Fanlight Productions is a leading distributor of the most recognized high quality video and DVD resources on the social issues of our time, with a special focus on:

• healthcare
• mental health
• professional ethics
• aging and gerontology
• disabilities
• the workplace
• gender and family issues

Founded over 30 years ago, Fanlight’s goal is to make available a select collection of educational programs which are emotionally and intellectually engaging in their approach and accurate and up-to-date in their content. Fanlight’s videos and DVDs present contemporary perspectives on the issues of concern and challenges faced by our audiences.

The Fanlight Productions Collection includes videos and DVDs that have been honored by organizations as different as the Academy Awards to the Health & Science Communications Association, and from the DuPont-Columbia Journalism Award, to the Assocication on University Centers on Disabilities.

To view the entire Fanlight collection visit www.Fanlight.com.

This most recent autism study serves as a follow-up to a 2005 investigation by researchers at the University of North Carolina.  Utilizing magnetic resonance imaging technology, researchers analyzed the brain shape and size of just under 100 children as they grew from 2 to 5 years in age.  Of the children observed, 58 had autism and 38 did not.  Children with autism exhibited enlarged brains through age 5, while those without the condition did not.

Following the study at the University of North Carolina, studies now indicate that children may develop autism at about 12 months old.  This assertion is based in part on the similar social abilities that both children with and without the condition exhibit around the age of 6 months.  It is not until about 12 months that children begin to show signs of autistic social behavior, such as deficits in interaction and communication.

It is hoped that more will be learned about autism as researchers begin to hone-in on the exact moments when the condition begins to develop in children.  Pinpointing this transition may potentially indicate specific physiological changes that contribute to the development of the condition, which in turn could lead to prevention.  While the condition remains illusive, one thing is clear:  technology is here to help.

Autism Resources

Autism resources and learning devices are undoubtedly one area that stands to gain from ongoing research.  Parents typically rely on a variety of autistic help videos to facilitate engagement and education, signaling to the increased role technology plays in fostering relationships amongst family members and those with disabilities.  Program Development Associates features a variety of these highly effective resources, including:

A Mother’s Courage:  Talking Back to Autism

Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet narrates this film, following a mother’s journey to unlocking the mind of her autistic son.  Directed by Oscar nominee Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Talking Back to Autism tracks mother, Margret, as she encounters other families struggling with autism, confides in leading experts and advocates, and discovers innovative new therapies to overcome the condition and embrace life with her son.  Available in Closed Captioning.

All About Autism DVD Set

This comprehensive DVD Set includes hours of interviews with leading researchers, doctors, and authors.  DVDs include Asperger Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Autism Times Two, and Straight Talk About Autism.  Made with the professional in mind, this comprehensive collection of resources is a cost effective training tool that covers a multitude of autism and Asperger spectrum disorder issues.

A Place in the World

This DVD resource confronts an obvious fact that may be underprepared for in America:  Children with autism grow into adults with autism.  Explore the world of Paul and Jamie, two adults with autism who enjoy the support of parents, life coaches, and other advocates.  Available in Closed Captioning, A Place in the World illustrates the importance of support systems in the lives of autistic individuals, from child- to adult-hood.

*Facts and figures for this article have been derived from the Wall Street Journal article, “Link in Autism, Brain Size,” available at:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704436004576299371343861618.html

UDL Core Concepts

Specifically, UDL utilizes the following three core concepts to create a foundation for learning for those with disabilities:

1) Multiple means of representation:  Gives the learner several ways to acquire the knowledge presented.

2) Multiple means of expression:  Supplies the learner with alternatives to demonstrate what they have learned

3) Multiple means of engagement:  Challenges teachers to gauge the learner’s interests, challenge them according to those interests, and motivate them to succeed.

UDL in the Workplace

Universal Design for Learning recognizes that each individual may have a unique way of assimilating and committing information to memory.  This process is instrumental in creating knowledge, placing increased importance on the means in which information is presented to the learner.  For workplaces rich in diversity, UDL fundamentals represent an effective way to present job related educational materials to individuals who may have drastically different learning abilities.

Disability education programs must be built to train employees with a range of mental and physical abilities.  UDL can be applied to address this challenge in several ways.  To illustrate, consider that an organization may create a training program for both visual and non-visual learners.  In this example, non-visual learners represents both the visually impaired as well as those who have difficulty deducing information from illustrations.  This organization can utilize the multiple means of representation to accommodate the learner differences by:

1) Creating texts and manuals that detail the information,

2) Creating texts and manuals written in brail for the visually impaired, or

3) Creating illustrations, Power Point presentations, flow charts, and other diagrams to communicate the very same information to those who prefer visual learning cues.

