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96% of Children at Easterseals North Texas’ Child Development Program Enter Regular Kindergarten Settings at Discharge

96% of Children at Easterseals North Texas’ Child Development Program Enter Regular Kindergarten Settings at Discharge

The Easterseals North Texas Child Development Program, a unique preschool serving children 6 weeks to 6 years of age, has a remarkable track record of success—96 percent of children with autism who move on from the program enter regular kindergarten.

In most early childhood programs that use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, close to 50 percent of kids move on to regular education. The ABA model used by ESNT, which includes both children with autism and typically developing children, accounts for its high success rate, said Program Director Jessie Whitesides. “One of the reasons the ABA model we use is highly successful is because it is inclusive. We all learn by watching others, and that’s what happens in our program. Children with autism are taught to watch and model behaviors of their typically developing peers.”

Beyond impressive discharge rates and other strong outcome measures—parent surveys, individualized goals met, and standardized test scores—it is the program’s impact on the lives of children and families that speaks most clearly to its ongoing success.

“If you think about the lives of a family where a child can’t communicate, that is pretty tough,” Jessie said. “There may be a lot of tantrums and disruption, and it’s hard to take your child out into the community, or have playdates. When we help kids learn to communicate, interact and learn, peace settles over the family. Another factor is that instead of going into a more restricted situation, children with autism have the same opportunities for learning and future success as other children.”

ABA is a proven, evidence-based, therapy that helps children with autism learn skills and lessen problematic behaviors. The model used at ESNT, Walden Early Learning Program, is designed to increase language, engagement, and social skills, and to help children learn to form friendships and prepare for success in kindergarten. It is based on learning environments that include both children with autism and their typically-developing peers.

The beauty of the model is that it benefits all children. Staff members facilitate social interactions between children with autism and their classmates, allowing children diagnosed with autism to learn from their typically developing peers—increasing their opportunities for learning and enhancing their natural learning abilities. Typically developing children gain skills in problem solving and leadership, learn to communicate with those who communicate differently, and recognize differences as ordinary.

“My passion for the program comes from the fact that all children benefit,” Jessie said. “Children with autism learn how to learn and how to interact with their peers, while typically developing kids gain so much. They see kids who communicate differently, but it’s ordinary and they’re not scared of it. By helping peers with autism, they learn how to break down tasks and solve problems.”

The model was developed by Dr. Gail McGee, a noted clinical psychologist and founder of the Walden Early Childhood Program at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. McGee was already working with ESNT in 2010 when Jessie joined the agency. She enthusiastically continued the work, and the program received full replication status of the Walden model in 2017. Certification requires inclusion of both neurotypical children and children with ASD, and criteria related to staff/student ratios, classroom arrangements, staff training, and the maintenance of a positive environment where learning is natural, fun, and rewarding.

The program’s positivity and productive learning environment were readily apparent to Mary Moran, PhD, Director of Child Wellness for The Fedcap Group.

“It is a wonderful program,” she said. “Jessie and her staff are really skilled, and they do a really good job. It is a very positive place, very stimulating and developmentally positive for the kids. Everyone seems happy. You get a sense of joy when you walk in.”

Staff professional development is a priority, including 40 hours of up-front training on ways to interact with children that contribute to a positive environment–the model eschews punishment in favor of incremental rewards, positive reinforcement, and a wide variety of support and motivating activities. “We don’t use the words that are negative,” Jessie said. “We won’t say, ‘don’t stand on the table,’ instead we’ll say, ‘you can stand on the floor or sit in a chair.’ The whole focus is on the positive and giving choices. We use a lot of praise.”

A range of child development services support the program’s commitment to families and children, including kindergarten prep, ABA therapy (Inclusive, Zones/groups and 1:1), parent training and collaboration among therapeutic service providers.

“The more involved parents are, the better the outcomes for the children,” Jessie said. “We provide training and work with parents at least once a week on skills, so they can continue what we are doing at home. We don’t want them to be teachers, but just to use daily routines to teach skills and to be able to identify what is reinforcing and motivating to their children.”

 

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Honoring Alice Ball, Developer of the First Successful Treatment for Leprosy

Honoring Alice Ball, Developer of the First Successful Treatment for Leprosy

February 28, 2022

Welcome to my last blog this month celebrating African American Women who made a difference. Learning about these courageous women has been so inspiring, each a testament to bravery and tenacity and each a first in their chosen fields. This week I want to share the story of Alice Ball—the African American chemist who developed the first successful treatment for those suffering from Hansen’s disease (leprosy). She died at the young age of 24, which made this accomplishment all the more remarkable.

Alice Augusta Ball was born on July 24, 1892 in Seattle, Washington to Laura, a photographer, and James P. Ball, Jr., a lawyer. Her grandfather, James P. Ball Sr., was a well-known photographer and was among the first to practice daguerreotype photography, a process of printing photographs onto metal plates. Ms. Ball was encouraged to “do big things with her life.”

The family enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle. Ms. Ball excelled at Seattle High School, and earned undergraduate degrees in pharmaceutical chemistry (1912) and pharmacy (1914) from the University of Washington. She then transferred to the College of Hawaii (now known as the University of Hawaii) and became the very first African American and the very first woman to graduate with an M.S. degree in chemistry in 1915. She was offered a teaching and research position there and became the institution’s very first woman chemistry instructor. She was only 23 years old.

