of how they could possibly use these items in their classrooms. We promised to meet with them early in the morning for a comprehensive hands-on workshop where they could make items like we showed, and adapt items to even further meet their needs.
At the communication-visual strategies table, Mimi and Andrea led teachers of students who are non-verbal to show how to make communication boards, eye gazes, communication booklets, daily schedules, counting games and more to help increase communication between students, teachers, and each other. Armed with Velcro, scissors, and lots of clear plastic sheets, they were able to turn scraps into gems, points into choices, glances into words.
At the Educational Learning Materials table, Sonia, Maggie and Elissa led a team of teachers in making a number of ¨Shoebox Tasks. Thanks to Gladys´s collection of 50 shoe boxes, the teachers went to town on color sorting, shapes, numbers and word activities, to accommodate students with a wide variety of abilities and disabilities.
In the center of the room, Stacey and Lynn held court with teachers interested in Occupational Therapy strategies to increase access for students in writing and computer activities, and activities related to daily living. Alternative ways to hold pens and utensils were introduced and reproduced . Teachers created trucks with crayons, gripper pens, a spoon with a hair band attached to the hand, and other items. A head wand on a hat was made to facilitate pointing, painting or typing on a keyboard for students who had limited or no hand or arm mobility.
The day wore on and the teachers enthusiasm spilled throughout the room, resulting in multiple creations, new designs, adapted versions of the items in the CITTI Project´s ¨Dog and Pony¨show (as we so fondly like to refer to it). Now here were, teachers, administrators, therapists, and generalists, gathered together to watch the big show. The show that would illustrate how the fruits of our collective labor accomplished what we set out to do -- teach the teacher and beyond!
As it turn out, each day we add new people to our collective mind. Today not only did we add the teachers and administrators of Ambato´s Special Education School, but the two babysitters we hired, who had no babies to tend to today, joined us enthusiastically in all of the activities, at all of the tables. They made their own creations: a communication board and an adapted book, and proudly presented it to the entire audience. Future teachers, with inclusion in mind--what more could we ask for from one days work?
Ah, let us not fool ourselves. Days, months, even years went before to build this structure--but today the cement was laid. (photo: group picture at the Special Education Institute of Ambato.)
Monday, July 30, 2007
Ecuador: A Land of Contrasts
Diane Dew, CITTI Project Media Specialist, writes of her experience with a new culture.
This is my first trip to a South American country. For me, every moment is filled with wonder. I’ve learned that Ecuador has three distinct areas which are completely different, not only in climate but apparently also culturally and socially.
We are in the Andes, which I understand to be very different from the coastal area to the west and the jungles to the east. We’ve spent most of our time so far in two large cities (Quito and Ambato), and had a glimpse of the countryside when we traveled between them. (picture: Diane makes friends with Alfanso in Huambalo.)
In many small and large ways, I noticed things that are different from what I’m used to in the US. Life seems to move at a slower pace here. If we have an appointment to meet with people, they may be there on time or they arrive there several hours later. In restaurants, waiters may take your drink order before the food order, but the drinks don’t show up until you’ve finished eating.
The exception to the slow pace is the traffic – drivers speed down narrow, crowded streets, frequently giving small horn toots to warn people to get out of the way. Pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way.
There is a very high presence of heavily armed police and security guards in the cities. You see trucks full of police with very large guns, and many stores have an armed guard wearing a bullet-proof vest standing in the entry way. On our shopping excursions to buy local materials for our projects, we have been followed around inside stores by security people.
In Ambato, there are fewer tourists than in Quito, and there is a much larger presence of indigenous people. In front of the internet café, you might see a woman in traditional regional dress sitting and selling baskets of tomate de arbol (tree tomatoes) or mora (blackberries). The contrast between modern technology and traditional ways is striking.
We had a chance to go to several open markets, which are a feast for the senses. In each of the stalls, you see women surrounded by baskets of fruits or vegetables, open sacks of rice or other grains, buckets of meat (using all parts of the animals), or whole roasted pigs. They wear the distinctive hats and blanket shawls particular to their region, and often carry children or large, heavy loads on their backs using blankets.
An Ecuadorian specialty is cuy (guinea pig). Some families raise their own. We’ve seen whole cuy displayed on spits by street vendors. They do smell delicious, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to eat one…
We’ve been very lucky to be able to spend several days with people in organizations that CITTI Project has visited the past two summers. The trust that has developed over this time allowed us to make easy connections with the people. I feel most welcomed each time we are together. It is customary to give a hug and kiss on the cheek each day when you meet and then again when you part. I love this!
Meals are different as well. Our group has eaten at the hotel and in restaurants, had lunches prepared and served by local women, and were served lunch by the people at the special education school. For breakfast, we are always offered a variety of blended fresh fruit drinks in gorgeous colors.
For lunch and dinner, the first course is always a rich and filling soup – my favorite so far is locros de papas, which is a cheesy potato soup with avocados. There is a heavy emphasis on meat and starch – many meals include TWO kinds of meet, rice AND potatoes, with maybe a small portion of pickled vegetables.
The next part of our trip will be in Baños and the small town of Huambalo. I am looking forward to more new experiences. I feel so lucky to be part of this group, and to have a chance to connect with the people of Ecuador.
This is my first trip to a South American country. For me, every moment is filled with wonder. I’ve learned that Ecuador has three distinct areas which are completely different, not only in climate but apparently also culturally and socially.
