Diana Kerr, a world-renowned expert on night-time care and disability and dementia, and the author of several books on these topics, will be a keynote speaker at the Risky Business conference in Sydney next month. Ms Kerr is very experienced in identifying and meeting the needs of people with Down syndrome and dementia, and training professionals who care for them.
Diana Kerr, a world-renowned expert on night-time care and disability and dementia, and the author of several books on these topics, will be a keynote speaker at the Risky Business conference in Sydney next month. Ms Kerr is very experienced in identifying and meeting the needs of people with Down syndrome and dementia, and training professionals who care for them.
An overview of the event from the conference website:
Risky Business: Facing up to dementia will consider the future we are shaping for people with dementia. The International Dementia Partnership of The Dementia Centre, HammondCare and the Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling will host this conference at Darling Harbour, Sydney Australia on 28-29 June 2012.
The conference will address Risk from everyone’s point of view; from the risks people with dementia choose to take in their lives, to the challenges of building and delivering services that provide choice and therapeutic benefits, to the legislative and policy context that both seek to protect and deny certain freedoms.
The conference will bring together delegates from across the globe, all with a passion to improve the lives of people with dementia. The conference is for everyone involved in supporting people with dementia and their carers.
The National Museum of Australia (in Canberra) is offering a new art workshop program for adults with a disability that explores the exhibitions and themes in the Museum with art and creative crafts. These regular workshops are facilitated by artist Ali Aedy.
Remaining dates for 2012:
Fridays 1 June, 3 August, 7 September and 2 November
1–2.30pm Cost: $20 per workshop, $10 for Friends of the Museum.
See the schedule herefor more information on each workshop.
Mia Freedman's website MamaMia has a very large and broad readership - congratulations to Sam Paior from Adelaide, on her article published there yesterday, about her excitement and fears as her 12 year old, Ben, prepares for high school next year. It has generated a lot of comment - most of it encouraging, all of it thoughtful:
Ben is twelve, going on seventeen. He is hairy, smelly, eats more than I can afford, and likes to laze around on his bed, watching YouTube videos and listening to music. He also whinges when I tell him to practise his bass guitar, but then plays for hours at a time. He regularly walks in the house with the mud dribbling off his soccer boots onto my (inevitably) recently vacuumed hallway.
He goes to our local primary school, in Grade six, but soon enough, it will be time for high school. He’s excited about the prospect. We’ve looked at a few schools together, but the one he loves is the one I went to, as well as his Nana, Great-Grandma and Great-Great-Grandfather. I suspect he’ll be the first of the fifth generation at the school. The principal told me he thought Ben would be “an asset to the school”. He’ll also be the first with Down syndrome.
He’s not scared at all. I’m terrified ...
... read on herefor Sam's article, and the comments.
From the Central Western Daily, good news for people with intellectual disabilities looking for sporting activities and opportunities in the Central West of NSW:
The central west branch of Special Olympics NSW is back in business and last Sunday held an open day in a bid to boost numbers ahead of the next World Games in Los Angeles in 2015.
Special Olympics central west region has been out of action for the past 12 months but with the help of Orange City Council, which has donated close to $3500 for equipment and uniforms, the organisation is back and looking for athletes.
.... read Nick McGrath's full report, Ready to take on the world, here.
The Centre for Disability Studies is hosting two workshops for professionals, presented by visting dysphagia expert Prof Justine Joan Sheppard, from the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York
Sydney - Tuesday 12 June 2012 Brisbane - Monday 18 June 2012 Melbourne - date to be confirmed
DDS/DMSS Certification Workshop: Dysphagia Screening Assessment for Children and Adults with Developmental Disability
Sydney - Wednesday 13 June 2012 Brisbane - Tuesday 19 June 2012 Melbourne - date to be confirmed The Patient Profile for Swallowing and Feeding Function:
This is a new workshop that has been developed since the last visit by Professor Sheppard in 2010 designed to look at advanced issues in adults and children with intellectual / developmental disabilities.
For flyers, registration and detailed information, contact CDS: The Centre for Disability Studies (02) 9036 3600
Mail: Level 1 Medical Foundation Building-K25, 92-94 Parramatta Road, Camperdown, 2050.
Fax (02) 9036 3613
email: cds@cds.org.au
US People Magazine's latest issue includes an article about DeOndra Dixon and her brother Jamie Foxx. You can read it online here.
Linley Wilkie meets three families raising children with Down syndrome and discovers life is not as most of us would imagine. From the Moonee Valley Weekly (Victoria), 21st May 2012.
