UK makes mandatory autism eduation for teachers

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/news/a26569/autism-training-to-become-mandatory-for-uk-teachers/

Yesterday was a momentous day for UK education, as it was announced that autism will now be part of the "core" learning for teachers. A survey conducted by NASUWT revealed that roughly 60% of teachers had not been given the training necessary to teach children on the autistic spectrum, despite the fact that every teacher will have autistic students in their classes at some point.

Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society, said:

"Today's announcement is very promising and, if followed through, will transform the prospects of generations of children on the autism spectrum. Simple changes, like gradually preparing a child for changes and communicating them carefully, can make a huge difference. Every teacher deserves the right training, and every autistic child needs a teacher who understands them."

Over 1 in 100 children are on the autistic spectrum and 70% of those children are going to mainstream school, meaning they are being taught by individuals unprepared to support their needs. Ambitious About Autism found that because of this lack of appropriate support, over half of parents of autistic children kept their children off school.

Every teacher deserves the right training, and every autistic child needs a teacher who understands them

Having had enough, campaigners decided to launch #EveryTeacher, an attempt to tackle this problem head on. This campaign led to over 7,000 teachers, MPs and members of the public signing a letter to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan about the issue. The letter was launched by The National Autistic Society and Ambitious About Autism urging autism to be included in the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) framework for England, which is currently under review by the Government. 58% of children and young people on the autism spectrum surveyed by the National Autistic Society last year said that teachers understanding would be the one thing that would make school better for them.

Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, said:

"It is crucial that teachers receive training on how to identify a child who may have autism, and how to refer them for further support. Too many children with autism miss out on the vital support they need to succeed at school because their autism isn't recognised. Excellent training is available – through the Autism Education Trust and others – and we need to share expertise in autism better across schools."

The focus of the training is to help train teachers identify the needs of autistic students and accommodate them as you would any other child. This understanding will help create a safer environment for these children to learn and not feel discouraged.

"We don't need every teacher to be an autism expert – but we do need them to know how to help families access that expertise. The lack of autism awareness training for teachers is also likely to have serious knock-on effects. For example, teachers need better support when it comes to recognising the difference between disability and disobedience, otherwise children with autism will continue to be excluded from school due to a lack of support for them to access learning in the classroom. Also, research shows that 40% of children with autism have been bullied. Again, teachers need to be trained to prevent the bullying of children with autism."

Jody Coxon's sons Cameron (13) and Harry (11) are on the autism spectrum and struggled in mainstream schools because they weren't equipped to meet their complex needs. She said,

"My sons look like any other child but have high anxiety in social situations and are so sensitive to noise that they really struggle in busy and loud classrooms. But with more knowledge of autism, their teachers would have been better able to pick up on these difficulties and work with me to help address them. While my children would have always needed more specialist support, this would have made their time there so much easier and probably helped them get the right support earlier."

The Initial Teacher Training framework review is said to report back this summer.

Special needs shiduchim for Israel

Ezer Mizion Strike A Match---Mrs. Leah Reisner

054-846-5990

Strike A Match is Ezer Mizion's program to do shidduchim for singles with various types of physical, medical, or genetic issues. They work in tandem with Ezer Mizion's medical referral department to provide clear information to both sides on any condition. Strike A match does both local and international shidduchim. 

Shmaya Center For The Hearing Impaired—Shidduchim Service

 (972) 03-578-3410 

(Fax: 03-5787514)

Shmaya999@gmail.com

Harav Povarsky 13, Bnei Brak

Call Mon, Tues, Thurs 4:15-7:15 pm. Leave a message with the receptionists and they'll call back. Confidentiality guaranteed.

Shmaya services also include: Rehab daycare, children's gamin, treatment center, audiology (?) center for hearing tests, rehab afternoon programs, social "moadon" for adults, mainstreaming students, speech therapy, OT, parent guidance

Goldie Fogel of Sos Tassis

(972) 02-538-2076

Young adults up to age 30 with past or present medical & physical challenges.

Mrs. Honig

(972) 02-582-5852

Rebbitzen Rivka Moore

(972) 02-651-9258

ravmoore@netvision.net.il

Specializing in shidduchim for the deaf and hearing impaired.

Call between 8:30-11:30 pm

Shidduchim Gmach

054-852-8242

Shidduchim for light health issues (not mental illnesses). yeshiva boys and Bais Yaakov girls only, up to age 30.

Chava Most

Voicemail 612-888-7908 

Fax 732-226-8979 24hr

Lakewood, NJ

sensitiveshidduchim@gmail.com

Specializing in genetic, fertility, physical and chronic health issues, as well as other non-medical but otherwise sensitive situations. Mrs Most also assists in the medical research and has Rabbonim, Specialists & Geneticists willing to help on these issues. All information is dealt with in a strictly confidential manner, with medical info only exchanged with permission of those involved.  Database includes USA, Europe and Israel.