We are in the Andes, which I understand to be very different from the coastal area to the west and the jungles to the east. We’ve spent most of our time so far in two large cities (Quito and Ambato), and had a glimpse of the countryside when we traveled between them. (picture: Diane makes friends with Alfanso in Huambalo.)In many small and large ways, I noticed things that are different from what I’m used to in the US. Life seems to move at a slower pace here. If we have an appointment to meet with people, they may be there on time or they arrive there several hours later. In restaurants, waiters may take your drink order before the food order, but the drinks don’t show up until you’ve finished eating.
The exception to the slow pace is the traffic – drivers speed down narrow, crowded streets, frequently giving small horn toots to warn people to get out of the way. Pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way.
There is a very high presence of heavily armed police and security guards in the cities. You see trucks full of police with very large guns, and many stores have an armed guard wearing a bullet-proof vest standing in the entry way. On our shopping excursions to buy local materials for our projects, we have been followed around inside stores by security people.
In Ambato, there are fewer tourists than in Quito, and there is a much larger presence of indigenous people. In front of the internet café, you might see a woman in traditional regional dress sitting and selling baskets of tomate de arbol (tree tomatoes) or mora (blackberries). The contrast between modern technology and traditional ways is striking.
We had a chance to go to several open markets, which are a feast for the senses. In each of the stalls, you see women surrounded by baskets of fruits or vegetables, open sacks of rice or other grains, buckets of meat (using all parts of the animals), or whole roasted pigs. They wear the distinctive hats and blanket shawls particular to their region, and often carry children or large, heavy loads on their backs using blankets.
An Ecuadorian specialty is cuy (guinea pig). Some families raise their own. We’ve seen whole cuy displayed on spits by street vendors. They do smell delicious, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to eat one…
We’ve been very lucky to be able to spend several days with people in organizations that CITTI Project has visited the past two summers. The trust that has developed over this time allowed us to make easy connections with the people. I feel most welcomed each time we are together. It is customary to give a hug and kiss on the cheek each day when you meet and then again when you part. I love this!
Meals are different as well. Our group has eaten at the hotel and in restaurants, had lunches prepared and served by local women, and were served lunch by the people at the special education school. For breakfast, we are always offered a variety of blended fresh fruit drinks in gorgeous colors.
For lunch and dinner, the first course is always a rich and filling soup – my favorite so far is locros de papas, which is a cheesy potato soup with avocados. There is a heavy emphasis on meat and starch – many meals include TWO kinds of meet, rice AND potatoes, with maybe a small portion of pickled vegetables.
The next part of our trip will be in Baños and the small town of Huambalo. I am looking forward to more new experiences. I feel so lucky to be part of this group, and to have a chance to connect with the people of Ecuador.
Carlos Transforms Using a Transfer Board
Lynn Gitlow, Ph.D., OTR/L, ATP, and Stacy Springer, MS, OTR/L, observed the transformation of Carlos as he realized what a simple tool can mean to his independence.
Carlos Padilla is a 30 year old man with a charming smile who has just recently been attending Asoplejicat. Carlos never imagined that he would need to attend an independent living center. He survived a motorcycle accident approximately 10 months ago, and as a result he now has paraplegia and uses a wheelchair. Prior to the accident, he worked in a machine factory and was married with two children. Carlos talked to us about his wife leaving him and loosing his job after the accident. With all of the loss that he sustained, he shut himself in his room for months, with thoughts of wanting to die.
We met Carlos at Asoplejicat, an independent living center, where he is beginning rehabilitation.
He uses a wheelchair for mobility and is dependent on his sister or his niece for moving him from his wheelchair to his bed. Carlos was in attendance while the CITTI Project team demonstrated various low tech adaptations and tools to the members of Asoplejicat. After the demonstration, individuals went off to different areas to either make the adaptations or learn strategies for using the tools. When a CITTI Project team member asked Carlos what he wanted to do, he said that he would like to try the transfer board, a tool that aides individuals in moving or transferring from one surface to another.
We went into the independent living center’s training apartment, and Carlos wanted to try to transfer from his wheelchair to a couch which is the same size as his bed at home. After explaining transferring techniques and the process of using the transfer board, Carlos was eager and ready to try this tool himself. With us by his side talking him through the process, Carlos for the first time only relied on the transfer board to move from his wheelchair to the couch. There was no need for translation when he successfully and safely made it to the bed using the transfer board; his face said it all with a huge confident smile. The kind of smile that says WOW and lets others know that something life changing had just happened.
In Carlos´ own words “I depend on my sister to help me do everything, take a shower, move from one place to another and now I feel I can do it myself.” Then Carlos did it again – using the transfer board he moved back to his wheelchair. Another smile appeared and his arms flexed into a triumphant victory pose. (pictures: Carlos transfers using a transfer board. Carlos smiles at his independent success!)
Carlos did not stop there either, he went into the bedroom the next day and with instruction from Lorena, another member of the Asoplejicat community who was trained to teach transfer techniques, he slid across the transfer board from his wheelchair into the bed. An actual bed that is much higher that the first couch he transferred to the day before. With the support of his community, and the CITTI Project team, Carlos is on his way to independence.
Carlos Padilla is a 30 year old man with a charming smile who has just recently been attending Asoplejicat. Carlos never imagined that he would need to attend an independent living center. He survived a motorcycle accident approximately 10 months ago, and as a result he now has paraplegia and uses a wheelchair. Prior to the accident, he worked in a machine factory and was married with two children. Carlos talked to us about his wife leaving him and loosing his job after the accident. With all of the loss that he sustained, he shut himself in his room for months, with thoughts of wanting to die.
