The Secret World of Gamers with Disabilities By some estimates, as many as 2.6 billion people take part in digital gaming, a significant fraction of the global population. There is much ongoing study by games makers and researchers into why and how people play: for fun, for the challenge, to relax, to engage with friends, and so on. And yet one group of people are conspicuous by their absence in this research: people with disabilities. There is growing anecdotal evidence that many disabled people enjoy gaming and are increasingly involved in it. But little is known about who these people are, what games they play, and what challenges they face. And that is a significant barrier to improving access for individuals with disabilities Today that changes, at least in part, thanks to the work of Jen Beeston and colleagues at the University of York in the UK and the AbleGamers Charity in West Virginia, an organization devoted to improving access to video games for people with disabilities. These folks have surveyed disabled gamers to find out what they play, why they do it, and what kind of assistive technologies they use, along with other feedback. Read More |
Pop Up Opera Created by Writer with Down Syndrome Max Lewis is a writer and director who has Down Syndrome and has spent most of his life assuming that "the inner-workings of his creative mind" would never "come to fruition" - until he came across Electric Umbrella. From the mind of Max, from Finchley, and realised by Electric Umbrella is I am The Dream Machine, a pop up opera, comes to Watford Palace this weekend. The story begins with Nick, a young man progressing into adulthood, struggling to keep grasp on his childhood dreams. His unique imagination has always taken him on fantastical journeys, but the humdrum of adult 'normality' leaves him feeling trapped. Rediscovering his forgotten dreams - as well as grappling with some nightmares along the way - Nick embarks upon a journey towards self-discovery and freedom of imagination. The production is a collaboration of musicians, composers and the ideas and talents of the Electric Umbrella membership of 60 people with learning disabilities. Read More |
Autism Study Examines Why Behaviors are Misinterpreted You can learn a lot from your children. Through his daughter with autism, Vikram Jaswal, a University of Virginia associate professor of psychology, learned you can't always judge a person through accepted social norms. "Before my daughter came along, I didn't study anything to do with autism. But living with her and meeting other children and adults with autism and their families really shaped my perspective," Jaswal said. "It led me to look at communications in particular a lot closer." Jaswal and colleague Nameera Akhtar, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, delved into the topic. They discovered that assumptions that autistic persons were uninterested in communicating or being sociable were incorrect. "You can't just assume that because people behave differently or in a certain manner, that they aren't interested in social interaction," Jaswal said. "For the most part, when it comes to autism, we haven't considered the possibility that there are multiple ways people could show interest." Read More |
How Louisiana Tied for 1st place in a Ranking of Teacher Quality Policies The National Council on Teacher Quality produces a bi-annual look at the progress states make in producing better teachers. The 2017 State Teacher Policy Yearbook released in May assigns letter grades based on the council's evaluation on how well programs and polices raise the quality of the teachers in their schools. The Yearbook noted strengths and "opportunities for growth" for areas in which the National Council on Teacher Quality deemed the state was doing well in or could be doing better. The National Council on Teacher Quality is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research and policy organization that works to modernize the teaching profession, according to its website. Read More |
How Hawaii is Trying to 'Grow Our Own' Pipeline of New Teachers For the past 10 years, Eri Yamamoto has worked on and off in the Hawaii public school system as a substitute, teaching kids Japanese. She's come to love teaching public school kids her native language. The transience of her role is something she's less fond of. Without a permanent school up to this point, the long-term sub has filled in for teachers who are sick, on leave or on sabbatical. "To make more impact, you cannot just jump around," she said. "It's my dream to be able to teach full-time. Not as a substitute." "Grow Our Own," a new initiative of the Hawaii Department of Education and University of Hawaii Manoa College of Education, is aimed at making that leap from substitute to full-time teacher a lot easier - and more affordable. The program has begun providing full scholarships to long-term subs like Yamamoto to address Hawaii's chronic teacher shortage by increasing the local pipeline of permanent teachers. Read More |

|
Shortage of Professionals Helping Individuals with Disabilities Pinches Families, Workers For families of adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities, direct support professionals are the glue that holds things together. While some industries are seeing an uptick in both new hires and available jobs, there's a shortage of direct support professionals. The jobs, which provide services to families in need, are vital, but they're not for everyone. In Gardner, Kansas, a home - which looks like any other home in the neighborhood except for the wheelchair ramp outside - houses six adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Those adults spend their days with a staff of direct support professionals like Stephanie Starling. Read More |
An Aggressor is not Necessarily a Bully -- and the Distinction Matters Spotting a bully is more nuanced than it might seem, because there is a difference between general aggressive behavior and bullying. They are not the same thing, according to the findings of a new paper by a University at Buffalo psychologist who is among the country's leading authorities on aggression, bullying and peer victimization. "It's important for us to realize this distinction, in part because every aggressive behavior we see is not bullying," says Jamie Ostrov, lead author of the forthcoming paper to be published in a special issue of the Journal of Child and Family Studies. "Certainly aggressive behaviors are problematic in their own right and also deserve our attention, but recognizing the differences in the two behaviors means we can begin a discussion about whether we have to do something different with interventions related to general aggression." Read More |
