• Text : Speechless Ollibean Must Watch. The family in the comedy "Speechless" standing by van.

“Speechless”: A Comedy That Includes Disability

"Speechless"  has been picked up by ABC. "Speechless”, is a new comedy series about a family with three children, one of whom is a teenager named JJ who is non-speaking and uses a wheelchair. Yes, a sitcom on ABC about a family with a child who has a disability and communicates using AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). And JJ won't just be featured in one episode to teach the other characters a lesson,  but is an integral part of every episode. Just like real life. If seeing a family like yours on a major network wasn't enough, JJ is being played

Parenting and Caregiving Relationships

Parenting and Caregiving Finding the balance between parenting and caregiving children with disabilities can be challenging -- there's a fine line between hovering and being there to assist when needed. The dynamics of the caregiving/care receiving relationship are complex. They are constantly changing as our children grow up; what's nurturing and helpful for a five year old doesn't fly at ten, what was okay at ten, doesn't work at eleven, and so on and so on. The media typically presents the perspective of caregivers, particularly parent caregivers, but rarely provides the perspective of the person with a disability who uses personal

Deaf Teen Filmmakers Interpretation of Phillip Phillips’ “Home”

Acceptance, connection, and belonging. Home. Thank you Deaf Film Camp for making such awesome videos!

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The Quiet Key to This School’s Success

What do you do when you become the principal of a school with the lowest academic performance and  the highest rate of suspension, absenteeism, and teacher turn over? Nothing. Nothing for 15 minutes twice a day to be exact. In 2003, James Dierkean, the innovative principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, decided to try something unconventional to mitigate the negative impacts that stress was causing for his students and staff. He launched a meditation program. Specifically, a Transcendental Meditation (TM) program called Quiet Time. Principal Dierke and his staff, with the help

Five Reasons You Need to Read ‘Ghost Boy’ by Martin Pistorius

For over ten years Martin Pistorius was trapped in his own body, fully cognizant, but unable to speak or move. He was surrounded by people who believed he was incapable of thinking and tried desperately to get just one person to notice. His story serves as a wake-up call for all of us to drastically change our assumptions about speech and intellectual capacity as well as the need to radically reform expectations and treatment of people with complex communication needs.

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LOVED As I Am

We can all use a daily reminder that we are loved, accepted and adored for being exactly who we are. Ollibean Goods of the Day- "LOVED as I am" , "You Are Loved" and "I Am Loved" .

ALL Students Should Be Safe at School

I spoke at Hillsborough County School District's board meeting on September 9, 2014 to address safety concerns for students with disabilities after Tamya Johson, a nine year old student on the autism spectrum was left sleeping on her school bus. The day after this meeting, September 10, Hillsborough School Bus Crash sends 21 people to the hospital. Transcript Mrs Elia, Board members, I’ve come to speak to you today to offer my help and the community’s help to do whatever we need to do to ensure all students are safe in our schools. Being safe while at school is the

  • Make Screen Time Learning Time. Captioned Media Boosts Literacy. Ollibean Logo

The Impact of 250 Words on Literacy

Ollibean Literacy Lifehacks : Tools for parents and care providers without education backgrounds to easily provide literacy instruction. Sign up for our free Flashcards of the 250 Words that represent over two-thirds of captioned television.

Get Your Happy On

Love this video by Tina and Paul Sirimarco. Tina is an ASL interpreter and has been teaching her husband to sign. The videos they have created are so free spirited and joyful that they're really fun to watch. About Paul and Tina : Yup, it's official. They're adorable. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is just as much fun to watch.

  • Blue rectangle "250 words = over 2/3 CC" at the top of image. TURN ON THE CAPTIONS is beneath the image. Screenshot of Jobs movie with a blue circle with Ollibean Literacy Lifehacks .Image of close up shot of Ashton Kutcher, a white male with brown hair and brown eyes and beard is speaking. Closed captioning in white "How does somebody know what they want if they've never even seen it?" Next to this image are 12 flashcards- how, does, some, know, what, they, want, if, they, never , see, it".

