An “Independent Living” Classroomregistration.ocali.org/rms_event_sess_handout/6138_Handout.pdf · Staff Intervention Specialist: Kelly VanOrder [email protected] Program Coordinator:

An “Independent Living”

Classroom

Located in:

Bowling Green, OH

Programming designed by:

Wood County Educational Service Center

OCALI

CONFERENCE

November 22, 2013

Staff

Intervention Specialist: Kelly VanOrder

◦ [email protected]

Program Coordinator: Diane Witt

◦ [email protected]; 419-308-6564

Director of Special Needs:

Dr. Belinda Rhoads

◦ [email protected]; 419-354-9010

1 Program Para Professionals and 1-1 Paras as dictated by IEP

Related service as dictated by IEP

Opening the door to goals for today

1. Identify steps to develop a

complete community based

school aged program for

students with disabilities, ages18-22.

2. Identify and manage integral components of a

community based program.

3. Become familiar with a transition focused IEP.

4. Explain how “best practices” designs

programming that results in maximum

independency for an individual with disabilities.

The Vision – Students’ Needs

LRE for 18-22 year olds – HS no longer is LRE

◦ Has earned HS credits

Focused on students:

◦ Falling through the cracks

◦ Not a “fit” for career center

◦ Not “ready” for Board of DD adult services

Preparation for adult life working through solid

transition planning and preparation

Person centered planning approach with

ongoing input & support from IEP team

The Vision – To Meet Our Need

Providing educational programming of

total community based instruction for

students with significant disabilities,

ages 18-22

Challenge: developing the Living

Classroom out of current resources,

personnel, and money

Solution: transfer a current MD class

into a community based site

The Vision – Our Focus

Best Practices of Transition.

Total community based instruction

Use of SLP, OT, PT, APE in a realistic,

practical application

Collaborative transition team: student,

family/ guardian, Board of DD service

coordinator, Bridges (RSC), school

district, parent mentor, teacher, para,

supervisor, other

The Vision – Our Focus Preparation of independent living skills

◦ Home with parents or relative

◦ Group home

◦ Residential setting

◦ Apartment with support

Travel training

◦ Public transportation (bus, taxi) or walking

◦ Individualized to each student’s community

Community participation & safety

Functional communication

The Vision – Our Focus Preparation of vocational skills

◦ Supported employment

◦ Enclaves

◦ Short term job coach

◦ Part-time workshop

Social skills training

◦ Circles – systematic instruction with

generalized “teachable moments”

Age appropriate recreation/ leisure

◦ “Down-time” instruction

◦ Structured exploration of adult hobbies

Best Practices in Pictures

Best Practices in Pictures

Best Practices in Pictures

Ask . . . And You will be given . . .

•Share an idea with “important people”

who have connections! •Directors & Superintendents

•Local Business Connections

•Local Adult Agencies

•Friends and Colleagues

•Local Universities and Colleges

•Share your idea on paper

•“White paper” – elevator speech • Win-win for everyone

The Result – A Donated Apartment

Parent Considerations

Fear of “letting go” & safety

“Exposing” their children to society

Understanding the need for independent,

every day skills

Finalizing long term goals with the safety

net of school services soon to be gone

Establishing higher expectations beyond

the 4 walls of a classroom

Lack of knowledge of adult services

Establishing their contribution to the team

Student Considerations

Different environment

◦ Creating atmosphere of “school” within a non-

school setting

Transferring school terminology to adult

and work terminology

Increased walking/ activity/ stamina

Behavior issues & sensory needs without

“typical” physical boundaries or supervision

Expectations to be as independent as

potential allows

Steps Toward the Vision:

Establishing the Living Classroom

Emails & communications requesting connections

to anyone with rental property in the community

“Meet and greet” to discuss vision of program &

benefits of partnership with rental agents

◦ “White paper” provides concrete information after

meeting

Discussions w/ treasurer, director, superintendent

◦ Must get “buy-in” for long term support

◦ Part of MD budget – per student cost for districts

◦ Certificate of coverage – insurance (+ rental insurance)

◦ Rental lease developed; approved by Board

Steps Toward the Vision:

Establishing the Living Classroom

Consider need for snow shovels & salt and who

will be responsible

Develop budget for community based instruction

◦ Travel training

◦ Housewares - cleaning items, toiletries, etc.

◦ School supplies (ie. copy paper no longer “in-kind”) and

curriculum supplies

◦ Community based activities (ie. bowling, shopping,

leisure activities)

◦ Food for life skill activities

Donation request sent out to everyone!

Initial Must Do’s • Meetings with parents prior to placement

of students in “new” classroom

• Explanation of purpose & future

• Demonstrate passion, but be cautious

• Staff training prior to school year

• Program expectations & rationale

• Teachers expectations for consistency of

student training

• Specific para responsibilities if different than

“typical” classroom

• Development of data collection system

Initial Must Do’s

Establish successful adult-student ratio

◦ 1st year is vital for success & safety

Provision of school supplies and home

living supplies

Internet & phone set up

Plan for parking of staff & meetings

Post emergency evacuation maps in apt.

Emergency plan for behavior crises

Plan for weather emergencies in

apartment and/ or in community

Initial Organization

• Work experience - Bowling Green State

University recreation center

• Transportation - BGSU shuttle

• Data collection - development of baseline

skills and task analyses

• Schedule/ curriculum focus – 2 days work;

3 days apartment/ life skills

IEP’s were “adopted” as is but services

gradually became transitioned focused

Direct related services as written on IEP

How We Started . . . . .

