Differentiation, it's all the same

As I watched a preparation for standing program today which included students from two classes I realized two things.

1. It's remarkable how such a diverse group of students can all work successfully within the same CE environment

2. Our Communican program has truly employed the same differentiation processes as our CE program

Now this shouldn't really come as a shock to me! After all as director of the program my primary goal, when integrating Communican into our environment, was to ensure we continued to employ the CE philosophies.
But it was just so nice to see the conductors creating a space where the students individual needs were met within the group; and to know that this was continued on into the Communcian program was inspiring.

There are many aspects to the Communcian program that may not follow a more 'traditional' view of CE. However I am more and more confident with each passing day, each success and each development that we have managed to maintain enough of the CE principles and philosophies to have begun to develop an incredibly successful and productive program.
One I hope all involved will agree they can be truly proud of!






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Adapted Art Classes

We are lucky enough to have a resident artist at the school here. Alba Somoza is a working artist and teacher here in NYC. She also happens to have cerebral palsy, uses a power wheelchair and a communication device similar to the kind some of my students are using!
She has been coming to the school each month to teach adapted art projects to the students!
She spends some time training the para professionals to be effective art partners and she has the students direct the entire art process. It has taken some time for the adults facilitating to take that step back and simply follow the directions of the students. But with the help of our Communican communication books the students are taking the reins and loving it!
The result? Finally we are seeing the students true artist talents shining through!












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Social scripts

One of the key components of the Communican program is becoming confident with social communication, a very motivating experience for the students at the school here.
Finding ways to repeat social scripts without letting the activity become mundane is one of the many things that make this program so much fun for creative teachers.
This week class 2 has been working on a social script to help students link greetings to extending conversations, using their new friend, puppet 'Pauly D'.
We find that the students will respond far better to puppets and avatars than their teachers, and who can blame them? There's only so many times you want to hold a greeting conversation with your teacher!




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Location:W 69th St,New York,United States

The future

I spent the week of spring break in Cincinnati with my friend watching him use his ECO to communicate. He blew me away! After only 2 years of practicing and learning the device and his access methods he is so incredibly fast. In fact he was faster using his scanning method than I was accessing the device using direct select.
As well as being incredibly proud of how independent he has become over the last two years, (he is now able to access the Internet, FB, send emails and now also text from a cell phone), it also made me think about the prospects for the students at our school!
While being able to express your wants and needs is incredibly important and a great place to start the communication process, to be able to envision our students interacting with the world at large through the Internet as fully as any 'typically' developing individual is more exciting than I ever imagined!
Contacting friends on FB, arranging dates, chatting about the latest fashion or news events, texting each other and participating so fully in the on line world can ease the frustrations their physical bodies so often put upon them when trying to interact face to face. On line we are all equal!


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Location:NYC