250 Words Represent Over Two-Thirds of Captioned Television

"There are more than 500,000 words in the English language, but a person who masters only 250 words will recognize more than two-thirds of all words shown in television captions—provided the 250 words are those that are most frequently used. Equally dramatic, a beginning reader could be taught just 10 words—the, you, to, a, I, and, of, in, it, that—and then recognize more than one out of every five words. Mastery of the top 79 words means being able to read half of all words captioned." Source: Perspectives in Education and Deafness, Volume 16, Number 1, September/October 1997 Henry and

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How to Improve Literacy Without Even Trying

One of the simplest things you can do to improve your child’s reading skills is already in your home. Closed captioning is free, easy to use, and a natural literacy booster. Research shows that closed captioning increases literacy skills in people of all ages. Simply having the captions on can dramatically improve vocabulary, word recognition, comprehension, and reading . Closed Captioning supports literacy for all. by Lauri Swann Hunt   Turn on the closed captioning in your home; on your tvs, ipads, phones, and computers. Many people think closed captions are only beneficial for deaf and hard of hearing people. And,

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Accessibility Is a Right Not a Privilege

Accessibility is a right not a privilege. 20 posts on Accessibility, Universal Design, and Inclusion   It's Time to Go Beyond Access Creating Equal Opportunities For ALL Students to Participate in School Athletics State Obligations UNESCO Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM) Inclusion Is A Right Not A Privilege Paula Kluth on The Inclusive Class Roundtable The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials Why Would We Want Inclusive Education? Ollibean Spotlight: Kerima Cevik Pay It Forward Activist How AAC and assistive tech make classrooms better for all : Paula Kluth The Case for Inclusion Part 3: Sea Change Access to the

The Importance of Opportunity

Dillan Barmache, a 14 year old autistic student, delivers his powerful 8th grade commencement speech using his iPad and brings the crowd to their feet.

  • "Acceptance starts at home" Photograph of teenage boy with white skin and brown hair with woman with white skin and dark brown shoulder length hair

Parents – Acceptance Starts at Home

Parents, home is the single most important place for our children to feel accepted. We must embrace ALL of our children with love and acceptance for being exactly who they are. Home is the first place our kids learn about being accepted and accepting others. It is our responsibility and privilege as parents to create a nurturing environment where each child feels valued, safe, loved and whole. Our children are always listening and picking up on our feelings and attitudes. They're listening to how we speak to them, about them, and closely watching  how we react to other people who

Help Emily Ladau Win an Adapted Van

Hey guys, we need five minutes of your time. Disability rights advocate, Ollibean contributor, and all around awesome human, Emily Ladau is in a contest to win her first car. Emily recently had quite an adventure getting her driver's license and now she can legally drive! Emily's a wheelchair user and needs an adapted van and equipment which will cost around $70,000. Folks, please take a moment, read her story and vote daily so Emily can win the van she needs in order to drive.  You can register to vote via e-mail, but be sure to check your spam folder for the password

  • Image description: Who Cares About Kelsey DVD Cover. Photograph of light skinned girl with brown hair wearing a black sweatshirt and jeans, leaning up against a locker, turned to the side face looking to her right. Students in the hall in the background. Text reads Failing grades + ADHD + Self mutilation + Abuse white equal sign with red slash indicating “not equal”. Dropout. Festival Awards listed on left side of screen. "Who Cares About Kelsey? a documentary by Dan Habib. Education Kit.

Who Cares About Kelsey? We do.

We first saw Who Cares About Kelsey ? at the National Center on Inclusive Education’s Summer Institute and instantly connected to the film's message of empowering students.

A Mother’s Open Letter To President Obama and Secretary Perez

February 10, 2014 President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,NW Washington, DC 20500 The Honorable Thomas Perez Secretary of Labor U.S. Department of Labor 200 Constitution Ave.,NW Washington, DC 20210 Dear Mr President and Secretary Perez, Thank you for all that you are doing to ensure workers are paid fair wages with your upcoming executive order to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 for government contractors. I implore you to include workers with disabilities, workers currently making sub-minimum wages under the antiquated Fair Labor Standards Act, 14 (c), in this executive order. After the State of the Union address,

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Is Your Child Learning How to Code?

We hope all kids are learning to code. If they aren't being taught programming skills in school, there are so many great sites that can help them get started today.

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30 Second Message for Bullies

AAPD's PSA features three real students sharing a simple message: people with disabilities are powerful, self-determined individuals—not victims.

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Who Cares About Kelsey

Kelsey Carroll lived with homelessness, self-mutilation, abuse and ADHD.  She was a likely high school dropout — until she encountered an education revolution that’s about empowering, not overpowering, teens with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Kelsey’s story, a story of trying to be seen for her potential rather than her past behavior.