We met Carlos at Asoplejicat, an independent living center, where he is beginning rehabilitation.
He uses a wheelchair for mobility and is dependent on his sister or his niece for moving him from his wheelchair to his bed. Carlos was in attendance while the CITTI Project team demonstrated various low tech adaptations and tools to the members of Asoplejicat. After the demonstration, individuals went off to different areas to either make the adaptations or learn strategies for using the tools. When a CITTI Project team member asked Carlos what he wanted to do, he said that he would like to try the transfer board, a tool that aides individuals in moving or transferring from one surface to another.
We went into the independent living center’s training apartment, and Carlos wanted to try to transfer from his wheelchair to a couch which is the same size as his bed at home. After explaining transferring techniques and the process of using the transfer board, Carlos was eager and ready to try this tool himself. With us by his side talking him through the process, Carlos for the first time only relied on the transfer board to move from his wheelchair to the couch. There was no need for translation when he successfully and safely made it to the bed using the transfer board; his face said it all with a huge confident smile. The kind of smile that says WOW and lets others know that something life changing had just happened.In Carlos´ own words “I depend on my sister to help me do everything, take a shower, move from one place to another and now I feel I can do it myself.” Then Carlos did it again – using the transfer board he moved back to his wheelchair. Another smile appeared and his arms flexed into a triumphant victory pose. (pictures: Carlos transfers using a transfer board. Carlos smiles at his independent success!)
Carlos did not stop there either, he went into the bedroom the next day and with instruction from Lorena, another member of the Asoplejicat community who was trained to teach transfer techniques, he slid across the transfer board from his wheelchair into the bed. An actual bed that is much higher that the first couch he transferred to the day before. With the support of his community, and the CITTI Project team, Carlos is on his way to independence.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
The Evolution of Our Sustainable Process
Bridgett Perry, CITTI Project Director, describes how the process of our sustainable model has grown.
It is an amazing experience to watch a dream spout from seed, take root, and blossom before our eyes. This being our third year in Ecuador, working with the same communities, we have shared cultures, built trust, and broke bread. I marvel at the compassionate team we have assembled and at the generous hearts and minds of the people we have met. Together, a process has evolved, simplistic, meaningful, and sustainable. As Mercedes, director of Asoplejicat, eloquently put it...¨From simples things, great things are made.¨
The making of these great things from simple, affordable, local materials, has been a wondrous experience. We have witnessed people increase their independence with 25 cents worth of materials. We have seen teachers create their own classroom activities from shoeboxes and plastic cups, popsicle sticks, coat hangers, and duct tape. From informational exchange, we learned of each other’s successes and challenges. We shared ideas with models created from store bought materials, dumpsters, and scrape piles. And the beauty is that they took those models and not only replicated, them but made them their own, changing, tweaking and tuning their creations.
An essential step that emerged in our process has been how the leaders have turned around and trained others. They have taken their own unique models and trained their own community to replicate, learn, and strategize. They have passed on techniques and skills, expanding their own knowledge in the process. Then, taking examples of their tools they have displayed them for colleagues, families, and friends.
This is the essence of a sustainable model.
It is an amazing experience to watch a dream spout from seed, take root, and blossom before our eyes. This being our third year in Ecuador, working with the same communities, we have shared cultures, built trust, and broke bread. I marvel at the compassionate team we have assembled and at the generous hearts and minds of the people we have met. Together, a process has evolved, simplistic, meaningful, and sustainable. As Mercedes, director of Asoplejicat, eloquently put it...¨From simples things, great things are made.¨
The making of these great things from simple, affordable, local materials, has been a wondrous experience. We have witnessed people increase their independence with 25 cents worth of materials. We have seen teachers create their own classroom activities from shoeboxes and plastic cups, popsicle sticks, coat hangers, and duct tape. From informational exchange, we learned of each other’s successes and challenges. We shared ideas with models created from store bought materials, dumpsters, and scrape piles. And the beauty is that they took those models and not only replicated, them but made them their own, changing, tweaking and tuning their creations.
An essential step that emerged in our process has been how the leaders have turned around and trained others. They have taken their own unique models and trained their own community to replicate, learn, and strategize. They have passed on techniques and skills, expanding their own knowledge in the process. Then, taking examples of their tools they have displayed them for colleagues, families, and friends.
This is the essence of a sustainable model.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Building a Team, Step by Step
Susan Pompa, Assistive Technology Associate Director of LINC, offers her perspective as a new CITTI Project team member.
We came with our bags packed from 7 different states, many walks of life, and many histories. Between the neatly folded t-shirts and bars of dark chocolate in our suitcases, our questions were scattered about, with the hopes of being answered soon. On our backs, under our securely-packed back along with our highly- guarded passports and carefully-measured liquids (3 oz. only, thank you) we brought along our skills, each as different as the snapshots our passports encased.
The last of us arrived late Saturday night where we were met by a driver holding a sign with our names, amid a bustling Quito airport crowd. Trust was surely in the air at that moment. Through the dark streets to the nameless hotel, the driver let out his two passengers where they were eagerly met by cheerful smiles and giggles coming from behind the hotel room door. Okay, here we are, now what´s the plan? You´ll know more in the morning, see you at 8 for breakfast. Buenos Noches!