Implementing UDL concepts in developing training programs is a proactive way to implement Disability education programs in the workplace.  UDL curricula are built with the special needs of a wide variety of employees in mind.  Whether employees are mentally of physically impaired, or simply prefer one learning medium over anther, UDL ensures each individual has the opportunity to learn challenging concepts in the most effective way possible.

About Universal Design

Universal Design is a method of planning that proactively creates structures, products, and atmospheres that are equally accessible to those with disability as they are to those without.  As individuals live longer, research and trends indicate a corresponding increase in disability prevalence.  Interest for Universal Design has thus grown as well, with businesses and consumers alike searching for ways to create inclusive environments.

Universal Design and Language

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what kind of price tag may a business place on a single disrespectful comment?  More than ever, businesses are in touch with communities of consumers both locally and often worldwide.  Information technology, in particular, unites consumers and makes reputation management a daunting task.  A single disrespectful, disingenuous, or callous comment has the power to produce an incident that may destroy an organization’s good will overnight.

Sensitivity training is one area to which businesses may look to insulate themselves from potential downfall.  This type of training teaches employees to recognize disability as the positive societal element it is, rather than a setback.  In doing so, employees learn to identify the stigmas or prejudices they hold, counter them, and engage in etiquette means of communication with those with disability.  Program Development Associates recommends the Principles and Practices:  Universal Language DVD for business professionals looking to design disability etiquette programs with Universal Design principles in mind.

Proactive disability training with Universal Design concepts helps organizations prepare everything from buildings to customer service agents for interaction with a diversity of individuals.  Proactive training carries with it disability education and awareness, two elements that pay added dividends to organizations looking to diversify their workplace.  With the rate of disability climbing, it is hard to escape the notion that the modern workplace and ongoing disability education are a match made for long term success.

(i)  http://www.allbusiness.com/labor-employment/workplace-health-safety-occupational/14267330-1.html

Unemployment Explanations:  Worker Insecurity, and Disability Employer Fear

One explanation for the correlation between disability unemployment and tough economic times is worker insecurity.  Workers with disability voluntarily leave the workplace when the economy begins to turn, seeking to replace their unstable work environment for the certainty of Federal programs that provide unemployment benefits.

Another explanation links the correlation among increased disability unemployment and a “recession economy” with employer fear.  Organization leaders know that tough economies require efficient and productive business operations.  Fearing insolvency, disability employers must move to cut costs while improving efficiencies across all departments.  Downsizing seems inevitable, and employees with disabilities are among the first to be perceived as inefficient and expendable.  In fact, research suggests that when recession strikes, employees with disabilities “may be the first to be laid off in a recession and the last to be hired when conditions improve” (ii).  Deep, often unconscious prejudices about workers with disabilities may label the individuals as unproductive, fragile, or inferior, and thus subject them to unfair scrutiny or dismissal.

Increasing Worker Retention with Disability Education

Organizations must strive to increase efficiency, especially in stagnant or declining economies.  Human capital must be retained, as it is the main driver towards production, innovation, and longevity.  Diverse workplaces must recognize all workers as drivers towards recovery rather than superfluous costs, regardless of their physical or mental ability.

Disability education can help to build a culture where this ideal is held in high regard.  By exposing employees to disability products that spread awareness, employers are able to accomplish two goals.  First, they build an environment where workers with disability may feel comfortable, and thus less likely to leave.  Second, disability training products build unity among all levels of an organization.  This unity drives efficiency and productivity, two elements critical to surviving a down turned economy.

(i) Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2000 (Social Security Administration, 2001); Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2009 (Social Security Administration, 2010).

(ii) Douglas Kruse and Lisa Schur, “Employment of People with Disabilities Following the ADA,” Industrial Relations, 2003, p. 31.

Choosing a career path cannot occur until an individual takes a personal inventory of goals, abilities, and values.  Once this personal assessment is conducted, the individual can begin to pursue areas of study and work that are congruent with their personal values and needs.  Caregivers can help with this process, guiding the individual through exercises and other structured programs that help to externalize their intrinsic values.

Disability advocates and other caregivers may utilize a disability product to help with this process.  The Career Evaluation DVD, for example, guides participants in uncovering their skill sets, lifestyle preferences, and intrinsic values.  The resource then moves participants to consider these characteristics in the context of potential work environments.  Individuals with disability who use a resource like The Career Evaluation DVD begin their employment search with a solid foundation, having assessed their own values thoroughly.

