31 for 21 Day Seven: World Cerebral Palsy Day 2015

           Thank you everyone for sending  or agreeing to  let me use  your picture.     I hope you have an awesome day today.  Be sure to wear  Green today.  Here is the montage  It  is the longest it has ever been.    

   A member of a group that I am in made this for me.  I think it turned out  well.






   Wearing Green Today?  Let me know in the comments  or  share a pic on my  Facebook page or email me if you want. 

31 for 21 Day Six : Who’s the Slow Learner? A Chronicle of Inclusion and Exclusion

 AZ with  Sandra and Sean  March 2014 

Today is    Sean McElwee's  twenty second birthday.  I  have met Sean and his Mom  Sandra  at CA  TASH in 2014  .  

 Sandra  wrote a book about her son's educational experience  called  Who is the Slow Learner.  I  decided to  let her talk about  her book and  if you like  it then you can  enter for a giveaway  at the end of the blog 

 AZ: Why did you write the book?

 Sean in kindergarten 

Sandra: The real purpose was to educate and inspire while entertaining in the hopes that parents could learn, and educators could see that they hold the key to success…or hell.  Who’s the Slow Learner? A Chronicle of Inclusion and Exclusion was an accidental book.  Sean had a text-book perfect elementary school inclusion experience, but secondary school was a stark contrast. I started documenting the bad behavior of the administrators and educators and five years when Sean graduated from high school I looked back and thought, “I couldn’t make this stuff  up!” That’s when the idea of turning Sean’s story into a book, but it couldn’t just be the secondary school experience. Parent’s needed to know what to watch out for, but it would have been too depressing. So I broke out the elementary school communication notebooks, IEPs and started recreating each grade chronologically. 

I searched and searched and I couldn’t find one book that chronicled a student with special educational needs from preschool through high school graduation. We have plenty of the ‘baby born, parents mourn’ stories but none that provide practical realities of the school-age years.

I wrote the book as a memoir, simply because I enjoy reading real-life memoirs.  My hopes were that parents could learn first how inclusion was supposed to be supported and accommodated as it was in Sean’s elementary school…and what legal tools they have to use when it isn’t provided appropriately from the secondary school experiences.

 AZ Chapman : What has been the feedback for the book?

 A lot of people like  Sandra's story that shows that when you
 include   everyone benefits 

 Sandra: I am thrilled to have 31 Five-Star Ratings on Amazon.com.  Parents have told me they purchased the book for their teachers and administrators and have had them comment they never looked at Inclusion from a parent’s perspective before.  This has led to positive changes in their schools, and THAT is the feedback that makes my day. Some of the headlines from the ratings on Amazon ‘Highly recommended,’ A must read for teachers and parents,’ Invaluable resource,’ and my favorites comment that they couldn’t put the book down.

 Sean in forth grade 

AZ Chapman: What advice do you have for future special education teachers?

 Sandra: My advice for special educators and general educators alike is to always have high expectations for their students. To learn to collaborate as a team and to spend the time they are in school learning to differentiate instruction so they can teach one subject to learners of different abilities and learning styles.

 Sean  with the baseball team.  He was  an assistant to the team
during his  high school years 

 AZ Chapman: What is Sean up too now?

 Sandra : Sean is about to turn 22, and is attending community college focusing on acting classes. He is an assistant coach for a Challenger Flag Football team, volunteers in a SundaySchool class and goes dancing every chance he has.   He was just hired to work at Home Depot!  He has a full social life and enjoys doing presentations and signing books.  In his spare time, Sean loves to make music videos using an app on his Iphone.  He’s currently single, but has a girl that he is trying to woo.

    

 Thank you Sandra

  Enter for a chance to win a copy of this book  by leaving a comment on this post. The giveaway will close on  the 31st.   Winners will be   announced on   November forth. 

 Click here for  the book's  website 

 Click here  for  the book's Facebook  page 

31 for 21 Day Five : Laying the foundation

  I have been playing golf   since  2007.   I  first learned about the sport   through  Special  Olympics.  My first year I  started  playing I  was in  skills and I could not hit the ball over  100  ft.

