Heather Simmons shares an insightful story illuminating the idea that people of all abilities have the ability to learn giving the opportunity. Although Heather was originally from Scotland she now lives in Perth Australia where, with her husband Richard Hill, … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Active Support
SPEAK TO THEM
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This video explains that although we trust doctors and psychologists, who have extensive years of education to inform us about disabilities, the reality is, sometimes the best way to learn from and understand the people we support is to SPEAK … Continue reading
Understanding and Promoting Rights
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Your staff can now learn about “Understanding and Promoting Rights” with either our long or new short version module. But first watch this fun music video we made about rights, community and more! Our new module “Understanding and Promoting Rights … Continue reading
DROWNING BY DAVID PITONYAK
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It might seem odd that a professional would ignore someone who is drowning. But as David Pitonyak explains, this happens all the time in our field. People who have disabilities and difficult behavior are often overboard and terrified, and we … Continue reading
HANDS OFF IT’S MY HOME!
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Learn how everyone can take control of their lives and watch this trailer from our module “Self-Determination”. In this module, the author Simon Duffy uses his expansive knowledge to explain what self-determination means. A combination of graphics and short films combine with Duffy’s easy read writing style to highlight the importance of control and the understanding that everyone can take control of their lives.
HOW TO BE PERSON-CENTERED?
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Being person-centered helps you to learn about and understand the uniqueness of each person that you support. With the aid of both Beth Mount and Simon Duffy, your staff will have a better understanding of how being person-centered helps the people we support to take control of their lives and make their own choices. Continue reading
Autism and Sensory Processing
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Understanding and gaining insight into your processing system takes time and effort. In this module, with the help of Judith North and Simony Haywood, we use insightful films and commentaries to help staff workers to understand their own processing abilities in hopes of them being able to better assist and understand the people they support. Continue reading
ALL BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION
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P.S. We just released a new short version of our module “Abuse Prevention.” After completing this new bite size 80 minute module you will be able to: – Describe what abuse is, along with the signs, symptoms, causes, circumstances, patterns, … Continue reading
Five More Things You Can Do
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David Pitonyak is back with another five things you can do to support someone who has behavior that is challenging. When the person you support is going through a difficult time, friendships, a positive identity, fairness, and fun are commonly … Continue reading
Difficult Families?
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What can we learn from the families we support and work with? This video is a celebration of families and what we can learn from them. The moving and thoughtful words of the families who made this video will help … Continue reading
Dementia Explained
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“Dementia Explained” is an informative and thorough module led by dementia and intellectual disability expert, Diana Kerr. This module will give staff a great deal of knowledge on the many aspects of dementia and how it affects the people we support. Continue reading
Autism Remastered
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Written by Judith North, this is our remastered module about Autism. Continue reading
‘What I’d Say’
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We recently collaborated with Michael Steinbruck to produce this powerful music video. Lots to take from this, just listen to the words.
David Pitonyak
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We recently had the pleasure of filming with yet another great thinker. David Pitonyak has a way of understanding and communicating the needs of people with challenging behavior that is profoundly straightforward. The largest part of Pitonyak’s work involves meeting … Continue reading
Welcome Kathie Snow
We are pleased to welcome Kathie Snow to the Open Future Learning family.
Unique, inspiring, motivational, valuable, provocative, life-changing. These are some of the words used to describe Kathie Snow’s work. Snow challenges conventional wisdom and encourages others to adopt new ways of thinking about disability issues. She believes each person with a disability has strengths, gifts, and talents, and that when we focus on those-instead of the diagnosis-grea outcomes are possible!
Kathie Snow is the mother of Benjamin, a young man with disabilities. Snow has learned from Benjamin and other with disabilities, and now shares these extraordinary lessons. Kathis believes we can generate better outcomes for children and adults with disabilities when we change our attitudes, words, and actions. The inclusion of people with disabiliites can be be accomplished when they move from dependence on special services (client-hood) to the abundant supply of natural supports and generic service in their communities (citizenship).
Snow is enthusiastic, positive, and passionate about ensuring children and adults with disabilities live real lives, fully included at home, school, work and play. The commonsense strategies she promotes can help turn this dream into reality. Be ready for provocative questions, positive solutions, and innovative thinking, mixed with humor and real-life experiences.
Learn more about Kathie http://www.openfuturelearning.org/contributors.html#ksnow
“Forget everything you think you know about learning online.”
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Welcome to the new way to learn …