SESA Newsletter – Cover Story: Bitz of the Beach

SESA Insert – Assistive Technology (AT) in Alaska’s Schools

Bitz of the Beach is a business that evolved out of the blending of a student’s hobby of collecting beach glass with a variety of related life skills activities. Casey Bitz and his mother, Judy, began collecting beach glass when Casey’s father, Brian, was scuba diving off the beach in Hoonah, Alaska.

To get the project started, the family used Casey’s Core Service funding to initially purchase supplies and equipment. The state of Alaska provides core funding for individuals experiencing disabilities to provide vocational, residential, respite, or recreational support. Casey’s family purchased a high-quality rock tumbler, grit, gift bags, and other materials. Some Hoonah gift shop owners gave Casey space to display and sell his bags of beach glass.

Previous issues of the SESA newsletter introduced Casey’s unique business venture as a model example of combining student interests with self-employment. We also reported when Casey and his family presented his success at state and national conferences.  This issue’s lead article is based on recent information provided by his family, and provides an update on the continuing growth and success of Casey’s business. We hope that Casey’s story inspires others to be creative and explore unique self-employment opportunities.

—As told by Casey, Judy, and Brian Bitz — Hoonah, Alaska

Over the last two years, Bitz of the Beach has been extremely successful; it has grown beyond all of the Bitz family’s expectations. After exhibiting at a conference in Anchorage and expanding the scope of the project from bags of glass, Casey added magnets, earrings, and pendants to his product line. His parents also felt the decision to change from a “hobby” to a business was an appropriate consideration. A business would provide long-term adult opportunities for Casey, and provide a livelihood for him after he leaves school and takes his place in the adult community.

Casey is involved in every step of the beach glass process. He collects, cleans, sorts, tumbles, tags, bags, and delivers the glass. He understands that by collecting and processing the beach glass, he earns money to buy the things he wants. He is a motivated young man and feels successful being able to complete the process from start to finish.

Last winter Casey’s father, Brian, put a diamond tip on a Dremel tool. He then purchased a press stand in which to put the Dremel tool. Brian taught Casey how to drill holes into the beach glass so that Casey can attach silver bales to make pendent pieces. Brian then set Casey up with a piece of wood with two dowel pieces hammered in. Casey takes silver wire and wraps it in “crazy eights.” This makes the ear wires for his earrings. Casey then clips the wires into individual ear wires and attaches the beach glass to make earrings. Continue Reading

— By Paul Fontaine

Abbotsford has two young, talented writers in its midst, but unlike many wordsmiths who can bounce ideas off others, Lyndon and Tyrone Brown depend entirely on their own creativity. The two boys have severe dyspraxia, which prevents them from being able to talk. To combat their frustrations and express their thoughts, the Browns have taken to writing. Last week, they both found out they had won the prestigious 2009 Commonwealth Essay Competition, which allows youths from Commonwealth nations around the world to show their writing talents.

“It’s the one time they are focused,” said Melody of the boys’ dedication to writing.
She added, it was difficult for Tyrone, 14, and Lyndon, 12, to believe they had won a prize (100 pounds of sterling, which is around $200). “They just couldn’t believe it … they are used to being written off,” she said.

Tyrone wrote about what he wanted to be when he grows up. His essay is a detailed account of what paths not to take, like drug use and gambling for example. He writes: “In considering the pitfalls along our life’s path, the greatest problem condemning so many is selfishness.” Continue Reading

Goodbye…

SESA sadly says goodbye to three long-time Board members, President Kris Johnston, vice president Sarah Souders, and treasurer Arthur Walters. All three have been active supporters of SESA, and served on the SESA Board of Directors for many years. They were dedicated members, each serving in the capacity of officer when needed. SESA thanks Kris, Sara, and Arthur for their dedication through the years and their support to SESA’s important mission. We wish each the best as they begin a new chapter in their lives. We will miss them on our team.

After serving in the Alaska Autism Resource Center, Betsy Kruth and Elizabeth Falk have decided to leave SESA to pursue other avenues.  They will be greatly missed, and we wish them the very best in all their endeavors. Continue Reading

—By Lauren Glendenning

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Not every student in Colorado’s Vail Valley can or wants to go to college after high school, which is why the school district is hosting a program to help those students find their ways before and after they graduate.

The school district is participating in the statewide School to Work Alliance Program, known as SWAP. The program is a collaboration between the school district, the state’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and local businesses.

The school districts special education department runs the program, which focuses on getting students with disabilities ready for the transition from school to work. Students who just want some help figuring things out are welcomed to the program, too. Continue Reading

The Described and Captioned Media Program is a free, government-sponsored video loan program open to families, schools, and others whose use of the lending library will benefit at least one deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind or visually impaired, or deaf-blind student.  Over 4,000 educational titles are available with open captioning for those with hearing loss, and description for those who are visually impaired.

Some of the benefits of Captioning are:

• Captions help children with word identification, meaning, acquisition and retention.
• Reading captions is motivating to reading.
• Captions help children establish a systematic link between the written word and the spoken word.
• Children who have a positive experience in reading will want to read; reading captions provides such an experience.
• Reading is a skill that requires practice, and practice in reading captions is practice with authentic text.
• Captions provide missing information for individuals who have difficulty processing speech and auditory components of the visual media (whether this difficulty is due to a hearing loss or a cognitive delay). An entire class can view a DCMP item, even though only one class member is a qualifying student.
• Captioning is essential for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, can be very beneficial to those learning English as a second language, can help those with reading and literacy problems, and can help those who are learning to read.

For more information, go to www.dcmp.org

“Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

—By Daniel DeMaina / ddemaina@cnc.com

Melrose – Melrose School officials often talk about keeping special education students “in district” by expanding special education programs and eliminating the need to spend money on out-of-district tuition and the transportation costs associated with transporting Melrose students to outside programs.

Pupil Personnel Services, the Melrose special education department, has expanded again this year, starting a program at the Horace Mann School aimed at helping students with more challenging reading and writing learning disabilities, but Patricia White-Lambright, Melrose Pupil Personnel Services director, said the bigger difference this year will be a focus on “co teaching” between teachers and special education staff in the same classroom. Continue Reading

SESA/AARC is pleased to announce the opening of a new second office located in Fairbanks at 542 4th Ave., Suite 207. This additional location, open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, will allow more services and support to that area of the state and to the Golden Heart chapter of the Autism Society of America.  The Fairbanks office can be reached by calling 907-456-2600.

— By Margaret Cisco, Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA)
AT Specialist/Reference Shelf, Guest Editor

Hello friends across the state! I am writing from Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA) where, during the past year, I have been delving deeply into the world of assistive technology (AT) for all Alaskans with disabilities, regardless of age. As educators, you will probably be interested in AT for students having learning disabilities (LD), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), or other disabilities. This insert focuses on one type of product: word prediction software and how it can support student writers with disabilities, as well as those we call the “crack” kids – those students who struggle with spelling, who may have no disability label or even a Section 504 plan.

First, I’d like to tell you about the second bi-annual Midnight Sun Assistive Technology Conference (MSATC) that was held in Anchorage during the first week of August 2009. The MSATC is a national AT conference that draws expert presenters in the field from across the United States and participants from around the country as well. This year there were scholarships for people with disabilities and for the care providers who support them. Continue Reading