 Join our Conversation
Thank you for joining me for our second email issue of Thoughtful Conversations. Each issue will bring new evidence that highlights gains people are making around the world. We will focus on the use of technology, the implementation of curricular programs and the support professional development offers in the pursuit of personal achievement for people with severe to moderate disabilities.
This issue brings you a case study of Gabriela Berlanga of Mexico City. She, like others around the world, has started a technology center to provide services never experienced in her area. Centers, like hers, are staffed by amazing pioneers. They create community change that spreads quickly due to the gains people with disabilities demonstrate as they use technology. They defy prior beliefs about what others thought they could achieve.
With a focus on evidence-based development, AbleNet seeks to provide maximum value to our customers. Our company not only conducts its own research, but joins with educational institutions locally, nationally and internationally to expand knowledge regarding best practices that improve lives.
As coordinator of the AbleNet Research Consortium, I invite you to send any questions or recommendations that will assist us in improving our research efforts. Just email me at cvolkman@ablenetinc.com.
Let’s keep talking,
Cheryl Volkman
Call for Proposals
Will you be conducting research to help the world understand how students with severe to moderate disabilities learn with the aid of curriculum and assistive technology? You may be a university student, researcher or represent a school. Contact the AbleNet Research Consortium for potential support of product, stipend and resources. The next funding deadline is December 31, 2008. Go here for submission guidelines and process details. Contact cvolkman@ablenetinc.com with questions.
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Case Study: Gabriela Berlanga, Mexico City, Mexico
The following is part of a collection of case studies about how educators in our communities are creating amazing opportunities for students with disabilities to learn, grow and achieve extraordinary results. In showcasing people who are putting their passion into practice, the AbleNet Research Consortium provides a forum for honoring and sharing the efforts of inspiring educators worldwide. The exemplary leadership and sound intervention strategies of these individuals are having a positive impact on the growth and achievement of students who have disabilities
Gabriela (Gaby) is a true “Champion of Change.” As co-founder and director of a new center in Mexico City, she systematically encourages new ways of thinking about the capabilities of individuals with disabilities as she fosters the dissemination of information and images about AAC and its utilization.
Read about this center in Mexico City that has gone from serving 2 to 80 people in two years. In the following interview, Gaby tells her story. Much of her learning can be used to replicate results in other start-up ventures around the world. Gaby discusses the process that guided her growth, the mentors who supported all aspects of the center’s development and the challenges she overcame to have a financially stable and professionally sound organization.
Read the case study on-line
Download the case study as a PDF (English)
Download the case study as a PDF (Spanish)
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Tampa Bay Tribune: Writes Newspaper Article about the first Case Study with Maria Barrera at Cotee River Elementary School
INEW PORT RICHEY - Special education students at Cotee River Elementary took the lead role this week in teaching the rest of the student body about the presidential election.
Read the full article at Tampa Bay Online.
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October 2008 Case Study: Maria Barrera, Cotee River Elementary School, Florida
There’s a collaborative environment among special education and general education students and teachers at Cotee River Elementary School in Florida. For students with moderate to severe/profound disabilities, utilizing the Star Reporter curricular program (some with the aid of assistive technology) has resulted in numerous academic and social achievements. Academically, these students have improved in reading, math, communication and writing skills. Socially, they have experienced pride, self-confidence and a new level of interaction with their peers without disabilities. A greater appreciation of differences and various levels of capabilities is evident throughout the school.
Read about Maria, the students, the intervention, the outcomes, the assistive technology utilization and the research base for the innovative intervention strategies this Florida School employs.
Read the October Cast Study here.
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