| Hello all!
During a recent conversation, a close friend relayed a story about her son who, during his school years, deviated from the conventional “mold” of a student. He didn’t earn straight A’s, found it difficult to turn in his work on time, and sometimes forgot to do it completely. At one point, a frustrater educator told this young man that he would never amount to anything. Fortunately, her son encountered a teacher who recognized his potential and nurtured his passion for filmmaking. This encouragement propelled him to win numerous film awards, and he is now contributing his talents to the industry. Why? As my friend says, “He had a champion. Every student needs a champion!”
Every student deserves a champion...an advocate; someone who believes in their potential and helps them navigate through their journey of growth and learning. This advocacy is not confined within the walls of classrooms; it extends into homes, communities, and every space where a child interacts.
Becoming a student’s champion involves keenly observing their interests, fostering open communication, and encouraging exploration of their passions. By providing essential resources and mentorship, we can help nurture their skills and build competence. Celebrating their achievements fosters a sense of accomplishment and resilience, while involving the community reinforces support and belonging. Investing time and resources in discovering and nurturing a student’s passions shapes their future, boosts their confidence, and develops their sense of self, guiding them towards fulfillment and happiness.
Luckily, our SENIA community members are rock star advocates! I remain inspired by a network of champions which ranges from World Changers and Level One Certified Educators to global volunteers, including teacher representatives, members of parent and student groups, and leaders of SENIA local and regional chapters. Together, we form a robust community of advocates dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the students with whom we support.
SENIA = champions, and with that in mind, we recently adapted our mission statement to better reflect the work we do. This big announcement is below. SENIA peeps, I know you all have "champion" on the mind, and that you’re all already humming the tune, so let’s all just sing it together now, “We are the champions, my friends And we’ll keep on [advocating] to the end We are the champions, We are the champions No time for [not believing in our students]
Because we are the champions Of the World!” Original lyrics by Queen, 1977 Let's go out there and continue to be champions, my friends. Lori Boll SENIA International Executive Director Friendly Reminder: We have lots to share in our newsletter. When you see 3 dots, be sure to click "see more" so you don't miss out on anything. |
|
|
Over the last eight months, the SENIA Board of Directors has been contemplating on our mission, our work, and our goals as we evaluate our impact and plan for the future. We determined that it was time to update our mission to reflect what SENIA embodies and we are proud to share that with you today. We hope you will join us in championing inclusion. |
|
|
Update Your Contact Details |
Have you switched departments? Transferred to a new school? Moved to a new country? Ensure we make the move with you by updating your contact details today! |
|
|
SENIA Japan is pleased to collaborate again with the Japan Council of International Schools on a conference, held at Tokyo International School on September 22, 2023. This professional development event was for general education teachers and learning support teachers alike. The keynote on Wellbeing was by Aimee Parkinson of Well-Nest. SENIA sponsored presentations included a talk by Sarah Thawley, entitled How to Close the Gap: Building a strong bridge with parent advocacy and teacher communication, which was followed by a panel of parents of neurodiverse learners who discussed their experience of inclusion for their children all facilitated by SENIA Japan board member Peter Baker. SENIA Japan board member Erin Power spoke with her colleagues Kate Fabianowicz and Susan Islacox on Creating Age-Appropriate ABA-Informed Behavior Plans From Kindergarten to High School, and SENIA Japan board members Sheila O’Shea and Ivy Maeda spoke on Classroom Strategies that Build Executive Function Skills. Other presentations organized by SENIA Japan include Speech-Language Pathologist Garrett Oyama’s talk Dynamic Rhythms, Dynamic Systems: How Music Can Help Manage Classroom Behavior; Speech-Language Pathologist Jennie O’Grady’s talk Supporting Children in Distress: An Alternative Perspective on Managing Challenging Behaviors; OT Aya Porte’s talk Make it SENsory, and Issac Puyod’s talk Recognizing Grit: Moving in Increments. This is the second time SENIA Japan has partnered with the Japan Council of International schools on a full day event and it proved to be a very exciting day.