Tikva Juni advocate for disabilities 36 under 36

http://www.thejewishweek.com/special-sections/36-under-36/public-face-inclusion-advocacy-tikvah-juni-32

     

image: http://www.thejewishweek.com/sites/default/files/user15/jw_tikvah_juni.png

When Tikvah Juni was 16, she received her first standing ovation.

“I remember all the people, cheering and smiling,” said Juni, who had been the guest speaker at an event hosted by Yachad: The National Jewish Council for Disabilities.

“That was the first time I really believed the world could change,” she said. Since then, she’s been trying to change the world one speech at a time.

Juni, who has Down syndrome, travels around the U.S. teaching audiences about inclusion. In Washington, D.C., she even lobbied state and federal legislators to increase resources for special needs students.

Though she begins each speech with a thought on the weekly Torah portion, she ends by detailing her experiences as someone with special needs.

“I hate the words ‘disability’ and ‘consumer,’ she said, two words commonly used to describe those with special needs. “People with special needs aren’t takers, and we aren’t incapable. We want to be accepted just as much as everyone else.”

Growing up in the 1980s when inclusion was rarely a topic of conversation, Juni often felt excluded.

“Schools kept closing their doors to me after they heard about my special needs,” said Juni, who grew up in the Orthodox community of Flatbush. Socializing was also difficult, and Juni spent much of her childhood reading books instead of romping with friends.

“People didn’t treat me so nicely. They judged me by the way I looked,” she said.

Even today, audiences are often surprised when she first walks up to the podium. “They’re expecting someone big and important, and here’s this small little girl,” Juni said. “But when I start speaking, they shift their focus. It’s not about my exterior — it’s about what I’m saying.”

When not on speaking tours, Juni works with special needs children. During the school year, she serves as a preschool teaching assistant; in the summer, you can find her at Camp HASC.

To reach an even broader audience, Juni completed a several-hundred page book about her experiences. Though not yet published, she’s hoping one day her story, and her message, can reach thousands.

Capturing color: In her downtime, Juni loves oil painting. She is particularly fond of landscapes. “An artist can see the world in a way no one else can,” she said. “It’s important to notice things other people don’t.”

Read more at http://www.thejewishweek.com/special-sections/36-under-36/public-face-inclusion-advocacy-tikvah-juni-32#VJrO3wXDkm5bVcER.99

Jewish Special need shadchanim

If you want some insights on Special needs dating check out my videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTyPmM07PYKQ5jCemBTV_I73lDroP2xmG

Kesher Tov
845-402-0091
info@keshertov.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Shidduchim for people with various needs.  Contact them for a shidduch application.

Sos Tasis 
877-55-SOSTA,        212-894-8220, 212-894-2020
Call between 10:00 am-4:00 pm EST
Shidduchim (matchmaking) for singles up to age 30 with past or present medical or physical challenges.
A free service of Chai Lifeline—it is not necessary to be a Chai Lifeline client to access this service.

Lchaimshidduch.com

www.lchaimshidduch.com

A website dedicated to the goal of helping singles meet and build Jewish homes. Singles of all ages and backgrounds, from Modern Orthodox to Yeshivish to Chassidish, or sponsors of singles, may register the required information. A select number of L’Chaim’s trusted Shadchanim have access to the confidential information for the purpose of facilitating appropriate matches.

Special Shidduchim 
www.specialshidduchim.com

Chava Most

Text or Voicemail 612-888-7908
Fax 732-226-8979 24hr

Lakewood, NJ

sensitiveshidduchim@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

10:00 am-1:00 pm, 8:00 pm-11:00 pm

Specializing in genetic, fertility, physical and chronic health issues, as well as other non-medical but otherwise sensitive situations. Mrs Most also assists in the medical research and has Rabbonim, Specialists & Geneticists willing to help on these issues. All information is dealt with in a strictly confidential manner, with medical info only exchanged with permission of those involved.  Database includes USA, Europe and Israel.


Leah Kaploun 
Miami, Florida
786-972-9110
Lea-r-p@excite.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
All types of shidduchim.



Boneh Bayis 

 718-438-1639
bonehbayis@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Call until 10:00 pm

Quote Boneh Bayis: 
"There is good news regarding shidduchim! Baruch Hashem, much attention has been given to shidduchim lately. However, a very important group of people has not been sufficiently addressed. I am referring to many excellent frum boys and girls who have a medical issue or some physical disability. This includes medical issues that are in the past and conditions that are current. These young people are often very well adjusted, have excellent middos, and a tremendous sensitivity and understanding about life."

"With the haskama and brachos of Gedolei Yisrael, Boneh Bayis has been organized to fill this need. All calls and all information are strictly confidential. The goals are to find a shidduch for everyone, using a personal touch, and to treat each person with sensitivity and compassion. A central telephone number was created for people to call, which will, iy”H, facilitate making appropriate matches. The number to call for Boneh Bayis Shidduchim is 718-438-1639."



