CITTI Project Ecuador Tour 2007

Another Wonderful Year…Another Amazing Team

2007-08-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

As the CITTI Project Team wraps up another amazing trip, Bridgett Perry expresses her gratitude for everyone involved.

It’s hard to put into words the feelings and experiences we have shared over the past few weeks. There are the unique, but now familiar, sights and sounds of the cities and countryside…pigs wander without fences, burrows around every bend. But more importantly, there is the sheer excitement of being in such a wonderful country with people I am proud to claim as friends. Over the past three years we have learned, shared, and made amazing accomplishments.

The CITTI Project is not a one person show by any means. It is true teamwork of people with talents, passion, and collaborative spirit. There is Gladys, our Ecuadorian Director, who never stops. Her day is full of meetings, phone calls, and constant hands – on in her community. Her fervor to make a difference leaves the rest of us clamoring to keep up. The success of the CITTI Project has much to do with Gladys’ contributions and commitment to the organizations within the Tungurahua Region. (picture: Gladys (left) with Bridgett)

This year, we have had the fortune to have our own whirlwind of a team, especially our very own project coordinator, Andrea De Leon. Andrea, already a world traveler and skillful planner, managed to keep up with Gladys in preparation for our travels, meetings, and social gatherings. What I find most incredible about Andrea is her ability to tackle any issue, her unique insights to culture and the wisdom that comes from her life experiences. For some, this would be enough, but in Andrea’s case, she is an amazing teacher as well. (picture: Andrea shown with two children of Huambalo.)

We also took on the task this year of compiling a Visual Guide. While it is often difficult for me to delegate, I found complete trust, comfort, and appreciation for the talented team who have been charged to pull this off. From the time I first approached Stacy Springer to lead this team I knew my choice was right. She brings a steady, professional approach to an otherwise daunting and overwhelming task. (picture: Stacy)

Chaya Spector has been a long time documentarian for the CITTI Project, as well as a founding member. From this vantage, her

contributions to the Visual Guide have been invaluable. Thanks to Chaya, the CITTI Project has secured funding and has ironed out a solid plan to completing the job with integrity. (picture: Chaya (right) with Bridgett)

We are also fortunate to be joined this year by Diane Dew, whose enthusiasm for quality while having fun has rounded out the team. Diane's zeal for photography combined with her thoughtful, compassionate insights has been a personal treat to witness. (picture: Diane shown taking photos for the visual guide.)

Every one of our team members are amazing. Sonia Thacher has a special knack for working with teachers and playing with the children. She is a kid-magnet. Sonia has beautiful way with words that connects concepts to reality. The CITTI Project team has several times been grateful for her ability to put into words what we have otherwise grappled with. (picture: Sonia with children in Ambato.)

Lynn Gitlow offers her years of professional expertise, her ability to absorb what is going on around her. Mixing her skills with her observations a special brew of innovations emerges. Then she sits back and let’s other’s take the credit.

Thank goodness for Dennis Martin. Dennis has a way with tools! We just need to throw him an idea and he manages to craft what is needed. I think the thing I most admire is his sensitivity and respect for his Ecuadorian compadres. His creations are truly a cultural collaboration. (picture: Lynn and Dennis)

Maggie Morales is a anchor in the CITTI Project. Being part of our core team for 4 years, in three countries, she uniquely represents the essence of who we are. I constantly learn from her example, marvel at her kindness, and appreciate her consistent, professional, compassionate contributions. (picture: Maggie)

Communication has grown to become an increased area of concern within the organizations and schools we have worked with here in Ecuador. Thanks to Mimi Deegan, we have experienced a rich and transformative

ability to tackle the issues. When our hearts were aching from questions about “when will my child be able to talk”, Mimi was able to patiently, consistently, and considerately lead them through a paradigm shift, helping them see the value of communication in a whole new light. Watching Mimi in action is worth the price of admission alone! (picture: Mimi with Alfanso)

I love getting new blood involved in the CITTI Project. This year, our team has been boosted with two especially gifted people. Elissa Poel has now made friends with many teachers here in Ecuador. She was frequently found with her sleeves rolled up, creating and crafting materials after having listened carefully to those circled around her. And when the circle was not of teachers, she was surrounded by children, eagerly wanting to play her cleaverly disguised games of learning. (picture: Elissa teaching some of the children of Huambalo)

Susan Pompa has been such an incredible presence for the CITTI Project this year. Being a self proclaimed “generalist” she found herself pitching in everywhere where she went. What I most appreciate is that no matter what the task, what the need, when or where we found her, Susan did it with a contagious joyfulness, and determination that goes way beyond “general”. (picture: Susan)

There is no way for any of us to go home without being changed by this experience. This trip has been beyond our expectations. I extend my thanks and gratitude to this year’s team for their continual pursuit of cultural knowledge, their generosity, and their wonderful sense of humors.. I am ever grateful.