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Transforming Education to Benefit ALL Students

As part of a 5-year, $24.5 million grant awarded by the U.S. DOE , the SWIFT Center was founded to assist districts and their schools to engage in a transformational process, in order to achieve equity and excellence for all students. Research has demonstrated that inclusive education significantly improves academic and behavior outcomes for all children.

Thank You, Ed Roberts

"And we’re going to develop leadership, that has a fundamental difference and that is, it's inclusive . It believes in people, and in our strengths together . And we are going to change our society. " Ed Roberts

  • I fear that Hillsborough County School Board is standing on the wrong side of history.

Disabilty and Civil Rights: Standing On the Right Side of History

"If we were to go back to the 1960s and we were to talk to those leaders who were vehemently against desegregation, we would hear the conviction in their voices of them stating why they believe their decisions and what they were doing to those children were just. Just as I believe that some of you and some of the board members that have spoken believe that their decisions are just. But, I fear that the Hillsborough County School Board is standing on the wrong side of history."

Inclusion is a right not a privilege.

Inclusion is not only socially just, but research shows it improves academic outcomes for all students.

  • Teenager with brown skin and dark brown hair smiling and wearing a "got inclusion" t-shirt.

I Am Here To Make A Difference For My People

"I am here to make a difference for my people. I hope that you listen to what I have to say. I want people like you to stop judging me." Tres Whitlock

  • op one fourth of book cover is a white background" Black and White" written in black text with capital letters in large font "A Colorful Look at Life on the Autism Spectrum"Beneath also in black text with capital letters written in small font . Middle section contains a color photograph of blonde light skinned woman in profile . Text in right hand corner reads A Book by S.R. Salas Bottom quarter of bookcover has a black background with white text, small font that reads "Renee provides a fascinating insight to autism, I highly recommed (her) book..."- Dr. Tony Attwood "Black and White provides an inside positive view of autism..." - Dr Temple Grandin

Ollibean Spotlight: Renee Salas

" Talk to people with disabilities. As many as you can: Adults, adolescents, kids. These people are the real experts on disabilities. These are the people that can tell you what life with a disability is like." Renee Salas

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Ollibean Spotlight: Kerima Cevik Pay It Forward Activist

"Equal access, level playing field, dignity, respect for my son and all his community. No separate classrooms separate doors or isolation from others. See I’m a woman of color. When I began my education you could still see the Colored Only bathrooms in the Deep South. If you put my son in one room and say he is not good enough to be where the law says he should be, with his peers, then red flags of segregation fly up at me. Many parents of color feel the wrongness of it organically, but they have been convinced that their neurodiverse children are not good enough for their neighborhood school and that their children are a distraction or threat to typical children in some way. The different operating system in their child’s brain throws them off, particularly when maladaptive behaviors are in the mix. It leaves them feeling guilty, helpless, afraid their kids will come to harm, and they listen to anyone, even if their gut tells them the advice is unjust. I am and advocate of Universal Design for Learning. I think my son can be with his peers in age as well as ability and everyone can benefit." Kerima Cevik

Believing in Your Child and Why It Matters

"No one affects a child's day, dreams and future like a mother. Of course we are never perfect, but perfect is never the goal." Tonya Whitlock

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Ollibean Mama Spotlight : Ariane Zurcher

"It means living in a society that embraces the diversity of human beings. It means inclusion is a way of life and manifests itself in every aspect of our culture, from the schools and education, to the work place and everything in between… It means paradise!" Ariane Zurcher

  • Woman with brown hair and white skin holding a painting by Larry Bissonette.

Advice from Someone Who Has Been There

I love Larry Bissonnette- artist and disability rights activist. If you have seen Wretches & Jabberers or My Life as an Artist, or seen Larry present- I'm sure you are right there with me. His paintings are extraordinary, his words brilliant, and his wit and personality beyond wonderful. He is an exceptional person I feel privledged to call friend. We have been lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Larry; a weekend at our home in Tampa, a week in Vermont (where we were able to visit Larry's studio and watch him create his paintings) and numerous conferences

Henry’s Road to Inclusion Part 1

Henry met Tracy, Larry, Harvey Lavoy, and Pascal Cheng on June 9, 2011. It was a very special day, one that would change Henry's life forever.

Why is a 13 year old protesting in order to go TO school?

How did we get here? How did we get to a point that our 13 year old son has to fight for the rights that are already his under federal law? How did we get to a place where a pretty reserved kid has the courage, the will, to do this?