Finding Only One
Specializes in singles with medical issues seeking a shidduch
FindingOnlyOne@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Quote FindingOnlyOne:
"We are a group of 4 shadchanim who network with others in order to expand the pool of like singles with medical issues. Our work is all done L'Shaim Mitzva and hope that with the help of the Ribbono Shel Olam we can help ALL people, regardless of their situation build a Bayis. We have been endorsed and are being guided by prominent Rabbonim/Rebbitzens and all the information we obtain is kept strictly confidential. Names remain only within our group of shadchanim and are revealed to a prospective match only after we receive the appropriate consent. "


Medical Shidduchim
medicalshidduchim@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Specializing in shidduchim for people with medical issues.  They have successfully dealt with fertility and genetic related issues, as well as conditions like MS, CF, RP, CP, and others.


Special Shidduchim
347-466-1833     Mrs. Fraida Perelstein
greatmom630@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

917-324-2386     Dr. Elka Pinson
dr.elka.pinson@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Shidduchim for individuals with physical, cognitive, or medical challenges. They specialize in the Chabad and Friends-of-Chabad community. At this time, they are  not considering profiles of individuals with psychiatric or emotional disorders. 


Mesos Dodim
718-708-1299

Shidduchim for people with physical and medical issues (not mental).  We have shaddchanim for both Chassidish and Litvish special needs shidduchim. 


Ohel's Simcha Program

Ohel in Brooklyn has a shadchan and social skill service for people with various special needs.  Individuals meet with Ohel’s Shidduch coach, and a profile is prepared.  The shadchan tries to match them with an appropriate shidduch.   They also provide twice monthly social skills groups for the DD and psychiatric population.  They now provide both group and one-on-one coaching in Cedarhurst as well.  Contact Sarah Kahan at 718-686-3262



Mrs. Brana Malka Schnitzler
845-425-7520,   845-371-3181
8:00-11:00 pm

Shidduchim for higher functioning individuals, including those with slight mental or physical disabilities.

 F. C. Brecher
fcbrecher@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Shidduchim for those with mental health & emotional issues.

Malka Breuer

718-851-7638

Brooklyn, New York

 10:00 am-10:00 pm daily. Leave Message.

Shidduchim for physically or mentally challenged.

Chaya Cohen

215-473-6238

Philladelphia, PA

8:00 am-10:00 am, 8:00 pm-10:00 pm

Shidduchim for physically challenged

Zelda Cutler

845-425-7788

Spring Valley, NY

8:00 pm-10:30 pm daily

Shidduchim for mentally or physically challenged

Yehudis Deutch

Phoenix, AZ

602-687-9498, 480-399-4246

  yehudisariz@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

12:00-4:00pm daily

Shidduchim for the physically or mentally challenged

Marcia Factor

Monsey, NY

845-406-4564

marshasara@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Monday & Thursday 7:00-9:00pm

Shidduchim for physically or learning disabled

Perry Fischer

Brooklyn, NY
718-436-5109

8:00-10:30 pm

Shidduchim for physically disabled or medical issues, mostly Chassidish or Haimish

Shoshana Goldman
718-983-9187

Shidduchim for individuals with mental health & emotional issues
 

Ruth Grunwald

212-568-1654

New York, NY

Until 8:00 pm

Shidduchim for the mentally challenged

Joyce Klausner

718-338-3385

Brooklyn, NY

Monday-Thursday 8:00-10:00 pm

Shidduchim for the Physically or learning disabled.  Must send resume and be willing to meet shadchan in Brooklyn.

Bruchie Langsam

718-851-5393

Brooklyn, NY

Call daytime

Shidduchim for physically or mentally challenged

Chaya Levy

718-969-1947

Fresh Meadow, NY

cwajngurt@qcc.cuny.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Call anytime

Shidduchim for the physically or mentally challenged. 

Leah Levy

Los Angeles, CA

Levy613@hotmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Call anytime

Shidduchim for the physically or mentally challenged.  Contact by email first.

Linda Markowitz & Thelma Rhode

718-253-3721  Leave message

Brooklyn, NY

Call anytime

Shidduchim for the physically or learning disabled. Affiliated with the Young Israel of Flatbush Bikur Cholim

Mona Montal

845-558-7551

Suffern, NY

Call anytime, leave message

Shidduchim for the physically or mentally challenged

Sara Preis

718-438-8449

Brooklyn, NY

8:00 pm-11:00 pm

Shidduchim for the physically challenged

Yosef Baruch & Miryam Schechter

845-517-4200

Monsey, NY

ybms@optonline.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

9:00 am-3:00pm, 9:00 pm-midnight

Shidduchim for the physically disabled

Rochel Schnall

845-362-1023 Tel & TTY

Monsey, NY

  avrm@yeshivanet.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sunday 8:00-10:00 pm

Shidduchim for the physically challenged

Jenny Waldman

845-425-3548

Monsey, NY

jskoplowitz@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Evenings 8:30-11:00 pm

Shidduchim for the physically or mentally challenged

Rabbi Meir Applebaum

718-438-3904

Brooklyn, NY

Call anytime. No answering machine—keep trying

Shidduchim for the physically or mentally challenged

Rivky

718-419-7855

Shidduchim for people with medical issues controlled by medication.