As a laboratory researcher, Ms. Ball worked extensively to develop a successful treatment for those suffering from Hansen’s disease (leprosy). Her research led her to create the first injectable leprosy treatment using oil from the chaulmoogra tree, which up until then, was only a moderately successful topical agent that was used in Chinese and Indian medicine. Her scientific rigor resulted in a highly successful method to alleviate leprosy symptoms. The “Ball Method” was so successful, leprosy patients were discharged from hospitals and facilities across the globe including an isolation facility on the north shore of Molokai, Hawaii where thousands of people suffering from leprosy died in years prior. Thanks to Alice Ball, those banished individuals were able to return to their families, free from the symptoms of leprosy.

Tragically, Alice Ball died on December 31, 1916, at the young age of 24 after complications resulting from inhaling chlorine gas in a lab teaching accident. During her brief lifetime, she did not get to see the full impact of her discovery. What’s more, following her death, the president of the College of Hawaii, Dr. Arthur Dean, continued Ms. Ball’s research without giving her credit for the discovery. Dean even claimed her discovery for himself, calling it the “Dean Method.” (Unfortunately, it was commonplace for men to take the credit of women’s discoveries and Ball fell victim to this practice).

In 1922, six years after her death, Dr. Harry T. Hollmann, the assistant surgeon at Kalihi Hospital who originally encouraged Ball in her research, published a paper giving Ball the proper credit she deserved.

In 2000, the University of Hawaii-Mānoa placed a bronze plaque on campus to honor Ms. Ball’s life and her important discovery. Former Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii, Mazie Hirono, also declared February 29 “Alice Ball Day.” In 2007, the University of Hawaii posthumously awarded her with the Regents’ Medal of Distinction.

Honrando a Alice Ball, Creadora del Primer Tratamiento Exitoso para la Lepra

28 febrero 2022

Bienvenidos a mi último “blog” de este mes, celebrando a las Mujeres Afroamericanas que hicieron la diferencia. Saber sobre estas valientes mujeres ha sido muy inspirador, cada una un testimonio de valentía y tenacidad y cada una de ellas una primera en sus ramos elegidos. Esta semana quiero compartir la historia de Alice Ball, la química Afroamericana que desarrolló el primer tratamiento exitoso para aquellos que sufrían de la enfermedad de Hansen (lepra). Murió a la temprana edad de 24 años, lo que hizo que este logro fuera aún más notable.

Alice Augusta Ball nació el 24 de julio de 1892 en Seattle, Washington, hija de Laura, una fotógrafa, y James P. Ball, Jr., un abogado. Su abuelo, James P. Ball Sr., fue un conocido fotógrafo y fue uno de los primeros en practicar la fotografía de daguerrotipos, un proceso de impresión de fotografías en placas de metal. Alice fue alentada a “hacer grandes cosas con su vida. “

La familia disfrutaba de un estilo de vida de clase media. Ball se destacó en Seattle High School, y obtuvo títulos universitarios en química farmacéutica (1912) y de farmacia (1914) de la Universidad de Washington. Luego se cambió al Colegio de Hawaii (ahora conocido como la Universidad de Hawaii) y se convirtió en la primera Afroamericana y la primera mujer en graduarse con una maestría en química en 1915. Allí se le ofreció un puesto de enseñanza e investigación y se convirtió en la primera mujer profesora de química de la institución. Tenía solo 23 años.

Como investigadora de laboratorio, la Srita. Ball trabajó extensamente para desarrollar un tratamiento exitoso para aquellos que sufrían de la enfermedad de Hansen (lepra). Su investigación la llevó a crear el primer tratamiento inyectable para la lepra utilizando aceite del árbol chaulmoogra, que, hasta entonces, era solo un agente tópico moderadamente exitoso que se usaba en la medicina china e india. Su rigurosidad científica resultó en un método altamente exitoso para aliviar los síntomas de la lepra. El “Método Ball” fue tan exitoso que los pacientes con lepra fueron dados de alta de hospitales e instalaciones de todo el mundo, incluida una instalación de segregación en la costa norte de Molokai, Hawaii, donde miles de personas que sufrían de lepra murieron en años anteriores. Gracias a Alice Ball, esos individuos segregados pudieron regresar con sus familias, libres de los síntomas de la lepra.

Trágicamente, Alice Ball murió el 31 de diciembre de 1916, a la temprana edad de 24 años, después de complicaciones resultantes de la inhalación de gas de cloro en un accidente en la enseñanza en el laboratorio. Durante su breve vida, no llegó a ver el impacto total de su descubrimiento. Además, después de su muerte, el presidente del Colegio de Hawaii, el Dr. Arthur Dean, continuó la investigación de la Srita. Ball sin darle crédito por el descubrimiento. Dean incluso reclamó su descubrimiento para sí mismo, llamándolo el “Método Dean”. (Desafortunadamente, era común que los hombres robaran el crédito de los descubrimientos de las mujeres y Ball fue víctima de esa práctica). En 1922, seis años después de su muerte, el Dr. Harry T. Hollmann, el cirujano asistente del Hospital Kalihi que originalmente alentó a Ball en su investigación, publicó un artículo dándole a Ball el crédito ganado que merecía.

En 2000, la Universidad de Hawaii-Mānoa colocó una placa de bronce en sus instalaciones para honrar la vida de la Srita. Ball y su importante descubrimiento. El ex vicegobernador de Hawaii, Mazie Hirono, también declaró el 29 de febrero como el “Día de Alice Ball”. En 2007, la Universidad de Hawaii le otorgó póstumamente The Regents’ Medal of Distinction.