First   golf event with Special Olympics 2007

 After  two months  I  decided that I wanted  to play for my high school  team.  My  dad thought it was foolish  but he  drove me  to the course  anyway. The  coach was a former  special education teacher and  felt that he could  handle  a teenager  with disabilities and   let me on the team.  By saying  yes to me  he allowed me to become a part of the golf team  he also  laid  the foundation for  something  magical  to happen    a  Monday  night   in  August.  

 Good  chip 

     Now  I am  pretty good at golf,  I can  hit the ball  over  one  hundred  feet and   hit  really  good chip shots .    I  now no longer play skills,  I now  play  unified  golf.   Unified Golf is where   a person with a disability  plays alongside a person without disabilities  and  mentors  them  as  they  develop their skills   to play  individually.   I  really thought that my  partner would  be the same one as  last year but   she had work commitments. I asked   a girl on my  high school  golf team if she would be willing to play  with me.  She  couldn't , but she did come out to play with me  one  night.

   That  night  I played the best game of my life.  I  got two  great chips and  great drives.   I also  was  able to connect  with a peer who is quickly becoming my friend.  We were not close friends   in high school , but we  were able to  reconnect,  She  originally lived on my street but moved  to another city. Being on that  team  laid  the foundation for us   to play together .

   I know  a lot of  families of kids with disabilities who have to fight for  inclusive education.   My heart breaks for these families and their  kids.  I also feel very angry because educators  need to understand that   school  is more  than  test scores and academic honors.   It is  the center of a child's life.  Friends  come  from school experience  when   people  ship  students   off to another  place   there is no  foundation for  friendships to form between those with and without disabilities.  I am not saying that these friendships will  form while in school, but they  could,  but  as  people   grow and mature  and  see  their surroundings in a new  way  they might want to become  friends with  people  with disabilities, but if they did not have  the  chance to attend school  with people  who did  have disabilities   they will not know  where to look.   

 Inclusion  lays the foundation for   friendships.



 Tune in tomorrow for  a book giveaway

31 for 21 Day Four : Project Search

Project Search is a wonderful  program. It  helps young people with disabilities  find  jobs.  There  is a program  in my town and my friend  with DS   went there last year. From there  he  got a job  in a inclusive  work environment .  It is  a wonderful  program.  I would   highly  recommend  it  to any  young person with  disabilities.

31 for 21 Day Three: Dear Future Mom

 Happy  Saturday  guys.    On  weekends this  month I will be  posting   video clips  that  are  disability related.     Do you have any  suggestions for you tube  videos that I should link  to?   Leave a comment below.

31 for 21 Day Two: The update preview and a new label

 Hay  guys  so I have not really updated  you guys on  my school stuff  since  Spring .  I    am  set to graduate  college  in 2016.     I am  taking 16  units this fall and am doing well.  Three of those  classes  are  Graduate  level  classes that I am  taking for  my Special  Education  minor.  A  big  goal of  mine was to graduate  in 2016 and I am  ecstatic that this  is  a real  possibility.  As long as  I  pass my  classes.

  Because  I am  graduating from  undergrad  I will be   blogging a lot about my experience-particularly  pre school  through  eighth  grade in school.     In  order to do  this  I will  be sharing some older  posts about my school   that I  have  written  along with some  new  posts so be sure to come  back for more from now til  June .

31 for 21 Day One: Welcome

   Hay  guys  long time no blog.  Sorry its been so long I have been busy.  I have lots to tell you and you will  be hearing a lot  about  my life  now that    its  31 for 21.  This is an event hosted by  Big  Blue Berry Eyes in which  people  post every day in October for  Down  Syndrome  Awareness  Month.

