About

All people, regardless of their perceived abilities, deserve autonomy, dignity, and self-direction.

All people, regardless of their perceived abilities, can grow and develop their skills--including literacy, numeracy, daily living skills, and anything else they are interested in learning.

Model and practice consent.

All people deserve to have autonomy over their bodies and what happens to them. This is especially important to proactively teach to children with physical, sensory, developmental, or cognitive disabilities. Statistics show that people with disabilities are more likely to experience abuse and have their autonomy violated throughout their lives. It’s my goal to provide a model for what respectful treatment looks like and support clients as they build the skills to advocate for themselves.

Put communication first.

Access to communication ensures that we have access to get our foundational needs met. Physiological needs can often be addressed through careful observation by a diligent caregiver or family member, but there are times when even these most basic needs require communication to quickly and effectively address. As we shift towards fulfilling social and emotional needs, communication becomes the primary way that we meet our needs.

Listening carefully and interpreting both formal and informal offers of communication builds a sense of trust and safety. Effective communication is also important for teaching--if we can't communicate about things, it makes it much harder to teach and learn effectively!

Long term, access to a robust communication system and the knowledge of how to use it enables my clients to continue their education and to live autonomously in the future.

Presume competence.

All people, no matter their combination of disabilities, are capable of learning. If they are not making progress on their learning goals, it’s my responsibility, in collaboration with the client and the rest of their support team, to figure out what needs to be changed to support their learning, then change it. This might mean changing the accommodations and modifications, finding new tools, finding new teaching approaches, or adjusting the learning goal to be more meaningful to the client.

The least dangerous assumption is an idea closely related to presuming competence. If you're not familiar with this idea, it's a great framework for advocacy! You can listen as Dr. Cheryl Jorgenson explains the least dangerous assumption in a presentation. If you prefer to read about it, Dr. Cheryl Jorgenson wrote an article that is almost identical to her presentation.

Reading and writing are LIFE SKILLS! 

This is especially true for clients who use alternative communication. There's only so many words that can be programmed into a communication device, and only so many pages (for communication books) that can be hauled around with you. Many times, other people choose the words and phrases that are available. When you can read and write, it means that you can use ANY word. Your communication is not limited by what's in your system already.

Emergent Literacy Learning

Emergent literacy approaches are used in sessions for clients that are not yet ready to participate in conventional literacy lessons. I use the framework from Comprehensive Literacy for All: Teaching students with significant disabilities to read and write for clients who need emergent literacy instruction. 

Conventional Literacy Learning

Conventional literacy approaches are used in sessions for clients that are ready for more formal literacy instruction. I use a combination of resources to support conventional literacy learners, including the framework from Comprehensive Literacy for All, University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) Foundations Curriculum, and Kate Gardner's Secret Stories curricular supplement.

Math instruction is highly dependent on the client's existing knowledge, as well as their personal interests and goals. I can provide instruction targeted to early numeracy skills and also adapt higher level math concepts to be accessible for clients who need extensive accommodations.

Learning is most effective when it's intrinsically motivating! Personalizing instruction by incorporating projects and topics based on client's passions, interests, and goals is one of the primary methods I use when adapting instruction for clients.