--------------------
Sunday morning breakfast gathered the group together to share eggs, jugo de papaya, talks of flights and arrivals, side trips and mountain climbs. There were introductions and reunions. Shortly after, we boarded our van, all united under one roof, heading to Ambato. Two vehicles followed behind us filled with our baggage, our bag of tricks, equipment, photography paraphernalia, and lots of tissue (thanks to the thoughtful warnings we repeatedly received from our leaders who´ve come before us.)
Three hours to Ambato. A backdrop of vivacious and majestic volcanoes set the stage, as we laughed and talked and exchanged our thoughts , feelings and experiences. This was an important time-share for this captive audience getting to know each other quickly as a whole, as we had big work ahead of us. At least that´s what we were told, yet to be unveiled, even as we disembarked at the doors of the Hotel Florida in Ambato.
We met together as a group for an overview, an official orientation, and a few details thrown in for fun. Here we learned more about the CITTI Project, where we have been, where we are going. This year we want to build on last year´s success, with the amazing return count of 9 extraordinary professionals in the field of assistive technology, special education, occupational therapy, speech pathology, photography, even anatomy. Add to that 3 new members to the group, all of whom were immediately embraced and brought into the fold. For more details on what we will be doing, meet at breakfast at 8, we were told. Buenos Noches.
The next day at breakfast we meet and get our itinerary. Off we go to the Asoplejicat Center where we visit the community computer center, then to the therapy center and independent living center. We meet and talk at length with ASO Center Director, Mercedes, the residents, the therapists, and forge ahead with our assessments. Trying every second to not lose sight of the community´s needs, and discarding our American assumptions when they crept in.----
Working as a full unit, we came together to develop our plan using the talents of the group, and dividing naturally into specialized sub-groups. We identified three area of focus. --We needed to make a ramp to increase the accessibility of the center van for the wheelchair users. Immediately, Dennis, ramp maker extraordinaire from 2006, was called to lead the team, with Maggie right by his side. --The OT´s, Lynn and Stacy, were assigned to come up with transfer strategies and techniques to pass along to ASO members, employees, and residents. Their goal is to use the talents of our skilled photographers, Diane and Chaya, to clearly illustrate the transfer strategies in an easy to follow demo board we can leave behind.
The third team ¨The Make It-Take It Team¨ consists of Elissa, Sonia, Mimi, and me, with the added expertise of Stacey, Lynn and Andrea.
The most amazing thing about the morning was the incredible team that emerged. This team, working as a whole on the same goals, under the same mission. Then the emergence of the sub-teams that collaborated to get specific tasks done. Now we have a plan, and to make it really work we need to make sure that we can teach others to teach others, and hopefully for them to teach even more people. How were we to make all this happen? In a way that was cost-efficient, replicable and sustainable? No one shot deals for CITTI Project, were in it for the long haul.
Thanks to Andrea´s fantastic ability to translate our goals so clearly, along with Thania and Adam, we will be able to go beyond just providing a short term solution for one, but now can achieve our goal to take these ideas to a larger whole.
There is still much work to be done and it´s only lunch time. Off to the market place to purchase items for our creations, modifications and adaptations. Here we are, a swarm of scary American shoppers barrelling down the aisles of the dime store, the hardware store, the wood shop, and the fruit stalls, all afternoon, on the lookout for items on our list. Identifying what we needed to make our replicable, affordable and sustainable suggestions.
At our day´s end debriefing, we came together and declared that our day was a success, and we achieved much. We recognized the importance of our team approach, and felt like together we could tackle anything that will come our way during our stay. We have our materials and we are ready to go.
Of course, we can change our minds, our directions, and our daily plans at a moment´s notice, but not our team spirit, our determination, and our clear mission. These will remain solid.
We came with our bags packed from 7 different states, many walks of life, and many histories. Between the neatly folded t-shirts and bars of dark chocolate in our suitcases, our questions were scattered about, with the hopes of being answered soon. On our backs, under our securely-packed back along with our highly- guarded passports and carefully-measured liquids (3 oz. only, thank you) we brought along our skills, each as different as the snapshots our passports encased.
The last of us arrived late Saturday night where we were met by a driver holding a sign with our names, amid a bustling Quito airport crowd. Trust was surely in the air at that moment. Through the dark streets to the nameless hotel, the driver let out his two passengers where they were eagerly met by cheerful smiles and giggles coming from behind the hotel room door. Okay, here we are, now what´s the plan? You´ll know more in the morning, see you at 8 for breakfast. Buenos Noches!
--------------------
Sunday morning breakfast gathered the group together to share eggs, jugo de papaya, talks of flights and arrivals, side trips and mountain climbs. There were introductions and reunions. Shortly after, we boarded our van, all united under one roof, heading to Ambato. Two vehicles followed behind us filled with our baggage, our bag of tricks, equipment, photography paraphernalia, and lots of tissue (thanks to the thoughtful warnings we repeatedly received from our leaders who´ve come before us.)
Three hours to Ambato. A backdrop of vivacious and majestic volcanoes set the stage, as we laughed and talked and exchanged our thoughts , feelings and experiences. This was an important time-share for this captive audience getting to know each other quickly as a whole, as we had big work ahead of us. At least that´s what we were told, yet to be unveiled, even as we disembarked at the doors of the Hotel Florida in Ambato.
