Opened Eyes

          Every year, Macy goes to two overnight camps. She absolutely LOVES going to camp, and my family and I are so thankful for Camp Summit and SEEK Camp. These camps are designed for children and adults with special needs. The counselors are wonderful and make sure everyone has fun while staying safe. Earlier this month, my parents and I dropped Macy off at Camp Summit for a weekend camp session. When we arrived, I had the chance to meet some of the other campers. Getting to meet just a few of the other campers really opened my eyes into more disabilities. I am so grateful that not only Macy gets to enjoy camp, but that these camps can help the family members too!

Click here for more information on Camp Summit.

Click here for more information on SEEK Camp.

Sweet Macy at Camp Summit in early April!
We love Camp Summit!

Virtual Pledge

          If you do not have access to a pledge, you will now be able to sign via the internet! Please comment with your name on either this post OR the post under the "Sign the Pledge" tab at the top of the blog. By commenting your name, you are pledging to take the derogatory use of the word "retarded" out of your vocabulary. On your behalf, I will write your name on a pledge specifically set aside for internet signers. I am excited to see how many signatures and people I will be able to reach through the virtual pledge! Thank you for your support!

The blank pledge set aside for internet signers! I can't wait to
see it fill up with signatures!

Introducing my Mentor

          In the Independent Study and Mentorship program, students ask a professional currently working in the field they are studying to act as their mentor for the second semester. My mentor is Mandy Goodfellow, who is the speech-language pathologist at the elementary school my siblings and I attended. My mentor and I have a really neat connection. She went into the speech-language pathology field because her younger sister has Down syndrome, and she knew she wanted to work with children with intellectual disabilities. This is the same reason I plan on going into speech-language pathology.
          Because Mandy is my mentor, she allows me to shadow her giving therapy and helps me to create my original work and product. She is so wonderful, and I am so glad I get the opportunity to work with her! The sweet video below is of Mandy and her sister, and I recommend you watch it. Enjoy!

Wonderful Wednesday

Good morning! Today, I wanted to share a video I found a few weeks ago on Youtube. It is the sweetest video, and I promise it will bring a smile to your face. The video was made for World Down Syndrome Day (March 21) in 2012. It has an inspiring theme, and I wish everyone could have the love and compassion for people with intellectual disabilities that this video represents. I have posted it below. Enjoy!

Hope Park

          Last Friday, I aired a story on my school's broadcast, RHTV, about Hope Park. Hope Park is a new playground being built in my city. It is designed to be all-inclusive and will accommodate children with special needs. The community has come together to help build it, and it is an excellent addition to the area. 

          It was really neat to teach my classmates about Hope Park and why it is important through my story! While making this story, I was able to go to Hope Park during one of the building days to film the construction. It was an incredible experience to see many different groups and people around the community coming together to build such an important and wonderful park. Before I go, I want to thank Mr. Crowe for allowing me to interview him and use a few of his pictures. If you would like to read more about Hope Park, click here. My story is below!

The Resource Fair

A small view of the pledge
hanging up at the Resource Fair!

Recently, I had the opportunity to take a pledge to the FISD Resource Fair at the administration building. The resource fair had many booths set up for organizations and businesses around the community that helped disabled or gifted children. It was extremely interesting to see, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to have my own booth for the pledge! A big thanks goes out to Frisco SAGE and all the people who helped me that night!!

One of my favorite signatures! I love the sweet little hearts!

A view of the pledge laid out on the ground. There are a lot
of signatures near the top!

 If you would like more information on Frisco SAGE click here.

Campaigning at LHS!

          Last December, I hung a banner in the cafeteria that students were able to sign during White Ribbon Week (national disability awareness week) pledging to stop using the word "retarded" derogatorily. My teacher and I got the idea from the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign, but we had no way to print the free banner, so I made my own. There were many signatures, and I heard students talking about it during some of my classes. Even if the word is not completely taken out of all students' vocabulary, I believe that through the pledge, I definitely created an awareness which was not present before. Baby steps!

The whole pledge

It hung in the cafeteria for all students to see!

The words were from Spread the Word to End the Word.
You can visit the site at www.r-word.org

My Purpose

My sister and I

           Before I begin posting campaign successes, I wanted to explain why I am doing what I am doing. My sister has Down syndrome, my uncle has Williams syndrome, and my mother is a special education teacher. Therefore, I have been surrounded by the "special needs" community my whole life.

My uncle and I

My junior year of high school, I began my two-year journey in the Independent Study and Mentorship program at my high school where I have had the opportunity to study in-depth the profession of speech-language pathology. While shadowing speech-language pathologists, I fell even more in love with children and people with intellectual disabilities and felt that that speech-language pathology was my calling. When the special education coordinator at my school came to one of my extracurricular club's meetings asking for ideas and volunteers to help her with coordinating White Ribbon Week (national disability awareness week), I gladly stepped up to help her. I made signs, involved my fellow cheerleaders, hung white ribbons around the school, ran disability simulation activities at all lunches, created a banner for students to sign pledging to never use the word "retarded" derogatorily, and made a video advertising disability awareness including testimonials from people with disabilities that was played on Liberty's weekly broadcast. More information can be found on the Frisco ISD website at the following link:

http://www.friscoisd.org/news/inside/inside-frisco-isd/2012/12/07/white-ribbon-week

           Moreover, after I saw the change the pledge and the entire advertisement had on my classmates, I knew I had to take the campaign to the next level as part of my Independent Study and Mentorship speech-language pathology product. I named the campaign "Special Perceptions," and I will be posting pictures, videos, and updates on the status and success of this campaign on this blog. Hopefully, through special perceptions, others with understand how people with special needs need to be perceived and treated. Using the word "retarded" derogatorily, even if not meant in a negative way, hurts the person with intellectual disabilities as well as his or her family and friends. Thank you for your support!