Ashley 6 years old, a public speaker and self advocate!

The Quest 2011

It was such a privilege this week for Ashley and I to share her road to inclusion story,  at an international conference for educators called "The Quest" hosted by York Region Public School Board.

I was emotional delivering this speech as this was truly a tribute to Ashley's entire team of teachers, aids, and therapists and only with them working together and believing  in my little girl is this such a success story.  There was a 1000+ educators in the room they gave us quite the audience. Public speaking was new to both Ashley and I but we were both very passionate about our message. 

Ashley's road to inclusion.  A road I hope many other kids will travel.

Myself and Ashley getting ready to speak!!  We were all so excited!

My words;
My daughter you're so amazing.
You were born into a storm. Coming into this world, so tiny, and yet instantly fighting for your life.

I hope this world can see how wonderful you are.

Your life started in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for months followed by daily therapy to learn to do what comes so easy to most, walking, communicating, eating and even holding a toy. 

Instead of playmates you had dedicated nurses and therapists.  Instead of walks in the park and rides in a stroller you went to therapy, doctor visits and experienced long hospital stays

Ashley speaks - 

 I just want to run and play. 

 I have something to say. 

Then I continue to share...

When Ashley entered Mrs. Gambino’s kindergarten class, she had her challenges but was welcomed by her teacher just the same as her classmates.

September Junior Kindergarten

Ashley’s speech therapist Mrs. Visconti brought her augmentative communication devices. She gave Ashley a voice for the first time!

And if that wasn't great enough that she now has a voice! 

Mrs. Visconti also worked with 

Ashley's teachers on appropriate IEP goals that were measurable and attainable.   She helped Ashley's teachers find the appropriate curriculum even beyond communication but for language and math. 

So Ashley has a fabulous IEP!   Ashley's teachers and Aids were excited with this guidance and modified teaching methods they followed thru and worked hard with Ashley each day. Ashley was able to make progress with all this support and has had her IEP expanded. This team work is the KEY to successful inclusion. 

Dream team meeting!!!

Her   classmates connected when Ashley was able to comment and ask them questions.

Ashley was embraced by neighbourhood friends and blossomed through the encouragement of her teachers and classmates. 

Seeing Ashley doing so well in kindergarten, her father and I decided NO special classes, NO limits, No labels!   She like her brothers has so much potential and the sky is the limit.

We feel it’s important that she learn how to interact with the real world and not be sheltered.   Most importantly we want her to believe in herself, and all of her abilities!

Ashley needs to be surrounded by able-bodied peers and this is hard to provide in a separated special education classroom. We feel she will do best if she exposed to typical classroom environment where her peers can be her friends and role models.

Ashley - At school they gave me a voice. My name 

is Ashley.  Will you be my friend?

 Inclusion in education for Ashley is the beginning of inclusion for the rest of her life. Just as we all want to belong, Ashley wants to belong and Ashley wants to be included. 

I don’t want the school to focus on guarding and protecting her. I want the school to focus on giving her lots of chances and choices.

They have assisted her to walk daily and in response, she led her entire class into kindergarten graduation with her walker.

She was given a simple step-by-step communication device and is now learning to use an iPad with even more options to communicate.

Ashley has been given the opportunity to stay for grade one, and we are so appreciative of the incredible support she has received in Ms. Bloom’s class.

We hope to see Ashley’s at this year’s primary skate days and were excited when Janice Lee the school’s physiotherapist suggested of course Ashley could skate with a sledge.

Who would have thought when Ashley was born that she would be up here giving a speech to all of you.  Ashley loves music and I’m sure would be thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in primary choir. I don’t see anything as impossible for my little girl as long teachers and support staff, are open minded and welcoming Ashley can do anything!

I’m confident Ashley will be successful at her home school for all of her elementary years.

I look forward to seeing how OUR family, OUR resource teams and OUR school will continue to collaborate.

With careful planning and resource management Ashley will benefit with greater access to the full curriculum throughout elementary school and even high school.

How will YOU help me to make this happen?

Ashley's closing words; 

I love being in Ms. Bloom’s class.

I love books. I really want to learn to read. 