Family Advocacy has published a briefing paper in response to the NSW Department of Education and Communities' revised approach to supporting students with special needs who do not meet the criteria for individual funding in mainstream enrolments, Every Student in Every School: Learning and Support.It explains what is proposed, addresses concerns expressed by teachers and parents, and is critical of some elements.
The new arrangements will supplement the support that students with integration funding already receive.
The briefing paper, and links to the DEC's own documentation ishere.
The online edition of the April 2012 issue of Voice, the members' journal published by Down Syndrome NSW and Down Syndrome Victoria is now available here. The theme for this issue is The Mid -Life Years. The feature articles are available online:
Development of the National Disability Insurance Scheme remains in the news, as the politics and economics of its implementation plays out.
This article from the Every Australian Counts campaign provides a summary of the current state of play following the Federal Budget announcement last week and the campaign's views on what needs to happen.
Here, Paul Kelly, editor at large for The Australian writes about the politics (16th May).
Thanks
to the Opus 50 Charitable Trust a new singing group is starting at Rozelle
Neighbourhood Centre.
We
would like anyone who can sing a bit to join in (maybe you belt out something
in the shower but are a bit shy to sing in public yet, or you sang a bit at
school thousands of years ago and enjoyed it).
People
with a disability are encouraged to come along....this is an accessible group
in the community and we absolutely hope people from everywhere will make this
their cool place to be on Thursday evenings.
We
will start, gather, develop, practice lots, decide on a name for ourselves, and
at some point hopefully sing at events in all sorts of places. We have funding
for 1 year.
The
music director for this new singing group is Australian composer and musician
Sarah de Jong. Sarah has composed music for film and theatre, recently a new
Australian opera “Cockatoos” for the Victorian Youth Opera. But Sarah covers
repertoire from Handel to MacArthur Park, Coldplay and Leonard Cohen. Sarah
also teaches piano and singing everywhere.
If
you'd like to come along and start up this group with us please let us know:
What:the
singing group with no name yet
Where:Rozelle
Neighbourhood Centre (accessible venue)
665a Darling St Rozelle
When:Thursday
evenings 6.30pm to 8pm Starting 31 May
Cost:free
There is no charge for coming to the singing group. If you
are not a member of Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre, we ask that you become a
member of the centre which costs $5.50 per year. You can become a
member at your first session and a receipt is issued.
Adam and Beau Polley are identical twins with Down syndrome. That makes them quite unusual young men. They have grown up in a close family in rural NSW, that has had its share of highs and difficulties as occur in all families, and on the land. Their parents Narelle and John have been very open and generous in sharing the boys achievements and adventures with our members over the years - and now, fittingly the whole family has been recognised with an award at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards, designed to honour "highly skilled and pioneering people" in the dairy industry.
Here is the story from North Coast Town and Country Magazine:
Farmers who do it their way
By Mark Gallagher
NorthCoastTown and
Country Magazine, 26th
March 2012
The Polleys are something
of a fixture in the dairying scene at Kimbriki, west of Taree, with the fifth
generation of the family now involved in the industry. And two members of that
generation - and their parents - have attracted the attention of a national
dairy association for being an inspiration to other industry participants. John
and Narelle Polley and their twin sons, Adam and Beau, now 21, currently milk
69 cows on their 200 acres at Kimbriki. (Another son, Josh, milks a further 80
cows nearby and John's father looks after more of the combined family herd on
another adjacent property.) But lots of families run dairies.
What's inspiring about
this family is that the Polley twins, Adam and Beau, were both born with Down
syndrome, but have spent fulfilling lives growing up and working on the farm
thanks to the tireless devotion of their parents. The boys have been involved
with the cows and calves from an early age, their parents say, and used to practise
their milking technique on calves, although no milk resulted.
The boys were expert at
copying what happened in the dairy and transferred the routine to some
presumably confused calves.
However their efforts were
not wasted, John says, for when it was those calves' turn to be milked as cows,
they knew exactly what was going on as they had been trained by the boys.
"It's amazing, really, how they're so good with the cattle," John
says.
"They can seem to walk
up to the cattle and pat them, and get on with them, where with other people
they mostly run away ... It must be just their nature and relaxed way about
them, I think."
The boys were never
frightened of the cattle and could handle them even if they were wild and just
be able to calm them down, he says. The boys saved up and bought a
"Mule" farm vehicle between them and use it to get around the farm
and do their chores. They help out in a number of ways, shifting electric
fences, feeding calves, rounding cows up, and collecting and putting hay out —
up to 12 bales at a time, they point out to me.
