More than 200 of Parent to Parent of Miami's supporters in South Florida gathered at the 5th Annual Journey of Dreams Benefit to honor community leaders and to fundraise for our cause.

We want to once again congratulate our 2009 Journey of Dreams Honorees:  Modesto E. Abety, Excellence in Family Advocacy Award, Bambi J. Lockman, Community Leadership Award and Patricia Mederos, Community Leadership Award.

Our sincere gratitude is extended to the families, friends and the corporations for your loyalty and generosity in support of our mission.  The sponsorships, auction item donors, the advertisement in the program and your donations were instrumental in making this night a success.

Special thanks to our Staff and Board for the numerous volunteer hours, to Fari Garcia, Ana Laura dos Santos Lara and Josee Chin for chairing the event. We sincerely appreciate your dedication and support.

The Journey of Dreams Benefit is the major fundraising source of Parent to Parent of Miami and supports activities not funded by grants.  To learn more about how you can help Parent to Parent of Miami and our Journey of Dreams Benefit visit: www.ptopmiami.org

Click HERE to view the JOD 2009 Program

By Gary Glancy

The smiles worn by 46 students from The Charles Lea Center were as bright as the future that a unique program is hoping to provide them.

The first graduates from the College of Educational Enrichment at the University of South Carolina Upstate received the pomp and circumstance of a real college commencement ceremony Tuesday night -- the cap and gown, the music, a formal procession, even two large graduation cakes with an edible photo of USC Upstate in the middle.

"It feels great," said 62-year-old Betsy Funderburk, a wide grin gracing her beaming face. "My sister is here. She said she was proud of me."

Funderburk was among those with developmental, physical or learning disabilities to complete a minimum of five courses in the collaborative program between USC Upstate and The Charles Lea Center, and earn an "Initial Degree of Educational Enrichment."

Begun in 2006, the program allows students to choose among eight course offerings, from reading and math to arts and crafts to the history of Spartanburg. Tuesday's graduates were the first to complete five courses over five 10-week semesters.

"It's a great collaboration between the university and Charles Lea Center in terms of really helping our folks to be fully integrated in the community," Charles Lea Executive Director Jerry Bernard said, "and for some of our folks to experience college life, which they normally wouldn't have the opportunity to do. Traditionally, folks with disabilities are not really viewed as being able to learn, and that's not true. They can learn an awful lot."

The classes, which meet in a university environment at USC Upstate one evening per week, are taught by local school teachers and community members. And while USC Upstate education majors also helped out by fulfilling service or clinical hours, program director Lori Tanner said they far exceeded their required commitment, and she received a "fabulous turnout" including a fraternity that just wanted to pitch in and help.

"I love it," said Anslie Still, a freshman early childhood education major and one of many who volunteered the entire semester. "It's amazing just to be here from beginning to end. I wish this could be a requirement because you learn so much. I think everybody should have to do this at least once. It just makes my day better."

Conversely, Bernard said, the students learn practical things that will help them live more independently, and "to experience things they may not be able to experience because they're not allowed or don't have the opportunity to be exposed to it."
Tanner said more classes are being planned, such as theater/drama, music and cake decorating, and students will be able to go on to earn advanced degrees after the five-course "Initial Degree."

"We're excited because this is just one first step," said Bernard, whose center serves more than 1,000 Upstate residents. "There are going to be more students coming in, there's going to be more people graduating in the years to come, so this is not a one-shot deal. It's an ongoing partnership."

On Tuesday, Bernard and other event organizers were scrambling to bring more chairs into the Great Room at the University Readiness Center as a huge contingent of students' family and friends showed up for the big event.

"You normally don't think about December as graduating time but this is a graduation of some extraordinary people," said Barbara Kirby, whose 31-year-old daughter, Sharon, was among the honorees. "This is a wonderful group of adults that are graduating tonight and they've certainly been looking forward to it. It means a lot to the families, too, just to see the excitement and the joy.

"I know Sharon -- that's all she's talked about. She said, 'I'm so excited. I'm not nervous at all, I'm just excited that I get to graduate.' "

Justin Aucoin's kindergarten teacher wanted to retain him. Justin proved her wrong and went into the first grade and tested at first grade level. He has now received a place on the President's Honor Roll for this grading period! Read the letter HERE.

