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Community

Inclusive Afternoon

October 12, 2020 by Amy Geoffroy

Join us for a virtual inclusive afternoon of programming designed for our disability community over Zoom. Sept. 12: Stories & Songs; Oct. 10: Bingo & Trivia. This program is open to all! Register to receive Zoom link (all ages welcome).

www.BeavertonLibrary.org/Register

Tagged With: arts and crafts, Beaverton, camp, Community, Community Building, disability, inclusion, l, library, special needs, story time, youth

FACT Oregon Re-Awarded Five Year Grant as Oregon’s Parent Training and Information Center

September 25, 2020 by Molly Williamson

Front page of newspaper announcing latest news BIG news

 

FACT Oregon has been awarded a new 5-year grant to increase access to support, trainings, and information for families across the state as they navigate special education services. Roberta Dunn, Executive Director of FACT Oregon, said after receiving the award notice: “We are thrilled to receive this award once again and proud that these funds have already helped us serve more than 14,000 unique families from every county across the state. And there’s more work to do.

READ MORE…

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: General, News Tagged With: advocacy, Building Community, Community, disability, Disability resource center, Dream Big Dreams, FACT Response, Grant, Parent Training Information Center, Press Release, special needs, support FACT, whole life

All Ability Tri4Youth 2020 Virtual Challenge Video!!

September 10, 2020 by Molly Williamson

THANK YOU for joining us for the All Ability Tri4Youth 2020 Virtual Challenge!!

 

Play Button over a picture of two athletes wearing helmets riding a tandem bike

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Belonging, Building Community, Community, Community Building, dignity of risk, Dream Big Dreams, Tri4Youth

“It always seems impossible, until it’s done” Nelson Mandela

August 27, 2020 by Molly Williamson

By Lucia Alonso

Image is of four athletes standing on grass surrounded by a running track. The athletes hold white signs with blue writting that read Team Alex and Team Tony! Athlete Alex is wearing a blue shirt and Athlete Tony is wearing a red shirt and a black hat. The other two athletes are wearing a green shirt and black pants and a red shirt and black pants

 

Alex and Tony share a diagnosis that many believe would prevent them from doing many things. While this is somewhat true, the people who surround these boys make sure to help them achieve all they CAN do. Autism doesn’t define them, it makes them unique. These boys have taught us so many things with their pure existence. Tony has autism like Alex and is also legally blind. Today, he rode a bike all by himself for the first time ever. This, this is huge, it’s something his family and ours feel blessed to have witnessed. When these boys do something, it’s celebrated because at one point, we were told they could/would never be able to. Alex and Tony are the reason we celebrate today, they have taught us more than we ever imagined, and today and everyday, they are our heroes!
“It always seems impossible, until it’s done” Nelson Mandela
Two athletes standing on grass, surrounded by a running track giving high fives after they completed their race. Both Athletes are wearing medals, one athlete has on a red shirt and black hat and the other has on a blue shirt and glasses. Two athletes standing on grass surrounded by a runnign track. Both athletes are doing stretches while standing. One athlete wears a red shirt and black hat, the other athlete is wearing a blue shirt and bike helmetTwo athletes, in the distance, running and riding a three wheel bike on a running track. Both athletes are wearing blue shirts. Two athletes, running on running track, both wearing red shirts and black hats, one uses a mobility aide

 

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Community, dignity of risk, Dream Big Dreams, personal story, Tri4Youth

My Distance Learning “Secret”

April 21, 2020 by Molly Williamson

By Karen Houston

What does meaningful participation in online school look like for your child with a disability these days?  Perhaps you have a child that can attend to video calls with their teacher and then complete worksheets and other assignments with your guidance. You may be more like my child, who struggled with participation in a brick and mortar setting with one-on-one assistance and now is expected to complete school online. Maybe your story lies somewhere in between.  Wherever you fall along the spectrum of online learning, for kids with a disability, the one thing we parents all do have in common is that we have suddenly become the one and only teacher for our child. My son has ten adults on his IEP team at school. TEN. At home, with my husband working, it is just me; one person. I have become the SLP, OT, behavior specialist, general education teacher and learning specialist, just to name a few. How do I wear all these hats and make sure my child is meaningfully participating in online school alongside his peers? Well, I will tell you my secret. 

I don’t.