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Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler: First African American Female Physician

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler: First African American Female Physician

February 21, 2021

Today I want to celebrate another notable first in the history of African American women.

In 1860, out of 54,543 physicians in the United States, only 300 were women and none were African American. Which is what makes Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler’s accomplishments stand out.

Born Rebecca Davis in Delaware on February 8, 1831, she grew up in Pennsylvania, where her aunt provided care for the ill, exposing her to a life of caring for others and igniting a passion for medicine.

By 1852 she had moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts, where she worked as a nurse for the next eight years (because the first formal school for nursing only opened in 1873, she was able to perform such work without any formal training). She saw the need for more education and a medical degree. She applied to medical school in 1860 and was accepted into the New England Female Medical College. When she completed her medical doctorate in 1864—she was the first African American woman in the United States to do so and the only African American woman to graduate from the New England Female Medical College, which merged with Boston University School of Medicine in 1873.

Dr. Crumpler practiced in Boston for a short while before moving to Richmond, Virginia, after the Civil War ended in 1865. Richmond, she felt, would be “a proper field for real missionary work, and one that would present ample opportunities to become acquainted with the diseases of women and children.”

In her Book of Medical Discourses, published in 1883, she gives a brief summary of her career path: “During my stay in Virginia, I was enabled . . . to have access each day to a very large number of the indigent, and others of different classes, in a population of over 30,000 colored.” She joined other Black physicians caring for freed slaves who would otherwise have had no access to medical care, working with the Freedmen’s Bureau, and missionary and community groups, even though Black physicians experienced intense racism working in the postwar South.

While Dr. Crumpler experienced racism, sexism, and constant questioning of her intellectual prowess, she was committed to providing care to large Black communities who had little access to medical care.

The legacy of Dr. Crumpler’s passion is documented in “A Book of Medical Discourses in Two Parts,” published in 1883 by Cashman, Keating, and Co., of Boston. Dr. Crumpler’s writings are the first textbook authored by a Black academic. Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler died—as a glass-ceiling shattering pioneer—on March 9, 1895, in Hyde Park.

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler paved the way for other Black women who wanted to enter the medical field—as a physician. Sadly, nearly 130 years after her death, women represent 35 percent of all doctors, but Black women still only represent 2 percent.

21 de febrero de 2022

Dra. Rebecca Lee Crumpler: La Primera Doctora Afroamericana

Hoy quiero celebrar otra principal destacada en la historia de las mujeres afroamericanas.

En 1860, de los 54,543 Doctores en los Estados Unidos, solo 300 eran mujeres y ninguno era afroamericano. Lo cual hace que los logros de la Dra. Rebecca Lee Crumpler se destaquen.

Nacida como Rebecca Davis en Delaware el 8 de febrero de 1831, creció en Pensilvania, donde su tía brindó atención a los enfermos; exponiéndola a una vida de cuidado de los demás y despertándole una pasión por la medicina. En 1852 se mudó a Charlestown, Massachusetts, donde trabajó como enfermera durante los siguientes ocho años (debido a que la primera escuela formal de enfermería solo se abriría en 1873, pudo realizar dicho trabajo sin ninguna capacitación formal). Ella se dio cuenta de la necesidad de más educación y de un título de Doctora. Se registró en la escuela de medicina en 1860 y fue aceptada en el New England Female Medical College. Cuando completó su doctorado de medicina en 1864, fue la primera mujer Afroamericana en los Estados Unidos en hacerlo y la única mujer afroamericana en graduarse del New England Female Medical College, y el que después formó parte de la Boston University School of Medicine en 1873.

La Dra. Crumpler ejerció en Boston por un corto tiempo antes de mudarse a Richmond, Virginia; después de que la Guerra Civil terminara en 1865. Richmond, pensó ella, sería “un campo apropiado para la verdadera obra misionera, y uno que presentaría amplias oportunidades para familiarizarse con las enfermedades de las mujeres y los niños”.

En su Book of Medical Discourses, publicado en 1883, da un breve resumen de su trayectoria profesional: “Durante mi estadía en Virginia, se me permitió…tener acceso cada día a un gran número de pobres, y a otros de diferentes clases sociales, en una población de más de 30.000 personas de color”. “Se unió a otros médicos de Color que cuidaban a esclavos liberados los que de otra manera no habrían tenido acceso a la atención médica; trabajando con la Freedmen’s Bureau, y con grupos misioneros y comunitarios, a pesar de que los médicos de Color experimentaron un intenso racismo trabajando en la posguerra del Sur.

Mientras que la Dra. Crumpler experimentó racismo, sexismo y constantes cuestionamientos de su destreza intelectual, estaba comprometida a brindar atención a las grandes comunidades de Color que tenían poco acceso a la atención médica.

El legado de la pasión de la Dra. Crumpler está documentado en “A Book of Medical Discourses in Two Parts”, publicado en 1883 por Cashman, Keating, and Co., de Boston. Los escritos de la Dra. Crumpler son parte del primer libro de texto escrito por una académica de color. Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler murió, como pionera en romper el molde vigente, el 9 de marzo de 1895 en Hyde Park.

Rebecca Lee Crumpler sentó las bases para otras mujeres de color que querían ingresar en el campo de la medicina, como Doctoras. Lamentablemente, casi 130 años después de su muerte, las mujeres representan el 35 por ciento de todos los doctores, pero las mujeres de color todavía representan solo el 2 por ciento.