Career Management continues with properly navigating employment opportunities to find a work environment most conducive to an individual’s values and skills.  Disability products like the Beyond Barriers to Passion and Possibility DVD are instrumental in helping individuals with disability navigate these waters.  The resource helps those with disability cultivate an I-centric attitude; viewers learn to ask what they can do for a particular organization, instead of thinking of how an organization may accompany their desire for employment.  The result is a self actualized individual who may better sift through employment opportunities to find a work environment in which they can thrive.

Program Development Associates offers many resources to help individuals with disability gain employment that is suitable, meaningful, and fulfilling.  The Career Management Store has many resources to aid in education, skill assessment, and employment search.  Many other disability products are also available for disability advocates, disability employers, and business professionals who wish to take an active role in the assessment and employment of those with disability.

Show Appreciation for Caregivers

The easiest way to participate in National Family Caregivers Month is to simply show appreciation for the caregivers in your community.  You may find community caregivers in many places, including hospitals, retirement communities, and even through social networking sites on the Web.  You may wish to enrich the lives of these individuals with caregiver training resources that will help them to serve other persons with disability within the community.

Caregiver Support Through Advocacy

An advocate is someone who represents another person or group of people.  Typically, advocates are in a position to positively influence the position of the people whom they advocate.  Disability Advocates, for example, are licensed individuals who help other individuals with disability obtain financial benefits, find work, and help with other aspects of life.  Program Development Associates offers products to help individuals progress through advocacy training.  Here, however, we are using advocate in a more generic way.

This November, you may wish to become an advocate by helping family caregivers.  Organizing information sessions, spreading caregiver awareness online, and raising funds to donate to other philanthropic organizations are great ways to mobilize local communities.

Lobby for Change

Approaching policymakers is a powerful means of incurring change.  Unfortunately, it is often seen as the most dismal.  Stay positive!  Rallying a group of individuals in person or online to contact community leaders is a superb way to engage policymakers and inquire about the development of caregiver support programs and other initiatives.

Join Program Development Associates in celebrating National Family Caregiver month by following us on Twitter.  We will continually provide caregiver program information, news, and suggestions on how to stay involved.  You may find stories and updates on the Disability Training Facebook Page as well.

There are many ways to transition into a skilled career as a young person.  Apprenticeships, work-based learning programs, and associate’s degrees are just three ways to pursue opportunities for employment.  These paths are each explored in the Succeeding Without College DVD resource from Program Development Associates.  This indispensable resource helps viewers consider the abundant alternatives to college and decide which option is best.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are an excellent way to link employers with individuals who are ready to dive into the workplace.  The Internet has become a valuable resource for employers to post apprenticeship opportunities, and for young people to find apprenticeship opportunities in their field of interest.

Work-Based Learning

Work based learning takes a hybrid approach to education, combining traditional the traditional learning environment with hands on work experience.  This provides the ideal environment for individuals to showcase their abilities, as well as to learn firsthand whether or not a particular work environment is aligned with their personal values and abilities.

Associate’s Degree

The Associate’s Degree is perfect for the individual who does not want to pursue a four year undergraduate college degree but nonetheless has a particular field that they wish to study.  Moreover, individuals who choose this path will be well positioned to transition to a college to attain an undergraduate degree if they so choose.

Making the change from teenager to young adult is difficult, and choosing the correct opportunity is critical.  The Succeeding Without College DVD is an essential resource for young adults who are considering alternatives to a college education.  This resource explores various skilled career options, highlighting skills and essential qualities for success along the way.

Products for Caregivers

In our previous article, we discussed the challenges those with disabilities face in finding employment that is both congruent with ability and provides a high level of satisfaction.  As a follow up, PDA is excited to share the discounted resources now available to caregivers and those with disabilities who need assistance finding employment.  The Barriers to Employment Special is a two piece bundle that will help individuals identify the personal obstacles, formulate strategies to overcome them, and plan for career advancement.

Barriers to Employment Success DVD

The first disability product in this bundle, the Barriers to Employment Success DVD, helps those with disabilities identify specific obstacles that need addressing.  From lacking a professional resume to inadequate job experience, this DVD teaches viewers to rise above their problems by recognizing that they are not excuses.  Rather, they are simply problems with solutions.  Using five different categories of obstacles to frame such pissues, this disability education product helps those with disabilities develop the right attitude and resources to analyze their options and form an actionable plan to gaining employment.