I enjoy going to birthday parties and playing with my friends in the yard at recess.    I just want to be a kid.

And will you be my friend?   Please

We received a standing ovation from all the educators in the room. !!!

My public speaker  just 6 years and advocating for herself and others in her position look what she can do!

I'm so thankful for this opportunity.  I hope we inspired at least one parent or teacher in the room to see a child with a number of needs as an active learner and raise their expectations for all children to the sky!  

Special thank you to Erin S. one of Ashley's friends and a neighbour who recorded Ashley's thoughts for this presentation on Ashley's step by step.  It was very sweetly done.    By the way Ashley's story was just one of 5 stories shared in this dramatic presentation.  I will do my best to find out when this will air on ROGERS TV channel 63 if anyone is interested in watching this. 

Our Graduate - Amazing video!!

What  a special day this was.  Our girl WALKED in and led her entire class up to the front to graduate from senior kindergarten.  She just learned to walk with the walker this past January.  Her teachers and peers always knew how to support, encourage  and allow her to shine.  This day was no exception.

I will be forever grateful to Mrs G. Ms F and Mrs L for how very far she has come over these past two years.  She's  grown in leaps and bounds and has made gains in all areas.  I couldn't have pictured her walking up just this past december with out someone holding on to her.   I'm truly sad to see kindergarten end but I know she has so much to look forward to in grade one.  Inclusion at it's very best!

Farm Trip

On the one nice sunny days this month Ashley, Taylor  and I went to the farm with her Kindergarten class.  It was fun to pet all the baby animals and feed the chickens.  

Love this girl!!!

Checking out the big 6 month old pigs.

Baby goats

Feeding the chicks

 Learning about eggs...

Hugs, Kisses and Valentines

Ashley prepared Barbie Valentines with Hersey kisses for all friends at school and she came home with a beautiful bag filled with cards and sweets.

Best of all was this beautiful card for Mommy & Daddy  - I love it!

Taylor enjoyed the sweets too.

Here's  my valentine with our baby James almost ten years ago this coming June.  That was a special day.  I couldn't image life without my hubby he's pretty special and sure knows how to take care of all of us.  I love our life together.   I love you honey.

Happy Valentines Day!

Ashley totally ROCKs the PACE walker

This week Ashley tested out a few walkers at school and she rocks with the PACE walker. She's doing great with her Kaye walker too but the Pace offers a chest support that is good for safety and a little extra balance in the busy school environment.   She can walk from her class to the end of the hall and back in no time with this.   The School Board is buying one for her too!  With this new walker I believe she can even go out for recess on the tarmac and walk around with her friends in good weather of course.  An added bonus it comes in pink.  

I was even told by her physiotherapist this week that another little girl was allowed to skate with her class wearing bob skates and this walker.  Sounds like some exciting things are in store for my girl.

Notice her pj's  her class had a pajama party that day too cookies, hot cocoa, teddy bears and all.    Kindergarten is so much fun. Can I go back?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

There has been plenty of snow the last few days and my husband and oldest son spent much of the weekend hanging all these lights. 

I was busy inside with the tree.  I decided to play it safe and leave a number of  fragile ornaments in the basement  this year with little Taylor around but it still looks like our tree.  James wanted to know why it didn't look like anything he saw in the Canadian Tire flyer with all the co-ordinating decorations.  Well it's nothing like Martha Stewart but I still love it especially the decorations made by my kids. I can't wait for Santa.

A good friend of mine MightyMum  wanted to know more about Ashley's Agreement Award.   The school has a tribes program which works to promote Inclusion a sense of belonging, Influence - valuing differences and Community - working together.  Students that demonstrated they treated each other in these manners are recognized monthly from each classroom at a school assembly.  It's really nice way to promote respect and social skills amongst the students.  We treat this as a big deal at home too and usually make a cake to celebrate the award.  

Ashley received her award in November  for these reasons in particular.

1. She participates in EVERYTHING!  That's a big deal for my girl and it says a lot for Ashley and her teachers.  She's so blessed to be in this class.   She has really grown from last year where she barely made it through the morning without nodding off  or needing a break and now she's eating lunch with her peers and staying until the end of the day not evening needing breaks.  This is totally amazing progress.
2. She also received it for being KIND to everyone. 
3. And for fabulous listening! 