 Welcome    please    leave a comment that lets me know that you are here,

     Grab This Button

A poem in Honor of Back to school

   Today is the official start of  School for  local  schools  in the are,  My  Jr college starts back Monday.
 ( This year is   going to be a very special year for my family you will have to wait  a little bit longer to find out why )


Here is to a school year where all children are visible in local  neighborhood schools

 The invisible student

  I am a child  just like you.
  I go to school, and think recess is cool.
  But there is something different  about me.
  I have an disability.

  I  sometimes drool
  You sometimes stare.
   Many people pretend I am not there
  For  I am invisible
 you can’t see me   I have  a disability.

     District personal see  my  education a joke
 so they bus me across town  even though the neighborhood school is not broke.
       there system is.
 At school   I am  sent  down the   hall.
  The classroom door closes and  that is all.
   I  am there all day  down the hall.
     Its not fair,

  Its not  fair
 it can’t be
  I should be treated fair
 as an equal you see
   We  learn about  freedom 
    we learn about  the world, but  we are not there.

 Left out  of pictures
   of social life
    the websites  about the school do not include us.
   Why can’t  I be in the pictures?
  Why  do  my  parents need to fight  for me to be seen?
      Seen  as a  disabled person
  seen  for me.
  Inclusive education that is key.
   Its time to close   separate  classroom.
 Cause Separate is not equal
 We learned that in 1954.

 Its time for  us to become visible-
for us to be seen.
 For us to be in all general education classes
 Learning and living about  Freedom
  Learning  how to read.
  Learning  about  Romeo,  Juliet, and  Huckleberry Finn.
    Discovering our  past
   Exploring through  experiments
                 Its time for all that
                 Its time to presume competence for  all kids
Teach us  everything so we have a chance at learning  about this world.

 Its time to move the desk  from down the hall.
 Into same aged classrooms.
   Open  the classroom
  Let me in
 Now is a good time to begin.





 Have a great year  everyone. 

World CP Day Photo Montage

Its that time of year people  time  to   start  sending in photos of you  or your child with CP.    October  is world CP Day .  So  send in  one photo   to azchapman1991@gmail.com or post it on my   and tune in   October seventh    to see this great  montage.
 Feeling left out? 
    Find a friend with CP and take a photo  and   submit it.


For more information  please  see  the tab  labeled.   World CP day photo montage

25 years later .. we have a long way to go

  

  Hay guys  I have been extremely busy sorry  I have not been able to  blog for you guys.   I am in summer school.   I will try to update soon.

  Next Saturday is  the 25 anniversary of  the ADA.  This is a huge deal  for our nation.  This  law signifies that  people  with disabilities  have access to  life.    It is  cause for  great celebration;however  the work is not over.

    People with disabilities still face large unemployment or under employment .  People with disabilities   still are forced to  work  for less then  minimum wage


People with disabilities  that receive benefits from the government can not get married   because their  benefits   will evaporate.


      Parents of disabled kids  still have to fight  to ensure  that there child  revives a  fully inclusive   education. 

 25  years ago  things changed for the better for people with disabilities.  We still have a long road  ahead to ensure that people with disabilities are given  equal access.    We should celebrate  how  far we have come  but  realize that this is just  a pit  stop.      We  will have to get back on the road for  access equality  and inclusion.

Spring Quarter 2015

\

  Back in November    my philosophy  teacher told me about these trees.  He  said that  they are the same tree planted at the
same time but  one is different then the others.   I am like a red  tree .  I still want to graduate  asap  though :)

   The year is winding down.  I am  almost done as I begin  writing this  I  have finished  two out of three classes at   my new university.  I  decided in   late November to  apply  to another school a public university  about an  half hour from my house.  I got in there.  Ironically I  got into this school way back when I  graduated from high school.   I would not trade those times at my Second home for anything though.

 First day of Spring Quarter 

            These first six months of 2015 have been rocky but  my life has always been a series of ups and  down.    January and February were filled with  depression as    I   was not able to go  to school because my private school kicked me out.   In  late March  I  decided to  try something new.  I had  a great philosophy teacher,  B,  who encouraged me to drop his class and try  the school I got into .


