Proof that Inclusion can work Works: Meet Brandon G.

  Hay  guys   one  of my  goals this  year is to  reach 100 posts in 2015.  I am doing this by   writing about my  favorite  topic  Inclusive Education.  To  start things off I  am  going to  share  something a  Teresa G
 sent me  about her son  Brandon.


Hi,
I'm a mom who has a son with Down syndrome.  He's surpassed every imaginable goal that a parent if a child who has SN. I have every category story including K-8th full inclusion school experience.  We moved and had to start all over and created an incredible school experience breaking every barrier, overcoming many challenges and creating an environment counter to the status quo of other parents expectations.  Here are some accomplishments because if inclusion in hs:
1.  All A's and B's in Gen Ed.
2. Full team member on Freshmen basketball and track teams.
3. Fashion designer and modeled original art on outfit for Teen Fashion show.
4.  Actor for iPad learning videos.
5.  Santa Cruz Youth City Council Member appointed by Mayor.
6.  Awarded summer internship with local Congressman doing office work .
7. International Yes I Can! Award winner in the Arts Category; modeling, acting and visual arts for Council for Exceptional Children(only US recipient with DS).
8.  Was just crowned Homecoming King of school of 1,500 students with popular school vote!
9.  RecognitionMerit Award for San Andreas Regional Center(10-25-14).
10.  Be Beautiful , Be Yourself Jet Set Fashion Show model, Denver & Washington D.C.
11. Visiting artist display for City of Capitola asked by Art Commission in an art Mecca of Monterey Bay.
12.  Teen Kitchen volunteer where students cook healthy meals for children who have Cancer.
 13. Blue and Gold Athletic award

Life has been very full raising a child with SN , but great !

Best ,

Teresa G


 

   Have a story  about inclusive education  email me  the story  azchapman1991@gmail.com  You can  be  featured  on the blog.  

weekinreview

New eve was celebrated alone.I played a ton of videogames and visited another university that seems inclusive. 

Year in Review

  Hay  guys  it seems like the year  was  just started  yesterday but as I  write this its the day before  New Years eve. 2014 has  flown by  and it was a  great  year . I hope that I can  have   a  great  year   in 2015.  

  Now there is  a lot of  great stuff that happened in 2014  here are the monthly  highlights  complete with pictures.

 Let's Go  Niners

 January 2014 :  Took  my  mom out to dinner and  paid for it making me the first child to do that. I got a new basketball and a nice 49 sweatshirt and hat,
 February 2014 :   Watched   the  Superbowl  with  Mexican  Food .   My  old b ball coach came to see me  play in a tournament.








 March 2014:    Had the  best weekend ever at the  TASH  Conference a
nd  got a   cool t shirt to celebrate  World  CP  Day.

March 2014 

April 2014 : Celebrated  Easter by   going to Cream. Competed in Shot Put for the  first time  ever with the special olympics.  I also  went to the beach,

May 2014:  Celebrated  my sister's  b day  by  hanging in  SF

June 2014: Started summer  school and  learned  that "Individual differences  reign
 supreme.  Saw the para olympics at my  jc.

July2014:     I cut my  hair on the fourth of July.  Celebrated my  Dad's b day by  going out  for  lunch and  feeding  the ducks.  Watched the World Cup  and  chugged a shot of  alcohol before  throwing it up.  I also  went to the movies with  LM

August 2014 :    Went to a giants  game.  Took a final   while my mom was away and aced it. I  attended  Motown the musical with my sister and  my mother.   I     also  played in my first Unified  golf  game hosted  by Special Olympics. My  team mate and I  got  sliver

Halloween 2014

September  2014:   I turned 23   and took the  ALS  Ice bucket challenge.


October 2014:      I had a blast at  Big  Wave  and helped make the day  fun.  I  was  paid in two  free spray painted  pumpkins .  I  won the JC  costume contest as an orange crayon and  went to two special needs Halloween Parties. The  Giants won the World Series

 November  2014: I got my first  job at the bookstore.  Had a wonderful Thanksgiving  at  my house My   Aunt L  Uncle M  C and R  came down.