We met together as a group for an overview, an official orientation, and a few details thrown in for fun. Here we learned more about the CITTI Project, where we have been, where we are going. This year we want to build on last year´s success, with the amazing return count of 9 extraordinary professionals in the field of assistive technology, special education, occupational therapy, speech pathology, photography, even anatomy. Add to that 3 new members to the group, all of whom were immediately embraced and brought into the fold. For more details on what we will be doing, meet at breakfast at 8, we were told. Buenos Noches.
The next day at breakfast we meet and get our itinerary. Off we go to the Asoplejicat Center where we visit the community computer center, then to the therapy center and independent living center. We meet and talk at length with ASO Center Director, Mercedes, the residents, the therapists, and forge ahead with our assessments. Trying every second to not lose sight of the community´s needs, and discarding our American assumptions when they crept in.----
Working as a full unit, we came together to develop our plan using the talents of the group, and dividing naturally into specialized sub-groups. We identified three area of focus. --We needed to make a ramp to increase the accessibility of the center van for the wheelchair users. Immediately, Dennis, ramp maker extraordinaire from 2006, was called to lead the team, with Maggie right by his side. --The OT´s, Lynn and Stacy, were assigned to come up with transfer strategies and techniques to pass along to ASO members, employees, and residents. Their goal is to use the talents of our skilled photographers, Diane and Chaya, to clearly illustrate the transfer strategies in an easy to follow demo board we can leave behind.
The third team ¨The Make It-Take It Team¨ consists of Elissa, Sonia, Mimi, and me, with the added expertise of Stacey, Lynn and Andrea.
The most amazing thing about the morning was the incredible team that emerged. This team, working as a whole on the same goals, under the same mission. Then the emergence of the sub-teams that collaborated to get specific tasks done. Now we have a plan, and to make it really work we need to make sure that we can teach others to teach others, and hopefully for them to teach even more people. How were we to make all this happen? In a way that was cost-efficient, replicable and sustainable? No one shot deals for CITTI Project, were in it for the long haul.
Thanks to Andrea´s fantastic ability to translate our goals so clearly, along with Thania and Adam, we will be able to go beyond just providing a short term solution for one, but now can achieve our goal to take these ideas to a larger whole.
There is still much work to be done and it´s only lunch time. Off to the market place to purchase items for our creations, modifications and adaptations. Here we are, a swarm of scary American shoppers barrelling down the aisles of the dime store, the hardware store, the wood shop, and the fruit stalls, all afternoon, on the lookout for items on our list. Identifying what we needed to make our replicable, affordable and sustainable suggestions.
At our day´s end debriefing, we came together and declared that our day was a success, and we achieved much. We recognized the importance of our team approach, and felt like together we could tackle anything that will come our way during our stay. We have our materials and we are ready to go.
Of course, we can change our minds, our directions, and our daily plans at a moment´s notice, but not our team spirit, our determination, and our clear mission. These will remain solid.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Independent Living in Ecuador
Mimi Deegan, Speech and Language Therapist and Assistive Technology Specialist, conducted an interview during our collaboration with members of Asoplejicat, an organization by and for adults with disabilities.
This was the second day of three, working with the members of Asoplejicat, an adult independent living skills center in Ambato. Two members of Asoplejicat were interviewed, so those of us with the CITTI Project could learn more about this organization. The members interviewed were Eraldo Montenegro, who mentors new members, and Jose Orlando Aponte Nunez, who recently came to Asoplejicat, to learn new skills.
When asked about Asoplejicat’s mission, Eraldo said it is “Helping people learn to have an independent life, especially when people have accidents and begin to use a wheelchair.” Eraldo added that “They can come here and stay in our apartment for as long as three months, and learn how to use the bathroom, take showers, cook, and go places independently.” He is currently mentoring Jose, and they are living in the apartment together.
Eraldo reported that when Jose first came to Asoplejicat, he could not shower independently. “I told him how to take a shower step-by-step, and then I showed him, too. Now he takes one by himself, and is also cleaning the apartment himself!” Jose stated that the best part of being at Asoplejicat is that “I live with other people in wheelchairs. It helps my mind and my mood. “Jose also said “I’m learning that I must believe in myself. I was feeling alone and my mood was down. The best thing they have here is community.”
When asked how people learn about Asoplejicat, Eraldo reported that some doctors refer patients to them. They also are working with the university, so physical therapy students go there for training. Besides teaching daily living skills, the center also has physical therapy services, and a doctor who prescribes these services.
As part of learning independence, new members are taken downtown to learn how to get around in a wheelchair. Eraldo is a wheelchair athlete, and plays basketball, so he also teaches new members wheelchair sports. Jose is learning how to use a shotput for competition.
Eraldo also has a job as a computer technician. When asked to tell about mentoring, he replied, “It is very nice. I am learning more than I am teaching, all the time. I have learned a lot here, from everyone. Everyone who comes here is a new and different person, and I must learn different ways of teaching them.” Eraldo acknowledges that in the midst of teaching daily living skills, he is also trying to build community spirit. He went on to say that “I used to tell people how to do something, and order them around, like ‘Do this, do that.’ Now, I do it together with the person, and everyone gets involved. Now, the group helps each other, we work hand in hand. If someone in the group can’t do something, others can help him with it.”
Jose revealed that “When I came here, I was a very shy person. Now that I have
met other people in wheelchairs and see what they can do, I am now very different.” Eraldo agreed, and said “You have to learn to love yourself as you are. You have to let people know that you are the same as everyone else, and have the same rights as everyone else. I meet a lot of people, and they are surprised that I can do so much even though I am in a wheelchair. I sometimes teach able-bodied people things I can do and they can’t.” He says being a mentor means, for him, that he wants to show other people with disabilities they can be involved with society, and have something to do, an objective in their life. He would like Asoplejicat’s services to include psychology, to help with members emotions, and “Teach them not to be afraid.” Jose would like to study psychology for this purpose.