The wonderful WinterFest is coming the end of December. Some fantastic artists will be there this year. Within WinterFest is the danceAble project.

Call Bill Doolin at Florida Dance Association 305-547-1117 to buy tickets to the January 3, 2010 concert at the Colony and sign up for classes. Also ask Bill for a scholarship (limited number for dancers with disabilities).

They need interested mixed-ability dancers to sign up for classes and also show up for an up-coming audition to perform "on stage" in the outstanding new work by David Dorfman.
These are truly "special opportunities" for persons with special needs and persons involved in mixed-ability dance. There are workshops on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, plus the terrific opportunity to perform in the David Dorfman piece with AXIS. Go to the AXIS Dance Company website www.axisdance.org or the Florida Dance Association website www.floridadanceassociation.org for more information.

A recent review, November 9, 2009  by Allan Ulrich, Chronicle Dance Correspondent says, "Axis Dance Company, which produced its annual season over the weekend at Oakland's Malonga Casquelord Center for the Arts, continues to occupy its unique niche in the Bay Area arts scene and exceptional choreographers keep adding to the troupe's stature. Who, 20 years ago, believed that a dance troupe that integrated conventional dancers and dancers with disabilities could flourish on the basis of artistic merit alone? Fortunately, an array of significant dancemakers have silenced us cynics. Friday's performance, given before a packed house, introduced a commission from David Dorfman, a semi-premiere from Remy Charlip and substantial revivals by Sonya Delwaide and Alex Ketley, a roster that could grace any respectable repertory company. A few inert moments aside, fierce commitment and kamikaze attacks were everywhere in evidence.

We take these qualities for granted these days. In an earlier era, Axis was, understandably, set on justifying its existence. Today, the quality of the dancing takes your breath away. This season, Sebastian Grubb, a local freelancer with sensational authority, speed and endurance, has joined the gang. His presence seems to have infused his colleagues with that extra dollop of tension.

That quality permeates Dorfman's "Light Shelter." The familiar, Connecticut-based choreographer is noted both for his wit and for his skill in making a disparate group of dancers cohere as a community. Here, 11 dancers, some ambulatory, others in wheelchairs, trace a lateral trajectory across the stage before assembling in the middle. Enter Grubb, Rodney Bell, Janet Das, Sonsherée Giles and Alice Sheppard, guided by Albert Mathias' clangorous score and Judith Smith's called-out counts that propel them through ensembles marked by sensuous floor work and bantering dialogue.

Bell in his wheelchair suggests they all take a walk and teases Grubb because he "can't roll." Of course, he does. At the end, the five principals melt into a family portrait to the accompaniment of "How High the Moon," and the match of music and sentiment couldn't be more perfect." . . .

SERIOUS FUN! FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICALLY INTEGRATED DANCE
Join AXIS for an invigorating series that combines creative movement, improvisation and modern dance to explore the exciting genre of physically integrated dance. The focus is to deepen our capacity for movement invention both in our own unique bodies and in relationship to the bodies around us. We'll also delve into material from AXIS repertory as a pathway to create choreographic sketches. For people with and without physical disabilities, no dance experience required. Class taught by Judith Smith and Sonsheree Giles.

ONSTAGE WITH AXIS!
Join AXIS on stage as Community Performers in a new work by the provocative NY choreographer David Dorfman! AXIS is looking for up to 10 performers to learn material to be performed on January 3rd. Audition will be held Monday, Dec. 28 from 6:00-8:00 pm. You must be available for all rehearsals: Tuesday & Wednesday, Dec. 29 & 30 from 6:00-9:00 pm, Thursday, Dec. 31 from 4:00-6:00 pm and Saturday, Jan. 2 technical rehearsal, time TBA, and performance Sunday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 pm. We are aiming for a diverse cast of people with and without physical disabilities of all ages, no dance experience required. Directed by Judith Smith and Sonsheree Giles.

A group of special needs children at Tropical Elementary is getting judo instruction from world-class martial artists. Click HERE for the whole article from the Miami Herald.

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, today launched the next generation of its online Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms. The glossary contains several new features, including more than 100 colorful illustrations and more than two dozen 3-D animations that allow the user to dive in and see genetic concepts in action at the cellular level.