B  gave  me an incentive for me to finish my  BA.    B  also  helped me  by  telling me about a program called  Open  University. This  is a program at Cal  State schools where  anyone can pay a fee to  take classes. This  is what I am  doing so I can  gain credits that count towards my  major  before the fall term.   Anyone  can  enroll in   Open University  there is a form you  fill out but there is no need for transcripts or  grades.   I am  so happy that B  recommended  this program.  The only  downside is that the units cost more.

 I had to go  karting for a class project. I made a video  which got  100 percent 

     I  was able to  take  three  classes.   Thats right  THREE classes  or  12  units which means that I went  full time.  Something  I had  earn at my private school.    Two  online classes and one in person class.    My  behavior in those classes has been  great    and    I have learned a ton.   I  felt a part of the classes  instead of  an outsider.    I  do not  feel  like a trained  seal when i do well  on assignments;therefore, I have excelled.  The only downside  is  I had to take a leave from work.  I  may  be able to work  again  next week though.


  What has changed in ten weeks

 Confidence  and a new found  belief in myself that I can   finish my  BA.

 Units  After  I  pass  all my classes  I will double the upper   division   units  that I took  at the private school.

 I  made a  worksheet  for a class  project.

     Me  yesterday  after finishing finals

I do my own laundry

 I do my own Landry at home 

 So  for those of you that do not know  what is happening  read here.   Then come back, then read here.



                                                                           HOW 
                                       IS 

  THIS 

OK?

  HOW  IS OKEY FOR ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE   TO BECOME SERVANTS TO THE OTHER?

      ITS NOT 

   WHAT MESSAGE  DOES IT SEND TO THE OTHER  STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL.

  THEY ARE SEPARATE, THEY ARE SPECIAL THEY DO NOT BELONG.

     THIS IS  TOOO IMPORTANT.    WHEN PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE GIVEN   THE DIRTY  JOBS   AT  11 OR 12 , WHAT MESSAGE  DOES THAT SEND TO THEM.  WHERE IS THE  PRESUMPTION OF COMPETENCE?   its not there.    WHERE ARE  THE BOOKS, MATH BLOCKS,   EGYPTIAN TUMS  WITH MUMMIES,   WHERE ARE THE  SCINCE EXPERIMENTS.    

  THOSE THINGS MATTER.  Reading matters because information is  in these  books. Stories   of our past.  Explores   Dragons    Shakespeare they matter .

  Writing  to be  able to connect  with people over social media  is important.   Sharing our own stories  so that future generations  will know us.

 History   the stories of the past  are a light to  understanding our future.

Science   to discover  how the world works,   It is also fun,  

 So in short  why are you wasting precious learning time  doing laundry in middle school when  most kids don't. 

   There was a  time in American history where one  group  of people  did the dirty  work in America.   They  did the laundry.  They   cleaned up the house, They   worked  the  fields  and picked cotton too,    They were slaves in America.  We now  look down on this  as a  society . Although this isn't slavery. Its  still dehumanizing.

Blogging against disablism day 2015 : My ideal classroom

           


 This quarter  I am venturing into  my field of choice,  special education,  my  goal: to become a special education teacher  who provides  inclusive services to high school students with intellectual disabilities .

 image of and empty classroom. The classroom has desks  a flag and Television

      My  program would  have  kids with intellectual disabilities included for English, History, and Science and  elective with modifications and  support.  They would  be doing work that  is connected to what the other  students in class are doing  modified to their  level.

 My students  would have math and life skills  in a special education class that I would teach.  I say math because some of my students might need  life skill math.     The math would be temporary   I would reach out to general education  math  teacher with the hope  of  having students with intellectual disabilities included. I would  try to offer life skills for general education students because  all kids need to learn life skills,   Life skills would be one period.

  A lunch time sandwich shop  which  students with and without disabilities would get work  experience,

   Office Aids  and on campus jobs for  my students.

