A new home!

Standing Tall has made a huge change, we have moved from our main site at West 69th Street where we have been happily providing services for over 12 years now, to a new 10,000 square feet space in West Harlem.
We have been able to move our annex class back in with us and we now have access to 6 large classrooms, 4 offices, 2 therapy rooms, a huge industrial kitchen, and a multi-purpose room.

The move has not been without its stresses but after our first three days in the new space we are already beginning to settle in. The students seem content, the staff seem calmer, the therapists are on cloud 9 and me? Well it's been a couple of busy of months I'm physically and emotionally exhausted and I'm also incredibly excited as we move the school into its new phase.

We had some very happy times at 69th Street and while I'm still a little sad to be saying goodbye, I'm also looking forward to new adventures and creating new memories at 116th Street!



Packing up 69th Street!









Some of the 6 classrooms in the new space!








Celebrating together on the first day at 116th Street!


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Location:101 West 116th Street, NY, NY, 10026

Closing the Gap 2012

So here we are at CTG presenting 'Jumpstarting AAC: From light tech to iPad to devices'.
I've never been behind the scenes, so to speak, at a conference before! It's definitely a learning experience!
Long, long, long hours of preparation!
Technical issues!
Then a long day of standing and talking!
And you know what? I am loving every single second of it.


We talked about our program and the amazing progress our students have made.
We discussed the integration of communication and best seating within the confines of a Conductive Education program.
And all the while I was conscious that it all sounded too good to be true! And let's face it if I hadn't actually been the one teaching the program I may have found it hard to believe too!
Hopefully I managed to convince the people who came that this is not fiction, this is real and it works!
Tomorrow I'm helping set up the booth and at an iPad workshop.
Wednesday Pati and I are presenting an hour on scripting before I have to fly back to NYC!
It's all to and I don't want it to end! LOL

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Location:Normandale Blvd,Bloomington,United States

New semester, new students

With a group of new students entering the school we have begun using a newly developed communication book. As these students are all 5 years old we are using 6 symbols on the page rather than 12.
We are introducing sequencing in stories and our social scripts and the students are responding very well so far.






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Location:NYC

AVA Camp Day 4 Continued...The Dance

Wow! Anyone who knows me knows I do not dance...however how could I possibly refuse multiple invitations from the adorable Cory? Before I knew it I was whirling around the dance floor and I'm sure, making a complete fool of myself lol!
Two of the highlights for me were watching the Dance-Off! A circle on the dance floor which allowed each of the campers to showcase their dance moves. Once again I was blown away by the talent of these campers. There were some really great dancers!
The second highlight was an imitation of John Travolta and Olivia Newton Johns song Summer Nights, performed by myself and Daron! We even brought a tear to J-Macs eye it was so moving, LOL!




I can't wait to see what our last day will bring!
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Location:E Lauderdale Dr,Whitewater,United States

AVA Camp Day 4

It's warming up here in Wisconsin and camp is progressing and becoming more crazy by the second!
This mornings language class included choosing awards for our fellow campers and games!
Our group were guessing what sports personalities they had written on paper that they couldn't see! Each team member answered questions to ascertain who their sportsperson was!
After lunch we talked about goals for the coming year and I was impressed and astounded by the mature goals set by each of the campers. Goals such as finding a job, applying to college, being a better boyfriend, improving communication skills and power chair driving skills.
This group of campers have high expectations for themselves and this gives me great hope. I love that they are able to believe in themselves and I look forward to seeing how each of them develops in the coming year.
We watch a movie this afternoon, "Only God Could Hear Me", check it our here on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=2r9pvtNTx4k&feature=youtube_gdata_player




Tonight is the dance.....looking forward to more fun, communication and of course a good dose of craziness!
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Location:E Lauderdale Dr,Whitewater,United States

AVA Camp Day 3

Language class this morning was working on Hollywood movie skits!
Our group had Twilight and each camper was given a character and lines in the script. The campers had to create props and then act the scene out in front of the other campers!
It was great watching everyone create their lines then practice acting out the script. We saw scenes from Harry Potter, Twilight, Finding Nemo and Toy Story. All the scenes went really well and got laughs, the campers all added their own unique personalities to the performances. It made the idea of a performance using our communication systems at Standing Tall seen totally achievable!!!
The afternoon was a talent show and was an absolute hoot. The campers did everything from a top ten list of reasons to return to camp, a dance, stand up comedy and a fantastic rendition of YMCA by some of the camp councilors!




The evening was The Amazing Show! Magic and comedy that was funny and the campers had a blast!
Night time brought on more games and a mammoth round of UNO ensued! Again each of the campers was responsible for their own moves, communicating using devices and vocalizations to indicate their choices. Once again I got more ideas about how to allow my students to have more control over their activities and integrate their devices and communication systems. So many possibilities, so many opportunities, so much potential!
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Location:Lauderdale Dr,Whitewater,United States

AVA Camp Day 2

Today the campers get a personal interview with Jon Feucht the camp Director. He lectures at UW Whitewater and can give them advice about college life for individuals with disabilities; the pitfalls, the services, accommodations, organizing staffing etc.
His personal experiences are invaluable to the campers and offers them support and advice.
Our morning activities today focus on accessing the Internet. E-mails, Twitter, FB and texting.
The campers are introduced to abbreviations and emoticons and taken through the do's and don'ts of texting, emailing, using FB and Twitter.
This transitioned into a Hollywood quiz (that's our camp theme) and creating our own Hollywood handprints!
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