 I beat  C in a game of Parcheesi 

December2014:   My  grandma comes to visit.  I get  my first pay check and use it to buy a golf  bag  and I gave my mom 200 dollars for being my mother.I MET TIM SHRIVER.  I had an awesome christmas  week with my grandma and cousins and had a X - Men Movie Marathon . .


Over all its  been a great  year.

 Here are some  post that are worth looking  at  from  2014



  The  Solution is Inclusion
 The  Power of Choice
 Inclusion Matters because

The power of Choice

  So   college  for me has  been a bumpy  ride to say the least.     From  being   terrified on my first  semester  of college to  powering through  to  the horrible inaccessible  experience at the  private university  down the street from my house.   Its been very hard.




  What makes it even harder was that I  believed  I  had no choice.  

 First Pay Check  12/15/ 14

      You  see as a disabled person  you do not  really get choices.  Ok  sure I had  the option of   choosing what I wanted  to eat and stuff but  the big ones i did not have a say.   In  high school I did not  have a say  where I wanted to work  and  messed up  on the job.   Back in  November  I  applied to a place  I have always wanted to work ever since I  went to  visit colleges back in high school.  I wanted to  work at the book store.   In  November  I got my wish.   This past week  I got my first pay check  and it felt good to earn money.  I am  one of the best workers.  I  take my job seriously and  am  learning a ton about the book business.   This is a far cry to  the placements  I had in high school.  I  chose what  I  wanted  to do.


 Now back to colleges, My  faith has been tested and if you asked me on  Friday morning will  I  finish college?  The  answer was.

  I do not know.

 A good problem to have 

  It has been  really hard to go through school with people that are ablest and who are not patient. I felt that I did not have a choice because when I  went in the spring  to apply to another school my parents  said no  i had to go  back to school that i hated. So  I did this past fall.  I took one class  from a teacher  whose cousin had CP.  So they understood me and helped me out with the projects  and  did not  think  anything of it.  I  had a fantastic  time there.  Which was  saying a lot.  I  always  felt respected. I  even had fun,

  Dealing with the administration was very hard though. After my advisor  was not nice to me  I   got  really sad.  It took a week to  recover  but I did.

     The day before thanksgiving I went to my advisor at the JC  who told me that I still had time to apply to CSU.  I thought i missed the deadline. I  got  right on it and was able to  apply before the window closed at the end of the month.

   On friday  I  got into  my first choice of schools for the fall of 2015.  I  am  soo happy.  I have options  I have  choice.



            I CAN NOW SAY  THAT IT IS NOT A MATTER OF IF  I  FINISH COLLEGE  BUT  WHEN  I FINSH COLLEGE.



   

 Now I have to chose my  path just like Pocahontas.  I might be able to finish  faster if  I stay at the private school but at least now  I have a backup plan
  This  was my favorite movie in Pre School.  Probably because  Pocahontas had my same skin tone 

  To all parents of children with disabilities  please  give your children choices, Teach them that  their voice matters.  Ask them what they want to be when they grow up and help them  get there.    Everyone should be given the power of choice.   Presume that all children can make choices.   Do not   try to guess what they  want  because you could be dead wrong.  Give them the tools and confidence to know that they can change the world.




 Got  Images from

http://www.manataka.org/images/Choices%201.jpg





https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wBMloVl1WxJTmipjLGbg3M9YAM9BJyLWBcFKoAZm0HAVtHymHtH5QITnIP2yMB1w_g5PnhXZ_Jk0vMDOxxIO288SGwMAA8dL-XC64hiWrc4oJ6pezIyR1yUZr3E08MjsU6HszYxmgIzs/s1600/compass.jpg

Week in review

 First paycheck   Hung out with friends a great week 

AZ week in review

 This week i turned in a essay  saw my grandma survived a storm  

Week in review

This week I took the bus to meet tim shriver