Stuff
Happening All Over
KindTree's Board of Directors spent a long weekend in
the Round Rock House in Yachats this January to prepare
for 2009's events. We are ready! Our plans call for our
regular monthly Adult Support Group,
an April fundraiser "Lunch with Harvey",
a trip to the ARC MegaConference in May,
our "Autism Artism 2009" opening
at LCC in June, Art & the Vineyard
in July, the Camp/Retreat in August,
a new surprise Art Opening in October
at Passion Flower downtown, the famous Mask Making
Party also in October, our annual Autism
Forum (we moved it) in November this year, along
with the Holiday Market in November.
All these events take a great deal of volunteer time.
Thanks, everyone. We have a great team here at KindTree.
Teamwork is everywhere this year. Take a look at some
of the conferences and trainings coming up. Check out
the artist and photographer opportunities. Even in these
difficult times - maybe even more so now - people pull
together, helping when they can, asking for help when
they need to. Community. It's a lifesaver.
Twice a year I gather up all the sales records for KindTree's
Art Program and write checks to artists. This January
saw me writing over 50 checks totaling over $1,000. That
figure is double this period in 2007. Much of it was due
to Mentor Oregon purchasing original
framed art for their new offices. Thanks! And Yussuf
Hashi was our Holiday Card best seller. Congratulations!
Yussuf earned almost $200. New entries are already coming
in for "Autism Artism 2009". And we're expecting
a tough decision when we choose a few artists to receive
Artist Grants made possible by Lane Arts Council and the
REX Foundation. Many of the new artists are submitting
from far away - New Jersey, Florida - how about a few
more entries from Lane County? If you or someone you know
has artistic talent and desire, talk to me. I'm here...
In other news, in my capacity as a member of the Police
Commission, I am holding meetings of the Universal Access
subcommittee to discuss the draft policy to inform interactions
between police and people with disabilities including
autism. The draft policy should be here
at the Police Comission web site, and the meeting is Wednesday,
Feb 11, 5pm in City Hall's McNutt room. Join us there
or submit comments to tim@kindtree.org.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, including
recent donors the Wentworth Foundation, Becky Beach, David
Lively, Emily Ross, the Eugene Downtown Lions Club, Lori
Perez, Kim Serudo, and more, KindTree is able to keep
our fundraising to a minimum and concentrate on providing
enjoyable and confidence building events. But every other
year we do something fun - a Silent Auction Luncheon.
We are in the process of gathering donations from generous
local merchants and craftsmen to auction off, signing
up entertainment, and finding the best wine. We will keep
the price low and ask only that you bring your smiles.
Save the date - April 26, 1pm. More on that later...
If you have some spare time with nothing to do, give
us a call. Be part of the team. There is much to do, and
money can't buy everything. Thanks. Be good.
Tim Mueller, Sec / Treas.
NEWS
NEW Social
Skills Class and scheduled Social Outings
The Lane County Chapter
of the Autism Society of Oregon is launching
a Social Skills Class and scheduled Social Outings on
alternating months, in response to interest by participants
in KindTree’s Support Group for adults on the autism spectrum.
The classes and outings are designed for adults with high-functioning
autism or Aspergers who can get around independently in
the community. The Autism Society of Oregon will help
subsidize entrance fees.
During the Social Skills Class, conversation skills will
be taught, role-modeled and practiced. The class will
be taught by Doris Germain, an Autism
Specialist in the Linn-Benton School District. She has
taught social skills at Autism Training and Support in
Eugene. Her skill in teaching social skills has been learned
from 20 years of working with people on the spectrum.
The Social Skills Class will take place on the 3rd Monday
of alternating months, starting February 16, from 6:30
to 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on 13th and
Pearl. The Social Skills Class will take place in February,
April, June, October and December. There will be no social
skills class in August.
Starting March 16, the Social Activity Outings will take
place on alternating months on the third Friday evening,
from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., or during the day on Saturday,
depending on the activity. The Social Skills Class will
choose the activity for the following month. In 2009,
social outings will take place in March, May, July, September,
and November.