Barriers to Success Inventory

Solving a problem is rarely the most difficult part of moving forward.  Rather, it is identifying the problem to be solved that is most difficult.  The Barriers to Success Inventory is one of the most intuitive and effective tool for persons with disabilities to implement in identifying hurdles to fulfilling employment.

Spanning several distinct dimensions of lifestyle, this disability resource uses 50 basic questions to uncover the most difficult challenges beset upon the individual being surveyed.  Once these challenges are identified, the Inventory helps the individual develop an actionable plan for overcoming the challenges while pursuing employment and career opportunities.

The Barriers to Success DVD and Inventory are superb complements and valuable tools to accompany persons with disabilities and their caregivers in seeking employment.  Both are available through this Program Development Associates Employment Special along with other resources listed under the Specials or Clearance section of the PDA website.

Overcoming Communication Barriers with Disability Education

One way to adopt high standards for both quality and production is to departmentalize operations.  This is not a new concept; many companies have production departments that are separate and distinct from customer service departments.  However, fragmented departments must be able to communicate effectively in order maintain overall operational efficiency.  For disability employers, this issue takes on added difficulty because peer-to-peer communication is framed in an inclusive workplace with many challenges that must be met and overcome.

Employees of all ability levels must have a sense of disability awareness and advocacy in order to communicate effectively and maintain a streamlined flow of information.  Employers who utilize disability education resources can help employees cultivate the skills necessary to work inclusively.  The skills needed to work in inclusive environments are not attained overnight; ongoing disability education seminars are vital in bringing together and uniting employees of all ability levels.

Goal:  Autonomy Through Disability Education

Disability education programs do more than build awareness and cohesion, however.  For disability employers, ongoing education and awareness initiatives help to build a sense of autonomy in workers with disabilities.  Studies are increasingly relating worker autonomy with increased job satisfaction, which in turn increases productivity.

Further, autonomy among individuals within separate departments drives quality production by facilitating worker communication and information flow.  Managers are turning to programs and strategic orientations that increase worker autonomy for this very reason.  For disability employers, the issue of developing worker autonomy is not so easily addressed.  Internal disability awareness and education programs are instrumental, however they are just a starting point.  Persons with disabilities often need supplementary disability products to aid in developing professional skills like autonomy and efficacy.

Program Development Associates offers a new product this month to help persons with disabilities cultivate these essential workplace skills:  The Discovering Your Personal Power Curriculum.  This guide helps those with developmental disabilities learn of their individual, inherent, personal power.  With 30 full-scale activities on a CD-Rom that can be reproduced for use among several individuals, the Discovering Your Personal Power Curriculum represents an essential tool for disability employers looks to build worker autonomy.

Disability History

The first DVD of this resource bundle, A Little History Worth Knowing, provides a background in disability stereotypes spanning from early medical dilemmas to current day assistive technology breakthroughs. This DVD uses a multitude of resources, including the diaries of real individuals with disabilities, to follow the development of disability awareness through the past century.

Willowbrook: Lessons for Today

The Unforgotten: 25 Years After Willowbrook DVD provides the quintessential follow-up for this disability resource bundle. This award-winning expose was shot in 1972 by Geraldo Rivera and is widely considered a major catalyst for the widespread reform in the treatment of people with disabilities. The hour long DVD, available in Closed Captioned format, also includes a 30 minute Geraldo Rivera bonus feature that will give viewers insight toward the making of the documentary. Above all, the critically acclaimed film is a valuable tool for disability employment professionals because it shows viewers of the horrific shortcomings of the Willowbrook State School, teaches them of the inequities of such treatment, and provides impetus for ongoing disability awareness training.

Additional disability training resources may be viewed through the Program Development Associates product catalog, which may be downloaded for free on the Disabilitytraining.com.

Disability Employment Evaluation

Identifying the interests and abilities of an individual is crucial in determining the field of employment to pursue.  The Career Evaluation DVD has been a popular disability product; this resource is available in Closed Captioned format and helps individuals relate occupational tasks and work environments to their own unique values.  Education level, skill set, personal values, and lifestyle are all explored in the context of employment opportunities to mesh the attributes of an individual with an ideal area of work.

Disability Job Advancement

Many persons with disabilities are currently employed and may be happy with the environments in which they work.  Still, these individuals may need assistance in evaluating how to progress as a professional in their field.  The Career Advancement Strategies and Tools textbook will serve as a guide for these individuals to better identify their desires and to construct actionable steps towards achieving employment that is more satisfying.

