Terapia e Musica
Three articles in this blog piece document the value of music and other art forms in helping students with autism and other disabilities.
Photo by Ananda Emrys (Public Domain)
At Advancing Opportunities, we excel in providing residential and respite services to people of with all disabilities, along with advocacy and education services for parents and guardians and assistive technology support. As a leader in the field, we are pleased to share our experience, knowledge, and expertise with the disability community through our social media outlets: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. In our Disability and Ability Highlights of the Week column, we will select the best of what we found and shared and present them. Please click on the titles with embedded links to find the full article.
In addition, we are specialists in the area of assistive technology and offer a huge array of services; the Assistive Technology Center is New Jersey’s premier source of information and equipment.
Advancing Opportunities’ Job Announcement of the Week
We’re seeking an Employment Specialist to assist consumers with obtaining and maintaining competitive, sustainable employment, and to promote knowledge of Employment Services Department goals and activities to employers and the business community through presentations.
The Employment Specialist is responsible for assisting consumers with obtaining and maintaining competitive, sustainable employment and to promote knowledge of the goals and activities of the Employment Services Department to employers and the business community through presentations.
The Employment Services Department is dedicated to building a more diverse workforce by helping people with disabilities obtain and maintain employment. We serve individuals with all types of disabilities who want to work. Our Employment Specialists take a person-centered approach and will make every effort to create the best possible job match based on an individual’s interests and abilities.
The Employment Specialist will report to the Director of Employment Services. There are no supervisory responsibilities.
Please send your résumé to: hr@advopps.org
Advancing Opportunities News
Gretchen DiMarco, our new Community Relations Associate, made the press in this fine article.
Gretchen DiMarco recently joined Advancing Opportunities as Community Relations Associate
Disability in the News (mostly in New Jersey, the population we serve)
Support groups may play bigger role in mental health in New Jersey and elsewhere.
For parents of a child with a disability (parenting)
Here are tips on how to assist your child if he or she has anxiety over preschool.
“The only better thing than being proud of your child is…”
Special Education
Three months after a key government special education website crashed, federal officials are introducing a revamped online presence.
People with autism and learning disabilities excel in creative thinking, a study shows.
A mom writes a letter to her severely disabled daughter, expressing her profound love.
Three articles discuss how the arts reach out to children with disabilities:
Art therapy can help children with autism express themselves more effectively.
Song- and instrument-based music therapy helps children with autism and other special needs develop, participate in classroom activities.
Here are five reasons music therapy is highly beneficial for many children with diverse special needs.
Presented is important knowledge about ADHD and the mood swings often part of this condition.
Assistive Technology
This motorized ride-on toy car offers very young children actual mobility in addition to the play.
Tips for making accessibility a core design principle are presented.
This is a very noteworthy multinational EU development of assistive technology for the blind.
From Wiley journals: “Assistive technology for memory support in dementia”
A good resource: Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology and Transition Planning
Advocacy and Self-advocacy
A prominent disability advocate tells “What I Learned at the United Nations on World Autism Awareness Day.”
A high school dropout with learning and attention issues becomes a youth advocate.
Employment for People with Disabilities
Excellent article from Forbes: “10 Tips For Unlocking the Talent and Potential of Employees with Disabilities”
Informative, Positive, Noteworthy… or All Three!
In his powerful talk, Dr. Victor Pineda (World Enabled) shares his search for what it means to be human, and what that journey has taught him about the enormous opportunity for brands to address the needs of everyone.
The Arts and People with Disabilities
Review: Reanimating an Autistic Artist with ‘Soot and Spit’ – “A play about a deaf and autistic artist who rejected language but found a voice”
Just in case you didn’t catch this astonishing singer on America’s Got Talent, here’s the New York Times review of her performance.
People with a Disability in the Community (disability rights and acceptance; inclusion)
A comedian finds humor in his Asperger’s.
Better inclusion at work requires “human” intervention, despite technological advances.
A young man was in an accident that left him paralyzed. Nevertheless, he went on to found a gardening business, Grow Your Garden Ideas.
Disability Awareness and Appreciation
Interesting blog piece: “Dear World, I’m Trying.” Motivation in life and work with Asperger’s, with a dose of positive thinking.
When a UK mom received the diagnosis that her daughter has autism, she did not think what the doctors described sounded like a disability.
Medical News—Research:
Noteworthy new book: Putting on My Best Normal: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions
Recent research finds higher concentrations of heavy metals in the baby teeth of children with autism spectrum disorder, compared with children without.
A new study posits that brain scans may forecast autism in high-risk infants.
An existing drug may hold hope for Friedreich’s ataxia and related conditions.
Beauty, Glamour, and Fashion: the Inclusion of People with Disabilities
Design for Disability helps everyone enjoy fashionable clothing.
These lovely designer gowns are made by dressmakers who happen to be blind.