Fondly, Bridgett

A Shift in Dynamics

2007-08-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Stacy Springer and Lynn Gitlow, both occupational therapists and assistive technology specialists, admire innovations of Diana, a physical therapist in Huambalo.

Arriving in Huambalo, we were greeted by so many familiar faces from last year as well as new ones. Immediately we were embraced by Diana, the physical therapist, that we had worked with from CITTI Project 2006. Last year Diana was much more passive, listening to every translated word, eager to learn about what she can do with the children with disabilities. We exchanged information around therapy for children with disabilities, and worked on making some adaptations for the children of Huambalo. At the end of last year, we left her with some ideas and adaptions for the children. Some of the positioning supports that we provided included foam wedges, rolled up towels for leg abduction, and hand splints.

Throughout our conversations Diana kept on asking us for information about "plastics" and we provided her with what we knew based on our knowledge of materials that can be for positioning. This year, the dynamics had shifted...and Diana was now eager to show us what she had made since last year´s project. The excitement in her eyes and the smile on her face as she brought us into her therapy room to show her adaptations did not require translation.

Diana, from some of the ideas of how to create supports from local sustainable materials, had created seated positioning supports out of pvc materials. She took large pvc pipes, cut them in half, then molded them over a gas kitchen stove using the end of a broom stick to create the curves. Then, she was able to borrow a drill to attach fasteners for the velcro straps for the seats. She explained the steps for the positioning seats, and that she created each one specifically for children that attended the school. Words could not do justice to the transformation that had taken place in just one year. (picture: Diana shows a positioning seat she made from local materials.)

Diana did not replicate only what we had made, but she generalized and adapted the ideas and the seeds that were planted from last year to make it her own. She had found her solution to the "plastics" question in materials that were sustainable for her and taught us about them too. The dynamics had shifted - she was the teacher, and we were the students. In that moment, we felt the vision and mission of the CITTI Project materialize.

A New meaning to the Term “Resourceful”

2007-08-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

Elissa Poel, Director of the Special Education Student Teaching Program at New Mexico State University, comments on the resourcefulness of teachers, parents, and individuals with disabilities in Ecuador.

As educators in the United States, we pride ourselves as being resourceful when providing for the educational needs of the children in our classrooms. As a newcomer to CITTI Project 2007, I have discovered a new meaning to the term resourceful. I have been working alongside educators, therapists, and parents of children with disabilities for the past eight days in Ambato and Huambalo.

Receiving a salary of $50 - $130 per month, teachers in Ecuador work very hard to meet the needs of the children with disabilities with whom they work. To meet the needs of these children with so little money, the teachers have honed being resourceful to an art form. Empty shoe boxes become engaging activities which cover all curriculum areas. Matching activities that focused on themes (kitchen items, money) were designed from cardboard and clothespins and helped with vocabulary development and work-related skills. A scrap piece of paper with numbers written 1 – 10 and film canisters containing glass beads kept a group of children engaged for 45-minutes, identifying numbers, adding and subtracting, and improving their fine-motor skills. Positioning chairs were constructed from cardboard and used to help students with severe disabilities participate in all activities. Discarded wooden pallets were used to create spaces for classrooms and an accessible outdoor garden center. These are all amazing examples that assistive technology tools come in different shapes and sizes. (picture: Carlos Martinez gives the CITTI Project team a tour of the Special Education Institute in Ambato.)

As teachers and students of another culture, working together and exposing each other to new ideas expanded all of our educational tool boxes. By keeping our focus on the needs of the children, we assisted our fellow educators by helping them break down barriers, adapt for access, and adopt the adaptations for their own purposes. Watching teachers, parents, and students problem solve together provided a glimpse of what it is like to include everyone in an engaging learning process. We are each others’ teachers and students and need to remember “that it’s all about the kids.”