This was the second day of three, working with the members of Asoplejicat, an adult independent living skills center in Ambato. Two members of Asoplejicat were interviewed, so those of us with the CITTI Project could learn more about this organization. The members interviewed were Eraldo Montenegro, who mentors new members, and Jose Orlando Aponte Nunez, who recently came to Asoplejicat, to learn new skills.
When asked about Asoplejicat’s mission, Eraldo said it is “Helping people learn to have an independent life, especially when people have accidents and begin to use a wheelchair.” Eraldo added that “They can come here and stay in our apartment for as long as three months, and learn how to use the bathroom, take showers, cook, and go places independently.” He is currently mentoring Jose, and they are living in the apartment together.Eraldo reported that when Jose first came to Asoplejicat, he could not shower independently. “I told him how to take a shower step-by-step, and then I showed him, too. Now he takes one by himself, and is also cleaning the apartment himself!” Jose stated that the best part of being at Asoplejicat is that “I live with other people in wheelchairs. It helps my mind and my mood. “Jose also said “I’m learning that I must believe in myself. I was feeling alone and my mood was down. The best thing they have here is community.”
When asked how people learn about Asoplejicat, Eraldo reported that some doctors refer patients to them. They also are working with the university, so physical therapy students go there for training. Besides teaching daily living skills, the center also has physical therapy services, and a doctor who prescribes these services.
As part of learning independence, new members are taken downtown to learn how to get around in a wheelchair. Eraldo is a wheelchair athlete, and plays basketball, so he also teaches new members wheelchair sports. Jose is learning how to use a shotput for competition.
Eraldo also has a job as a computer technician. When asked to tell about mentoring, he replied, “It is very nice. I am learning more than I am teaching, all the time. I have learned a lot here, from everyone. Everyone who comes here is a new and different person, and I must learn different ways of teaching them.” Eraldo acknowledges that in the midst of teaching daily living skills, he is also trying to build community spirit. He went on to say that “I used to tell people how to do something, and order them around, like ‘Do this, do that.’ Now, I do it together with the person, and everyone gets involved. Now, the group helps each other, we work hand in hand. If someone in the group can’t do something, others can help him with it.”
Jose revealed that “When I came here, I was a very shy person. Now that I have
met other people in wheelchairs and see what they can do, I am now very different.” Eraldo agreed, and said “You have to learn to love yourself as you are. You have to let people know that you are the same as everyone else, and have the same rights as everyone else. I meet a lot of people, and they are surprised that I can do so much even though I am in a wheelchair. I sometimes teach able-bodied people things I can do and they can’t.” He says being a mentor means, for him, that he wants to show other people with disabilities they can be involved with society, and have something to do, an objective in their life. He would like Asoplejicat’s services to include psychology, to help with members emotions, and “Teach them not to be afraid.” Jose would like to study psychology for this purpose.
Monday, July 23, 2007
The Creation of the Visual Guide!
Stacy Springer, Occupational Therapist and Assistive Technology Specialist, has taken the lead of the CITTI Project Visual Guide.
As we continue our work with the families and communities of ecuador from past years, we add yet another focus for the CITTI project. This year we will be embarking on the development of The Visual Guide for Assistive Technology in the Developing World. The Visual Guide will document how to support individuals with disabilities through the use of strategies and tools that will utilize materials and resources from the local communities.
The Visual Guide, made possible through a grant from the Irene S. Scully Family Foundation and the Ruth and Marco Goodman Donor Advised Fund, will rely primarily on the use of photos to show how to make a tool, or how to implement a strategy for individuals with disabilities. The limited resources that are currently available do not reach many communities due to being text-based, thus requiring reading skills, and not being culturally appropriate.
While we know that the guide will document step-by-step processes for supporting individuals with disabilities in various meaningful and necessary performance areas (i.e. work, school, play, daily living), the specifics will unfold to ensure that the guide is culturally appropriate and sustainable. The guide will be publihsed and provided to the families and communities that we are working with, and will evolve with future CITTI projects. In staying true to the CITTI project mission to build capacity and sustainability, this guide will serve as a resource tool for the families and communities to facilitate their self-efficacy - the belief that they have the power to effect change in their own lives; building capacity within their own communities.
As we continue our work with the families and communities of ecuador from past years, we add yet another focus for the CITTI project. This year we will be embarking on the development of The Visual Guide for Assistive Technology in the Developing World. The Visual Guide will document how to support individuals with disabilities through the use of strategies and tools that will utilize materials and resources from the local communities.
The Visual Guide, made possible through a grant from the Irene S. Scully Family Foundation and the Ruth and Marco Goodman Donor Advised Fund, will rely primarily on the use of photos to show how to make a tool, or how to implement a strategy for individuals with disabilities. The limited resources that are currently available do not reach many communities due to being text-based, thus requiring reading skills, and not being culturally appropriate.