Participants in KindTree’s support group brainstormed
the following list, which is, by no means, exhaustive:
chess, bowling, going to the mall, eating out, laser tag,
planetarium, laser light shows, miniature golf, picnicking,
Ems and other spectator sports, Wildlife Safari, Portland
Zoo, Newport Aquarium. People are encouraged to come up
with other ideas.
If you are interested or know someone who might be interested,
call Chapter Representative Mary-Minn Sirag at (541) 689-2228
or email her at sirag@mindspring.com.
Autism
Cases on the Rise
Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News 2009. © 2009 WebMD Inc.
January 8, 2009
Environmental factors may be partly behind California's
eightfold rise in new cases, a new study implies.
Many researchers have believed that the continuous increase
in autism cases over the last decade -- particularly the
huge increase seen in California -- isn't real, but can
be explained by "artifacts."
Among these artifacts are the recent broadening of the
diagnostic criteria for autism and greatly increased diagnosis
of autism at younger ages. Both these factors could make
it seem like there are more autism cases than there were
before.
These artifacts do explain part of the rise in autism
cases, shows a rigorous study by Irva Hertz-Picciotto,
PhD, MPH, chief of the division of environmental and occupational
health at the University of California, Davis.
But even taken together, they don't explain even half
of the huge increase in cases. "When you put it all
together, this doesn't come close to explaining the increases
in the last 10 years," Hertz-Picciotto tells WebMD.
"The more you whittle away at this increase, the
more you have to say that what is left over is real. ...
Given that autism cases keep going up, and can't be fully
explained by artifacts, environmental factors deserve
serious consideration."
Hertz-Picciotto notes that her study does not account
for one potentially huge artifact: The fact that today's
parents are vastly more aware of autism than they were
a decade ago.
Autism can't be diagnosed unless you're looking for it
-- so parent awareness has a huge potential effect on
the rise of autism, says Gary W. Goldstein, president
and CEO of the Kennedy Krieger Institute and professor
of environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
"There is an enormous increase in awareness. Everybody
knows about autism now, and they didn't 16 years ago,"
Goldstein tells WebMD.
"The awareness thing is very hard to quantify,"
Hertz-Picciotto says. "But at some point, as more
and more parents became aware of autism, the increase
should have leveled off. Instead we see a continued increase
in autism."
Hertz-Picciotto notes that the lion's share of autism
funding is going to genetic studies. She argues
that it's high time more effort was put into looking for
environmental factors that cause autism in genetically
susceptible individuals.
"Time is passing and science has a lot to do to
find the real causes of autism," she says. "A
lot has changed in the environment over the last 10 to
15 years. And I paint with a broad brush when I say environment:
These changes include things like medications people take
and assisted reproduction technology as well as what is
in soaps and pet shampoos and toothpaste and so forth."
Autism expert Michael L. Cuccaro, PhD, associate professor
of human genetics at the University of Miami, praises
Hertz-Picciotto's systematic study of the rise in autism
cases. He agrees with her that it's time to consider environmental
factors as part of the cause of autism.
"I don't think it is premature to look for environmental
risks," Cuccaro tells WebMD. "There are environmental
risk factors that give rise to a wide range of developmental
conditions, and there's no reason to think autism isn't
one of them. And papers like this are critical to get
to this point. Because you have to convince people it
is not explained by all these other factors."
Environmental studies are already under way -- and research
organizations are eager to fund them, Goldstein says.
But the difficulty goes far beyond funding.
"We only have 20,000 to 25,000 genes. But we have
a hundred thousand environmental exposures. How do you
control for that?" he says. "And your genes
stay the same, while environmental exposures may have
come and gone. It is difficult to do these studies --
the problem is not that it isn't thought to be important."
The Hertz-Picciotto study appears in the January issue
of Epidemiology. The study is co-authored by Lora Delwiche.
SOURCES:
Hertz-Picciotto, I. and Delwiche, L. Epidemiology, January
2009; vol 20: pp 84-90.