She's doing great!  MightlyMum thanks for asking!

Today I was feeling even more festive after mailing off a couple of  Baby's 1st Christmas Stockings to BusyLizzyMom's.  Take a minute to read her post about how she plans to lift the spirits of new Moms and Dads at the NICU this Christmas.  I just had to help her out with this one. 

An Award and a few other sweet mentions

It's been busy but here's a few things I had to share. My sweet girl received an agreement award from school this week.  Her brothers heard her name announced at the assembly and were proud. She was pretty pleased with it too.

 I've raised the scale now for future years with these. 

Our local supermarket only had Tinkerbell advent calendars which only worked for Ashley.   I hit Longos and found Kindersurprise and Lindt version for her brothers. Too good to be true. Yum!

Damon was impressed

No smile he tells me it's the formal look but note the thumbs up which means he likes the Lindt goodies!

My dad wasn't so well last week so I traveled to Ottawa for a few days to give him and Grammy some hugs.

I was brave and drove with the younger ones by myself and a day later the rest joined us traveling by train.  Here's my boys at the Ottawa train station.

Augmentative Communication and Homework  - having fun with it all.
Ashley homework this past weekend was fill in the blank on the 5 senses.  I had to figure out how to fill in the blanks with my non-verbal girl but with the help of Mr Potato Head and picture communication.  she did a great job.

This was taken when we where part way through.

 Ashley working on her senses with Sarah.

I couldn't leave out this pictures of my little guy looking too cute at physio.

and Sarah the best nurse 

Single Plan of Care - Fall Video of Ashley's Progress

Today my husband and I attended Ashley's Single Plan of Care team meeting. It is always amazing  to me to see just how many people help and care for my little girl.

 Ashley's  making great progress across the board  in communication she is reaching for her picture cards rather then using eye gaze, she making lines on the page now and holding a pencil better compared to just dabbing with the marker last year,  she is doing some feeding with a spoon and fork at times, and slowly and steadily progressing with her  motor skills.  I prepared this video to show her team how much work she is doing outside of school in therapy have a look.  I'm so proud of her.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ashley's fabulous Team!

Yesterday Ashley also received her PODD!


Ashley also was given this new voice a communication book... pretty impressive and it has to travel with her at all times.  A lot of thought was put into this and we are going to do out best to help her learn to communicate with it.  It has many sections to give her lots of reason to talk to us.

fyi PODD is a Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display
This book isn't exactly Dynamic like the Dynavox or iPad but hopefully if she learns this system well an iPad will be in her future.  Someday she will be giving speeches just like Stephen Hawkings!   Wish me luck this task is just a bit overwhelming to say the least but I can't let her down and her voice is so valuable. 

Early halloween fun

My Candy Corn witch celebrating Halloween with her kindergarten class today.

Scary class photo

Dancing

Making a witch decoration with her EA.

Working on her walking with amazing Ms F.

Beautiful inside and out....

it wouldn't be kindergarten without a story

There was also treats, pumpkin carving and parading around the entire school. It seems almost everyone knew  my Ashley.   Inclusion at it's best Ashley's teachers are fabulous - they even included me today.

Ashley's fall fun

I'm having trouble finding time to keep my blog up lately with my girl's super ramped up schedule besides school  she's doing PT twice, hippotherapy, swimming therapy every week now.   

Ashley has been so amazing on the horse this week she rode for the entire hour.  It really looks like fun. The whole family goes as to early for my husband to come home to watch the boys but he works very close by so he joins us and we all cheer her on.  I think her brothers are a little jealous that they are not riding. 

Today I had the privilege of joining my girl and her class on a trip to the Apple Orchard. The best part of being a stay at home mom going on all these fun trips.    It just smelt so yummy !

and it was just so...

Ashley picking her apple.. eye to the sky and twist....

My Taylor boy does he love Apples this was a great place for him too.

Look at these sweet girls 

The whole class learning how they make Apple cider - then we all got to drink some.

so if you can go  pick some apples it is worth the drive