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
The Importance of Supports
"If we invested a mere one-tenth of the amount of money that we currently pour into causation into empowering Autistic people to communicate, that young man and hundreds of thousands more like him would be able to communicate their needs to us today. I am not here today to speak for every Autistic person – that’s impossible. What I am here for is to argue for every Autistic person to have the same opportunity to communicate that I have come to enjoy thanks to the support that I have been lucky enough to receive in my life." Ari Ne'eman
The Case for Inclusion Part 3: Sea Change
The longer there is a strong distinction between general and special education the worse it is for students who are labeled with a disability. It perpetuates the language of Us and Them...
TEDxPSU – Dr. Joseph Valente – Hearing the Unheard
Dr. Joseph Valente is involved in comprehensive research in childhood studies, comparative and international education, educational anthropology, deaf studies and disability studies.
Musings from an Autism Outsider – Seeing the Full Spectrum
When I started writing about disabilities, I’d been working with disabled people for over fifteen years. I’d been in schools and agencies as the
Amy Sequenzia: Does it matter?
Should it matter that some of us are labeled intellectually disabled? Read the definitions, look at us in a realistic way and ask yourself; Does it matter? Aren’t we all worthy?
Disability Activist Keith Jones on Community
"So let us remember that when we teach, when we educate, we make policy, we make decisions that we do it with a conscience and that we remember that we are leaving fingerprints on forever." Keith Jones
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
Ollibean Think Tank Member Amy Sequenzia
Amy Sequenzia is a poet and autistic self-advocate. Her writing is as beautiful and powerful as she is. She is an extraordinary voice in the disability rights community .
Facebook blocks NC mom’s pictures of Special Olympics event
Diane Cornwell said her seven year old, Cole, who happens to have Down Syndrome had a great time at his first Special Olympics event last Friday. She uploaded an album of 40 pictures to share and says Facebook blocked it for inappropriate content and locked her account.
More Problems With Functioning Labels
Every now and
The Case for Inclusion: Does All Really Mean All?
Tim Villegas of Think Inclusive on the motivation to change from educating students with disabilities in segregated settings to inclusive settings where all means all.
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Banning Aversive Shock Therapy at the Judge Rotenberg Center
Thursday, April 24, was a day that I’d been waiting for that day for a long time. An FDA advisory panel finally
Inclusive Education: It’s Great If You Can Get It
Inclusive schools need to become a reality for all students across the nation regardless of abilities, socio-economic background and geographic location. Unfortunately, many school districts do not see the inclusive classroom as the