WebMD Health News: " Thimerosal
Down but Autism Rising."
DVD
teaches autistic kids what a smile means
Thursday,
January 15, 2009 6:29
PM EST The Associated Press By MARIA CHENG AP Medical
Writer
LONDON (AP) — It wasn't until Jude met Jenny that
the 3-year-old autistic boy
understood what happy people look like. Jenny, a green
trolley car with a
human face, had a furrowed brow when her wheel buckled
and she got stuck on a
track. But after being rescued by friends, she smiled
broadly — and that's
when something clicked for little Jude Baines.
"It was revelatory," his mother, Caron Freeborn
told AP Television News in
Cambridge, England. Before watching the video, Jude didn't
understand what
emotions were and never noticed the expressions on people's
faces, even those
of his parents or younger brother.
Jenny's adventures are part of a DVD for autistic children
released this week
in the United States called The Transporters.
The DVD teaches autistic children how to recognize emotions
like happiness,
anger and sadness through the exploits of vehicles including
a train, a ferry,
and a cable car.
It is the brainchild of Simon Baron-Cohen, director of
the Autism Research
Centre at Cambridge University. He also happens to be
a cousin of Sacha Baron-
Cohen, the comedian behind the characters Ali G, the aspiring
rapper, and
Borat, the crass Kazakh reporter.
Baron-Cohen first became interested in autism in the
1980s while teaching
autistic children. "Why should social interaction
be so difficult for a child
who has very good skills in other areas like memory or
an attention to
detail?" he wondered.
About a decade ago, Baron-Cohen suggested that
autism — which is much less likely to afflict girls
— might be an extreme version of the typical male
brain. Men tend to understand the world via patterns and
structure, whereas women are more inclined to understand
emotions and sympathize with others.
Autism, Baron-Cohen believes, is a condition where people
perceive systems and
patterns while remaining almost oblivious to other people
and their feelings.
To help autistic children understand emotions, Baron-Cohen
and his team use
eight track-based vehicles in their DVD.
The vehicles have human faces grafted onto them, making
focusing on human
features unavoidable. The video was financed by the British
government.
"To teach autistic children something they find
difficult, we needed an autism-friendly format,"
Baron-Cohen said. Autistic children are particularly drawn
to predictable vehicles that move on tracks like trains
and trams. For years, parents of autistic children have
noted their children's attachment to Thomas the Tank Engine.
(Ed. note - check out the
engine images form Barbara
Moran)
"Autistic children are often puzzled by faces, so
this video helps focus on
them in a way that makes it very appealing and soothing,"
said Uta Frith, an
emeritus professor of cognitive development at University
College London, who
was not involved in developing the video.
Frith said the DVD was a way for autistic children to
learn social skills the
way other children might learn math or a foreign language.
In a small study of 20 autistic children between ages
4 and 7, Baron-Cohen and
colleagues found that autistic children who watched the
video for at least 15
minutes a day for one month had caught up with normal
children in their
ability to identify emotions.
But Baron-Cohen cautioned that while autistic children
might be able to
recognize emotions better after watching the DVD, that
would not necessarily
change their behavior at home or on the playground.
"This is not some kind of miracle cure," he
said. "It just shows that if you
have the opportunity to practice these social skills,
you can improve."
Other experts said the video was not a replacement for
working and playing
with real people.
"You can't just park your child in front of this
for hours and go to the other
room," said Catherine Lord, director of the Autism
and Communication Disorders
Center at the University of Michigan. "This will
hopefully start interactions
or play sequences that kids can then play with real people."
When the DVD was released in Britain in 2007, Baron-Cohen
and colleagues
distributed 40,000 copies free to families with an autistic
child or to
doctors working with them.
The DVD sells for $57.50 and includes interactive quizzes
and a booklet for parents and teachers. It is available
online at www.thetransporters.com.
Half of the profits go to autism charities and research,
and the other half goes to Changing Media Development,
the company Baron-Cohen launched with colleagues.