I simply can’t. I stepped away from my job at FACT Oregon during these unprecedented times to focus on my children and make sure they are safe, fed, healthy and yes, educated. I am lucky to be able to take this time with them. My daughter just logs on to her Google classroom and does her assignments and manages her own time. My son takes every second of every day and everything I’ve got. I had to decide early on how to manage all the video calls and emails and tele-therapies that were coming flying at me from every direction. Everyone wanted to help.  Everyone wanted to make sure he wasn’t left behind. My heart swelled with all the thought and care people were pouring into my son and my family, but my head felt like it was going to explode.

So, I read the emails, we attend his online classroom meeting each day and then we just kinda do our own thing. He listens to books and I read to him every day, some days that is 10 minutes total and on a good day an hour. We type on his adapted keyboard when he’s in a good space. I have no idea how to approach math in a meaningful way. We follow a visual schedule, on hard days we follow it loosely.  I am not hard on myself about him not meaningfully participating in online school because I am too busy celebrating the other things we are working on that have nothing to do with school.

woman and boy at kitchen table looking at laptop computer and using AAC device
My son and I working through one of his assignments.

One example is neighborhood walks. Pre-COVID-19, whenever my son would go out our front door he just wanted to load up into the car and go somewhere. If you tried to go for a walk around the neighborhood he would scream and fall to the ground. When the stay at home orders came through I knew that we’d both need to get out of the house, even just for a walk around the block, if we were going to maintain our sanity. The first two walks were not pretty, but by the third walk he was having fun. We work on him carrying his AAC device, stopping and looking before crossing the street and saying hi to neighbors (from 6 feet away). We are also learning how to do chores, get dressed and brush teeth independently, use and carry his AAC device all day and ride a bike. Our family started an AAC only dinner time where everyone has to use his program on a device to communicate, no talking! So many things we have always just done for him because we were in a rush and had no time.  Now all we have is time.

Family outside on sidewalk, father holding son as he rides a bike, daughter walking behind them.
My daughter, son, and husband out for a walk/bike ride around the neighborhood!

Having a child with significant communication and sensory needs makes online school extremely difficult. However, the stay at home conditions we currently find ourselves in also gives us opportunities we have never had before. We are doing our best to participate in online school in a meaningful way, but I’m much more excited about his meaningful participation in our family.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: AAC Device, Assistive technology, autism, Behavior, communication needs, Community, Community Building, Covid 19, crossing the street, disability, Distance Learning, Dream Big Dreams, family, meaningful participation, online school, OT, personal story, safety, school, sensory needs, siblings, SLP, visual schedule, whole life

Nuestra Respuesta Respecto al COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

March 13, 2020 by Molly Williamson

FACT Oregon logo
Estimadas familias, organizaciones comunitarias y amigos de FACT:
Como muchos de ustedes, nosotros también en FACT Oregon hemos estado monitoreando de cerca los informes sobre COVID-19. Ayer, la Gobernadora Kate Brown participó en una conferencia de prensa en la cual se dieron recomendaciones, y nosotros basados en lo que ella dijo, tomamos la decisión de cancelar cualquier capacitación/entrenamiento y evento en persona que teníamos programado en la comunidad dentro de los próximos 60 días. Estamos haciendo todo lo posible para mantener a las familias y a nuestro personal seguros y saludables, y le agradecemos su comprensión.
Mientras tanto, sepa que, como organización, todavía estaremos operando durante este tiempo. Nuestro equipo de apoyo estará disponible para responder preguntas y proporcionar recursos y todos nuestros recursos y capacitaciones en línea continúan disponibles en nuestro sitio web y estamos trabajando para tener nuestros entrenamientos en línea en Español muy pronto. Todos los seminarios en línea que están programados continuarán según lo planeado. Además, buscaremos oportunidades para ofrecer seminarios en línea adicionales, así que esté atento a más información.
Tenga en cuenta que está bien sentirnos ansiosos en momentos de incertidumbre. Aprovechemos esta oportunidad para cuidar de nosotros mismos y de los demás, llevar esto juntos y actuar con un propósito y no entrar en pánico.
Sinceramente,
Signature of Roberta Dunn, Executive Director
Roberta Dunn, Executive Director

Filed Under: Blog en Español Tagged With: Community, Coronavirus, Covid 19, FACT Response, social distancing, traning

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