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Ollibean Mama Spotlight

Connect and learn with other parents like Tonya who presume competence and celebrate their children for being exactly who they are. #allofakind

Change Leader Marianne Russo

Change Leader Marianne Russo of The Coffee Klatch Special Needs Talk Radio answers our questions. We talk to her about why she started the Coffee Klatch interactive network and she answers our Ollibean Questionairre.

  • Because we are all human beings and ‘disability’ does not define a person. And I hated social injustice and inequality from a very young age. I dislike ‘disability labels’ and I feel that children deserve something better than to be segregated and denied an equal education and a means of communication on grounds of disability. Richard Attfield activist. author. human.

Change Leader: Richard Attfield

Richard Attfield, a contributing author to "Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone", is passionate about the rights of children with disability labels to have equal access to education and communication supports.

  • Change Leader Richard Attfield author.activist.human.

Change Leader Questionairre: Richard Attfield

Change you would you like to see in your lifetime? "The end of discrimination towards children/people with disability labels. And the human right of communication implemented fairly. " Richard Attfield

  • Self-advocacy Road trip 2012 all of a kind

Self-Advocacy, Inclusion, Communication, and Friendship Roadtrip 2012

Our three week Roadtrip has begun. Syracuse, then on to New Hampshire and the Autism Summer Institute.

Perfect Ballet Slippers from Linge Shoes

We are obsessed with these ballet slippers from Linge Shoes. We get the skinny from designer/entrepreneur Whitney Evans about her exquisite shoes- perfect for moms and daughters alike.

  • ollibean think tank inclusion advocate. talk show host. human. Nicole Eredics

Introducing Ollibean Think Tank Member Nicole Eredics

We are very proud to introduce Ollibean Think Tank member, Nicole Eredics of the Inclusive Class . We know you are going to learn as much from Nicole as we have. She is kind, extremely knowledgeable, and beyond lovely. She really is the consummate teacher. Listen to any one of her podcasts or read her blogs and you'll see what we mean. Nicole is very committed  to inclusion and we are grateful to have her share her knowledge with us. Welcome, Nicole! Hello! I’m Nicole Eredics and I’m an Elementary Teacher who has spent over 15 years teaching in an inclusive school

Happy Father’s Day to all of the amazing dads presuming competence

Happy Father's Day to all of the amazing dads and stepdads raising children who do things differently- who love and appreciate them for exactly who they are. Thank you for setting a great example every day, for treating your children with respect, so your child expects that same respect from others. Thank you for believing in your child's capabilities, for seeing their strengths, so they grow up seeing their own and expecting others to do the same. Thank you for advocating for your child’s rights, for showing them their rights are worth advocating for. Thank you for fostering your child's

Everything’s fine, he’s doing great and other half-truths

Writing about Sebastien and the Setins for One Day without Starbucks for Sebastien and Mitochondrial Disorders, made me think about how difficult it can be to talk about your child's very serious medical issues, even with good friends. I have many dear friends who have children that are currently living with or have had life threatening issues. Every single one of those kids and their families, make it look easy. So easy, in fact, that some people don't realize how hard it can be for many  kids - going to a million doctors appointments, the surgeries, not feeling well. Often, it's hard

Faces of Ollibean- We want to hear from you!

Every week we put the spotlight on another person out there making a difference. Share your story and inspire and motivate others to Be the Change.

OlliNEPAL at the SERC School

OlliNEPAL at the SERC School in Kathmandu

OlliNEPAL team at HDCS, Asha Bal Bikash Sewa (“Children’s Hope Development Service”)

OlliNEPAL team at HDCS, Asha Bal Bikash Sewa ("Children's Hope Development Service")

OlliNepal Update – March 29

The Ollibean/OlliNepal team finished up their trekking outside of Pohkara, Nepal and are headed back to Kathmandu for 7 days where they will volunteer at a local school, meet with OLE Nepal ,Kanti Children's Hospital, and SEEDs Nepal. The team's internet access & email has been fairly limited, so we are all exicted hear their reports of working with children with a range of diffabilities and delivering communication tools/tablets. Can't wait to see the pictures and videos!  

Ollibean Team Arrives in Nepal

The adventure begins! Beautiful start ! Greeted at Nepalese Airport by longtime friend, Topden Lama. Topden brought Tibetan scarves for the group

Douglas Biklen: “Begin by presuming competence”

"Presuming competence is nothing less than a Hippocratic oath for educators. " Douglas Biklen

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