Sesame Street, Helping Children Through Life's Challenges, Big and Small

Sesame Street, and their partners are bringing coping strategies and lessons about resiliency directly into the hands of children and families who need them most. 

In tough times, give yourself a hug!
YouTube published by Sesame Street In Communities                                             
Sesame Street in Communities brings free video content of everyone's favorite, furry Muppet friends as they help children and the adults in their lives reach their highest potential. Grover and the gang will tackle a variety of topics that face children in the areas of health and well-being, school readiness, and emotional well-being. Some of the content and topics presented are more sensitive, so you should preview these videos before sharing with a child. For free resources and tips, follow us at http://www.facebook.com/SesameStreetI...

Sesame Street is a production of Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization. The Workshop produces Sesame Street programs, seen in over 150 countries, and other acclaimed shows, including The Electric Company. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy and numeracy, emotional well-being, health and wellness, and respect and understanding. Learn more at http://www.sesamestreet.org.

Learn more at https://sesamestreetincommunities.org
source: Sesame Street / PBS

Chicago Public Schools Making ‘Major Changes’ to Special Ed Funding in 2017

Chicago - After teachers and principals spent the past year criticizing the way Chicago Public Schools handled special education funding, the school district now says it’s planning major changes in the new fiscal year.

article by Matt Masterson for WTTW Chicago Tonight | July 20, 2017                                         
Despite a projected decline of around 8,000 students this fall, CPS announced Thursday special education funding levels will remain flat in the coming school year and that those dollars will no longer be commingled with general education funds. CEO Forrest Claypool said the district will also eliminate an appeals process for frozen special education funding and plans to increase teaching and paraprofessional staffing inside its highest-need classrooms.

“We’ve spent the last year working to make sure that our special education instruction does a better job (to help) diverse learners improve academically,” he told media during a conference call Thursday morning. “We’re focusing on better training, focusing on accountability in the classroom to ensure that our diverse learners can participate in the same sort of gains we’ve seen from general education students.”

The district for the first time last school year opted to commingle special and general education funding dollars into a single pot.

District officials promised every individualized education program (IEP) would still be fully funded and said special education classes would have to be scheduled first before general education classes. But teachers and parents said this limited transparency, making funding more difficult to track, and felt it put the two programs at odds with each other in what some described as a “Hunger Games”-esque struggle for adequate resources.

Ninety-five percent of respondents in a Chicago Principals and Administrators Association survey taken earlier this year preferred separate budgets, and 88 percent said the commingling limited their flexibility when it came to resource decisions.

This school year, CPS will once again split those allocations and fund IEPs based on a school-by-school analysis.

“(The funds) are clearly separated out so each school can see exactly the dollars they have available,” Claypool said. “Those are translated into positions and we’ve also made the requirement that any of those funds that are designated for special ed can only be used for special ed.”

Special education funding remained flat entering last school year as well, but last fall CPS withheld 4 percent of that amount from schools, making those dollars available only through an appeals process to schools in need of additional services.

The district now says it’s doing away with that holdback this year, and will instead distribute those funds directly to schools up front. CPS also plans to fund 34 new teaching and 68 new paraprofessional positions for its cluster classrooms – specialized programs for students with more severe disabilities.

The district is shooting for a ratio of one teacher and three paraprofessionals for every 13 students with severe disabilities, and one teacher and two paraprofessionals for every 13 students with mild disabilities. That represents an increase of one paraprofessional per class over last year's average.

Hanson Park Elementary Principal David Belanger sees that as a positive change. His school includes eight cluster classrooms for about 90 students, and while those have been fully staffed at Hanson, Belanger is happy to see district administration taking a more active role in properly staffing those classes throughout the city.

“It’s a greater level than we’ve seen previously,” he said. “We were using more of our general ed moneys to pay for those positions previously, but now downtown is realizing it's their commitment and they need to support those classrooms.”

That 13-to-1 student/teacher ratio is the baseline set by the Illinois State Board of Education, but CPS plans to examine individual schools to find classrooms in need of additional staffing.