While we know that the guide will document step-by-step processes for supporting individuals with disabilities in various meaningful and necessary performance areas (i.e. work, school, play, daily living), the specifics will unfold to ensure that the guide is culturally appropriate and sustainable. The guide will be publihsed and provided to the families and communities that we are working with, and will evolve with future CITTI projects. In staying true to the CITTI project mission to build capacity and sustainability, this guide will serve as a resource tool for the families and communities to facilitate their self-efficacy - the belief that they have the power to effect change in their own lives; building capacity within their own communities.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The Cultural Common Threads of Support
Maggie Morales, Teacher of Orthopedically Impaired & CITTI Project Core Team Leader, offers her insights regarding family support models.
Bridgett and I are already getting settled into the Sierra Nevada Hotel in Quito, and while the CITTI Project 2007 gets underway, I’d like to take a few moments to reflect on my experiences at the International Special Education Forum (ISEF) in Lima Peru.
This was my first international special education conference. Once again, I found myself being a student of another culture. However, this time I was a student of “many” cultures as there were doctors, researchers, teachers, and families from all regions of our planet. I was eager to fill the empty pages of my notebook with new information about different educational/training models; research findings from other countries about how they reach rural areas; and forming possible universal collaborative contacts.
During the conference, there were several common threads that were woven throughout the many keynote speeches and concurrent sessions. The concept of “training trainers” was a reoccurring topic discussed by many presenters from several different countries. Each country and/or agency had a slightly different model which best served the needs of the people they were supporting. One common thread for each of these information sharing sessions was that focusing resources on training trainers has an effective multiplying effect that will hopefully serve more people in the long run – especially those in rural areas.
Another common thread between the presentations was the agreement that an important component of any model for training trainers is to involve & provide training for the families of the students with disabilities. At the Centro Ann Sullivan de Peru (CASP), they have even established “Individual Family Education Plans” (IFEP). These plans include a methodology which allows the families (parents, students, and siblings) to evaluate the support & training that they receive from the Centro, so that there can be on-going assessment and feedback about the process.
I am left feeling the fabric of the CITTI Project contains many of the conceptual threads that were woven together throughout the forum. During my years of involvement in the CITTI Project, there has been consistent involvement with the families of children with disabilities. Four years ago, we provided training at the Dana School in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. This school was started by Olivia because she has a son with multiple disabilities, who was not physically or cognitively able to access the public education system. Because of this one woman’s vision, many children are benefiting. At the Dana school, our focus was to train not only the teachers at the school, but teachers and therapists from surrounding agencies as well. After working in Mexico, we came to Ecuador. At every agency we visited, we not only have met the administrators, teachers and therapists from those agencies, but we met the children and their families as well. Throughout all the different phases of the CITTI Project in Ecuador, we have been connecting with and supporting the families of children with disabilities.
As I get ready for the CITTI Project 2007, I am anxiously awaiting to connect with familiar faces and to meet new ones. I can hardly wait to reconnect with the agencies, children and families that we have been working with. What I bring with me this year to add to the emergent weave of the CITTI Project is the knowledge that I have gained from attending the ISEF. That there is a universal thread of family support throughout many different cultures that is connecting different models of educational training and support. Teachers and trainers that we have worked with may come and go, but the families of the children are a constant. The CITTI Project has woven these families into our fluid model of educational & assistive technology support, and hopefully some thread of the CITTI Project is a supportive part of their family fabric as well.
Bridgett and I are already getting settled into the Sierra Nevada Hotel in Quito, and while the CITTI Project 2007 gets underway, I’d like to take a few moments to reflect on my experiences at the International Special Education Forum (ISEF) in Lima Peru.
This was my first international special education conference. Once again, I found myself being a student of another culture. However, this time I was a student of “many” cultures as there were doctors, researchers, teachers, and families from all regions of our planet. I was eager to fill the empty pages of my notebook with new information about different educational/training models; research findings from other countries about how they reach rural areas; and forming possible universal collaborative contacts.
During the conference, there were several common threads that were woven throughout the many keynote speeches and concurrent sessions. The concept of “training trainers” was a reoccurring topic discussed by many presenters from several different countries. Each country and/or agency had a slightly different model which best served the needs of the people they were supporting. One common thread for each of these information sharing sessions was that focusing resources on training trainers has an effective multiplying effect that will hopefully serve more people in the long run – especially those in rural areas.
Another common thread between the presentations was the agreement that an important component of any model for training trainers is to involve & provide training for the families of the students with disabilities. At the Centro Ann Sullivan de Peru (CASP), they have even established “Individual Family Education Plans” (IFEP). These plans include a methodology which allows the families (parents, students, and siblings) to evaluate the support & training that they receive from the Centro, so that there can be on-going assessment and feedback about the process.
I am left feeling the fabric of the CITTI Project contains many of the conceptual threads that were woven together throughout the forum. During my years of involvement in the CITTI Project, there has been consistent involvement with the families of children with disabilities. Four years ago, we provided training at the Dana School in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. This school was started by Olivia because she has a son with multiple disabilities, who was not physically or cognitively able to access the public education system. Because of this one woman’s vision, many children are benefiting. At the Dana school, our focus was to train not only the teachers at the school, but teachers and therapists from surrounding agencies as well. After working in Mexico, we came to Ecuador. At every agency we visited, we not only have met the administrators, teachers and therapists from those agencies, but we met the children and their families as well. Throughout all the different phases of the CITTI Project in Ecuador, we have been connecting with and supporting the families of children with disabilities.
