ADA Blog Post

I had the ADA assignment of Epilepsy which is a seizure disorder. Every 15 minutes for three hours I would essentially have a seizure. This consisted of stopping anything I was doing for 2 minutes and sit still.

As I did this assignment it first was a huge inconvenience. I had to pause homework. I would pause videos or readings and set a timer for two minutes. During this time I reflected on how hard it would be if I were really having a seizure. I wouldn’t be able to simply un pause a video, but I would need some recuperation time because I’m sure seizures take up so much energy. I had to stop eating during a meal and wait to leave the house. I sat and waited for the seizure to end then I was able to go to the gas station. On the way home my husband drove as I had another seizure.

Driving, going to school, and living an everyday lifestyle would be so hard with and epileptic disorder this demanding and time consuming. Not only was it inconvenient, but I didn’t really have any seizures. Someone with this disorder would have very litter energy to complete tasks and very little time to complete activities of daily living between the seizures.

As I was on my way to the gas station I realized that seizures probably aren’t aware of time. What if I really did have a seizure and it decided it wouldn’t wait the full 15 minutes. I wouldn’t be able to drive. ADA doesn’t have a place comfortable or safe for me to go in every building to have a seizure. There aren’t any accommodations or modifications to buildings that would allow safety for myself if a seizure were to happen at any moment.

Thinking back on my experience it is nothing compared to someone who deals with these episodes multiple times every day. They can’t set a timer and hope their seizure adheres to their schedule. They can’t pause videos, stop eating, the seizure doesn’t have time to wait for them to pause. Those two minutes every 15 minutes did give me time to think. I thought about how scary it would be to not control my own body. I can’t imagine how frightening it would be to be a family member watching their child experience one for the first time.

As ADA considers accommodations and modifications, there are always going to be disabilities that are left out or hard to accommodate for. It is impossible to put into place those accommodations for every disability. What we can do as educators, is help our leaders become aware of those with disabilities. They can be made aware that these people are strong, and can be as independent as possible if we allow them the guidance to do so. 

ECSE 340 Week 2

As we prepare for home visits and learning about Early Intervention, we have seen how important it is for us to work with the families, as well as gain their trust. We are only with the toddlers and infants for a very short period of time each week. This means parents have the primary responsibility while we are gone to carry out the plans we have. As we study and relay confidence to parents, we can gain their trust. We need to be respectful of family situation that will be different than what we deem as normal.

We will learn about our toddlers in the next week and as we partner up we can discuss strategies as well as find these strategies in our books. I decided to purchase the class textbook to keep for when I am in my future career because I know it will provide me with great strategies for children. In our class discussion we also talked about how it is important to know the developmental checklist and show sensitivity when looking at where the child fits on that list. As we know the list we can show the parents our confidence in their child.

On the Parent Involvement Pages it says in regards to families, “The child’s best learning occurs within everyday activities that comprise the bulk of the child and family’s life. These activities provide rich opportunities for the child to learn to communicate within meaningful, relevant and social contexts.”

ECSE 421 Week 2

This week as we learned about Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Individualized Education Plans (IEP), as well as Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP). Starting with ADA we watched a video and read about how ADA has affected communities and how communities accommodate to those with physical disabilities. In our books it really laid out so many laws that helped me understand what those with disabilities went through without ADA as well as the difference and problems it still has. ADA provides physical structures with accommodations such as slants in a sidewalk, buttons to open doors, and rivets in the sidewalk to know when the sidewalk is ending.

As I prepare to become a developmental specialist, I will be working primarily with families and building an IFSP that helps them understand their child’s developmental delays more. I can help a family transition and the readings about IFSPs help me prepare to work with families in the future. IEPs are plans that is specifically specialized to the individual child. As the children go through their education starting at age 3 they can receive accommodations and modifications as their IEP team has discussed and it is free to the parents if the child needs the assistance in their classroom.

In our class discussions my peers really helped me understand personal situations they have encountered and insights from their learnings. As we do the class discussions I am able to see things they got out of the reading that I didn’t understand as much. I love how my class is willing to participate and share what they have learned.

On the IFSP/IEP comparison chart given for resources it states that an IFSP’s focus is, “Providing early intervention to meet the unique needs of the child and family.”

For my Higher Wider Deeper (HWD) choice proposal I chose to learn more about Early Intervention, and jobs within my major and within Early Intervention. I learned that there are many professionals on campus I can interview for my proposal, and I purchased the class book to keep as a resource for the future. I am excited to learn more about the field of Early Childhood Education and how I can advocate for children as well as families. 

ECSE 340 Week 1

For the first class in ECSE 340, we talked about home visits and the syllabus in class. This is a class I am particularly excited for because I would love to work in an infant/toddler program for Early Intervention. We talked about how we need to act and dress professional when working with children in their homes. I know that with home visits it is important to be an a place where the child needs to work on their skill. The home is a comfortable and familiar place for the child to be in. When working on skills we need to make sure the toys or items we use are left with the family, or the family already has the item. Parents need to understand why we are working on certain skills, and how they can work with their child when the professional isn't there.

So far I don't have any questions on this course, but I am excited to learn and work with others in my class who are learning with me.

ECSE 421 Week 1

This week was our first week in ECSE 421. We talked about HIPAA and FERPA. What I currently know about HIPAA is that it it keeps medical records protected and private. HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This act was put into place in 1996. It allows patients to amend and apend their health records while have access to them. The records must be kept behind 2 locks and only shared on a need to know basis. FERPA is similar in that it protects records that are personal. The Family educational Rights and Privacy Act was put into place in 1974 and protects educational records. These records also must be kept behind 2 locks and strict records are kept of who accesses them and why. Students have the right to inspect, amentd and apend these documents. When the student is 18 or in college the parents no longer have rights unless the student signs written notice. Both of these acts are very important in protecting privacy of individuals and families.

During this semester I want to learn how to make families feel comfortable working with schools and school districts to help their child. I want to learn how to assist families in learning about their child's disability and how they can advocate and care for their child. I am excited for this class because it will provide for information vital to working in Early Intervention. I don't have any questions about this course yet but I am ready to discuss and learn all I can to help families and children.

"There is nothing attractive about the space between your pants and your shirt line." -Sister Swenson. This was in regards to professionalism and being aware of our surroundings and our dress. We need to know we will be working on the ground with children and parents need to be comfortable as well as look at us as professionals.