The announcement came as CPS released individual school budgets to principals on Thursday for the upcoming school year. Principals and local school councils now have until next Wednesday to approve and return those to the district.

http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/07/20/cps-making-major-changes-special-ed-funding

For more from Chicago's Public Television WTTW, visit: http://www.wttw.com/

Deaf Rights Movement History with the Disability Rights Movement

The 'Deaf Rights Movement' encompasses a series of social movements within the disability rights and cultural diversity movements that encourages deaf and hard of hearing people and society to adopt a position of respect for Deaf people, accepting deafness as a cultural identity and a variation in functioning rather than a communication disorder to be cured. (wikipedia - Deaf rights movement )

"Through Deaf Eyes" is a two-hour HDTV documentary for PBS exploring nearly 200 years of Deaf life in America. The film presents the shared experiences of American history family life, education, work, and community connections from the perspective of Deaf citizens.

Interwoven throughout the film are six short documentaries produced by Deaf media artists and filmmakers. Poignant, sometimes humorous, these commissioned stories bring a personalized sense of Deaf life in America to the film. Through first person accounts and the film as a whole, THROUGH DEAF EYES tells the story of conflicts, prejudice and affirmation that ultimately reaches the heart of what it means to be human.

THROUGH DEAF EYES has a dedicated PBS website, with more resources to explore:

http://www.pbs.org/weta/throughdeafeyes/index.html

YouTube Published by ASL IVC (I do not own the rights to this video.)

Sign languages are an important part of Deaf culture.

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is another great resource. The NAD is the nation's premier civil rights organization of, by, and for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States of America. https://www.nad.org/

(if any other resources to be considered for additions to this post, please contact us)

'Sesame Street' is welcoming Julia, a Muppet with Autism

Folks on Sesame Street have a way of making everyone feel accepted.

By The Associated Press | March 20, 2017                    That certainly goes for Julia, a Muppet youngster with blazing red hair, bright green eyes -- and autism. Rather than being treated like an outsider, which too often is the plight of kids on the spectrum, Julia is one of the gang.

Look: On this friendliest of streets (actually Studio J at New York's Kaufman Astoria Studios, where "Sesame Street" lives) Julia is about to play a game with Oscar, Abby and Grover. In this scene being taped for airing next season, these Muppet chums have been challenged to spot objects shaped like squares or circles or triangles.

"You're lucky," says Abby to Grover. "You have Julia on your team, and she is really good at finding shapes!"

With that, they skedaddle, an exit that calls for the six Muppeteers squatted out of sight below them to scramble accordingly. Joining her pals, Julia (performed by Stacey Gordon) takes off hunting.

For more than a year, Julia has existed in print and digital illustrations as the centerpiece of a multifaceted initiative by Sesame Workshop called "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children."

She has been the subject of a storybook released along with videos, e-books, an app and website. The goal is to promote a better understanding of what the Autism Speaks advocacy group describes as "a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences."

But now Julia has been brought to life in fine Muppet fettle. She makes her TV debut on "Sesame Street" in the "Meet Julia" episode airing April 10 on both PBS and HBO. Additional videos featuring Julia will be available online.

Developing Julia and all the other components of this campaign has required years of consultation with organizations, experts and families within the autism community, according to Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop's senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact.

"In the U.S., one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder," she says. "We wanted to promote a better understanding and reduce the stigma often found around these children. We're modeling the way both children and adults can look at autism from a strength-based perspective: finding things that all children share."

Julia is at the heart of this effort. But while she represents the full range of children on the spectrum, she isn't meant to typify each one of them: "Just as we look at all children as being unique, we should do the same thing when we're looking at children with autism," Betancourt says.

It was with keen interest that Stacey Gordon first learned of Julia more than a year ago. "I said, 'If she's ever a puppet, I want to BE Julia!'"

No wonder. Gordon is a Phoenix-based puppeteer who performs, conducts classes and workshops, and creates whimsical puppets for sale to the public.

She also has a son with autism, and, before she started her family, was a therapist to youngsters on the spectrum.

Although she figured her chances of landing the dream role of Julia were nil, her contacts in the puppet world paid off: Two friends who worked as Muppeteers on "Sesame Street" dropped her name to the producers. After submitting tapes, then coming to New York for an audition, she was hired.