Similar videos have been produced, but Lord said those
have struggled to
capture children's attention. In Baron-Cohen's study,
some parents reported
that their children watched the DVD hundreds of times
within a month.
Freeborn said The Transporters DVD has made a "massive
difference" for Jude
and their family.
"(Jude) now understands what disgusted is, which
is quite important if you have a younger brother,"
she said.
Disney
motto helped dad, autistic son survive at sea ‘To
infinity ... and beyond’ is one of the few phrases
12-year-old responds to
By Michael Inbar, TODAYShow.com contributor
Lost at sea with nothing to hold onto amid a dreadful
darkness, Florida
resident Walter Marino continually called out some of
the few words his 12-
year-old autistic son Christopher responds to. The pair,
swept out in a late-
afternoon current near Daytona Beach, had been treading
water in shark- and
jellyfish-infested waters throughout the night, slowly
floating apart.
“I’d be screaming, ‘To infinity ...
and beyond!’ ”
Marino said, referring to the Disney character Buzz Lightyear’s
catchphrase in
“Toy Story,” one of Christopher’s favorite
movies. “Then I would hear him and
it would be more and more and more distant, until finally
I couldn’t hear
anything.”
Happily — perhaps miraculously — both father
and son survived the night,
thanks to good Samaritans and the U.S.
Coast Guard. Walter and Christopher Marino, along with
Walter’s daughter
Angela and the children’s mother, Robin Bishop,
beamed their way through a
joyous interview with Matt Lauer on TODAY Wednesday.
Walter, Christopher and Angela were enjoying a family
day at the beach at the
Ponce Inlet south of Daytona Sept. 6. Late in the afternoon,
Christopher was
swimming near his father when he got caught in a current,
and his dad paddled
rapidly to retrieve him.
“We were both just sucked out,” Marino told
Lauer.
“The forces just took us out so quickly, it totally
took me by surprise.”
On the beach, Angela could no longer see her father and
brother and quickly
called 911. The Coast Guard and the Volusia County Beach
Patrol launched a
search-and-rescue effort, but were unable to locate the
pair and called off
the search when darkness set in.
Meanwhile, Walter and Christopher treaded water while
looking at each other
face to face. Christopher, who is largely nonverbal, “watches
a lot of Disney
movies,”
explained his father, and Walter kept calling out Christopher’s
favorite
Disney lines, including the “Infinity” phrase.
But as the hours ticked off in the dark night, Walter
could no longer hear his son. He tried to reconcile himself
to the worst.
“I knew in my mind he was gone,” Marino told
Lauer.
“The only thing that got me through was I could
not lose my daughter. I could
not let my daughter lose her brother and her father on
the same day.”
Around 7:30 a.m. the next morning, fishermen spotted
a glint in the water from
Walter’s necklace and rescued him. With the fate
of Christopher still unknown
at the time, Walter had little hope of finding his son
alive.
“The Coast Guard asked me if I wanted to be evacuated
to a helicopter to go to
the hospital, or stay on the boat and continue the search,”
he said. “I stayed
on the search.
They asked me if I wanted to be above or below —
I chose to be below, because
I knew in my mind that Christopher was gone and I didn’t
want to see my son
floating facedown.”
After nearly two hours, the Coast Guard asked Marino
to come on deck. “That
was my Green Mile,” he told Lauer. “I thought
they wanted me to come up and
identify the body.
Those three steps, I just needed help to get to the top.
Christopher Marino was rescued after nearly 14 hours
in the sea.
I got up there and they pointed to the helicopter and
said, ‘See that
helicopter over there? That has your son, and he’s
fine.’
“I never kissed so many Coast Guard men in my life!”
Christopher was picked up some 3 miles from where his
father was found, and
some 8 miles from shore.
While an animated Marino showered his rescuers with thanks,
appreciation — and
yes, kisses — he also cited plucky Christopher as
a hero, saying the boy
actually helped his father get through the nightmare ordeal.
“His lack of fear was calming to me,” Marino
said. “He was on an adventure — I
mean, he was laughing. It was just a day in the ocean
to him. It wasn’t until
the jellyfish started stinging that he started to freak
out a little bit.”