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Mary Jane Patterson: First Black Woman to Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree

Mary Jane Patterson: First Black Woman to Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree

Mary Jane Patterson was a woman with a strong, forceful personality, and showed tremendous power for good in establishing high intellectual standards in the public schools.” - Mary Church Terrell

February 14, 2022

I want to continue my tribute to Black women who made a difference by honoring Mary Jane Patterson. Because I believe that education is a pathway to economic well-being, I am especially moved by her contributions and how she paved the way for women of color to expand their educational dreams.

In 1862, a young woman stood at a podium at Oberlin College and gave a graduation address. This was remarkable —not only because she was a woman, but because she was the first Black woman known to have earned a bachelor’s degree.

Mary Jane Patterson was a young African American woman from North Carolina, born into slavery in 1840. When she was a young girl, Ms. Patterson and her family moved to Oberlin, Ohio—it’s unclear if her father, a master mason, escaped slavery or was freed by his master. At the time, Oberlin was a haven for African-Americans. Home to a large Black population, it was known as an abolitionist town and one that regularly protected fugitive slaves. Oberlin College had admitted African-American students since 1835.

In the mid 1850s, when Mary Jane Patterson was around 17 years of age, she started her collegiate education at Oberlin College. Black students had graduated from the school, but without a four-year collegiate bachelor’s degree. Ms.Patterson changed that. And, although Oberlin offered a two-year course for women, she insisted on taking the “gentleman’s course” of study. She went on to graduate in 1862, as the first woman of color to graduate from a four-year bachelor’s program.

Upon receiving her degree she went to Philadelphia where she taught in the “Institute for Colored Youths” for seven years. In 1869 she went to Washington to teach and in 1871 became the first Black principal of the newly-established Preparatory High School for Negroes. She became the school’s first African-American principal. During her administration, the school grew from less than 50 to 172 students, the name “Preparatory High School” was dropped, high school commencements were initiated, and a teacher-training department was added to the school.

Ms. Patterson’s commitment to thoroughness helped her establish the school’s strong intellectual standards. Mary Jane Patterson died at her Washington, D. C. home, September 24, 1894, at the age of 54. Although she is a not well-known figure, Mary Jane Patterson was a pioneer in Black education and paved the way for other Black female educators.

Mary Jane Patterson era una mujer con una personalidad fuerte y contundente, y mostró un tremendo poder para bien en el establecimiento de altos estándares intelectuales en las escuelas públicas". - Mary Church Terrell

14 febrero 2022

Quiero continuar mi tributo a las mujeres de Color que hicieron una diferencia al honrar a Mary Jane Patterson. Debido a que creo que la educación es un camino hacia el bienestar económico, me conmueven especialmente sus contribuciones y cómo sentó las bases para que las mujeres de color expandieran sus sueños educativos.

En 1862, una joven se paró en un estrado en el Oberlin College y dio un discurso de graduación. Esto fue notable, no solo porque era mujer, sino porque fue la primera mujer de Color que se sabe que obtuvo una licenciatura.

Mary Jane Patterson era una joven afroamericana de Carolina del Norte, nacida en la esclavitud en 1840. Cuando era una niña, Patterson y su familia se mudaron a Oberlin, Ohio; no está claro si su padre, un maestro albañil, escapó de la esclavitud o fue liberado por su amo. En ese momento, Oberlin era un refugio para los afroamericanos. Hogar de una gran población de Color, era conocida como una ciudad abolicionista y una que protegía regularmente a los esclavos fugitivos. Oberlin College había admitido estudiantes afroamericanos desde 1835.

En medio de la Década de 1850, cuando Mary Jane Patterson tenía alrededor de 17 años, comenzó su educación universitaria en Oberlin College. Los estudiantes afroamericanos se habían graduado de la escuela, pero sin una licenciatura universitaria de cuatro años. La Srita. Patterson cambió eso. Y aunque Oberlin ofrecía un curso de dos años para mujeres, ella insistió en tomar el “curso de caballeros” de estudios. Se graduó en 1862, como la primera mujer de color de graduarse de un período de cuatro años en un programa de licenciaturas.

Al recibir su título, se fue a Filadelfia, donde enseñó en el “Institute for Colored Youths” durante siete años. En 1869 fue a Washington a enseñar y en 1871 se convirtió en la primera directora de color de la recién establecida Preparatory High School for Negroes. Se convirtió en la primera directora afroamericana de la escuela. Durante su administración, la escuela creció de menos de 50 a 172 estudiantes, se eliminó el nombre de “Preparatory High School”, se iniciaron las ceremonias de graduación de la escuela secundaria y se agregó un departamento de capacitación para maestros de escuela.

El compromiso de la Srita. Patterson con el esmero le ayudó a establecer los altos estándares intelectuales de la escuela. Mary Jane Patterson murió en su casa de Washington, D.C., el 24 de septiembre de 1894, a la edad de 54 años. Aunque es una figura no muy conocida, Mary Jane Patterson fue pionera en la educación de los afroamericanos y sentó la bases para otras mujeres educadoras de color.

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Wildcat and Seacoast Pathways Accreditations Emphasize Excellence in Practice

Wildcat and Seacoast Pathways Accreditations Emphasize Excellence in Practice

ENABLE  — a program of Wildcat, which is a company of The Fedcap Group, has earned important reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) following an extensive inspection process and review. ENABLE provides supported employment services to clients who are referred by New Jersey’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS), and the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). Organizations that work with DVRS and DDD are required to be accredited by CARF, an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services.

The accreditation process applies CARF’s internationally recognized standards to support continuous quality improvement of programs and services. It is ongoing, occurring every three years. ENABLE was first accredited in 2005.