I will be leaving Ecuador and my new friends viewing life through changed lenses. As the Director of the Special Education Student Teaching Program at New Mexico State University, I will work to help new teachers think about the resources they have available to them and help them to focus on creating inclusive environments by empowering themselves, their students, and the parents of the children with whom they work. Two weeks is time to develop friendships, become comfortable in local surroundings, and experience the culture. I get a lump in my throat as this adventure comes to a close. I do hope that I left a piece of me with the children and families of the villages we visited because I am taking away bushels full of new friendships, ideas, and memories.

Building a Mountain.

2007-08-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Dennis Martin, Anatomy, Physiology and Kinesiology Professor of OT and PT programs, pottery teacher, and all around CITTI Project Handi-guy, offers his prospective of this year's project.

I look for the things you don`t see. The different views, sensitivities of individuals, cultures are based on a common need for natural dignity common to all but like seeds must be cultivated and allowed to grow...each in its own way.

My role in this Project was to build things, a portable ramp and an accessible green house for the children of Huambalo to tend, selling the sprouts for income. With each of these projects it was necessary to learn what was being done, what ideas did they already have, and what did they see as their real needs. (picture: the children fill pots with soil and fertilizer.)

With the green house three of us, Arcadio, Susan and I, started with an idea of using available poles, nails and plastic sheeting. This evolved into using pallets on the property to build a three-level mountain on the side of the building which gave the right amount of sun through the day. The overhang of the building added protection from falling volcanic debris and has spouts for the collection of water. Initially, I thought of it as a monument because of shape and weight. But on further thought, I saw it as a representation of the mountain that the communities depend upon for their sustenance. The thought of sometime in the future, to see the mountain covered with green becomes a monument to the efforts of the people that have influenced the realization of their “mountain”.

Seeds give rise to a future for the people of this, and possibly, other communities. Thank you for sharing.

The Seeds of Change

2007-08-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Andrea De Leon, CITTI Project Coordinator and 1st grade teacher of an inclusion classroom, describes how our challenges change to successes with the right kind of care .

San Jose de Huambalo . An endearing community that embraced us with open arms as we arrived at their ``Fundacion San Jose de Huambalo``, a special education school started by Monica, a mother with two special children of her own . It was our second day, our first ``workshop`` day . I sat down with Mimi, a speech language pathologist, and fellow CITTI member at our designated ``communication table`` . As we began to ask the families and teachers at our table to think about and write down some things that they thought their child would want to communicate to them, it became clear that this was not going to go as we had originally thought . Our question was met with blank stares and blank paper . One of the therapists finally asked what she could do to help her students be able to talk, what massages or techniques could she use to help them be able to talk one day . Other parents had similar requests . I turned to look at Mimi, and we realized that we had sort of started out in a place they were not quite ready for . So we started over . We had to share ideas about what communication was… in all its forms . And thus the planting of ideas regarding communication began . (picture: Andrea working with a family of Huambalo)

We began to ask what their children are already doing to communicate, and attempted to validate those means of communication . For example, one mother shared that she and her son had a sort of sign language, in which she understood what he wanted, such as a hand to the mouth meant that he was hungry . From there we discussed what things maybe their children could not quite get across or were harder to understand . And aha…our same therapist shared a story about when that same child was upset about something and she was not quite sure what it was . Mimi explained that this was an instance in which something like a communication board would come in handy . That same therapist was soon making a communication board entitled . ``It hurts…`` and included several body parts in which a child could express a specific pain or discomfort . From there ideas were discussed and turned into reality, with parents, teachers, and therapists alike creating communication boards so children could communicate everything from their basic needs such as going to the restroom, to what fruit they wanted to eat or what activity in the classroom or therapy they wanted to do . Before I knew it was time for lunch .

We had come a long way from the initial questions about how to help children talk, and the community had truly taken ownership of their ideas to help their children communicate, in every sense of the word . The seed not only had been planted, but it seemed to grow rather easily on its own once it was given room to thrive . This culminated with the parents, teachers, and therapists sharing what they had made with the rest of us . One of the mothers actually brought us all to tears as she explained that she was so happy that now she would be able to communicate and understand her son .