  A chance to participate in sports and  plays or anything else that students are interested in.

  Homework every night  to reinforce learning concepts.

   Special Olympics  practices that would be healed  AFTER SCHOOL  once a week and compete in the community program.

  Independence jars where  students  can do things both at school and in the community and then  get  tokens  to earn  for their jars.

     Presumed  Competence

    Fun club  which would take place monthly. Students  with and without disabilities would be invited  to do fun things in the community.  Events would include   activities in their communities.   This would be done after school.

  Lofty  goals  and high expectations.

   My  main goal for my  students would be to learn and have fun. (in that order)



  Who  knows  as I go through my  teaching maybe  I will  add more things to this list. One thing that will not change in my mind is  inclusion in core subjects.   I am a die hard inclusion fan for life.

 My high school  graduation photo. 

The best word in a human development textbook

 my textbook 

     So  Monday night  was  spent  reading   a  textbook about Child Cognitive Development.  It was a long   chapter. Forty pages about the  brain development.   The chapter was very fascinating  , especially about  the brain. The best part though  came with a little word. It was not very long only  one vowel and three consistences.  Th word was
Most.  The sentience talked about the fact that most babies  who are over two walk.  This was music to my ears, literally  I read out loud to increase my comprehension.

       The  reason why  most is such a great word it that it leaves room for people who are different.  I had to read  a text book  that was so exclusive  and ablest  it was hard to read.  That  text book   said that all children learn language without ever being taught. This cut like a knife because learning to speak clearly is something I  struggled with at 22  and continue to   try to learn at 23.   I am not  delusional, I know that many people speak clearly without thought and do not have to think about walking or use their hands, but to deny  the experiences of those of us who struggle to do these things is not fair.  By including most it  allows for the diversity of the human experience.  It is allowing for  the disabled  to be included   as people.    One small word goes a long word in telling all people that  there experience is  valid.   They are still people  and  they matter.  

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 18 : National Cerebral Palsy Day 2015 - Please don't blow the candle out - A Ceep view on curing disabilities

         

  Happy   National  Cerebral Palsy   Day  everyone and the last day of  theCerebral Palsy  Party.   I hope  you are all  wearing green  today.
   Today is the  national day for Cerebral  Palsy Awareness. The history behind this is  Reaching for the stars.  These  guys are  trying to eventually find a cure for CP.

             Hay  guys  I want to let  you in on a secret. We don't  need a cure,  Now  at this point you may be thinking that this   person is  crazy and  doesn't make sense.   So on this day  I want to  share my feelings with you about why   as a person with Cerebral Palsy. The idea of a cure is treating to me.   I hope that there will not be a  cure  for CP or any other disability we are meant to be here.  

Keep the  candle  burning  people with CP are not  mistakes

        Now  there are two ways to look at disability.  One  way is to  say that disability is mistake,  a  mutation, damaged  broken. Disability is seen as a flaw.  This view  makes it easier to  separate  people with disabilities because  after all they are broken people who need to be fixed. This is known as the medical modal.   This is the dominate view  of disabilities that is  deeply imbedded into society. 

   Some  people with disabilities   see that   the world has it wrong.  Instead of believing that  people with disabilities are flawed   the society is at fault for denying us  rights.    I mean  the ADA  is  only 25    this  year .     Low expectations rule supreme  and segregation is still  practiced  under the name special.  That is far more disabling then  the disability.  I have  a personal experience with this.

   I come  from  a big sport family.    Both my parents played sports in their youth.   My brother played baseball for a number of years  and I spent saturdays at baseball games supporting him.  When  the fine motor challenges of playing with dolls  became too much for me I  turned to sports  where I was   able to join community team and recess.  I was a  true tom boy.  Did CP make it hard for me to play you  bet  but  I  really liked playing.

 In  eighth grade  I came to the realization that I probably  would not  continue to play  on inclusive teams.   IT WAS THEN THAT I LONGED TO BE NORMAL.   It was not  that I couldn't  talk clearly,  or   use my hands.  IT  WAS THAT I WAS NOT  GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE INCLUDED ON  A SPORT TEAM. 