“This achievement is an indication of your organization’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons served,” said Brian J. Boon, CARF President and CEO. “Services, personnel, and documentation clearly indicate an established pattern of conformance to standards.”

“I could not ask for a more dedicated and professional staff,” said Maria Gatewood, Program Director. “They are completely dedicated to our clients, to helping them reach their career goals and go as far as they can. Throughout the pandemic they never stopped working as they helped people retain and manage the stress of a new job, amid great risk. Nothing deterred them.”

Seacoast Pathways, a subsidiary of Granite Pathways—a company of The Fedcap Group—is proud to announce that it has received accreditation from Clubhouse International (CI), a membership organization representing more than 300 locally managed Clubhouses in nearly 40 US states and more than 30 countries.

The Clubhouse model is a proven, evidence-based approach that focuses on strengths and abilities, not on illness. Through friendship, shared work, education and employment, Clubhouses help people live hopeful and fulfilling lives. Membership is voluntary and without time limits, so individuals can come and go as they please. “Accreditation signals to mental health organizations, state agencies and members of our own community that Seacoast Pathways is continually improving,” said Ann Strachan, Executive Director of Seacoast Pathways. “It allows us to bill Medicaid for our co-occurring recovery services, and provides new opportunities for funding and partnerships. It is a huge accomplishment, and a new beginning.”

The process, though demanding, provided great value. “Going through each standard always led to fruitful conversations, and brought our self-evaluation into sharp focus,” Ann said. “It raised awareness about what we are doing and why.”

Seacoast Pathways is also making strides in its integration of employment into the culture of the Clubhouse. It recently placed its first member with one of its employment partners, a food market in Portsmouth. “Work is central to recovery,” Ann said. People initially come to the clubhouse for socialization, to talk to people and make friends. These interactions inspire fulfillment and confidence, which leads people to want to work and reach their potential. “Getting a job leads to more independence and autonomy, and feeling fully part of the community,” Ann said.

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Workforce Development Efforts in Maine are Putting People to Work

Workforce Development Efforts in Maine are Putting People to Work

Families Forward offers job training and on-the job-experience, with an emphasis on education, skills development, wellness planning and employment.

Families Forward is the new name for Fedcap Inc.’s program to provide an array of services to individuals receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits throughout the state of Maine. Formerly known as Breaking the Cycle, Families Forward offers job training and on-the job-experience, with an emphasis on education, skills development, wellness planning and employment focused on assisting program participants in achieving their long-term goals.

The name change reflects the program’s emphasis not just on individuals but on families. “The new name better captures our two generational approach,” said Serena Powell, Executive Director of Fedcap Inc. – Serving Maine. “We want families to have more economic security and savings, so that their children can go to college or enter job training programs. We want folks in our programs to achieve meaningful careers, and the new name lets everyone understand that the end game is about the future of families we serve.”

Other recent changes also help to clarify the vision at the heart of Families Forward. The program’s Career Plan, formerly known as the Family Contract Amendment, is designed so that participants can set goals for various pathways, based on their evolving needs, as they progress towards their long-term career goals.

“We wanted to emphasize that we are about getting our people on a career path versus just finding a job,” Serena said. “We want folks to earn family sustaining wages, and we want them to engage in credentialed job training program or go to college, where they have opportunities for advancements in growing industries here in Maine, including health care, hospitality manufacturing and IT.”

Families Forward offers economic literacy classes to help families create educational savings accounts for their children. The agency has also added several new positions. Including a Director of Assessment and Education Services and a Director of New Mainer Services, to focus on growing resources for the state’s growing immigrant and refugee populations. Close to 35 percent of those served by Families Forward are immigrants or refugees from about 25 different countries, mostly in Africa and the Mideast.

The new director will focus on ensuring that services are meeting the needs of New Mainers, such as learning English skills and adapting to life in Maine. One Families Forward partner, Catholic Charities of Maine, have embedded cultural navigators throughout the 16 Families Forward offices in Maine. The cultural navigators are bilingual, and work with people who have been in this country less than three years. “They work beyond our traditional hours, providing another layer of case management and support for entire families,” Serena said. “They might take a family to get furniture or look for an apartment on a weekend. They help with any resource a family might need.”

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Easterseals is Changing the Landscape for Young People with Autism

Easterseals is Changing the Landscape for Young People with Autism

Greenleaf Neurodiversity Community Center in Austin, Texas, offers a daytime program for young adults who have autism or related neurodivergent conditions.

2021 was a year of incredible growth for Greenleaf Neurodiversity Community Center (NCC), an innovative project of Easterseals Central Texas as well as a charter school in the Austin, TX Independent School District (ISD). The year marked the realization of a dream shared by the project’s founders and supporters—in 2021, Greenleaf began offering a daytime educational program for young adults ages 18-22 who have autism or related neurodivergent conditions.

“The Center is an example of our important partnership with Austin School Districts,” said Tod Marvin, CEX of Easterseals Central Texas. “A large portion of the project has been funded by parents and local donors who are passionate about the work we are doing with people with autism in Central Texas.”

Since its launch by Easterseals Central Texas in 2019, Greenleaf had been offering social, creative and recreational programs to young people with autism who are transitioning to adulthood. The need is great, as there are few services available to this growing population. Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability—about one in 54 Americans will be diagnosed with autism.

The new educational program offers NCC participants the option to continue their education in the public school system, through project-based learning and community settings. It complements a robust menu of social and creative programming that includes performing arts, creativity clubs, cooking classes, yoga, mindfulness, a music club, a nature club, podcasting, storytelling, and poetry. Discussions are underway to offer a LGBTQ support group, and a support group for domestic violence awareness.