The morning was truly amazing and I for one walked away with a new respect and level of appreciation for the whole process . They had a planted a seed in me too . The idea that every community is different and that ``you have to meet them where they are``, as a fellow CITTI Project member so appropriately stated . As the words left her mouth, I realized this was a gift the community in Huambalo had taught me .

The People We Pick Up Along the Way

2007-08-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sonia Thacher, Special Education Teacher, explains the phenomina of our CITTI Project Ripple Effect.

The CITTI Project ripple effect--a puzzling and delightful phenomenon we´ve observed over the past two weeks as our message of increased participation and independence through simple assistive technology spreads throughout the communities we visit. It has, of course, always been our intention to share information and resources with the teachers, families, and individuals affiliated with our three partner associations. For me, one of the most exciting parts of this capacity-building has been the unintended effects on the people we´ve sort of picked up along the way.

Our first day at Asoplejicat, we presented our demo kit of materials to an audience of adults--compañeros-- with various physical disabilities, aided greatly by three skilled translators from the local community. Delighted by the response of many compañeros, and their ideas for how these materials might help others that they knew, we set about making duplicates so that the center would have its own library. As we worked side by side with the members of Asoplejicat, it became apparent to many of us that Tania (an English teacher with no previous special education experience) was churning out materials with one hand while gesturing with the other--bringing both our words and our ideas to life. The second day, our occupational therapist stepped away from the table for a few moments and returned to find that Tania had finished making the hand splint and was now helping a compañero try it out: we´d definitely made a convert.

Tania and the other translators joined us again at the Institute in Ambato, where we were to work with the entire staff of 20 teachers and a handful of allied professionals. Assuming that having childcare would help faciliate these teachers´ participation, we brought along two wonderful babysitters. As it turns out, we didn´t have a single child at the school the first day, and the kids the next day stuck close to their parents. Undaunted, the babysitters set to work making communication boards and helping finish with the construction of a ramp. The second afternoon, they presented their materials alongside the teachers, beaming with pride and blushing at the applause. "I am hoping to become a teacher", said Belan, "and I have learned so much. I think these (materials) can help all children."

Our last stop, Huambalo, brought out the best in a resource we hadn´t tapped yet: on the second day, our two van drivers took their first tentative steps into the special education center. ¨These are the children¨, said Chaya, our photojournalist, indicating the two smiling faces in the wheelchairs beside her, and gesturing towards Maria, a mischeivious little bright-eyed girl whose Down´s Syndrome doesn´t stop her from dancing, playing ball, and literally climbing the walls for attention at times. Chaya noted the pity in the drivers´ expressions--we´ve all felt that, maybe all even started from exactly that place. The drivers nodded solemnly and moved deeper into the room, taking note of the activities swirling around them before heading back to the familiarity of the van.

The next day, they went to work. Helped by a speech pathologist and a special education teacher, they put together six communication boards--the ones Mimi laid out for them and several others of their own design. The father of one child showed us all the board the drivers had helped him make to communicate about elements of their daily life in agriculture--a shovel, water, seeds, and earth. They presented the rest, finishing (with a grin like Maria´s) with a board devoted to "the means of transportation", including, of course, busses and vans. After the applause, Marco spoke again, saying how much they approved of the work we had been doing, how proud they were to have been the ones driving us from place to place, and how much they wanted to leave these boards as ¨recuerdos¨ for the children they had gotten to know. ¨Now I know about these things¨. said Marco, "and I want to be a part of them." (picture : our bus drivers share the communication boards they made for the children of Huambalo)

These, then, are main stories I tell to illustrate the impact we´ve been blessed to have on many of the people surrounding the Project. There are others I wasn´t as close to, who have their own stories as well. The people at the hotel in Ambato asking Andrea, ¨where do you go every day?¨and listening intently to her answer. The hardware store employee who wanted to know exactly what all the tourists would do with PVC pipes and shower hooks, who got an earful from Tania about the students and compañeros. The woman from Huambalo whose children do not have any kind of disability--she stopped by on Monday just to see what was going on at the Center, and stayed the next two days making mouth sticks and matching games. It has been amazing, humbling, and incredibly satisfying to bring our ideas and information to the people of Tungarahua province, and to watch how people from all different walks of life can give those ideas vitality and depth.