Both boys also have
part-time jobs off-farm. The boys' time working away from the farm is good for
everyone, giving Adam and Beau variety in their activities, their parents say,
and also provides a welcome break for them, because their welfare and safety
is a constant concern and someone has to keep a bit of an eye on them at all
times. The family has recently returned from Melbourne where they |i were presented with
an award in recognition of being an inspiring dairy family. The trip and
accommodation were paid for by Dairy Australia as part of the annual
Australian Grand Dairy Awards.
The awards, now in their
13th year, are held to "reward outstanding achievement in the dairy
industry and recognise the 'best of the best' dairy produce from around the
nation. The awards also celebrate the industry's commitment to high-quality
and innovative products while acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of
the highly-skilled and pioneering people who produce these award-winning
products," the organisation says. They certainly seem to have got it right
with the Polley family - they really are inspiring.
Beau and Adam are clients of BreakThru Employment at Taree, and are the focus of this video about their preparation for working and living independently, including great footage of them at work on the farm.
The Allen C. Crocker Speaker Series is designed for parents and families members seeking quality information from experts on a range of topics related to Down syndrome.
Click on the title of the presentations below to link to online video of the 2012 Allen C Crocker Speaker Series from Boston Children's Hospital:
There is no presentation scheduled for June - the next event will be:
July 23rd - David Stein, PsyD will present a talk on "Education and Down Syndrome: Translating Neurodevelopmental and Neuroscientific Findings to Practice"
The online video will be available a few days after the event.
John, Kathleen and Emily Collins have, over a number of years, established a tradition at their parish church, All Hallows at Five Dock, with their T4321 event each April, which continues to grow. It is held after morning Mass, and the congregation is invited.
This year, more than 100 people attended, and they raised over $2,000 for the work of Down Syndrome NSW. John spoke, and a great morning tea was enjoyed by all, including lots of children.
Our grateful thanks to the Collins family and the clergy and parishioners of All Hallows.
Apologies for the very late notice of this Down Syndrome Education International (UK)webinar to be held this evening (Eastern Australian time). You can sometimes register up to an hour or so before the webinar starts. The webinar was also offered yesterday in the UK. The slides from the presentation are available here.
From Frank Buckley, CEO of Down Syndrome Education International:
Join us online this week to learn more about the reading and language intervention study that has recently been published. DSE researchers Dr Kelly Burgoyne and Professor Sue Buckley will be presenting and responding to questions.
Together with colleagues at the Centre for Reading and Language at the University of York, we have recently completed the first large controlled trial of an intervention designed for children with Down syndrome. The first scientific paper from the study is now available. This three year study involved nearly 60 children in schools in York and Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. It was funded by the UK Big Lottery Fund.
Join us online to learn more about the trial and the intervention itself. At these free events, DSE researchers will explain the trail and the design of the intervention, and present their findings. There will also be opportunities to ask us questions.
16 May 2012 – 09:30 British Summer Time (08:30 GMT, 10:30 Paris, 12:30 Moscow, 14:00 New Delhi, 18:30 Sydney, 20:30 Auckland) – Register now…
One of our members has asked us to advertise this position:
The mother of a young man with Down syndrome who lives in South Western Sydney is seeking to employ a support worker to work with her 19
year old son for 20-25 hours per week across 4 days a week. Hours and days can be somewhat flexible.
If you are interested, please call Linda on 9726 5243.
My Perspective is a photography competition showcasing the work of UK photographers with Down syndrome. It has evolved from the well established Shifting Perspectives series, and is now in its third year. The Down's Syndrome Association (in London) has just released the 2012 My Perspective short list of 25 photographs online. Follow the link and you can click on each thumbnail image for a larger view.
The judges will have a hard time picking just one winner.
Writer, comedian, radio presenter Wendy Harmer gives her take on the National Disability Insurance .Scheme, as a National People with Disabilities and Carers Council member:
Yes. This budget's for you
It’s not only people with a disability who should be cheering the budget’s $1 billion commitment to a National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Every one of us should be applauding like mad.
Because perhaps, finally, Australians are beginning to understand in a profound way that disability is a part of life.
That people with disabilities are not the invisible “other”. They are us.
Diana Kerr, a world-renowned expert on night-time care and disability and dementia, and the author of several books on these topics, will be a keynote speaker at the Risky Business conference in Sydney next month. Ms Kerr is very experienced in identifying and meeting the needs of people with Down syndrome and dementia, and training professionals who care for them.