“As these young people get older the number of services available to them is less and less,” said Randi Shade, Greenleaf NCC Co-Chair. “There are very few extracurricular activities or programs that offer community connections for young people with autism who are transitioning to adulthood.”

Other highlights for 2021 include bringing four talented full-time staff on board; opening our community center space; developing strong relationships with community partners, and serving over 50 individuals in daily or weekly programs that build community and foster skills in workplace readiness, self-determination, wellness, relationships, and lifelong learning.

And there’s much more! “We are credentialed job skills trainers and authorized service providers, and are recruiting students for our new 18+ Public School Partnership Program with Austin ISD and our Workforce Readiness classes with Texas Workforce Solutions,” said Mitchell Bowman, Director of Social Creativity Programs. “We can help young people find a class that will support their vocational and independent living goals, and help them navigate vocational rehabilitation services at TWS!”

There is a unifying theme that runs through all of Greenleaf’s programming. “The curriculum has a beautiful element of self-advocacy,” said Tod. “There is an underlying goal of finding and sharing your voice through music, storytelling or gaming, just being with peers and serving as peer mentors.”

Greenleaf’s affiliation as a charter school with Austin ISD means that public funds will be available for all of its programming. Crucially, it means that any eligible young adult can participate, without regard to income.
“We are in a great position to respond to the needs of every person who comes to us,” said Tod. “Our school partners can’t provide individualized support and services to this growing population, but we can be responsive to the needs of each and every family.”

The introduction of a daytime educational program as a charter school brings Greenleaf full circle, realizing a vision Randi and the Greenleaf team shared with Easterseals Central Texas. “Easterseals was always a foundational part of the vision for Greenleaf,” Randi said. “They have such a long and successful record as providers of early intervention services, and working with people with all kinds of disabilities.”

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Honoring Black Women Who Made a Difference: Fannie Barrier Williams

Honoring Black Women Who Made a Difference: Fannie Barrier Williams

…social evils are dangerously contagious. The fixed policy of persecution and injustice against a class of women who are weak and defenseless will be necessarily hurtful to the cause of all women. —Fannie Barrier Williams

February 7, 2022

During Black History Month I thought it important to spend time in my blog honoring African American women who made a difference—but whose names don’t come to mind when reflecting on the history of our country. What is striking in nearly every profile I researched, is the Black woman’s ability to build their own communities within larger environments of oppression, mistreatment and racism.

The first woman I would like to highlight is Fannie Barrier Williams. Ms. Barrier Williams was born in 1855 in Brockport, New York. This was shortly after the Dred Scott decision, four years before the last slave ship arrived in the US, and ten years before the Emancipation Proclamation. The national debate over slavery was at a heightened state. Yet in Fannie’s world, she felt safe, secure and she is quoted as saying “my childhood experiences of ‘social equality’ ill-prepared me for the racism I faced later in life. My growing awareness of the unfair treatment African American women received was the catalyst behind my lifetime of activism.”

In 1870, Ms. Barrier Williams was the first African American to graduate from Brockport State Normal School Williams (now SUNY Brockport). After graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. to teach recently freed Blacks who were migrating to the nation’s capital in the 1870s. During this time she enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in Washington to study portrait painting, and found herself surrounded by screens that separated her from the other students. In response to her complaints, she was informed that that was the only way she could remain in the class. She had a similar experience at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where she wanted to further her piano studies, but was asked to leave after all the students from the southern states threatened to quit if she stayed. These experiences awakened her spirit—and her fight.

Ms. Barrier Williams helped found the National League of Colored Women in 1893 and its successor, the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1896. These organizations provided kindergartens, mothers’ groups, sewing classes, childcare centers, employment bureaus, and savings banks for women who would not have had access to them elsewhere. Similarly, when she became aware of the lack of African-American physicians and nurses in the hospitals, she helped to create Provident Hospital in 1891, an inter-racial medical facility that included a training school for nurses that admitted African-American women. She was also instrumental in the creation of the Frederick Douglass Center in 1905, a settlement house, and the Phillis Wheatley Home for Girls. The latter became part of a national movement, and the hospital and settlement house still serve the Chicago community today. She was also the first African-American and the first woman on the Chicago Library Board.

In one of her major speeches, The Intellectual Progress of the Colored Women of the United States Since the Emancipation Proclamation, Ms. Barrier Williams disputed the notion that slavery had rendered African-American women incapable of the same moral and intellectual levels as other women and called on all women to unite to claim their inalienable rights.

Ms. Barrier Williams’ contribution to the cause of women’s suffrage was recognized when, in 1907, she was the only African American selected to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the National American Women Suffrage Association convention. In 1909 she assisted W.E.B. DuBois in helping to found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.she continued to support women’s rights until her death on March 4, 1944, in her hometown of Brockport, NY.

"... los males sociales son peligrosamente contagiosos. La política inalterable de persecución e injusticia contra una clase de mujeres que son débiles e indefensas será necesariamente dañina para la causa de todas las mujeres". —Fannie Barrier Williams

Durante Black History Month, pensé que era importante emplear tiempo en mi blog honrando a las mujeres afroamericanas que hicieron la diferencia, pero cuyos nombres no vienen a la mente cuando se reflexiona sobre la historia de nuestro país. Lo que me llama la atención en casi todos los perfiles que investigué; es la capacidad de la mujer afroamericana para construir sus propias comunidades en entornos de opresión, maltrato y racismo de gran envergadura.