Whether employed or seeking employment, career management is a necessary element for persons with disabilities, caregivers, and advocates to consider when seeking and evaluating career opportunities.  Active career management can not only help with disability employment, but it can also aid in job retention.  As studies like the Unnecessary Boundaries report produced by TeleWork Exchange indicate, it is the lack of disability job retention that has driven unemployment to such high levels in recent years.

Helping an individual with a disability to identify their passion, choose a part time job, or even manage a career change can be a true challenge.  However, the Beyond Barriers to Passion and Possibility DVD and CD-Rom resource provides individuals with the guidance needed for sifting through employment options.

For twenty years, Denise Bissonette has been a leading developer of curricula designed to help individuals find their passion, identify the ways in which they prefer to work, and explore employment options in the real world.

Ms. Bissonette utilizes her field expertise to present viewers with key inquiries, questions or frames to use when considering real world employment scenarios.  Her course slowly shifts viewers from a they-centric thought process to an I-centric thought process.  Viewers will shed thoughts of what can they offer me? and replace them with self-actualizing thoughts of what can I offer them? Through the 2 hours of this in-depth training resource, viewers begin to cultivate a renewing sense of efficacy.  Once cultivated, this stance helps viewers frame real questions about job opportunities, duties, and the potential for professional development.

Individuals may use the disability employment resource as an entire 2 hour training course, or they may break it down into more easily comprehended mini-courses.  Employment professionals will find the training course ideal for facilitating group discussion as well, providing an enthralling and interactive learning environment for any disability training program.

Community Support for People with Disabilities

Providing a supportive community is the best way to facilitate effective communication.  For those with disabilities, supportive environments add an element of inclusion that is critical for professional development.  In order to construct an inclusive environment, an organization must be prepared to identify with the special needs of each member, regardless of mental or physical ability.  Second, an organization must take strides to meet the special communications needs of each employee, once identified.

Augmentative Communication Strategies for Adults
PDA offers the Augmentative Communication Strategies for Adults book to give business professionals expert guidance in identifying a multitude of disorders and illnesses.  Each section provides current and rich information as well as proactive measures to take when communicating.  This guide also provides professionals with a CD-ROM of complementary tools to aid in assessing how much communicative support an individual needs.

Conversation Skills: On the Job and in the Community

The Conversation Skills book concentrates on illustrating the skill sets necessary for communicating with people with disabilities.  Particularly beneficial for employees, this book helps those with disabilities become integrated and valuable organization members.  Skill sets are built through brief 10 minute lessons, issued twice weekly over the course of 3 months.

Effective communication requires all parties involved to be aware that special communication needs may be necessary.  In a diverse workplace, this disability awareness must be taught through disability training resources including DVDs, text books, CD-ROMS, and other interactive mediums.  PDA has many disability training DVDs for business professionals to implement when issuing diversity training among employees.

Diversity in the Workforce and Stereotypes

Stereotypes affect both the person acting as well as the individual receiving.  The Diversity:  Face to Face D.V.D. helps employers and employees recognize signs of stereotyping with the goal of identifying and diffusing it before severe problems arise.

Finding Similarities

Next, the role of similarities in a group is explored.  The motivation to pin point differences among people is dispelled.  Instead, viewers are challenged to consider what common ground they share with one another.

Managing Workforce Diversity Through Unity

Next, the diversity D.V.D. uses similarities as a basis to cultivate a newfound sense of organizational unity.  Each member of the organization will be challenged to bond in a way that seeks a common goal and purpose.

Benefits of Diversity Training

This featured diversity product ends with an exploration of the benefits of diversity in the marketplace of today.  A talented pool of individuals with varying abilities has much to offer in our global and digital business world, and the Diversity D.V.D. surveys this idea through the eyes of workers in inclusive, diverse workplaces.

An instrumental part of training diversity is building courteous and respectful behavior among all members of an organization.  A richly varied group of individuals cannot function cooperatively without mutually respecting one another.  Program Development Associates’ diversity resources provide the perfect medium for employers and employees alike to learn more about the importance and benefits of working within a large and heterogeneous group.  This month P.D.A. offers the Diversity: Face to Face D.V.D. to help organizations recognize, embrace, and monetize their diversity.

First, an explanation of Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, will be presented.  Then, we will move to investigate how UDL techniques can help disability employers and other professionals design training materials for individuals with disabilities.

