Ghana January 2014: Learning and exploring with colleagues and students in Effiduase

effiduasiToday we spent the morning at Effiduase School, a unit school in which Belinda works. TC has been working with Belinda, a teacher of students with disabilities, for the past 7 years. Her class was comprised of 45 students ranging from age 3 to 22, all with a range of disabilities. We were all beaming as we walked into Belinda’s classroom. All of the supplies that TC has donated over the years were seen throughout the classroom and were being utilized! The opportunity that we were given to co-teach with Belinda was an invigorating experience–the students remained engaged throughout the lessons, and were excited to learn. We were all in awe of Belinda’s expertise as a teacher.

We also went to the local market with the students. There, they showed us how they use their AAC market cards to buy goods. It was amazing to see the market women recognize and engage with the students in an extremely friendly manner.

After we left Effiduase, we added to our cultural experience by watching traditional kente cloth weaving, natural ink extraction, and wood carving. We also stumbled a upon a traditional Muslim funeral which we couldn’t pass up. Funerals in Ghana tend to be a large celebration open to the public, and an all day event! We were warmly welcomed and included, and we were even asked to dance a traditional Ashanti dance in front of the everyone there.

Later in the evening, Belinda came and spoke to our class about the challenges she has faced while pursuing a career in special education in Ghana, and the process of starting a unit school in this community. Belinda’s dedication to her students and to the field of special education has improved the the lives of many despite the prevalent cultural taboos that still exist in Ghana.

Thanks to Katie Mosher for the post.

Ghana January 2014: Sunyani Professional Development Retreat part III

PD3Today was the third and final day of our 3-day Professional Development Retreat. All teachers who attended the retreat received a certificate and a bag of materials/supplies donated by us TC students and our friends and families. From the teacher surveys, we were all excited to find that most teachers found all of our talks and activities over the weekend to be tremendously helpful and beneficial to their students! Many teachers were eager to make AAC market cards, name tags for students, communication passports, and community request cards, and all were even more eager to implement the materials in the classrooms. We were truly grateful to have had this wonderful learning and sharing experience with the brilliant teachers who care so deeply for their students.

 

After the retreat ended, we were invited by a Sunyani unit school teacher to visit two of his students and their families. Both students and their families had tremendous stories to share about the skills acquired at the unit school. The parents explained how both students experienced substantial growth; one father proudly told us about how his son can now independently perform activities of daily living and small errands.

 

Tomorrow morning we embark on a journey back to Accra, where we will be working with speech language pathologists and doctors at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in assessment and treatment of children and adults with speech and language difficulties.

Ghana January 2014: Sunyani Professional Development Retreat part II

Ghana PDAs our Professional Development weekend continued, we later presented on various strategies such as how to incorporate the use of a daily schedule and calendar within the morning routine in the classroom. It was awesome to hear how teachers have been using these in their classrooms. Some added physical movements to their “Days of the Week” song and displayed their own hand drawn daily schedules!

“Make and Take” allowed us to work directly with the teachers in creating the actual approaches for them to take back to their classrooms. We worked side by side in brainstorming ideas and bringing them to life. We made sure all of our materials would be replicable and sustainable in Ghana. Each teacher also went home with an “AAC Approaches Booklet” that highlighted every approach to be covered throughout the weekend to reference once they leave.

Before dinner and the evening program, a few of us and one of the clinical supervisors completed an assessment and provided strategies for one of the teachers who stammered (stuttered). Earlier in the day, he asked a question during the presentation of “What is Speech Therapy” about treatment for those who stammer because he has had dysfluent speech since he was a child. We asked him assessment questions and developed strategies based on his responses. He started using these strategies and experienced more fluent and clearer speech almost immediately. In less than 30 minutes we had helped someone who had negative feelings about his speech. The smile on his face was unforgettable.

The evening program included African drumming and dancing by a local, professional troupe. The audience was encouraged to join in. We ended the night with students, teachers, professionals all on our feet. What a great way to end such an inspiring weekend!

Thanks to El’licia Price for the post

Ghana January 2014: A New Year, New People, New Experiences

unit schoolAfter the 10 hour transatlantic flight and a 4 hour bus ride, we have arrived! Our first days in Ghana have already been filled with learning and a range of cultural experiences. We rang in the New Year in a country new to most of our group by attending a local church service where Dr. Crowley spoke about the purpose of our trip and our work. We also got to unexpectedly share in the celebration of a young man’s completion of his apprenticeship by participating with his family and friends in pouring baby powder on him, and joining in a drum and dance circle on the beach that we drove past.

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Ghana January 2014: Insights through Collaborations: Sunyani Professional Development Retreat part I

PD GhanaEn route to Sunyani for our Professional Development Retreat weekend, we made a few stops and learned some more about Ghanaian culture and history. First we stopped to see some coffins on the side of the road. Sounds bizarre right?! Well not in Ghana! In Ghana, funerals are a celebration and the coffins reflect that! For example, if a man spends his life as a priest he may be buried in a coffin that is shaped as a bible, or if he spends his life as a farmer he may be buried in a coffin that looks like a piece of corn. We were able to see a few examples of such coffins and it really was a cool insight into the Ghanaian culture. Then we stopped at Ancestral River Park which is where the slaves took their last bath before they were moved to the slave forts and then later sold. It was so moving to see this place that has now become a museum.

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Ghana 2013: Inspired by the Unit School Community

unit school dayToday we visited our first Unit School. It is at the Effiduasi Methodist School where Belinda Bukari, with whom Dr. Crowley has been working for six years, teaches students with intellectual disabilities and autism. Through her hard work in establishing educational services for children with intellectual disabilities in Ghana, Belinda has helped to reduce the social stigma against people with disabilities. Dr. Crowley has supported this effort by providing classroom supplies and professional development sessions. We were all excited to see the school grounds for the first time, which we had seen before only in pictures and videos.

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Ghana Winter 2013: Narrative Stories

This video tutorial offers instructions and examples of how to create personal stories to address specific behaviors that may negatively affect a person’s social interactions. This video is part of a professional development retreat held at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa. The Ghana Ministry of Education Division of Special Education’s “Unit Schools” are 2 to 3 classrooms for students with intellectual disabilities and autism within a general education school. There are currently 25 Unit Schools throughout Ghana with approximately 1,200 students. Lindsay Milgram, CCC-SLP, introduced these narrative stories, which are adapted from Carol Grey’s Social Stories, to 70 “Unit School” teachers of students with intellectual disabilities and autism and teachers of students in general education. Read More