La primera mujer que me gustaría destacar es Fannie Barrier Williams. Barrier Williams nació en 1855 en Brockport, Nueva York. Esto fue poco después de la decisión de Dred Scott, cuatro años antes de que llegara el último barco de esclavos a los Estados Unidos, y diez años antes de la Proclamación de Emancipación. El debate nacional sobre la esclavitud estaba en su punto más alto. Sin embargo, en el mundo de Fannie, ella se sentía segura, confiada y se la cita diciendo que “mis experiencias infantiles de ‘igualdad social’ me prepararon mal para el racismo que enfrentaría en la vida. Mi creciente conciencia del trato injusto que recibieron las mujeres afroamericanas fue el catalizador detrás de mi vida de activismo”.

En 1870, Barrier Williams fue la primera afroamericana en graduarse de Brockport State Normal School Williams (ahora SUNY Brockport). Después de graduarse, se mudó a Washington, D.C. para enseñar a los recién liberados esclavos negros que estaban migrando a la capital de la nación en la década de 1870. Durante este tiempo se matriculó en la Escuela de Bellas Artes de Washington para estudiar pintura de retratos, y se encontró rodeada de biombos que la separaban de los otros estudiantes. En respuesta a sus quejas, se le informó que esa era la única forma en que podía permanecer en clase. Tuvo una experiencia similar en el Conservatorio de Música de Nueva Inglaterra en Boston, donde quería continuar sus estudios de piano, pero se le pidió que se fuera después de que todos los estudiantes de los estados del sur amenazaron con dejar la escuela si se quedaba. Estas experiencias despertaron su espíritu y su lucha.

Barrier Williams fundó The National League of Colored Women en 1893 y su afiliada The National Association of Colored Women , (NACW) en 1896. Estas organizaciones proporcionaron jardín de niños, reuniones de madres, clases de costura, guarderías, oficinas de empleo y cajas de ahorros; para mujeres que no hubiesen tenido acceso a ellos en otros lugares. Del mismo modo, cuando se dio cuenta de la falta de médicos y enfermeras afroamericanas en los hospitales, ayudó a crear el Provident Hospital en 1891, un centro médico interracial que incluía una escuela de capacitación para enfermeras que admitían mujeres afroamericanas. También jugó un papel decisivo en la creación del Frederick Douglass Center en 1905, una casa de asentamiento y el Phillis Wheatley Home for Girls. Este último se convirtió en parte de un movimiento nacional, y el hospital y la casa de asentamiento todavía sirven a la comunidad de Chicago hoy en día. También fue la primera afroamericana y la primera mujer en The Chicago Library Board.

En uno de sus mejores discursos, The Intellectual Progress of the Colored Women of the United States Since the Emancipation Proclamation, Barrier Williams cuestionó la noción de que la esclavitud había hecho que las mujeres afroamericanas fueran incapaces de los mismos niveles morales e intelectuales que otras mujeres y pidió a todas las mujeres que se unieran para reclamar sus derechos inalienables.

La contribución de Barrier Williams a la causa del sufragio femenino fue reconocida cuando, en 1907, fue la única afroamericana seleccionada para ensalzar a Susan B. Anthony en la National American Women Suffrage Association Convention. En 1909 ayudó a W.E.B. DuBois a fundar la National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) en 1909, continuó apoyando los derechos de las mujeres, hasta su muerte el 4 de marzo de 1944, en su ciudad natal de Brockport, Nueva York.

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Employee Engagement—Mission Critical in 2022

Employee Engagement—Mission Critical in 2022

January 31, 2022

In studying market trends for 2022 it is clear that re-energizing employees is mission critical.
The most successful organizations will find ways to reconnect and retain employees in a tight labor market. According to Matt Silver, Senior Partner Integrated Communications at ICF, “Distanced physically and emotionally, employees are craving belonging—to colleagues, the company, and a unified purpose. Organizations have the opportunity to create more meaningful and personalized experiences for their people and to invest in skill development and career growth. Now is also the time to enable workers to live your company purpose, not just talk about it.”

Critical to success in this effort is ensuring that all company leaders are trained so that the philosophy of well-being comes to life in new ways of working. One of the most common mistakes that leaders make is to approach engagement as a sporadic exercise in making their employees feel happy. Employees need ongoing purpose and development to achieve more optimal productivity.

IT’S YOUR EMPLOYEES WHO CREATE ALL THE ECONOMIC VALUE FOR YOUR ENTERPRISE. YOU NEED, THEREFORE, TO STAGE A REMARKABLE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE.

—B. JOSEPH PINE II, INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED CO-AUTHOR OF "THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY: COMPETING FOR CUSTOMER TIME, ATTENTION, AND MONEY."

Employees need to feel they are continuously developing in their work and overall lives. As work and life are now more blended than ever, it is critical that organizations address and manage employee engagement along with the five elements of well-being—career, social, financial, physical and community—to reduce the odds of burnout, stress, worry, anxiety and depression. Even engaged employees who are not thriving in these five elements have a higher risk of burnout.

Organizations can improve the overall lives of their managers and employees with the right conversations and taking the right steps which include:

Focus groups between staff and executives—even if via Zoom—are important efforts that let your staff know they matter. During these focus group sessions, it is important to let staff know that they are doing a great job, that the future of the company looks bright and that it is their efforts that are driving that bright future. Ensure that staff have time to ask questions—to better understand the direction and purpose of the organization.