Universal Design for Learning was developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology to help teachers identify with the vastly differing special needs of students with disabilities.  UDL provides a blueprint for creating goals, methods, materials, and assessments that accommodate learner differences (i).  Utilizing recent neurological studies, CAST asserts that there are three dominant brain networks responsible for acquiring knowledge:  recognition networks, strategic networks, and affective networks (ii).  Each network has a different function, yet together they move an individual to gather, process, and learn concepts.  Moreover, CAST asserts that each of these networks function differently for each individual.  Thus, only by accounting for learner differences can teachers, and by the same token business professionals, assist persons with disabilities in acquiring knowledge.

Disability employers must embrace the concepts set forth by the UDL methodology in order to create a diverse workplace.  Specifically, disability training programs must employ the three core components of UDL:  multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement (iii).  In creating multiple means of representation, employers present information pertaining to individual work tasks in various formats.  For example, a disability employer may present a single piece of information through visual presentations, written manuals, aural recordings, flow charts, and other mediums to account for learner differences and increase the rate at which knowledge is ascertained.

Most importantly, the multiple means component of UDL provides an opportunity for the communication to be tailored for the individual receiving it.  To illustrate, consider that a trainee with a visual impairment can be issued an audio recording containing instructions specific to a single task.  Another trainee with a learning disability like dyslexia can receive instructions for the same task by way of a visual illustration with minimal written instructions.  In this way, each learning style is accommodated for, each disability is overcome, and the diversity of the workplace is maintained.

Simply investing in assistive technology falls short of effectively diversifying a work environment.  Disability employers must delve deeper and consider the degree of accessibility their business provides for persons with disabilities.  Evaluating accessibility requires identifying the ability of employees, areas of exceptional talent, individual learner differences, and unique support needs.  Disability and diversity training initiatives that harness the power of UDL have a significant advantage in making the workplace accessible.

(i) http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html”>http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html

(ii) see above

(iii) see above

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Freds_Roman_Holiday_DVD-pid956.html

Resource #: FSRD979W

Fred's Roman Holiday DVD

Fred’s Roman Holiday is the story of an elderly man who early in his life was labeled with a developmental disability.  His poignant return to Rome late in his life embodies the lost oppurtunities of a human being confined to a state facility. 

The film sequel to the multi-award-winning film Fred’s Story (1996), in which Alfredo Calabrese described living against his will for decades inside Mansfield Training School – then one of Connecticut’s institutions for people with mental retardation.  Fred shared the joy of the freedom of his new life once the institution had closed.

Opening scenes in Fred’s Roman Holiday reprise Fred’s Story to provide a context for Fred’s ordeal inside the institution.  But Fred’s friend, Gayle Kranz, knew that Fred had a dream that went beyond those in Fred’s Story.  She had met Fred at Mansfield Training School twenty years earlier and knew that Fred had always longed to go to Rome.  To Fred, Italy was a magical place.  Three years after the release of Fred’s Story she organized this trip.

On the way to Rome, the viewers meet Fred’s other traveling companions: Gayle’s niece, Neesham; Kathy, an academic in the field of inclusive education; and Fred’s close buddy and caretaker, Bob.  These people join Fred in quest to find the office of Benito Mussolini, the disgraced dictator who had become the focus of Fred’s mysterious, lifelong fascination.  Their collective search evolves into a profound exploration of what sustains a person’s strength through years of hardship, loss of identity, and institutional control.

When Fred last reveals the source of this ironic and misunderstood fascination, the viewer understands Fred’s attempts to cope with dashed dreams of romance and freedom.  Fred has touched the hand of history, and he would never forget how it felt and how special he knew he was, despite all the world has done to him.

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Communication_Skills_DVD-pid953.html

Resource #: HCCDC913W

VOLUME 6 OF THE COMMUNICATION SERIES

Communication Skills DVD

Communication is a process of creating shared understanding that includes speaking, listening, and non-verbal cues.

This program describes the importance of positive communication skills and teaches effective methods for creating clear, respectful exchanges.

When you train your home care staff in positive communication skills, it increases their ability to relate effectively and improves the quality of life for patient/client.

Topics covered include:
• Verbal and non-verbal communication
• Active listening
• Asking open-ended questions
• Clarification
• Pacing
• Obstacles to communication
• Communicating with someone who has hearing loss
• Uncomfortable conversations
• Honoring your client’s feelings
• Ageism: What is it? and How to avoid it
• Importance of professional appearance

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Autism_Aspergers_Syndrome_Addressing_Sensory_Issues_Brain_Function_Social_Skills_Job_Skills_Medications_And_More_DVD-pid500.html

Resource #: AASD099W

FORMERLY – WAY I SEE IT: A PERSONAL LOOK AT AUTISM & ASPERGER’S

Autism & Asperger's SyndromeDVD

Bring Dr. Temple Grandin into your home or classroom! She serves as inspiration and role model to hundreds of thousands of families and people with autism.