Content of Illicit Cannabis Extracts Used to Treat Children with Epilepsy Revealed A pioneering study has found Australian parents who turned to medicinal cannabis to treat children with epilepsy overwhelmingly (75 percent) considered the extracts as "effective." Contrary to parental expectations, extracts generally contained low doses of cannabidiol (CBD) -- commonly considered to be a key therapeutic element and that has been successfully used in recent clinical trials to treat epilepsy. The research, which commenced two years ago by the University of Sydney's Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, not only sheds light on the composition of cannabis used in the community but also reveals the legal, bureaucratic, and cost issues faced by families who relied on the products, as well as demonstrating the barriers to accessing medicinal cannabis. The study found that the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC), and the closely related compound THCA, were present in most extracts, although the quantity was generally not enough to produce intoxicating effects. Read More |

LATEST JOB LISTINGS POSTED ON NASET
* Special Education Teacher - EdTheory is currently looking for Special Educational Teachers (SPED) for multiple full-time positions in the Hollister,Santa Rosa and San Jose area in California. Candidates with certification and experience working with children preferably in school based settings are welcome to apply!. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School seeks a motivated, passionate, and experienced Special Education Teacher to provide case management and direct services to children identified for special education and related services. The Special Education Teacher ensures that all children and families with special needs receive optimal developmentally appropriate educational experiences. The Special Education Teacher will implement students' Individual Education Plans (IEPs) in inclusion, push in and/or pullout settings.To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Coordinator - AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School seeks a motivated, passionate, and experienced Special Education Coordinator to provide case management for students identified for special education and related services. The Special Education Coordinator ensures that all children and families with special needs receive optimal developmentally appropriate educational experiences. To learn more - Click here
* Certified Special Education Teachers: K-12 (TEXAS) - Uplift Education has Special Education Teacher positions open at primary, middle, and high school levels at our schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area. Uplift Education is the largest public charter school network in North Texas. Our schools have received national recognition and 100% of our graduates have been accepted to college.To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - Rivermont Schools are now hiring special education teachers at multiple locations throughout Virginia. Sign on bonus of $2,000 and relocation assistance of $5,000 are available for those who qualify. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Manager - The Special Education Manager supports teachers, administrators, and staff in ensuring that AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School and AppleTree@ programs (collectively "AppleTree") provides optimal support to all children. The Special Education Manager develops knowledge of all stakeholders of the inclusion setting in order to best support students with disabilities. The Special Education Manager ensures high quality specialized instruction and optimal compliance within special education law. This is a supervisory position. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - Primary Level - The duties of this job include providing specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. The teacher will evaluate and assess student progress. The teacher will be responsible for classroom instructional activities and implementation of IEP's, including behavior plans. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - Fruitland School District is accepting applications for Special Education Teachers for the 2018-19 school year. Special Education Teachers provide students with a daily and ongoing instructional program that will provide for them the best possible academic knowledge and skills. To help pupils to develop skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed to provide a good foundation for continued education according to the guidelines outlined in each student's IEP. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teacher - DCD Center Based at Roosevelt Elementary School - Provides research-based specialized instruction to address the instructional goals and objectives contained within each student's IEP. Assesses student progress and determines the need for additional reinforcement or adjustments to instructional techniques. Employs various teaching techniques, methods and principles of learning to enable students to meet their IEP goals. To learn more - Click here
* Head of School - The Parish School www.parishschool.org is a private, non-profit, coeducational school, for children ages 2-12, with a maximum enrollment of 150. The person chosen to assume the Head of School will be offered an extraordinary opportunity. This national search will identify a candidate who will inherit a qualified and tenured faculty, devoted families, and excellent institutional reputation. To learn more - Click here
* Special Education Teachers-All Areas - Stafford County Public Schools is actively seeking certified Special Education-All Areas Teachers for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year. We also offer Travel Reimbursement for out of state applicants available ONLY with a signed contract. To learn more - Click here
If you are an Employer looking for excellent special education staff - Click here for more information |
|