an “independent living”...
TRANSCRIPT
An “Independent Living”
Classroom
Located in:
Bowling Green, OH
Programming designed by:
Wood County Educational Service Center
OCALI
CONFERENCE
November 22, 2013
Staff
Intervention Specialist: Kelly VanOrder
Program Coordinator: Diane Witt
◦ [email protected]; 419-308-6564
Director of Special Needs:
Dr. Belinda Rhoads
◦ [email protected]; 419-354-9010
1 Program Para Professionals and 1-1 Paras as dictated by IEP
Related service as dictated by IEP
Opening the door to goals for today
1. Identify steps to develop a
complete community based
school aged program for
students with disabilities, ages18-22.
2. Identify and manage integral components of a
community based program.
3. Become familiar with a transition focused IEP.
4. Explain how “best practices” designs
programming that results in maximum
independency for an individual with disabilities.
The Vision – Students’ Needs
LRE for 18-22 year olds – HS no longer is LRE
◦ Has earned HS credits
Focused on students:
◦ Falling through the cracks
◦ Not a “fit” for career center
◦ Not “ready” for Board of DD adult services
Preparation for adult life working through solid
transition planning and preparation
Person centered planning approach with
ongoing input & support from IEP team
The Vision – To Meet Our Need
Providing educational programming of
total community based instruction for
students with significant disabilities,
ages 18-22
Challenge: developing the Living
Classroom out of current resources,
personnel, and money
Solution: transfer a current MD class
into a community based site
The Vision – Our Focus
Best Practices of Transition.
Total community based instruction
Use of SLP, OT, PT, APE in a realistic,
practical application
Collaborative transition team: student,
family/ guardian, Board of DD service
coordinator, Bridges (RSC), school
district, parent mentor, teacher, para,
supervisor, other
The Vision – Our Focus Preparation of independent living skills
◦ Home with parents or relative
◦ Group home
◦ Residential setting
◦ Apartment with support
Travel training
◦ Public transportation (bus, taxi) or walking
◦ Individualized to each student’s community
Community participation & safety
Functional communication
The Vision – Our Focus Preparation of vocational skills
◦ Supported employment
◦ Enclaves
◦ Short term job coach
◦ Part-time workshop
Social skills training
◦ Circles – systematic instruction with
generalized “teachable moments”
Age appropriate recreation/ leisure
◦ “Down-time” instruction
◦ Structured exploration of adult hobbies
Best Practices in Pictures
Best Practices in Pictures
Best Practices in Pictures
Ask . . . And You will be given . . .
•Share an idea with “important people”
who have connections! •Directors & Superintendents
•Local Business Connections
•Local Adult Agencies
•Friends and Colleagues
•Local Universities and Colleges
•Share your idea on paper
•“White paper” – elevator speech • Win-win for everyone
The Result – A Donated Apartment
Parent Considerations
Fear of “letting go” & safety
“Exposing” their children to society
Understanding the need for independent,
every day skills
Finalizing long term goals with the safety
net of school services soon to be gone
Establishing higher expectations beyond
the 4 walls of a classroom
Lack of knowledge of adult services
Establishing their contribution to the team
Student Considerations
Different environment
◦ Creating atmosphere of “school” within a non-
school setting
Transferring school terminology to adult
and work terminology
Increased walking/ activity/ stamina
Behavior issues & sensory needs without
“typical” physical boundaries or supervision
Expectations to be as independent as
potential allows
Steps Toward the Vision:
Establishing the Living Classroom
Emails & communications requesting connections
to anyone with rental property in the community
“Meet and greet” to discuss vision of program &
benefits of partnership with rental agents
◦ “White paper” provides concrete information after
meeting
Discussions w/ treasurer, director, superintendent
◦ Must get “buy-in” for long term support
◦ Part of MD budget – per student cost for districts
◦ Certificate of coverage – insurance (+ rental insurance)
◦ Rental lease developed; approved by Board
Steps Toward the Vision:
Establishing the Living Classroom
Consider need for snow shovels & salt and who
will be responsible
Develop budget for community based instruction
◦ Travel training
◦ Housewares - cleaning items, toiletries, etc.
◦ School supplies (ie. copy paper no longer “in-kind”) and
curriculum supplies
◦ Community based activities (ie. bowling, shopping,
leisure activities)
◦ Food for life skill activities
Donation request sent out to everyone!
Initial Must Do’s • Meetings with parents prior to placement
of students in “new” classroom
• Explanation of purpose & future
• Demonstrate passion, but be cautious
• Staff training prior to school year
• Program expectations & rationale
• Teachers expectations for consistency of
student training
• Specific para responsibilities if different than
“typical” classroom
• Development of data collection system
Initial Must Do’s
Establish successful adult-student ratio
◦ 1st year is vital for success & safety
Provision of school supplies and home
living supplies
Internet & phone set up
Plan for parking of staff & meetings
Post emergency evacuation maps in apt.
Emergency plan for behavior crises
Plan for weather emergencies in
apartment and/ or in community
Initial Organization
• Work experience - Bowling Green State
University recreation center
• Transportation - BGSU shuttle
• Data collection - development of baseline
skills and task analyses
• Schedule/ curriculum focus – 2 days work;
3 days apartment/ life skills
IEP’s were “adopted” as is but services
gradually became transitioned focused
Direct related services as written on IEP
How We Started . . . . .