Marino also offered a shout-out to the animated superhero
who helped him
communicate with his son. “Buzz Lightyear got us
through,” he said.
Rescue team member David Birky said he was awed at Christopher’s
resolve. “That kid is an amazing kid,” Birky
said. “To tread water for almost 14 hours —
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think
I could do that. They have amazing willpower to be able
to do it.”
Mercury
/ Corn Syrup Update
Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations
in food product sugar
http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2
Renee Dufault , Blaise LeBlanc , Roseanne Schnoll , Charles
Cornett , Laura Schweitzer , Lyn Patrick , Jane Hightower
, David Wallinga and Walter Lukiw
Environmental Health 2009, 8:2doi:10.1186/1476-069X-8-2
Published: 26 January 2009
Abstract (provisional)
Mercury cell chlor-alkali products are used to produce
thousands of other products including food ingredients
such as citric acid, sodium benzoate, and high fructose
corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is used in food products
to enhance shelf life. A pilot study was conducted to
determine if high fructose corn syrup contains mercury,
a toxic metal historically used as an anti- microbial.
High fructose corn syrup samples were collected from
three different manufacturers and analyzed for total mercury.
The samples were found to contain levels of mercury ranging
from below a detection limit of 0.005 to 0.570 micrograms
mercury per gram of high fructose corn syrup. Average
daily consumption of high fructose corn syrup is about
50 grams per person in the United States. With respect
to total mercury exposure, it may be necessary to account
for this source of mercury in the diet of children and
sensitive populations.
Read
more here...
|
|
What's
New at KINDTREE.ORG
Save
The Date
Silent Auction Luncheon Fundraiser
"Lunch with Harvey"
Sunday, April 26, 1pm
Do you remember Harvey?
He's the large white rabbit (Pooka) who was James Stewart's
best pal in the movie "Harvey". Come enjoy the
bunny theme at the Hilton's top floor with great food and
wine, music, entertainment and terrific auction items. KindTree
knows how to have fun. Tickets on sale soon!
KindTree
Artists Featured
In New Art Book
Autism
Today's new book "Artism" features art by a number
of KindTree artists. Congratulations!
Read
more here...
Andy Atalla
Noah Erenberg
Siobhan Forrester |
Marcy Deutsch
Kim Miller
Lexi Sias
D J Svoboda |
CALL
TO ARTISTS
Two
Opportunities
KindTree "Autism Rocks"
is accepting applications for
Art Grants and Art Show Entries
KindTree received a grant from Lane Arts
Council for our Studio to the Gallery program for 2009 (thank
you!) as well as a significant grant from the REX Foundation
(thank you, too!). These funds will allow us to again offer
CASH ART GRANTS to a few artists. Click here
for the application in PDF– the deadline is February
27.
We will also again mount the “Autism Artism 2009”
gallery show at LCC in June-July. Please submit
your original art before April 15 to be considered
for inclusion in this year’s “Autism Artism
2009” juried Gallery Show, scheduled for June
19-July 18, 2009. Art may be drawing, painting, photography,
sculpture, video, digital images, poetry, mixed media, whatever
digs your groove. Send images (limit – 6) to tim@kindtree.org
or 2096 ½ Arthur St, Eugene, OR 97405. Original art
will not be returned unless you request it. Please include
a suggested price and a short bio. Call 541.521.7208 with
questions. 
Calling
All Shutterbugs
What does Lane County mean
to you?
Lane County is
calling on all shutterbugs to capture what Lane County
is– the places, the people, and the unique things that
make Lane County a great community. They’ll be collecting
your photos for use on the new website!
What they’ll need: Send photos to photos@co.lane.or.us.
Submit photos in jpg format. Label all photos (i.e. "Mt.Pisgahtrees.jpg"
not "0045.jpg") Your name, contact info, and
where the photo was taken.
If you submit a photo
of identifiable people, please have them sign a consent
form and send it to Attn: Amber Fossen, Lane County Administration.