The updated glossary, announced at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), gives students, teachers and the public a reliable online resource for more than 200 terms and basic concepts behind today's breakthroughs in genetics and genomics. The glossary is available at www.genome.gov/glossary

"The Talking Glossary has long been a popular resource for anyone wanting to understand genetics and genomics," said Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., acting director of NHGRI. "This updated version should be even more effective at helping people to understand the discoveries of genomic research, which are now starting to have a real impact on healthcare."

Each genetic term, many from current textbooks used in middle and high school science classes around the nation, includes a written definition. The glossary "talks" because users can actually hear an audio pronunciation of each term, and also listen to an audio explanation from scientists who provide context and other supplementary information. A speaker biography and photograph accompany each term listed in the glossary. The user can examine the speaker's credentials and learn more about his or her research interests.

The updated version includes a variety of new search methods, making it easy for a user to find the term of interest, from alphabetically organized navigation to search functions, and to easily access a list of related terms. There's even a fun new "Test Your Gene Knowledge" quiz that allows users to check their understanding of the glossary's contents and print a report card of their results.

"What the new version of the glossary offers is an exciting and easy-to-use tool on genome.gov that was designed to help students or everyday people deal with the often confusing language of genetics," said Jeff Witherly, senior advisor in NHGRI's Education and Community Involvement Branch, which led the glossary redesign. "Whether it is more common terms such as "DNA" or "gene", or complex terms such as "allele" or "stem cell," they are all here."

The glossary was reviewed by more than 30 educators in order to meet NHGRI's standards.  The terms used in the glossary are also associated with biological concepts addressed by the National Science Education Standards, which are achievement goals for science educators established in 1999 by the National Research Council.

A high-resolution illustration from the Talking Glossary animation depicting a cross-section of a cell is available at http://www.genome.gov/pressDisplay.cfm?photoID=20179

ASHG is the primary professional membership organization for human genetics specialists worldwide. The group represents 8,000 researchers, clinicians and others involved in the rapidly growing field of genetics and genomics.

NHGRI is one of 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. Additional information about NHGRI can be found at its Web site, www.genome.gov

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov

This NIH News Release is available online at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2009/nhgri-20.htm

By Michelle Diament
December 9, 2009

Certain types of restraint and seclusion would be banned and any use of the practices would be reported to parents and the public under legislation introduced in Congress Wednesday.

While administered under the guise of discipline, a government report earlier this year found that in hundreds of cases restraint and seclusion tactics used in schools amounted to abuse and even became deadly in some instances. Most students subjected to the allegedly abusive tactics were students with disabilities.

The proposed legislation would create the first ever federal oversight of seclusion and restraint tactics in schools. Under the bill, future use of restraint and seclusion would be limited to situations in which there is imminent danger and when it is administered by a trained staff member. Any restraint that restricts breathing and the use of mechanical restraints - such as strapping a student to a chair - would be banned. School staff also could not use medication to control behaviors unless it is in accordance with a doctor's prescription.

Also under the new bill, schools would be prohibited from including restraint and seclusion as a planned behavior management method in a student's individualized education plan (IEP) and schools would be required to tell parents if any form of restraint or seclusion is used.
Meanwhile, the bill calls on states to beef up training and improve data collection on restraint and seclusion. Such data would be made public. States would also be required to develop their own policies to come into compliance with the new federal rules.

"We've set the minimum. What we would like is that the states and the schools come up with a policy that's equal to or better," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who introduced the measure in the House of Representatives along with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. Similar legislation is expected to be introduced in the Senate by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn.
Swift passage of the bill is a top priority to parents like Nicole and Alan Holden whose son Ethan spent three hours each day strapped into a chair in his Muskegon, Mich. preschool classroom last year. Ethan, 4, has autism and a speech delay and was unable to tell his parents what was going on. Nicole Holden only found out when she attended a class holiday party where her son sat tied to a chair.

"It was literally torture," she says.

Miller said that he hopes to have hearings on the proposed bill at the beginning of 2010 and said quick passage is crucial to end what he calls a "nightmare of abuse."

"I think we owe it to the children to consider effectiveness and speed at this point," he said.

Read about them HERE.

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