Superhero static shock teaches about dyslexia

Pamela Schuller 36 under 36

image: http://www.thejewishweek.com/sites/default/files/user15/pamela_schuller.png

During elementary school, Schuller, who has Tourette’s syndrome, would frequently make barking or other sounds she could not control. She would frequently be asked to leave the classroom.

Then came high school, where in math class in an artsy boarding school in Vermont, she again barked. The teacher, instead of expelling Schuller for making a noise, “worked it into the lesson,” she says — he used the noises as a metronome and students wrote a song about math.

That class, and summers at a Reform movement camp where she felt accepted despite Tourette’s, gave her a new direction.

She would work to make other children, who feel excluded for various reasons, feel included. And she would teach people in positions of authority about inclusion.

As until recently the Union for Reform Judaism’s inclusion specialist, she dealt mostly with the movement’s camps and youth groups, leading professional development seminars and consulting on “issues related to best practices in disability inclusion, LGBTQ inclusion and inclusion of teens grappling with mental health challenges.” In her new job at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, she will manage a teen and mental health initiative.

 “I knew I wanted to work with teenagers,” she says.

Today, her Tourette’s is “relatively mild.”

Schuller, who lives on the Upper East Side, also serves as the URJ’s regional director of youth engagement for New Jersey and New York, running regional events, coordinating publicity and acting as mentor to a board of 36 teens.

In her spare time, she’s a stand-up comedian, often incorporating Tourette’s into her routine; in the past, she’s served as the opening act for stand-ups at college performances.

Schuller’s goal in all her disability-inclusion advocacy, she wrote in a recent Forward essay, is to move the general community beyond “tolerance.”

 “I tolerate the weather in the winter. I tolerate going to the dentist,” she wrote. “But every person — whatever their unique gifts, whatever their limitations — has value, and no one wants just to be tolerated.”

Paralegal training, sort of: As an internship requirement for a college psychology course, Schuller trained teens, charged with misdemeanors, in court procedures; the youth acted as judge, jury and lawyers, then handed down sentences.

“Aunt Pam”: Every other day she speaks via video chat with her nephew, 4½, and niece, 18 months, who live in Chicago. The conversations last from a few minutes to an hour. “They’re my favorite people,” she says.

www.standupinclusion.com

@itspammertime

Read more at http://www.thejewishweek.com/special-sections/36-under-36/pamela-schuller-30#qfH240fxY6YbQF8D.99

Israel innovations for disabled get google grant

http://www.israel21c.org/israeli-innovations-for-the-disabled-get-google-grants/

Two Israeli nonprofits are among 30 international winners of Impact Challenge grants from Google.org to promote technological innovations that will make the world more accessible for people with disabilities.

Beit Issie Shapiro in Ra’anana received two Impact Challenge grants.

It received $1,000,000 toward the joint development with Sesame Enableof a free solution that will allow people with limited mobility to operate smartphones with head movements. The beta product is now being distributed to individuals in Israel to test and gauge demand before a global rollout.

Beit Issie Shapiro also received $700,000 to develop Makeathon-in-a-box in conjunction with Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM), a project of the Tel Aviv-based Reut Group.

Makeathon-in-a-box is a template for community make-a-thons around the world that bring makers and people with disabilities together to build prototypes of new solutions for “orphan” accessibility challenges.

Prototypes that come from the make-a-thons will be open source, and featured solutions will be available for purchase on TOM’s website.

National health-support organization Ezer Mizion of Bnei Brak won a $400,000 grant from Google.org for its project with Israeli startupClick2speak to develop a keyboard controlled by eye tracking for people with limited mobility and high cognitive function.

In the United States alone, 7.5 million people have trouble using their voices, and many of them also have impaired motor skills, making effective communication a daily struggle. Click2Speak CTO Gal Sont knows this only too well, as he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in 2009.

Using eye movements, Sont programmed a user-friendly, affordable and multilingual on-screen virtual keyboard controlled by eye tracking and an eye-operated communication system. The Ezer Mizion Augmentative and Alternative Communication Loan Center provides eligible clients with the beta version.

The Impact Challenge grant will allow Ezer Mizion and Click2Speak to pilot the product, gather user feedback and improve the core technology.