LD Leaders Summit - A Success!

Project Eye-To-Eye started 2010 off with a bang by organizing the LD Leaders Summit on January 15th in Providence, Rhode Island.The event, which was sponsored by Intel Corporation and the International Dyslexia Association, brought together 26 school heads and key administrators from independent, LD institutions across the country.

The purpose of the summit was to encourage increased dialogue between leaders in the LD community, starting with LD schools Leaders. LD Schools have been hubs for the cultivation of innovative ideas and models for best practices in terms of teaching children with learning disabilities for years. Jon Green, Director of the Hamilton School at Wheeler was one of the summit's key players said, "From the outset, it was my hope that this conference would be a catalyst, and that Intel and Project Eye-To-Eye would assist the independent schools to work on some common issues."

In addition to discussing common goals and visions of the future, summit attendees considered the role technology could have in helping them attain those goals. Ben Foss, Director of Access Technology in the Health Group at Intel - a sector which focuses on developing mobile computing systems for people with disabilities - presented the Intel Reader to attendees as a potential tool to help reach a future in which people are more independent and technology gives them increased access to education. The Intel Reader is a mobile handheld device that is designed to improve independence and productivity for people who have trouble reading standard print by converting print text to digital text, which it subsequently reads aloud.

David Flink, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Project Eye-To-Eye, considered the summit incredibly successful and an important alliance. "The Leaders Summit was a truly unique event where some of the top thinkers in the field of learning disabilities were able to convene and discuss where we are headed in pedagogy and practice. Having our friends from IDA and Intel collaborate a part of this event was extraordinary and demonstrated the power and potential of alliances for a common vision. We are excited to see where the momentum generated from this conference will lead."

A Tribute to Maureen Kenner,
Project Eye-To-Eye's First Faculty Coordinator

As a special education teacher, Maureen Kenner has dedicated the past thirty-one years of her life to helping children with learning disabilities.

After attending Rhode Island College and receiving her degree in Elementary and Special Education, Maureen went on to complete her masters in Elementary Administration at Providence College. Opportunities to differentiate instruction, personalize learning and meet the unique needs of children are what drew her to the field of Special Education, where she learned that in-the-classroom teaching, was the profession for her.

Having always been fascinated by the different ways children learn, Maureen was drawn to special education by the idea of individualized instruction, "being able to look at a child and help develop a plan to maximize their opportunities for success." Her dedication to seeing the assets that children with LD/ADHD possess and finding ways to help them channel those strengths are what made Maureen and Project Eye-To-Eye perfect for one another. That is why, in 1997, when she was approached with the idea of a mentoring program for her students, Maureen did not hesitate to sign on.

"It all started in room four of Fox Point Elementary School with people taking a chance on each other," says Maureen. She was drawn to Project Eye-To-Eye's classroom based mentoring because it gave her elementary students the chance to see themselves in the future, to learn and grow alongside someone who had been in their shoes. "It took an incredible amount of courage for those Brown students," Maureen reflects. "They put themselves on the line in revealing the pain and frustration that they had experienced during elementary school." But the elementary school students were not the only ones affected by the experiences revealed by those college mentors; Maureen's involvement in Project Eye-To-Eye gave her a unique perspective as a teacher.

Maureen has vivid memories of that first year and the stories revealed by the Brown students. She remembers being taken aside by one of them after she had shushed a student during an art room. "I'm afraid you're not going to be able to do that in here anymore," he said, as he told her how shameful it felt to be shushed every time he was unable to sit still in school. She remembers another mentor admitting that he had spent much of elementary school hiding in the bathroom in order to avoid reading aloud in his classes. "In some ways," Maureen reflects, "those college kids were looking to me to right some wrongs that they had experienced in their elementary career. It helped me become a better teacher."

Today, twelve years later, Maureen Kenner remains the faculty coordinator for the Brown chapter of Project Eye-To-Eye and is Project Eye-To-Eye's longest supporter.

"Our program started the day Maureen said she believed in the idea of what Project Eye-To-Eye represented," says Project Eye-To-Eye Executive Director and Co-Founder David Flink. "Not only did this act of belief demonstrate what is amazing about her as a teacher, but also reveals how a gesture of belief can have ripples. If not for Maureen Kenner's belief and guidance, we would not have expanded to help even more students years later."

Project Eye-To-Eye Supports Third Annual Denver Transition Training

Students with LD/ADHD and their parents are invited to attend the third annual Denver Parent Transition Training on Saturday, March 6th in Denver, CO. The event is catered to both parents and students, with information on opportunities that are available after high school along with resources to help them with the transition process.