Submission of photos authorizes Lane County to use said
photo in any official Lane County publication either in
written or electronic means.
In addition to using
photos throughout the site, they’ll create an online photo
gallery where we can recognize our talented photographers.
There is no deadline for submissions – so start sending
them your best local pictures and keep 'em coming!
Questions? Please
call Amber at (541) 682-4203 ext. 3718.
EVENTS
Every Tuesday in
February
5 pm - 7 pm Francisco Lopez will be conducting a Self
Advocate Leadership Training. Graduation will
be a dramatic demonstration at the capitol building 3/3/09
Court Street Christian Church
1699 Court Street, Salem
Call Victoria (503) 569-0523
February 9,
4:30 - 6pm
KindTree Peer Support Group for adults
with autism
Call first 541 689 2228
February 11
Wednesday 10-12
Dennis Debbaudt will be in Portland to
show a new video entitled “Autism, Fire-Rescue and Emergency
Medical Response” at a conference room at Easter Seals
of Oregon located at 5757 SW Macadam Ave., Portland, 97239
call for info (503)636-1676
February 11,
5pm McNutt Room City Hall
Universal Access subcommittee of the
Police Commission - policy review: People with Disabilities
521 7208
February 12,7pm
Dennis Debbaudt on Autism Risk Management,
First Church of the Nazarene, 727 W Broadway
presented by Bridgeway House
Bridgeway
House Event info here
February 16
New ASO-LCC Social Skills Class
6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on 13th
and Pearl
Call first - 541 689 2228
February 26 - March 1
the 2009 Congress
“Autism Through the Lifespan” Vancouver, Canada.
Featuring 18 of the world’s foremost autism experts
speaking on topics covering the full range of everything
that you must know about Autism Spectrum Disorders through
the lifespan.
More
info here...
March 4, 6:30-8:00 p.m
ASO presents INTERACTIVE FORUM WITH JONATHAN
CHASE
AN ADULT WITH ASPERGER’S SYNDROME
Jonathan will talk about how his personal experience
during the school years turned him into a strong self-advocate.
He will discuss how to deflect bullying, self regulating
during tantrums, and share his strategies for dealing
with difficult situations. He will also talk about establishing
goals beyond the school years
Moreland Presbyterian Church located at 1814 SE Bybee
St., Portland (503)636-1676
March 16,
New ASO-LCC Social Activity Outings
will take place on alternating months on the third Friday
evening, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., or during the day on
Saturday, depending on the activity. Call 689 2228
March 18-20
Kids Included Together's 5th Annual
National Conference on Inclusion
San Diego, CA
over 25 workshops on the topic of inclusion. More info
here: kitconference.org
March is
National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
The Oregon Council on Developmental
Disabilities invites you to join us on March 19, 2009
as we celebrate DD Awareness Month at
the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building in Salem from
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
March 19 &
20
The 2009 Autism Summit
Current Research and Treatment Strategies
phone: (360) 379-6994 www.rehabseminars.org
Embassy Suites Hotel- Lynnwood Greater Seattle Area
March 25-26
Spectrum Training presents two day Autism Career
Planning conference. After much dialogue with
career planners, transition teachers, parents and other
ASD concerned persons we planned these conferences to
meet those specific, critical needs. Portland Holiday
Inn. More
info here...
APRIL
IS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH
April 10th, 6:00-8:00 p.m. Bounce
for Autism to be held at the Pump It Up
in Wilsonville, Oregon, To form a fun and bouncy team
visit www.bounceforautism.org
or just show up to have the joy of bouncing!
April
19th Autism Walk-a-thon,
Sunday, Oaks Park, SE Portland. The largest autism event
during Autism Awareness Month, will be here for the 7th
annual Autism Walk-a-thon. Join us, along with fun entertainment
from the Sellwood Marching Band, BJ the Clown, Radio Disney,
Camper Leaders from the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp, Face Painters
and a really cool craft table, for this community event.