~ Ivy Maeda |
Scholarships & Awards SENIA Student Award |
SENIA World Changer Award |
|
|
| Congratulations to Kitsie LaRock as a SENIA World Changer Award Winner!
Kitsie LaRock has a big heart and is always looking for ways to implement universal design into her work at Bernie LaRock & Sons Construction. Just days before the inaugural event of a newly constructed timber frame pavilion, Kitsie installed a beautiful cer-pak sidewalk from the parking lot into the Pavilion. Not only did she build the accessible sidewalk, she also covered the cost of the installation of the sidewalk so the organization did not have to find the funds to pay for it. This sidewalk has guaranteed accessibility for all in the community to the beautiful new pavilion and ensures everyone can enjoy it!
|
|
|
|
Anvi Vijay Zanzarukia has become known as the “Rubber Girl of India.” She began learning yoga at the age of 4 and since then has shared her unique journey with others. Yoga has not only changed her life but the lives of so many other children with disabilities. Anvi began a new campaign of “Karo Yog Raho Nirog” which allows her to share the power of yoga through her demonstrations with over 100 schools and institutions. She confidently demonstrates her abilities and has kindly shared one of her videos with us.
Anvi has received recognition at the national yoga events in India, winning three gold and two bronze medals. She was also awarded the “Best Creative Child with Disability Award – 2020” by the president of India. Congratulations to Anvi as September’s SENIA World Changer Award winner!
|
|
|
|
In this article, Leading Strategic Change: Building a Culture of Inclusion at UNIS Hanoi, educational leaders Nitasha Crishna and Cheryl Hordenchuk from the United Nations International School (UNIS) in Hanoi along with Lead Inclusion consultant, Johanna Cena discuss their journey in building a culture of inclusion at UNIS by using a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) approach. They share their strategic process and lessons learned in implementing school-wide online inclusive professional learning. Read more about their journey by clicking the button below.
|
|
|
SENIA's Deputy Executive Director, Andrea Lillis, will be at the following events in Bangkok in October. Will you be there? She would love to hear about the inclusive steps your school is taking! Please contact Andrea@SeniaInternational.org or connect with her on LinkedIn to schedule a chat. |
|
|
2024 In Person Conference |
Registration is now open for our SENIA Asia 2024: Designing For Inclusion conference at International School Ho Chi Minh City on March 1 - 3. |
|
|
We have two great podcasts for you this month! First, host Lori Boll speaks with David Geslak and Amber Pantaleo, Founder and Vice President of Exercise Connection, an organization that uses evidence-based solutions to empower those who support individuals with autism and other disabilities to teach exercise successfully. Coach Dave and Amber share the research and evidence based practices to support learners and share how just 10 minutes a day of exercise can make a tremendous difference and set our students up for successful learning.
|
In the second podcast, host Lori Boll speaks with Mitch Weathers, creator of The Organized Binder. Mitch created this binder to empower teachers with a simple but research-backed strategy to teach students executive functioning skills while protecting the time needed for content instruction. Lori & Mitch discuss how establishing a predictable learning routine for our students serves to foster safer learning spaces and how shared routines throughout an entire school helps create collective efficacy.
|
|
|
What We Are Watching Forget Me Not: Inclusion in the Classroom by Oliver Bernier |
|
|
|
Forget Me Not is a documentary film that shines a light on both the past and present struggles for inclusion in U.S. society for children with disabilities. This film chronicles the journey of one family in finding an inclusive educational setting for their son with Down Syndrome in New York City. The filmmaker/father reaches out to other parents whose children are currently in the NY public school system and explores their fight for the inclusion of their children with intellectual disabilities in inclusive settings. The film captures the heartfelt desires of parents to give their children the same opportunities that all children have while also navigating the confusing and complex IEP system regulated by IDEA. It also captures the variability in the implementation of systems that are designed to protect and support children identified with special learning needs. Some districts focus on inclusion, while some are still built upon exclusion.
|
|
|
As a current special education administrator in the U.S., it was painful to see that there are still systemic barriers to inclusion functioning in plain view in some parts of the U.S. Much of what this film highlighted was that as a society, we still allow children with disabilities to be marginalized, ignored, and segregated. Despite years of academic research supporting the value of inclusive education for children with (and without) disabilities, the systems of marginalization have yet to be dismantled. As a society, do we accept this? Change must come from the community level. We know that when enough people stand up and share their passion for an inclusive society, great changes can be made. Though we have come a long way in the U.S. since the years when people with disabilities were relegated to asylums, even in 2021 (the year the film was made), we still have a long way to go in shifting hearts, minds, and systems to support all children and families.