In the introductory segment, Julia is having fun with Abby and Elmo when Big Bird walks up. He wants to be her new friend, but she doesn't speak to him. He thinks she doesn't like him.

"She does things just a little differently, in a Julia sort of way," Abby informs him.

Julia, chuckling, then displays a different-but-fun way of playing tag, and everyone joins in. But when a siren wails, she covers her ears and looks stricken.

"She needs to take a break," Big Bird's human friend Alan calmly explains. Soon, all is well and play resumes.

"The 'Meet Julia' episode is something that I wish my son's friends had been able to see when they were small," says Gordon. "I remember him having meltdowns and his classmates not understanding how to react."

Gordon says her son, now 13, isn't drawn to puppetry. "He's more interested in math and science, and plays the piano brilliantly," she says with pride.

But she's having a blast being part of the show that helped hook her, as a child, on puppeteering.

"It is so much fun to be on set with everyone, and get to play up all the positive things I've seen with the kids that I've worked with," Gordon says. "At the same time, I come at this with a reverence. I don't want to let the autism community down."

photo credit: (Zach Hyman/Sesame Workshop via AP) (Zach Hyman)

PBS Broadcasting Autism Documentary "Spectrum: A Story of the Mind" premieres April 2017

Take a journey into the rich sensory experience of autism. Imagine a world where words taste and thoughts feel, where sounds swell with color and leaves on trees change tones visible to the naked eye, and where eye contact with another can cause physical pain.

"Spectrum: A Story of the Mind" explores autism through the lens of diverse characters on the spectrum.

Dr. Temple Grandin, the most well-known autistic person in the world, breaks down the link between autism and sensory experiences. Her descriptions are illustrated with vivid character animation. In childhood, Temple’s sensory sensitivities were severe; a simple hug felt like a tidal wave of stimulation. The sound of rain could be described as loud as bullets. Others experience visual sensitivity like seeing flickering in fluorescent lights in a classroom or having sensory overload that creates a kaleidoscopic chaos.

Grandin explains that sensory issues originate in the brain processing – not in the eyes or in the ears. She believes these issues should be a primary focus for autism research. Understanding sensory perception could make a big impact on the lives of autistic kids and adults.

SPECTRUM: A Story of the Mind - Official Trailer

YouTube published by Nanuq Original
Read more about the show, show date/times, and featured stories at PBS:    http://www.pbs.org/program/spectrum-story-mind/
source: PBS online

PBS airing “Autism in Love” Documentary in January 2016

About the Film

Finding love can be hard enough for anyone, but for those with an autism spectrum disorder, the challenges may seem overwhelming. The disorder can jeopardize the core characteristics of a successful relationship — communication and social interaction. Filmed in a highly personal style, Matt Fuller’s Autism in Love offers a warm and stereotype-shattering look at four people as they pursue and manage romantic relationships.

Thirtysomethings Dave and Lindsey have been together for eight years. Both “high functioning” and employed, they met at a conference on autism and, through the years, have learned to cope with each other’s quirks and different ways of communicating. The couple contemplate marriage, despite misgivings.  

Lenny, who lives in Los Angeles with his single mother, constantly struggles to accept that autism will always be part of who he is. The biggest hurdle in his life, the label has made meeting and dating girls seemingly impossible. Frustrated and angry, he spends his time watching sports, playing video games, and just trying to fit in, confiding that he “would rather be a normal man than an autistic person with a million dollars.”

Meanwhile, Stephen’s autism manifests itself in more obvious ways than the others we meet in the film, but even his detached affect and monotone speech are no barrier to love. After 20 years of marriage to Gita, they are faced with the ultimate test of terminal illness. Despite his limited speech and her physical deterioration, their love persists as Stephen supports Gita in her battle with ovarian cancer.  

Autism in Love shows us the wide range of perspectives on the spectrum, as it asks the question, “What happens when children with autism become adults and want to have lives of their own?”

Autism in Love - Exclusive Clip - Love is a Force
YouTube clip published by autisminlove

For more on PBS Independent Lenses
“Autism in Love”Documentary:http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/autism-in-love/

For Facebook page on "Autism In Love": https://www.facebook.com/AutismInLove/
# information in this post is from PBS, and filmmakers websites.