April 25th
Saturday The 3rd Autism Ball will be held on ,
at the Melody Ballroom at 6:00 p.m. We will have a silent
auction, dinner, dancing. Tickets are $100/person.
April 25th
Sponsored by ARRO, Sean’s Run From Autism, to be
held at Oaks Park
April 26,
1 - 5 pm
KindTree Silent Auction Luncheon
"Lunch with Harvey"
Mark the Date - More info later...
GET PAID
TO PARTICIPATE IN
A RESEARCH PROJECT !!
Project
Title: Self-Management of Daily Living Skills:
Development of Cognitively Accessible Software
for Individuals with Autism
Project Director: Tom
Keating, Ph.D., Eugene Research Institute
WHAT IS OUR PROJECT ABOUT? The
purpose of the project is to develop computer
software applications that people with intellectual
disabilities such as Autism, Down Syndrome, mental
retardation, and other cognitive disabilities
can use to improve their self-management of personal
care, household management, and community access.
WHY DO WE NEED YOUR HELP? Eugene Research
Institute would like to identify a group of individuals
with intellectual disabilities who, along with
a family member or significant other support person,
would be interested in giving us feedback on the
software we are developing. This could involve
participation in a meeting where we show you what
we're doing and ask you to give us your reactions
and feedback. It could also involve trying out
different parts of the software as we develop
it so we'll know what works and what features
are most useful to you.
HOW MUCH TIME WILL IT TAKE? If
we ask you to participate in a meeting or try
out some software, it will last about an hour
and a half to two hours. Depending on your interest
and the project's progress, there might be follow
up meetings or software testing sessions. We will
also ask you to complete paperwork to give us
some information about you and your living situation,
along with your consent to participate.
WHAT ARE PARTICIPANTS PAID? Our
goal is to involve both people with cognitive
disabilities and those who provide support. Each
individual and family member/support person will
receive a stipend in the amount of $25 for participating
in a meeting or software testing session.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? If
you are interested or have any questions, contact
us by calling or emailing the Project Director,
Tom Keating, at 541-342-3763 or tkeating@eugeneresearch.org.
We will give you further information and add you
to our list of potential participants. If you
want to learn more about Eugene Research Institute
and what we do, you can go to our web site: www.eugeneresearch.org.
WHEN IS THIS HAPPENING? We're
recruiting people on an open basis to be part
of a registry of interested individuals. Participation
opportunities will be occurring regularly throughout
the year.
THANKS!
Valentine
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Autism Rocks T-shirts, Note Cards,
Gift Items,
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Apparel and More
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Once
you are Real you can't be ugly
The Skin Horse had lived longer
in the nursery than any of the others. He
was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches
and showed the seams underneath, and most of the
hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string
bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen
a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast
and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings
and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys,
and would never turn into anything else. For nursery
magic is very strange and wonderful, and only
those plaything that are old and wise and experienced
like the Skin Horse understand all about it.
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day,
when they were lying side by side near the nursery
fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does
it mean having things that buzz inside you and a
stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the
Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you.
When a child loves you for a long, long time, not
just to play with, but Really loves you, then you
become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for
he was always truthful. "When you are Real
you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound
up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said
the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long
time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people
who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have
to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you
are Real, most of your hair has been loved off,
and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in
the joints and very shabby. But these things don't
matter at all, because once you are Real you can't
be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
from The Velveteen
Rabbit
ASO
Respite Program Extended Through 2009:
Take a Break on ASO
New rules this year
Read
more here... |
Gov
Kulongoski on Health Care for Kids
Oregon: In his Jan. 12 speech,
Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) said the state needs to "accept
the moral responsibility of making sure that every Oregon
child from birth to age 19 has health insurance,"
and "that means finding the political courage to
raise revenue" to expand the Oregon Health Plan
program. He said that "there is more than $1 billion
in Washington, D.C., with Oregon's name on it -- approved
in waivers to cover uninsured children and adults"
through the program, but "that billion dollars
is going unused -- just as it does every two years --
because we haven't had the political will to come up
with our share of the matching funds" (Kulongoski
speech text, 1/12).
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