Working Proposal - Parents as Adaptablity/Disability Coaches

Most of the obstacles faced by disabled people, especially children, have very little to do with the disability itself. We all interact with many people in our daily lives. Most of those people have very little to no experience interacting with people with disabilities. Those are small encounters that most of us do not think about - the bus driver or person seated next to you on the morning commute, the receptionists and secretaries at the bank or doctor's office, random passerby's saying hello on the sidewalk or bus stop. For a disabled person, each of those encounters is a potential emotional minefield if they are not prepared. At any time a disabled person could be subject to some degrading or insulting action or comment, whether international or not. Additionally, disabled people are often labelled by their disability first, whereas a non-disabled person is more likely to be labelled by his personality and/or skills. This is the reality for disabled people. To succeed in navigating those obstacles, it is essential that the disabled person have a solid foundation of self-esteem and self-confidence. They must see themselves as people with a disability rather than as a disabled person. They must feel confident in their ability to be assertive and stand up for themselves in the face of adversity. The positive shaping of a disabled person in this manner must start very early in life, with the parents. They must treat their children as people first, worthy of love and attention. Accommodations and adaptations should be a secondary focus instead of the main reason for interacting with the child. They should feel like they are valued persons, not people who need to be 'fixed' first and foremost. Proper coaching will produce a person who not only has strong self esteem, confidence and assertiveness, but is also a productive and contributing member of his or her family, community and society.

Summer Coordinator for Community Networks (Worldview) - Plan 2013

In my position with FACTsnet this summer, I am responsible for overseeing the coordination and development of education-related information networks  that take more of an all-encompassing worldview perspective and target audience. My work on such fields as English curriculum and disabilities in the classroom are geared towards a very general audience, being useful to students, teachers, parents, administrators, support staff and anyone else connected to education at any grade level. My goal is to create and improve on information databases that will allow readers to apply best-practice principles on the classroom and individual levels, creating a ripple of positive effect on all students but especially those with exceptional needs. I am also involved in coordinating a possible seminar on how parents can serve as coaches for their children, especially those who have disabilities or challenging behaviors.

Briefly, in my position as Summer Coordinator for Community Networks (Worldview), I oversee the creation and editing of information networks that provide universally useful information on education-related topics including but not limited to adapting curriculum and disabilities in the classroom.

Summer Program Business Manager - Plan 2013

My job at FACTSnet is the Summer Program Business Manager. My duties can be separated into two categories. One is accounting related: I am responsible for preparing payroll summaries of all employees at FACTSnet. A procedure will be created to facilitate future employees making payrolls.  The other is related to marketing and network development. For example, I am involved in the Sustainability project where my partner and I sell our ideas (via writing a proposal) that will help the University of Alberta increase sustainability on campus. If we succeed in doing so, the university will provide us with a green grant to help us implement our ideas.  I am also researching environmental sustainability within our constituency.  Another part of my job is doing network research on non-profit organizations within the Edmonton - Spruce Grove constituency, which will help FACTSnet improve on its existing activities, like providing online information and where to get assistance. Part of this research will be related to FACTSnet hosting a cultural and heritage networking event.  A secondary aspect of my job is to participate in the Adaptablities/Disabilities Network development with the rest of our summer team.  I am also in charge of summarizing business articles and books, such as The Breakthrough Solution by Grant Mullen, M.D. and Tips from Robert Rohm for Daily Living. Overall, a lot of primary and secondary research and writing skills are required for this position. 

Summer Coordinator for Community Networks (Adaptabilities) - Plan 2013

As a Summer Coordinator for Community Networks (Adaptabilities), my main responsibility is to increase awareness of major disabilities in Canada and provide practical information about them to parents, teachers, and other educators.

Schools play a very important role in what this work position is about. Teachers and other individuals involved in the education system are the people that will have one of the biggest roles in shaping the lives of children with disabilities. Increasing the understanding about common disabilities will help teachers improve the classroom environment for kids affected by disabilities. Creating a network that can communicate new knowledge and address any concerns with disabilities will surely improve the lives of the children and their families!

In order to accomplish this task, I have been working with a team of other coordinators to create blogs that introduce useful information regarding disabilities. Cerebral Palsy, Deafness, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Autism are some of the disabilities addressed in these blogs. These and many others affect a number of children across Canada and it is important that people become aware of how disabilities affect the lives of children. This way, they can be treated fairly and assisted to reach their maximum capabilities. Ultimately, this will not only increase the children’s’ quality of life but also lead them to become contributing members of society.

Planning and organizing an annual symposium dedicated to improving the understanding of disabilities is another task I am working on. This involves: contacting organizations and groups interested in partnering and presenting, finding sponsors for funding the event, booking a venue, organizing the details of the symposium, and finally, hosting the event.

As a separate project, I am working closely to with the NAIT Digital Media and IT Co-op Coordinator in order to improve the success rate of students finding co-op jobs. Both short term and long term improvements are being worked on.

Lastly, the Summer Coordinator for Community Networks position also includes work with the Jasper Place Health and Wellness Centre to meet the needs of the homeless individuals around the community.

Summer Coordinator for Community Networks - Plan 2013

My job with FACTSnet as a Summer Coordinator for Community Networks is a more generalized one than many of the other positions available, which has been evident this week as I started my myriad of new projects. I have focused much of my attention on the Oh Canada  Network and the Adaptabilities/Disabilities network being set up by some of my coworkers. I have also gotten a good start on a project to promote sustainability on U of A campuses using their Green Grant program. I think the project I am most excited to start on, however, is indexing the blogs in the site. My ultimate goal is to make things as easy to find as possible not only for FACTSnet contributors, but for visitors to the site as well. I will be working with our tech people this summer in order to make this happen. With input from the rest of the team, we will be working on a plan for a new, more user-friendly template for the site, as well as a system for organizing existing and new blogs. We hope to use the Adaptabilities/Disabilities blog as a prototype for the new system of organization.

Job Competition Blogs etc. 2013

1. Summer Program Business Manager

   Search FACTSnet index for Business.  
   

2. Technical Coordinator for Community Networks

   
   
   1. Internet-Web Page Coordinator: 
   
   Look at Blog templates and editing them.  Grey Nuns projects
   

3. Summer Coordinator for School/Community Networks (Worldview)

   Search for Worldview and education network. 
   

4. Summer Coordinator for School/Community Networks

   
   
   1. Historical Research Assistant:
   
   Search for education, leadership, Historical, heritage.
   

   Competition:

   1. Set up a blog and email posts and comments to factsc@gmail.com 
   2. Look at the job description(s) you are interested in.
   3. Find related blogs from the FACTnet index.
   4. Write a post on the jobs you are interested in and how you would make the related blogs better.  Other blogs you are interested in.  Optional include any ideas for your 20% project(s) (Capstone). 
   5. Do a post every day this week to update your 1st post.  Does not need to say much.  Just to show that you are interested in the job and that you can check in every day. 
   6. Meet again Wednesday (Short list) and Friday (should know funding and who is hired by Friday).
   7.  Volunteer benefits like information and  resource sharing, help finding a job, and group rates. 

    

Career and Personal Development (Session 1)

1. Write a post in your blog indicating your short term, mid term and long term career goals and ideals.
2. Write another post indicating what you would like to do for personal and relational development this summer.
3. Look at the following links and indicate which areas you would like to monitor.  
1. http://www.personality-insights.com/blog/#
2. thebreakthroughsolution.com.
3. https://www.flagpagetest.com/ 
4. For those of you who are short listed.  Write another post indicating what you would like to do with you first 40 hour week.