 Now  if  there was a inclusion basketball team  I would not  have  yearned to be normal because  I  still would have been included on  a  sport team like I always  wanted to do.  If there were  the same opportunities offered to me  as my parents and siblings and to all  citizens  then    there  wouldn't need to be a cure because we  would be able to contribute to society.   

    Its like this, think of    life as a movie theater, now imagined   instead of seeing the movie  in two d  and  3d   You  saw it  through color lens.     These lenses  tint what  you see and how you  view    them.   A lot of factors go through  these color lenses including  race, gender,  economic status  ,family , political  ideation,and  disability.  In short the thing that you  are trying to cure has shaped how  I see the world around me.   I have lived with it my  entire life and will continue to live with it til  I  die.   If  disabilities were not suppose to exist   then they  would not  exist.  They have always been around .   It is  a part of diversity. One that I hope will always  be  included in every aspect of life.

  Happy  Cerebral Palsy   Awareness   Day.





    I am  disabled  and  proud

    There are no  new post   tomorrow but be sure  to   check out my other  post from CP month.

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 17 : Gifts

 

 What is  a birthday  party  without  gifts.

 Today's  post will be a guest post.   I  asked people with CP in a facebook group that I am in to    tell me what   are some  gifts  that have been   given  to you because of CP.

This is what  other people  said.



"A more open mind to race gender sexual orientation social and economic inequality."

"A better understanding of social issues, I suppose."

"a sense of humor. 

"All of the above"

"Empathy"

Creative problem-solving skills.

It's hard for me to pick out specific gifts because cp has impacted so much in my life mostly in a positive way. Nothing about me would be the same without cp, that includes my gifts. I guess the greatest gifts I have because of my cp is the ability to use my experiences as a disabled person to help others with disabilities, especially children with disabilities.

  

Please  be sure to wear  green tomorrow for   CP  Day .    Here is a video that I was a part of.

 See you tomarrow and do not forget to go green,

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 16: Thank you Cerebral Palsy

   So   Last week  was a   really fun  week with videos   this week  will be back  to  blogging

   What party is  complete without Thank you cards .     They Show    appreciation  for the gifts   you  got.   I  have been  really  bad with  thank you cards so  I am  going to  do  it early.

  Today I want to  share with you my thank you letter  to my CP.    Think that CP  Doesn't  have  anything to thank me for guess again.
   
*****************This is my  Opinion.  Everyone is entitled to  one.  This one  just is mine.   I am only speaking for myself. ******






Dear  Cerebral  Palsy,
               To  many outsiders  you are nothing but a burden.  Damaged  broken  something that lessons my  quality of life, yet to me you  are the best surprise  that my  parents ever   got.      While many   people are not sure  what they  want  to do professionally.  You  have  made it so easy  for me to decide what I want to do  with my life...  Go  into the field of  disability and special  education because  of you   the choice is simple.  I have  known  since  third  grade.

You  force  me  to see  the world from a unique perspective.   Where as  walking  talking  using  your hands with ease can sometimes be  taken for granted our mussels  are  tight ( pun  intended ) .  When  I am  able to say  a new sound,  cut  with  a fork or knife,  or  write  neatly  it is a celebration thank you  CP for giving me   more to celebrate.

 

 Last year 's   basketball tournament 

Thank you  CP  for allowing me to be able to easily  see  the  competence of  people with  disabilities.  I  see in  in  LM  and all  my special  olympics   team mates .  I  do not put on the   disabled glasses that see people  with disabilities  as  broken  or   for ever children.  I see them as  fully  human beings capable of  both  good and bad.      I am  able to see  past the ablest attitudes   that are so prevalent within our society and  want to fight them.  I am  a big  supporter of inclusion because    I  have  had to cope with a society that routinely tells me that  I am  separate  because  I am not "normal".


