We are hosting a soccer tournament to support awareness for veterans with PTSD. We will be donating to an organization that uses Music Therapy as a way to cope with PTSD – The American Music Therapy Association.
Game Day at WCC
CS students and mentors set out to play "Apples to Apples" on Tuesday's Game Day at WCC.
Excitement and laughter built up as the game progressed and each tried to convince the "judge" and fellow players that their card was the "best pick"
Student Blog - Kalin
My name is Kalin, a student in the College Steps program attending a second semester for it at NCC. I recently attended a meditation event that happened to work out pretty well. There were actually several people that attend this event and it was very interesting to hear about what meditation is and why people should do it more often. My thoughts about the event though? I thought that it was pretty informational for what meditation was and I feel it’s one of the many ways to deal with everyday stresses in life itself. I myself do go through a lot sometimes but I know that there is still hope to be successful in life, especially for those that have a special gift as I call it that others should really see.
Thanks,
Kalin
Hand Print Your Identity
A student activity open to the campus at American International College was designed to have students use paint to make a handprint on a giant poster. Once pressed, the students could put down a single word that was associated as part of their identity. This was designed to be a physical representation of the similarities and differences of the people of AIC.
Birthright Trip to Israel - College Steps Student at AIC
Birthright Trip to Israel
A College Steps at AIC student went to Israel as part of the Birthright trip. He, along with 15 other students from across the nation, went on a 10 day trip across Israel. He went out in a group to prayer walls, synagogues, memorials, and went out into various towns and cities to partake in cultural experiences (restaurants, shops, markets).
Making Olive Oil
Career Fair at NCC
Students attended the career fair as a part of the Community Class. Students worked with College Steps staff to update and create resumes that they would be able to hand out to employers at the expo. Here is a list of some of the vendors that were present:
NCC’s Center for Career Development will host Career Expo 2017 where Ability Beyond, Aquarion Water Company of CT, Bright Horizons, Cotiviti, CT Army National Guard, Family Care Visiting Nurse, Mackey & Guasco Staffing, Mathnasium (The Math Learning Center), Securitas Security Services Inc., Stepping Stones Museum for Children, The Tempositions Group of Companies, TheraCare, Valet Park of America will be among those in attendance to provide information about their companies and accept resumes.
Ability Beyond is one of CT's leading non-profit agencies that supports adults living with developmental disabilities. Students were particularly excited to speak with the representatives of this agency.
Student Blog Post: Jacob
Hi. My name is Jacob. I'm a College Steps student at SVC, and I'd like to share my passion for making stories. As far as stories go, I prefer to tell them with an application I use called RPG Maker. As the name implies, it is software that allows one to create their very own video game in Role Playing Game fashion. The three games I am currently working on are titled Chronicles of the Dream, The Daemon War, and The Fall of the Executors.
Chronicles of the Dream is a game featuring a demon named Illikas Marshall Rager, a human with the power to control dreams, named Moxo Holly Guinevere, and a genocidal, cannibalistic villain named Terrance Geraldo as the main characters and villain, in that order. Below are a few screenshots of this game:
The Daemon War is another game featuring too many characters to include here, but the prime main character is named Command Sergeant Major Zin Quetzal. This game takes place in the year 2710, during a war that has lasted 200 years thus far, and takes place after the events of Chronicles of the Dream. Included below are some more screenshots of this game.
Upcoming Information Session for RCC
ROCKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE is a two-year college in the State University of New York system, located in Rockland County, New York. Established in 1959, RCC is a part of the SUNY system. RCC offers 51 programs and offers both associate degrees and certificates. Additionally, students can earn other degrees, including Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in the arts and sciences. The current enrollment is about 7,500 full and part-time students. RCC is a 2017 recipient of the Aspen Institute's Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Shining Light on Women with Asperger/Autism Profiles
Please see information below on a conference (with live stream broadcast option) AANE is co-hosting focused on Women with Asperger/Autism profiles this Friday March 3rd at Newton Wellesley Hospital in the Bowles Conference Center from 8:30-4:30.
For more information & registration details, please use the following link: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07edp0daoqb97682d5&llr=b54cxzaab&showPage=true
Conference Schedule
8:30 AM– 9:00 AM
Registration
9:00 AM–10:00 AM
William Mandy, DClinPsy Ph.D.
Girls and Women on the Autism Spectrum: Misdiagnosis and the Female Autism Phenotype
10:00 AM–10:15 AM
Personal Accounts, 2 stories
10:15 AM–10:30 AM
Break
10:30 AM–12:00 PM
Sarah Hendrickx, MA
Autism in Girls and Women: Developing Social and Personal Relationships
12:00 PM– 1:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM– 2:30 PM
Liane Holliday Willey, Ed.D.
Vulnerabilities and Support for Women with ASD
2:30 PM– 2:45 PM
Personal Accounts, 2 stories
2:45 PM– 3:00 PM
Break
3:00 PM– 4:00 PM
Erika Drezner, MSW, LCSW
Mother-Daughter Relationships:
Strategies for positive growth
4:00 PM– 4:15 PM
Personal Accounts, 2 stories
Hear Real Stories from Our Community
Preselected members of our community will read their first-person accounts. Topics include friendship, gender, late-life diagnosis, marriage, relationships, school, sensory, and work experiences. All attendees will receive a booklet of the first-person stories featured at the conference.
Please contact AANE directly with questions regarding this conference
Vermont Receives International Award at United Nations Conference in Vienna
VERMONT RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL ZERO PROJECT AWARD AT UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE IN VIENNA
FEB. 24, 2017, 1:18 PM BY PRESS RELEASE 0 COMMENTS
News Release — Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living
February 24, 2017
Media Contact:
Jennie Masterson
Department of Disabilities, Aging & Independent Living/DDSD
Jennie.Masterson@vermont.gov
802-786-2571
Award Recognizes Program Innovation in Supported Employment Services for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
WATERBURY, VT – On February 23, 2017, the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) and its partner agencies were recognized by the Zero Project at its 2017 conference held at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. Vermont received the “Innovative Policy 2017 on Employment, Work, and Vocational Education” award for its Supported Employment Program for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities. This award recognizes countries, governments, and organizations that incorporate innovative practices into their human services through sustained policies.
The Vermont Chapter of Association of People Supporting Employment First (VTAPSE) and the University of Vermont financed the travel cost for a delegation consisting of Bryan Dague, Research Associate at University of Vermont; Elizabeth Sightler, Executive Director at Champlain Community Services; and Lisa Culbertson, Employment Director at Upper Valley Services, to attend the conference and receive the award on behalf of DAIL and their supported employment colleagues. The delegation presented “Vermont Supported Employment Program of 1983 Innovation” to more than 500 participants from 70 different countries.
The positive impact to individuals, the scalability of its model, and the ability to sustain and enhance employment services are factors that led to the prestigious award. The path to receiving the 2017 Zero Project award began in 1983 when DAIL, partner agencies, and UVM launched a system change initiative to move people from segregated work and substandard wages into the typical workforce and jobs at prevailing rates. Job site supports for employees and employers addressing the needs of both allowed workers with significant challenges to be successful alongside their coworkers.
Today, about 1,260 Vermonters with developmental disabilities are working. Vermont’s employment rate for individuals who receive developmental disabilities services is 48 percent, as compared to the national average of 35 percent. DAIL’s employment program is known beyond Vermont for well-implemented employment practices and policies. Many states and countries come to Vermont to learn about the principles that guided the establishment of Vermont’s Supported Employment Program: employment, decent work, and meaningful vocational education and training of persons with disabilities.