In this unique video, she eloquently and candidly describes the challenges she has faced and offers no-nonsense ideas on how others dealing with autism can meet these obstacles and improve the quality of their lives.

Backed by her personal experience and evidence-based research, Temple shares her valuable insights on a wide variety of topics, and offers useful do’s and don’ts.

Addresses:
• Sensory Sensitivities and Ways to Remedy Them
• Accommodating Neurological Differences
• Disability versus Just Bad Behaviors
• Alternative versus Conventional Medicine
• Employment Advice

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?American_Sign_Language_Clip_and_Create_CDROM-pid960.html

Resource # : ASLF939W

VERSION 5

American Sign Language Clip and Create 5 CD-ROM

New Features for Clip and Create 5 include:
• Over 5,555 sign pictures (more than 1,500 new signs)
• Sign-O pictures are larger
• Print the User’s Guide
• Access the categories from Custom Print section
• More categories of signs to choose from
• Print the pictures in grid and individual form directly from the dictionary

The Custom Printing section allows you to create various types of materials (e.g., single and double-fold cards, stationary, 2-5 page banners, labels). Once you have selected the type of material you want to make, you can import sign clipart from the dictionary, use shapes or draw freehand, add text, import other images, and of course, save, and/or print your creation. A layering feature allows you to decide which pictures to move to the front, and which to move to the back. Each of your creations can be saved within the program, or as a bitmap, to be used in other programs.

ASL Clip and Create 5 contains seven templates that can be customized by using any of the vocabulary in the dictionary. Make your vocabulary selections, and get instantaneous crossword puzzles, word searches, SIGN-O cards, fingerspelling scrambles, and ABC order worksheets. An Alternate Display button allows you to retain the same vocabulary but create different worksheets. All templates can be saved within the program or as bitmap files!

There are four games on this software too:

• Con-SIGN-tration requires the player to match a sign picture with its English word equivalent. There are nine categories of words and two levels of challenge. The game keeps score of clicks and matches, and entertains with an animation when the game is complete. Because it randomizes every time it is played, there is always a new challenge.

• Spell Well can be played on any of six categorical gameboards. Use the keyboard on the screen or your own to spell the English word equivalent of each sign picture that appears. Your game piece will follow the trail until you reach the end, when an animation appears.

• Match Madness is a vocabulary matching speed game. You have four gameboard choices. Once you have picked your gameboard, you can choose your level of challenge by deciding how many words will appear simultaneously (2-6). Click on the word that matches the sign picture that appears. To win, make 10 correct matches before the third item drops.

• Sort It Out! focuses on categorization skills. A menu appears that asks you to decide the number of categories into which you must sort pictures containing signs and words. After choosing your number of categories, a screen appears with that number of categories and the names of the categories. The

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Shouting_Wont_Grow_Dendrites_DVD-pid947.html

Resource #: SWGD929W

20 TECHNIQUES FOR MANAGING A BRAIN-COMPATIBLE CLASSROOM

Demonstrate how teachers can increase students’ academic achievement through proactive classroom management!

Shouting Won't Grow Dendrites DVD

Designed around the successful format of Marcia L. Tate’s best-selling book Shouting Won’t Grow Dendrites, this comprehensive multimedia presentation offers staff developers all the materials they need to help novice and experienced teachers reduce classroom problems and cultivate a physical environment conducive to learning. Workshop leaders will be able to demonstrate how teachers can significantly improve learners’ performance by developing a classroom management plan; delivering successful brain-compatible lessons; responding effectively to chronic behavior problems; and using easy-to-implement strategies such as:
• Constructive classroom conversations
• Classroom rituals
• Music and movement
• Lighting
• Humor

Featuring 20 practical and proven techniques, Shouting Won’t Grow Dendrites: A Multimedia Kit for Professional Development provides:
• The 140 page companion book, Shouting Won’t Grow Dendrites, covering the critical elements of managing a brain-compatible classroom
• A 70-minute, content-rich VHS video that features Marcia L. Tate discussing brain-friendly strategies and master teachers demonstrating research-based techniques in the classroom
• A companion DVD with navigation menus and bullets for easy stop-and-search control of the video content
• A step-by-step 72 page facilitator’s guide that connects the core content of the book to the video/DVD and includes segment prompts, workshop outlines, extended workshop activities, key points, and discussion questions

This all-in-one package is indispensable for staff developers, principals, and district administrators conducting training on brain-friendly classroom management practices to improve student outcomes.