As I get ready for the CITTI Project 2007, I am anxiously awaiting to connect with familiar faces and to meet new ones. I can hardly wait to reconnect with the agencies, children and families that we have been working with. What I bring with me this year to add to the emergent weave of the CITTI Project is the knowledge that I have gained from attending the ISEF. That there is a universal thread of family support throughout many different cultures that is connecting different models of educational training and support. Teachers and trainers that we have worked with may come and go, but the families of the children are a constant. The CITTI Project has woven these families into our fluid model of educational & assistive technology support, and hopefully some thread of the CITTI Project is a supportive part of their family fabric as well.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The CITTI Project at the ISEF Conference
Bridgett Perry and Maggie Morales are currently attending the International Special Education Forum (ISEF) in Lima, Peru. Bridgett shares about their experience.
Continuing on as students of another culture, the ISEF Conference in Lima Peru is providing us a wealth of opportunities to learn about special education around the world. There are several thriving examples of how Latin American countries are serving people with disabilities. Peru and Brazil are especially impressive. Peru, for example, has verified through their last census that 41.1 % of 15 year olds do not read or write. 24% have only a primary education. Of children with disabilities receiving an education, only 3% are children in rural settings. This highlights the need to proactively reach out and serve children in the countryside and those in indigenous communities. Peru has an amazing project do to just that. Through the Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru (CASP), a special education center in Lima, there is successful long distance training, complete with an excellent model for follow up and evaluation of their efforts. To date, they have trained 1764 participants within 82 groups throughout the country by using video training tools, mentorship, and practical application with children. This train the trainer technique has a great multiplying effect on surrounding communities as well. We have much to glean from their well crafted service delivery model.
Maggie Morales has joined me to represent the CITTI Project at this international venue. Together, we presented about the adaptations created in collaboration with the communities in Ecuador over the past two years. We shared examples of hand-made splints, adapted toys, adapted books, communication boards and education materials. This focus also gave us an opportunity to share the concept of our Visual Guide, our photo-based resource currently being developed for publication. We also had a chance to invite others to follow our journey this year via the blog.
Continuing on as students of another culture, the ISEF Conference in Lima Peru is providing us a wealth of opportunities to learn about special education around the world. There are several thriving examples of how Latin American countries are serving people with disabilities. Peru and Brazil are especially impressive. Peru, for example, has verified through their last census that 41.1 % of 15 year olds do not read or write. 24% have only a primary education. Of children with disabilities receiving an education, only 3% are children in rural settings. This highlights the need to proactively reach out and serve children in the countryside and those in indigenous communities. Peru has an amazing project do to just that. Through the Centro Ann Sullivan del Peru (CASP), a special education center in Lima, there is successful long distance training, complete with an excellent model for follow up and evaluation of their efforts. To date, they have trained 1764 participants within 82 groups throughout the country by using video training tools, mentorship, and practical application with children. This train the trainer technique has a great multiplying effect on surrounding communities as well. We have much to glean from their well crafted service delivery model.
Maggie Morales has joined me to represent the CITTI Project at this international venue. Together, we presented about the adaptations created in collaboration with the communities in Ecuador over the past two years. We shared examples of hand-made splints, adapted toys, adapted books, communication boards and education materials. This focus also gave us an opportunity to share the concept of our Visual Guide, our photo-based resource currently being developed for publication. We also had a chance to invite others to follow our journey this year via the blog.
We were especially pleased to present in a room here at the Hotel Delfines, with an auspicious audience that included live animal totems. While we presented, dolphins swam past the windows of this unique room built with an underwater view! The dolphin totem is about balance, harmony, and communication. This must be why they showed so much approval of the CITTI Project!
Mas información tarde!
Bridgett
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
update from Ecuador
Andrea updates us on the preparations she has been making with a few of the disability-related organizations and special ed schools in the Tungurahua Region of Ecuador
Greetings all!
I have been busy running around with Gladys visiting the organizations we will be working with and setting things up for your arrival! Just yesterday I visited Asoplejicat and met with the director Mercedes, who is very excited that we will be visiting again. They have even posted an announcement on their wall:) On Friday I will be going to their independent living center, of which I hear there have been many improvements. I have also already visited Huambalo and seen some of the kids from last year: Santiago, Diego, Alfonso, Andrea, Jaime, and Miguel to name a few. Monica, the director of the fundacion in Huambalo, is always amazing and is ready for us to come! I also have met with Carlos, the director of the Special Education school here in Ambato, who has already spread the news of our visit to all of the teachers there. Tomorrow I head to Quero to meet with the director there. I find myself busy but having an amazing time. We have a few planned trips that I hope you will enjoy... be sure to pack your gloves and a scarf as it has been pretty cold on certain days here. I had to borrow some from Gladys. I´ll share more soon,Andrea
Greetings all!
I have been busy running around with Gladys visiting the organizations we will be working with and setting things up for your arrival! Just yesterday I visited Asoplejicat and met with the director Mercedes, who is very excited that we will be visiting again. They have even posted an announcement on their wall:) On Friday I will be going to their independent living center, of which I hear there have been many improvements. I have also already visited Huambalo and seen some of the kids from last year: Santiago, Diego, Alfonso, Andrea, Jaime, and Miguel to name a few. Monica, the director of the fundacion in Huambalo, is always amazing and is ready for us to come! I also have met with Carlos, the director of the Special Education school here in Ambato, who has already spread the news of our visit to all of the teachers there. Tomorrow I head to Quero to meet with the director there. I find myself busy but having an amazing time. We have a few planned trips that I hope you will enjoy... be sure to pack your gloves and a scarf as it has been pretty cold on certain days here. I had to borrow some from Gladys. I´ll share more soon,Andrea
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