The event will kick off with an opening keynote address given by Project Eye-To-Eye's Executive Director and Co-Founder, David Flink. Joining David will be this year's Project Eye-To-Eye Artist-in-Residence, Eric McGehearty, who will be speaking and presenting his artwork which reflects his experience as a person with dyslexia.

Workshops and lectures will run into the afternoon with topics ranging from "What Are My Rights after Graduation?" and "Employment Resources for Youth," to "Successful Communication" and "Getting Connected."

Nathaniel Ellison, an Academic Counselor at the University of Denver and one of the key planners for the event, hopes that students and parents will walk away with an "idea of what they are interested in along with the language that they will need to pursuit it."

Denver Parent Transition Training will take place from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm at the Tivoli Conference Center and is free to all. Participants are encouraged to register beforehand, for more information call (303) 636-5700.

EdRev 2010 is Around The Corner!

Every year, people of the LD community from across America make their way to San Francisco, California to attend Education Revolution (EdRev), the largest gathering of people with learning disabilities in the country.

Hosted by the Parents Education Network - a San Francisco based coalition of parents whose mission is to empower and bring academic success to students with learning disabilities - EdRev will offer an immense variety of education, support, and community building opportunities for students, parents, educators, and professionals. While EdRev 2009 drew a crowd of over 1,250 participants, it is expected that this year there will be more than 2,500.

The theme for EdRev 2010 is The LD Journey - From Self-Awareness to Successful Independence, highlighting the need for supportive services for children with LD/ADHD from early intervention through to the launch of their career.

The day will begin with talks from Project Eye-To-Eye Co-Founder Jonathan Mooney and Project Eye-To-Eye Advisory Board Member, Edward Hallowell, Director of The Hallowell Center and author of Driven to Distraction and Delivered from Distraction. Small elective workshops will follow these keynote addresses throughout the day, with topics ranging from "How to Get Accommodations on the SAT and ACT," to "The College Search Process for Students with Learning Disabilities and Attention Challenges."EdRev will also offer activities including Acrosports, interactive demonstrations for stage-combat sword techniques from the Bay Area Shakespeare Camp, Taekwondo with Navarrete's Black Belt Academy, and art rooms run by Marcus Soutra, the National Program Director for Project Eye-To-Eye.

"Those who attended EdRev 2009 uniformly reported it was literally transformative," describes Parent Education Network Board member, Julie Traun. "Students felt empowered, not ashamed. Parents learned how to support their child. Educators came away with real understanding and a significant number of new resources. A real and powerful sense of community was established. This is a hugely 'feel good' day for a significant population. Some call it 'The Burning Man event for the LD world.'"

EdRev 2010 is being held in the Giants' Stadium in San Francisco on Saturday, April 17th from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. For more information on EdRev 2010 and the Parents Education Network visit: www.parentseducationnetwork.org/EdRev.

Camp Vision 2010

Camp Vision works to improve the self-esteem of campers, ages 10-14, through a mentoring relationship with counselors who also have learning differences. Further, art empowerment and independent learning projects help campers gain self-advocacy skills and a sense of community that is imperative to success both in and outside of the classroom.

This year, Camp Vision will take place on the following dates:

July 12-16 in Geneva, New York
August 16-20 in Keene, New Hampshire

Registration is open now until July 1st on a first come first, first served basis. Scholarships are available. For more information please click here to visit the Camp Vision Website.

Why I Eye-To-Eye

I'm very thankful for Project Eye-To-Eye. I was the founding student coordinator of the University of California at Santa Barbara chapter. I'm not a very literal or straightforward communicator, so if you'll forgive me I'd like to explain myself using metaphor.

Pretend life is a community pool, complete with high-dive. Before Project Eye-To-Eye, I was that five-year-old kid that watches all of the other kids jump off the high dive, wondering what that experience would be like but too afraid to try for myself. The high dive looked fun, but wasn't as safe as using the steps to enter the pool. After all, I'm five year's old and I should be using the steps at my age, right?

Well, Project Eye-To-Eye was that big kid that sees me staring at the high dive and convinces me that jumping off the high dive is something that I can do. That first jump was really scary, but since that day I have mastered the dive, the back-flip, the front-flip, the gainer, the one-and-a-half, the jackknife, even the inward one-and-a-half. My style is a little funky and unique, but I'm pulling tricks with the best of them.

Jeff Slovak, Project Eye-To-Eye Associate Board Member

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- Winter 2010

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