Sometimes, you drop a stone and it just sinks in the water. Sometimes, the ripples go on and on and on.

What a Day

2007-07-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

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.)

Ecuador: A Land of Contrasts

2007-07-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

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.

Carlos Transforms Using a Transfer Board

2007-07-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

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.

The Evolution of Our Sustainable Process

2007-07-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

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.

Building a Team, Step by Step

2007-07-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

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!
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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.

Independent Living in Ecuador

2007-07-26T04:41:00.000-07:00

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.

The Creation of the Visual Guide!

2007-07-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

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.

The Cultural Common Threads of Support

2007-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

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.

The CITTI Project at the ISEF Conference

2007-07-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

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.

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

update from Ecuador

2007-07-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

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

In Ambato

2007-06-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Andrea Del Rosario De Leon, CITTI Project Coordinator, has gone ahead of our team to work with our Ecuadorian contacts, smoothing the way for the rest of us!

Hi Everyone!

Greetings from FSD´s office in downtown Ambato. I just wanted to let
everyone know that I have arrived safely and things are well under way
to prepare for CITTI Project Ecuador 2007. I have already visited the
Special Education school and will be heading out to Huambalo tomorrow
with Gladys. Gladys, by the way, is amazing. I can´t wait for everyone
to see her again or meet her for the first time. I feel so lucky to
spend time with her and be able to be here getting things ready for
you all to head down! PS-the past few days have been pretty chilly,
but I will keep you posted on teh weather :) Safe travels to all who
travel soon! To those traveling to Peru, enjoy! Lima can be hectic and
chilly, but interesting. Hope you make it out to Cuzco and Macchu
Picchu. I did that last year before coming to Ecuador and it was
amazing. More updates to come!

Andrea Del Rosario De Leon

¡Viva la visión!

2007-06-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

Bridgett Perry, Assistive Technology and Education Specialist & CITTI Project Director and Founder

From vision to reality, volunteers of Community Inclusion Through Technology, International (The CITTI Project) have spent the past three years as students of another culture, learning and sharing with the people of Ecuador. Through our travels to the Tungurahua region, we have learned much about programs, services, schools, and work opportunities for people with disabilities in this part of the world. Here we go again!

Once more, the CITTI Project has pooled together another team of talented professionals to share ideas and strategies that enable people with disabilities to participate in their communities. This year, of the 13 volunteers, 9 of us are returnees! Among the team are professionals working in the field of assistive technology, professors, special educators, occupational therapists, a speech pathologist and our photojournalists.

Through our collaborations, we strive to expose communities to “technology” that is sustainable and replicable from materials found in the local markets. The simplicity of a hand splint made from leather and sticks enables someone to hold a spoon to eat more independently or to draw with a pencil more easily. A mouth stick or head wand allows someone with little hand movement to point to objects or type on a keyboard. Adapted learning materials and communication strategies increase classroom participation for children with disabilities.

What is truly wonderful is the commitment of everyone involved. The volunteers bring commitment of sharing new resources. Families and individuals with disabilities are committed to assessing their own needs and determining what is important to adopt for their own. Organizations are committed to building resources to share with community members through their existing programs and services. Together, we are our own revolution!

Maggie and I will first be stopping in Lima, Peru to participate in the International Special Education Forum, July 8 – 12, 2007. This is the first of its kind to be held in South America. Proudly, we will represent the CITTI Project and present our Latin American successes!

From there we will join up with our team in Quito Ecuador! Please join us on our journey.

When I think of Huambalo

2007-06-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

By Stacy Spring

I just wanted to write a little about the families that we met last year in Huambalo. I would love returners perspectives on this as well. When I think about Huambalo, the words that come to mind are: community, rich, family, strength, love....

From a typcial American perspective, they are poor and they have very little - very little resources, very little support, very little money, very little food....from an American perspective. However, in order to truly affect change, we have to do our best to not use our 'typical American perspective'. We must, through trying to be a student of another culture, immerse ourselves in the culture, and try to view life through their perspective. If we only look at what they don't have, we can't build on what they do have - community, family, richness, love, strength.

What I took away from Huambalo last year was how rich they are in their community and family. What comes to mind when others think about Huambalo?

I'm nearing the end of the school year and counting down the days to our project!