  In short  thank-you Cerebral  Palsy for  shaping  me into the person I am  today.   I  do not  view you  as   accident.  We were meant   to be together on this journey  called  life.


   Your best friend

  AZ  Chapman

 PS  Thank you  for allowing me to feel an instant connection  to other Ceeps.   And for  giving me a key into  the best  online community of  disabled people.

Cerebral Palsy Day 15. Party activities part five

     Happy Friday guys.  With the end of the week  comes the last activity/ Cerebral Palsy Can video,

Who  would have thought   that when I  picked up  a putter  at   my friend's   mini golf party  back  in 2000   that  a few  years  later  it would become  one of my  favorite sports.

Today's    activity  is   golfing.  I began golf    the summer  before my sophomore year of high school.    A lot has changed since then.  Golf is now one of  my  favorite sports.  I have  memories  and  memorabilia from  High School Golf  days  where I was  on the  practice  team  for  three  years.  Last summer I   competed in my first Unified Golf   tournament.  My goal   for this season is  to  play  solo.   I have to  get more course time to be able to play in order  to bring my score down.   I love   to play  golf.


 What is  your favorite sport?  Do you have any questions   for me about CP?  Let me know   in the comments.     Also  remember  to  wear green on Wednesday  for  CP  day.  Look  forward to  hearing  from you .

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 14 Party activities Part four

        Another day another  activity

What Party is complete without dancing 

         I have been playing  basketball  since kindergarten.   I love  basketball and  have always  been a great shot.    Long time readers  know that I   played   traditional  basketball  from   fifth  til  eighth  grade  and  Special  Olympics  basketball  since  freshman  year of   high school.      This past weekend  we  had a tournament where we  were placed on a new level.  We  lost all of all games  but I  made a lot of buckets.     In two   of the  games I  scored   the first  bucket of the game.    One of the  games   that happened  in the seconded quarter  so I  was  really happy.     My  parents did not get  any  video  last weekend  so the clips are from 2014  when my   team was in  level four A.    We  got first   that year.








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Got image   from
 http://coronadousd.net/static/media/uploads/Coronado%20Unified%20School%20District/News%20and%20Blog%20Images/VES%20Blogs/ves%20kids%20dancing.jpg

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 13 Party Activities part three

       Another Day  another activity

 Today's  activity  is  earning money .  Just like  in  duck  duck  goose  finding work has been a challenge. I  tried to work at Target   and at a  Rec center last year , but those  did not  work out.   Luckily  I was able to  be a goose  when     the bookstore hired me.   I have  been  employed  since  November  at  my  jr college  bookstore.  I  love  my  job.  My  co workers and managers are great.I am learning  a ton and  after a  hard time  at university  any  place with  good  nice patient people   is a great place   to be.    The  place I work  for is  three different   sites.  The  bookstore,  the  market and  coffee bar,  and  a Copy and Post center.       I love  my  job  even if it means  waking up  early in the morning.



 My top three  tasks to do at work  are.



1  Strapping books

2  Working on the Cash  register in the market

 3  Dropping off packages around campus.











Got image  from.
http://www.greatgrubclub.com/domains/greatgrubclub.com/local/media/images/medium/playground-games-duck-duck-goose.jpg

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 12 : Party activities Part two .

  Cerebral Palsy  activities,  part  of   Cerebral Palsy  Can  day two.

Todays  activity     is  Excelling in school.    I  am really  smart    ironically  because I  have a   speech  impairment and people often  assume that I  can not learn.     I am   very smart with unclear speech.  If there is one  thing to  takeaway   from this  blog is  this articulation has nothing to do with  intelligence.    I  graduated  with honors   from   Community College.  I also was one of the few  in my school to make dean list on multiple semesters .





 Tune in tomorrow  for part   three of  party  activities.