• Started “school” in district classroom
• High school jobs in school building –
aligned to future community jobs
• BGSU shuttle to community outings
monthly for experience of travel training
• Walked to apartment daily from HS
• Gradually increased time at apartment
and community and decreased time in
district classroom
Continued Growth . . . 2nd year
and Beyond . . . . • Apartment & community became the
classroom •Needed teacher space/ desk area
•Pick-up and drop off at apartment
• Different rules for different districts
•No district ownership like other MD
classrooms
• Decreased para to student ratio
• Partial rent incorporated into budget •Proposed plan for next year of total rent into
budget
Continued Growth . . . 2nd year
and Beyond . . . .
•IEPs all life skill/ transition driven
• APE consult; other related services “as
needed” for individual student
•Plan of transition for new students to
apartment when possible
•New recreational visits to BGSU
•Job sites added to work site pool
•Incorporation of fire & tornado drills
•Surprise phone calls: •Basement flooded first summer
•Hot water heater & furnace quit
Things to think about!
Things to think about!
Things to think about!
Things to think about!
Programming Best Practices
Backwards planning
Community-based instruction & integration
Life skills centered IEP - see next slide
Person-centered planning
Home visits & parent surveys
Extensive transition assessments
Data collection & documentation
Intensive, on-going collaboration w/ adult agencies
Vocational tasks, training & experiences
Social skills training, including sex education
A Unique IEP Drives Programming
Goals and objectives are no longer
academic but alignment is to CORE where
appropriate
Focus is completely on life skill & transition
Assessment, transition goals, IEP goals/
objectives focus on 4 main domains:
◦ Daily Living
◦ Vocational/ Employment
◦ Community Access & Participation
◦ Life Long Fitness & Leisure
Weekly Schedule
Monday
◦ Speech & Language; Social skills training - Circles
Tuesday and Thursday
◦ Apartment – independent living skills, cooking,
independent hygiene, vocational, leisure, specific
work skills training, “academics”
◦ Community trips - grocery shopping, recreation
◦ Individual work experiences
◦ Travel training
Weekly Schedule
Wednesday and Friday
◦ Work site – Goodwill
Retail Store
Donation Station
◦ BGSU – begins again in January
◦ Travel training
Daily Living - in the Apartment Laundry
◦ Folding, hanging, and putting away clothes
◦ Sort by color & name on collar
Cleaning
◦ Toilets to tables to floors . . . . independently
Maintaining own “bedroom”
◦ Making bed; washing sheets
◦ Putting away clothes and shoes
Kitchen skills, food preparation & cooking
◦ Appliance & food safety
Best Practices in Pictures
Vocational/ Employment Job site analysis done before work
experience including task analysis for job
Transportation – use as travel training
Bag or clipboard to carry necessary items
Emergency forms, personal items, etc.
Uniforms, dress code, and name tags
• Students, staff, and substitutes
Communication among staff
◦ Emergency plan for injury, behaviors, weather, etc.
Plan for calamity days and 2 hour delays
Vocational/ Employment
Bowling Green State University
Wood County ESC
Goodwill Retail and Donation
Center
Bridges Partnership
Other local establishments
Specific job skill training at the apartment
Best Practices in Pictures
Community Access & Participation
* Grocery shopping * Library
* Restaurants * Bowling
* BGSU * Other community establishments
Focus is on:
•Travel training
•Self-determination
•Communication
•Respecting others
•Social skills
•Independency
Best Practices in Pictures
Life Long Fitness & Leisure
No more APE “school games”
◦ Focus on age appropriate activities
Realistic and meaningful exercise & activities
Collaboration with APE, OT and PT to
develop meaningful tasks
Teaching to make choices
“Doing nothing” is not an option as a long
term activity
Best Practices in Pictures
Integration of Academic Skills CORE Standards
◦ Unique System – Transition
◦ Brigance Inventory of Transition Skills
Math - Money skills
◦ Next dollar
◦ Wallets with visuals
Language Arts
◦ Picture recipes
◦ Grocery store sight words – Edmark
◦ Emergency signs in and out of apartment
Vocational tasks
◦ Red and blue box tasks
Attainment Company & Ketchsolutions
Data Collection “Snapshot”
Vanity – follows a visual hygiene checklist
independently (in 2 months time)
0% - increased to 79%
Ashley – striking at others
144 times, decreased to 28 times
Michelle – initiates use of communication device
0% - increased to 82%
Kelbey – employability life skills assessment
93 points in MD traditional classroom
216 points in 2 years at apartment
Best Practice Results . . . .
Ashley no longer tells a boy when she
thinks he is ugly
Michelle now uses her communication
device to communicate needs & wants
rather than throws it
Shelby now says “shoot, I’m frustrated” or
“break please” instead of breaking things
or lashing out at others
Students doing for themselves rather
than staff doing for students
Parents have said: “What good change and progress I’ve
seen. It would never happen without day
by day training at school” “He feels
successful” – Steven’s mom
“Conversations with Ashley have
appropriate meaning and are relevant to
current situations.” - Ashley’s mom
“I would not have kept Kelbey in school if
she would have had to stay at the high
school” – Kelbey’s mom
Special Education is not a place – it is
what and how we teach . . .
a “living classroom” can be . . . .
An apartment set up in a classroom –
separate from academics
A partnership with a local college –
unused space
Housing options from area businesses and
colleges that are usually used for visitors
Friends’ and families’ homes
?!?!?!?