Forget Me Not is now streaming on Amazon Prime and more information is available on the film's website. ~ Shannon Raybold
|
What We Are Reading The Architecture of Disability by David Gissen |
I saw a book review that said The Architecture of Disability by David Gissen, a disabled designer and historian of architecture at Parsons School of Design rates my hometown — Vienna, Austria — one of the most accessible cities in the world. I had to order it and walk around seeing it.
Pages 125 to 134 are his deep dive on Vienna. Accessible Vienna evolved in the aftermath of World War I with many wounded returning home. It embedded into the culture to the point Mr. Gissen points out today: “Almost all of the prosthetics used by wounded U.S. military veterans have mechanical elements (knees, hands, and elbow) that were manufactured in Vienna.”
The author showcases a huge depth of knowledge making quick asides about the history of accessible architecture. Mr. Gissen asks questions about how accessible disabled people want places to be. There are parts that as a non-expert I find myself skimming and then periodic gems of information that illuminated the intersectional inclusion coalition of today such as:
According to the historian Sara Rose… ‘disability’ emerged as various impairments, ideas about human productivity, and an increasingly industrialized labor market intersected (Rose, No Right to Be Idle)… a blind person, an amputee, and a traumatized veteran do not necessarily have anything in common with one another. But such people… began to coalesce into an identity as government and industries evaluated such people’s capacities or incapacities to work. This process began at the end of the nineteenth century… (p. 117)
The intersectionality of neurodiverse and disabled people has a lot of moving parts and perspectives. Mr. Gissen offers us another way of seeing and interpreting the world and its structures. ~ Reviewed by Jon Springer |
Level 1 Educator Certification & Coursework |
|
|
Next Course Begins October 9th |
|
|
This coursework is perfect for the beginning to intermediate level Learning Support teacher or general educators who want to learn more about supporting students with learning differences. We've had parents participate and have gotten good feedback from them as well. Take one course or all six. Educators who take all six earn a SENIA Level One Educator certification. Sign up for all 6 courses now and get one course free. |
Teaching Assistant Certification |
Are you ready to supercharge your impact in the classroom? Step into the world of SENIA's Teaching Assistant Certification Course!
Unleash your passion for empowering students and unlock a treasure trove of knowledge and skills. Delve into the fascinating history of inclusive practices, unravel the mysteries of educational diagnoses, and become a pro at data collection and confidentiality. Master the art of behavior management, discover the secret sauce for positive transitions and routines, and become a friendship-building guru. Are you up for the challenge? Join the SENIA Teaching Assistant Certification Course and embark on an unforgettable learning adventure. Let's make a lasting impact in the lives of our amazing students! |
|
|
Want regular updates on SENIA Academy? Join our mailing list. Bonus: Sign up for the SENIA Academy mailing list and we'll share 6 hands-on tips for using AI as an Educator! |
| |
|
Texthelp's Festival of Inclusive Education 10th October 2023 Online event
A free PD event designed to celebrate SEN and inclusion. Enjoy a full day of talks, panel discussions and expert Q&As. You’ll leave with all the tools and skills you need to bring teaching and learning to life for all. |
|
|
Accessibility notice:
At SENIA, we are working towards making all of our spaces and materials more accessible for all of our community. Should you require any accommodations to ensure resources or events are fully accessible to you, or if you have any questions about accessibility, please contact Hannah Peters at hannah@seniainternational.org.
|
|
|
| SENIA International 18160 Cottonwood Rd. PMB 637 | Sunriver, OR | USA Unsubscribe link |
|
|
|