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 11: Party activities part one,

       What Children's party  is complete  without  activities,

  This weeks  posts are are about activities.  This  ties in nicely to   UCP's  campaign Cerebral Palsy Can.   Click on the link  for more information. So day  one  of this activity party is  voting.   I can  vote  just like anyone else and have  views  on  national  issues.










got  image from  http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2013/09/22/171/n/24155406/f778d10c334de6fa_shutterstock_34187182.preview.jpg

Cerebral Palsy Party day ten - Birthday Cards - Learning to read with CP

   So today post is  birthday   cards.   These are important because without them you wouldn't know who the present is  from.

 Todays post will be recycled post I did   on learning how to  read with Cerebral Palsy. This was originally  a three part  series  but these post will all be below


 Part  one

   Let me  start out by saying that I love to read.    It should be no surprise.  These next few  post   will be about how  I learned to  read.  I   read   in a way dispute  never learning  phonics .    Well  not in the traditional way.  I  know what the letters  are supposed to sound like  but   producing those sounds is a different  story.  This  is  due to   Cerebral  Palsy.  Not all   people with CP   have speech  issues.    They  range  from   no problems to   using     speech  devices to  talk.     I  would  classify myself  as   somewhere in the middle.    I  do not need a speech device  but sometimes people do not understand me.  This  can get  frustrating.   I do  a lot  of substituting   which  means that    I  would  say cat   as  "tat"   or  dog as  dod.  I  also  do this  for L's and R  which  i  replace with a  W.   Let me  make this  really  clear the reason  for my lack of substituting sounds has nothing to  do with intelligence. I am  smart  just see  Monday's  post.  Now   I hear myself fine  and understand myself  100 percent of  the time.   Now this sounds contradictory but despite being able to  hear    all the sounds    so  I can sound out  words  I am a bad speller. Not sure why  this is    but  I  would like to be a better speller and I want to  take a spelling class in the  near future.    Anyway  this  might seem  that  I  would be  a uphill battle to  make me understand  reading  but  it really wasn't.( at least that's not what I remember) 

        I  hated  learning  phonics  for me   it was  a reminder to me that I was 'different' in fact  I  remember being told that by my teachers,     For parents of kids  with articulation  delays  do not stress  phonics.  It is helpful to know phonics  but  it is not required.   Model the  sounds  read to your kids   but  do not  stress   hearing the phonics  from them.    People  who  are non verbal can still read as well  as long as people    know how to teach them.

 got image  from

chart http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/sound_dev_chart.jpg

bookwormhttp://www.sewterific.com/images/BacktoSchool/BTSBookwormLove.jpg

  Part Two 

    Growing up   my family had a lot of  kids book  lying around  our house.    Among with the Disney   we had  lots  of    step into  reading books .    Out of  all of them  the book  I  remember  reading for the first time  was Tiger is  a Scaredy Cat.  

  Looking back    I say it was a sad  irony that I  remember  this  book   as  I  deal with  fear.      But that was  my 'first independent book.     I also have memories   of  reading this book in  pre  K.  

    Do you remember your first book        What books are/were your    kids   favorite ,

 Got image from http://www.scholastic.com/content5/media/products/63/9780394880563_xlg.jpg

 Post  three 

   I was recently asked  what my  least favorite  letter/ sound  is  and after  much thought i  think it is C

 I  have been  working on C   for a long  time.     It  has been  hard   work  and  i have memories of trying to say  Car  cat cookie    instead of  Tar tat  tootie.  

 Do not be fooled by the Graphic "c" is  a hard soud

 I  remember in  K  my teacher  had this  phonics book  of  letters in the alphabet.  I was  in a mainstreamed class    and   I  remember  her introducing the  C book and  explaining  the  sound and adding    you  should be able to  say it.  I remember asking her why  I could not  say  C and  being  told  I was different,



  Inclusion also  did wonders  for my  reading ability.    If you have not watched my inclusion story   you  can  watch it below.














      Happy  Friday   guys.   I have a basketball tournament  this weekend, so my parents   and  I  will be  staying at a hotel  near the game site tonight. It should be  fun.  Tune  in next week for  more .