• Started “school” in district classroom

• High school jobs in school building –

aligned to future community jobs

• BGSU shuttle to community outings

monthly for experience of travel training

• Walked to apartment daily from HS

• Gradually increased time at apartment

and community and decreased time in

district classroom

Continued Growth . . . 2nd year

and Beyond . . . . • Apartment & community became the

classroom •Needed teacher space/ desk area

•Pick-up and drop off at apartment

• Different rules for different districts

•No district ownership like other MD

classrooms

• Decreased para to student ratio

• Partial rent incorporated into budget •Proposed plan for next year of total rent into

budget

Continued Growth . . . 2nd year

and Beyond . . . .

•IEPs all life skill/ transition driven

• APE consult; other related services “as

needed” for individual student

•Plan of transition for new students to

apartment when possible

•New recreational visits to BGSU

•Job sites added to work site pool

•Incorporation of fire & tornado drills

•Surprise phone calls: •Basement flooded first summer

•Hot water heater & furnace quit

Things to think about!

Things to think about!

Things to think about!

Things to think about!

Programming Best Practices

Backwards planning

Community-based instruction & integration

Life skills centered IEP - see next slide

Person-centered planning

Home visits & parent surveys

Extensive transition assessments

Data collection & documentation

Intensive, on-going collaboration w/ adult agencies

Vocational tasks, training & experiences

Social skills training, including sex education

A Unique IEP Drives Programming

Goals and objectives are no longer

academic but alignment is to CORE where

appropriate

Focus is completely on life skill & transition

Assessment, transition goals, IEP goals/

objectives focus on 4 main domains:

◦ Daily Living

◦ Vocational/ Employment

◦ Community Access & Participation

◦ Life Long Fitness & Leisure

Weekly Schedule

Monday

◦ Speech & Language; Social skills training - Circles

Tuesday and Thursday

◦ Apartment – independent living skills, cooking,

independent hygiene, vocational, leisure, specific

work skills training, “academics”

◦ Community trips - grocery shopping, recreation

◦ Individual work experiences

◦ Travel training

Weekly Schedule

Wednesday and Friday

◦ Work site – Goodwill

Retail Store

Donation Station

◦ BGSU – begins again in January

◦ Travel training

Daily Living - in the Apartment Laundry

◦ Folding, hanging, and putting away clothes

◦ Sort by color & name on collar

Cleaning

◦ Toilets to tables to floors . . . . independently

Maintaining own “bedroom”

◦ Making bed; washing sheets

◦ Putting away clothes and shoes

Kitchen skills, food preparation & cooking

◦ Appliance & food safety

Best Practices in Pictures

Vocational/ Employment Job site analysis done before work

experience including task analysis for job

Transportation – use as travel training

Bag or clipboard to carry necessary items

Emergency forms, personal items, etc.

Uniforms, dress code, and name tags

• Students, staff, and substitutes

Communication among staff

◦ Emergency plan for injury, behaviors, weather, etc.

Plan for calamity days and 2 hour delays

Vocational/ Employment

Bowling Green State University

Wood County ESC

Goodwill Retail and Donation

Center

Bridges Partnership

Other local establishments

Specific job skill training at the apartment

Best Practices in Pictures

Community Access & Participation

* Grocery shopping * Library

* Restaurants * Bowling

* BGSU * Other community establishments

Focus is on:

•Travel training

•Self-determination

•Communication

•Respecting others

•Social skills

•Independency

Best Practices in Pictures

Life Long Fitness & Leisure

No more APE “school games”

◦ Focus on age appropriate activities

Realistic and meaningful exercise & activities

Collaboration with APE, OT and PT to

develop meaningful tasks

Teaching to make choices

“Doing nothing” is not an option as a long

term activity

Best Practices in Pictures

Integration of Academic Skills CORE Standards

◦ Unique System – Transition

◦ Brigance Inventory of Transition Skills

Math - Money skills

◦ Next dollar

◦ Wallets with visuals

Language Arts

◦ Picture recipes

◦ Grocery store sight words – Edmark

◦ Emergency signs in and out of apartment

Vocational tasks

◦ Red and blue box tasks

Attainment Company & Ketchsolutions

Data Collection “Snapshot”

Vanity – follows a visual hygiene checklist

independently (in 2 months time)

0% - increased to 79%

Ashley – striking at others

144 times, decreased to 28 times

Michelle – initiates use of communication device

0% - increased to 82%

Kelbey – employability life skills assessment

93 points in MD traditional classroom

216 points in 2 years at apartment

Best Practice Results . . . .

Ashley no longer tells a boy when she

thinks he is ugly

Michelle now uses her communication

device to communicate needs & wants

rather than throws it

Shelby now says “shoot, I’m frustrated” or

“break please” instead of breaking things

or lashing out at others

Students doing for themselves rather

than staff doing for students

Parents have said: “What good change and progress I’ve

seen. It would never happen without day

by day training at school” “He feels

successful” – Steven’s mom

“Conversations with Ashley have

appropriate meaning and are relevant to

current situations.” - Ashley’s mom

“I would not have kept Kelbey in school if

she would have had to stay at the high

school” – Kelbey’s mom

Special Education is not a place – it is

what and how we teach . . .

a “living classroom” can be . . . .

An apartment set up in a classroom –

separate from academics

A partnership with a local college –

unused space

Housing options from area businesses and

colleges that are usually used for visitors

Friends’ and families’ homes

?!?!?!?