A Bright Spot in a Sometimes Dark World

I had the immense pleasure of meeting a wonderful student today. I would say that he is just like any normal high school student …and he is in a lot of ways, but he is much more than that. John has Cerebral Palsy. He is 18 years old and in the 10^th grade. He needs help to walk and has limited mobility in his arms and legs. John was that bright spot for me today. In my job I have the occasional opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child. It makes me feel special and validates my reason for being. I like what I do. Today, I LOVED IT! Because John has limited mobility in his arms, he finds typing and writing very difficult. Imagine being in high school and being very bright, but not being able to write papers or take notes…this is John's life. Before I entered the picture, he had been using a software program that allows him to convert his speech to text-a truly awesome capability! However, he was having some trouble with it. Enter me….the Assistive Technology Consultant (there I go, trying to sound important). I observed him using the application, gave him a command sheet, showed him how to use his voice to search the web and write emails…truly amazing! Now, he can use his voice to open items on his computer, communicate, participate in class and be more independent!!!

Not only that, but I find out that John has written a book, with the help of his co-author! Turns out that John is adopted from Russia and spent the first 6-8 years of his life in a Russian orphanage being neglected. Think about that-how his life has changed since being adopted…what life he could have had, compared to what he has now. Then add in the technology….what chance might he have had 10 or even 5 years ago without the software and technology we have available to us today??

So, it was a pleasure to meet John and learn about him and his story. Please buy his book..only $16.49 and John will tell you that shipping is FREE when you buy two!

Take care!

Spring Break Fun

Over Spring Break we went to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. We tasted the chocolate (my favorite part), we learned about the making of the Hershey company, and had the best chocolate milkshake ever!




We also went to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA (near where I work). They show you how crayons and markers are made and give the kids tokens to use in crayon and marker vending machines throughout the factory. They had fun creating lots of things using the markers, crayons, and the model magic. They even had sidewalk chalk!

Tradtional Dyeing of the Eggs for Easter

We spent the evening Friday night doing the traditional dyeing of the Easter eggs. This is the first time that Whitney has ever dyed Easter eggs and she dis quite a good job. She picked her color, put her egg in and had it done in no time! She then transferred the egg to the carton all by herself.

Blaine also had his own dyeing cups and worked on his own set of eggs. I think they both did a good job! Now we have to hide them and have an egg hunt!


I did not mention how happy I am with Blaine being here but I am so very happy. He and my mom flew into Philadelphia Friday morning. We went to a favorite restaurant and tried to settle in at home. We caught a movie later that afternoon. After Joe got home, I got some birthday presents,a new camera, some cash, and a nice bracelet! YEA ME!
,

Snow in April?

I wish I had pictures, but I don't, so I will leave you with this description. I am sitting in a meeting at a school district...the window is directly across from me. I see a cherry blossom tree and white stuff falling from the sky. Yes, it was snow. Lows are in the 20s-30s here and highs only in the 50s! I would NEVER have beleived that 2 days before my birthday that it would SNOW!