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?More_Power_Instruction_in_Co_Taught_Classrooms_DVD-pid948.html

Resource #: MPID918W

More Power: Instruction in Co-Taught Classrooms DVD

More Power: Instruction in Co-Taught Classrooms, builds on the six co-teaching approaches Dr. Friend made famous in the Power of  Two DVD by presenting seven key dimensions of effective instructional practices across K-12 settings. This next generation of co-teaching empowers teachers and gives students a richer and deeper classroom experience. This DVD incorporating evidence-baced strategies, demonstrates how to get more power from your co-teaching to improve outcomes for all students. It includes a 27 page digital facilitator’s guide.

The seven dimensions shown are:
• Assessment & Planning (23:30)
• Content, Materials, & Technology (26:00)
• Instructional Environment (19:40)
• Instructional Presentation (19:00)
• Student Participation (15:30)
• Evaluation of Performance (19:10)
• Adult Interactions (18:10)

Bonus Section: Brief review of the 6 co-teaching approaches—the scaffolding on which this DVD is constructed.

Getting the Most From This DVD:  Each of the sections is designed to be viewed separately, and in any order. We encourage creative professional developers and others using this program to match co-teachers’ needs to appropriate video segments and draw on the digital facilitator’s guide to encourage discussion of the many ideas presented.

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Visual_Strategies_Workshop_DVD-pid933.html

Resource #: VSWD924W

A LIVE PRESENTATION OF LINDA HODGDON’S POPULAR AND INNOVATIVE WORKSHOP.

Visual Strategies Workshop DVD

The Visual Strategies Workshop is a 5-video set filmed at a live presentation of Linda Hodgdon’s popular and innovative workshop. It provides lots of information about how to use visual strategies and it is packed with samples and examples of visual strategies that have proven successful with students who experience Autism Spectrum Disorders and other moderate to severe communication or behavior challenges. The information in the Visual Strategies Workshop is pertinent for every educator or parent who provides support for these students.

Will teach you to:
• Identify significant factors in student learning and functioning style that affect communication
• Informally assess the student’s communication strengths and challenges
• Recognize specific situations where communication breakdowns can affect student understanding, behavior, and participation
• Create and use specific visual supports that have significantly improved student communication, behavior and participation.  

DVD 1: 35 minutes – Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders and Communication
DVD 2: 30 minutes – Informally Assessing Communication: Students, Partners, and Environments
DVD 3: 35 minutes – Samples & Examples of Visual Strategies
DVD 4: 34 minutes – More Samples & Examples of Visual Strategies, Visual Strategies at Home: Parent Interview
DVD 5: 25 minutes – How to Create Visual Tools, Potpourri of Commonly Asked Questions

Package includes a FREE CD with a collection of supplementary materials including:
• Reproducible handouts for each video program
• Discussion questions
• Test questions
• Plus lots of other support materials to help you receive maximum benefit from this training package
• Stored on a CD for easy duplication

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?ADHD_ADD_ODD_DVD-pid936.html

Resource #: AAOD999W

Part of Foster Parent College

ADHD, ADD & ODD DVD

Children with ADHD and related conditions are plagued by impulsiveness, lack of focus, and/or physical hyperactivity. These behaviors can make it difficult for children to succeed at home, at school, and in the community.

In this course, Dr. James Kagan offers insights and positive strategies for resource parents coping with kids diagnosed with ADHD, ADD or ODD. He discusses symptoms, diagnosis, medication, power struggles, keeping things positive and advocating for the kids.

http://www.disabilitytraining.com/product-info.php?Children_With_Autism_DVD-pid935.html

Resource #: CWAD999W

Part of Foster Parent College

Children With Autism DVD

The growing number of children diagnosed with autism increases the possbility that foster, kinship, and adoptive parents wil face this challenging disability.

Dr. Robert Nickel, Professor of Pediatrics and nationally respected authority on autism, offers insight into Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) based on his many years of experience as a developmental pediatrician.

This course examines the core deficits of autism: communication, social skills, and play. Also covered are develomental delay, Functional Behavior Assessment, Asperger syndrome, and medical issues commonly experienced by children with autism.