Staff surveys are also an important vehicle for letting staff know that what they have to say matters. Ensure that the questions are structured in such that the answers can be transferred into action, e.g. name three things that the company can do to enhance your engagement with our mission. I would also ask the converse: What are three things you are doing to stay actively engaged in our mission? This way the responsibility for engagement is communicated as a two-way street. Further, act on survey results. Research tells us that when organizations act on survey results, employees are 1.9 times more likely to be engaged. If you’re not using a survey that provides a framework for taking action, now is the time to switch.

Ensure that your professional development opportunities include components around work-life balance, managing the ongoing expectation of working from home, staying connected from a distance and more. People working from home are looking for ways to stay close to their team, and they need opportunities to generate ideas and work intentionally toward this common goal.

Make it a regular point to ask leaders what they are doing to keep their team engaged. Company leaders need to be a driver of employee engagement. It is essential that managers effectively interact with and develop each team member over time.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

 

31 de enero de 2022
Employee Engagement: Misión Crítica en 2022

Al estudiar las tendencias del mercado para 2022, está claro que revitalizar a los empleados es una misión crítica.

Las organizaciones más exitosas encontrarán formas de reconectarse y retener a los empleados en un mercado laboral ceñido. De acuerdo con Matt Silver, Senior Partner Integrated Communications de ICF, “Distanciados física y emocionalmente, los empleados anhelan ser una parte de los colegas, de la empresa y de un propósito unificado. Las organizaciones tienen la oportunidad de crear experiencias más profundas y personalizadas para su personal e invertir en el desarrollo de capacidades y de crecimiento profesional. Ahora también es el momento de permitir que los trabajadores vivan el propósito de su empresa y no solo hablen de ella”.

Fundamental para el éxito en este esfuerzo es garantizar que todos los líderes de la empresa estén capacitados para que la filosofía del bienestar común cobre vida en nuevas formas de trabajar. Uno de los errores más comunes que cometen los líderes, es abordar el deber como un ejercicio esporádico para hacer que sus empleados se sientan felices. Los empleados necesitan un propósito y una capacitación continua para lograr una productividad más óptima.

"SON TUS EMPLEADOS LOS QUE CREAN TODO EL VALOR ECONÓMICO PARA TU EMPRESA. POR LO TANTO, ES NECESARIO ORGANIZAR UNA EXPERIENCIA EXTRAORDINARIA PARA LOS EMPLEADOS".

—B. JOSEPH PINE II, COAUTOR INTERNACIONALMENTE ACLAMADO POR; LA ECONOMÍA DE LA EXPERIENCIA: COMPETIR POR EL TIEMPO, LA ATENCIÓN Y EL DINERO DEL CLIENTE. "

Los empleados necesitan sentir que están en continuo desarrollo tanto en en su trabajo como en su vida en general. A medida que el trabajo y la vida están ahora combinándose más que nunca, es fundamental que las organizaciones aborden y gestionen el compromiso de los empleados junto con los cinco elementos del bienestar común como: profesional, social, financiero, físico y comunitario; para reducir las probabilidades de agotamiento, estrés, preocupación, ansiedad y depresión. Aún los empleados comprometidos que no están prosperando en estos cinco elementos, tienen un mayor riesgo de agotamiento.

Las organizaciones pueden mejorar completamente tanto la vida de sus gerentes como la de sus empleados, con las conversaciones adecuadas y tomando las medidas correctas que incluyan:

Grupos de Sondeo entre el personal y los ejecutivos; incluso si es a través de Zoom, son esfuerzos importantes que le permiten a tu personal saber que valen la penan. Durante estas sesiones de grupos de sondeo, es importante que el personal sepa que están haciendo un gran trabajo, que el futuro de la empresa se ve brillante y que son sus esfuerzos los que están impulsando ese futuro brillante. Asegúrate de que el personal tenga tiempo para hacer preguntas, para comprender mejor la dirección y el propósito de la organización.

Encuestas del Personal también son un vehículo importante para que el personal sepa que lo que tienen que decir importa. Asegúrate de que las preguntas estén estructuradas de tal manera que las respuestas puedan transferirse a la acción, por ejemplo, menciona: tres cosas que la empresa puede hacer para mejorar su compromiso con nuestra misión. También preguntaría lo contrario: ¿Cuáles son las tres cosas que estás haciendo para mantenerte activamente involucrado/a en nuestra misión? De esta manera, la responsabilidad del compromiso se comunica como una calle dedoble sentido. Además, Comprométete con los resultados de la encuesta. La investigación nos dice que cuando las organizaciones actúan sobre los resultados de la encuesta; los empleados tienen 1.9 veces más probabilidades de estar comprometidos. Si no estás utilizando una encuesta que proporcione un marco para tomar medidas, ahora es el momento de cambiarla.

Asegúrate de que tus oportunidades de desarrollo profesional incluyan componentes relacionados con el equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida, la gestión de la expectación continua de trabajar desde casa, mantenerse conectado desde lejos y más. Las personas que trabajan desde casa están buscando formas de mantenerse cerca de su equipo, y necesitan oportunidades para generar ideas y trabajar deliberadamente hacia este objetivo común.

Haz que sea un objetivo regular preguntar a los líderes qué están haciendo para mantener a su equipo comprometido. Los líderes de la empresa deben ser un impulsor del compromiso de los empleados. Es esencial que los gerentes interactúen y capaciten de manera efectiva a cada miembro del equipo a lo largo del tiempo.

Como siempre, espero tus comentarios.

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