Barton and Megan have been busy putting together a host of new events for 2012 giving you more opportunities to support you in discovering your independence! Some of these events include:

The Stories of Our Lives
OLLI (Bishop House) Duke, Durham
Mondays, January 9-April 2, 2012, 9:00am-10:30am

Each one of us has rich stories to tell, experiences that have changed and shaped who we are. Whether you want to write your memoirs, gather a collection of stories to pass down to children or grandchildren, or reflect on your past experiences, exploring the Stories of Our Lives will give you the space and framework to contemplate not only the experiences themselves, but to decide on what story to tell, how to tell it, and who should hear your stories.

In this workshop, participants will use discussion, writing prompts, and different methods of storytelling (writing, oral and tactile) to generate a selection of stories that fully represents the core of who they are.

To register, visit http://learnmore.duke.edu/olli/ or call 919-681-3476.

Word Play and Drawing at Marbles Family Fun Night
Thursday, January 19, 2012, 5:30-8:00pm
Marbles Kids Museum, 201 East Hargett Street, Raleigh

Barton and Megan Cutter will be joining the fun for Marbles Family Fun Night, an evening dedicated to unique opportunities for families with children with disabilities. Barton and Megan will feature “Word Play” with interactive magnetic poetry, drawing and storytelling games! To find out more, contact Marbles at 919-834-4040 or visit http://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/.

Poetry Out Loud District Competition
Wednesday, January 18, 2012, 3:30-5:30pm
Sertoma Arts Center, 1400 West Millbrook Road, Raleigh

This is the Wake County area wide contest for high schoolers competing in the national poetry out loud contest. Winners continue to the state-level contest in March in Greensboro. Alice Osborn is the Wake County Coordinator will featured speaker will be Scott Huler, Piedmont Laureate. Light refreshments and entertainment provided by Greg Whitt, Drum for Change. Megan Cutter will serve as an accuracy judge. There is no charge for this event, and it is open to the public.

Lyric Writing and Storytelling (for youth with disabilities)
Thursdays, January 19-March 22, 2012, 10:30-11:30am (part of a Day Program)
Reality Ministries Center, Durham

Have you listened to your favorite song? Songs are stories about journeys, love, loss and inspiration. In this workshop, we’ll use creative writing, improv and storytelling to create a group song. Song writing and storytelling can enhance imaginative play and development, communication, and team building skills. For more information on Reality Ministries Center Inclusive Programs, contact Susan McSwain at Reality Ministries, Special Needs Ministry, 919-688-7776, www.realityministriesinc.org.

Telling Our Stories (for children and youth with disabilities)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 3:30-5pm
A Small Miracle, Raleigh

Everyday, we experience something new, and oftentimes we create routines that build a sense of structure in the day. What is our connection to these experiences? What do we see, feel, hear…? In this workshop, we’ll use all the senses to discover what our story is, and dream of places where we want to go. By telling our stories in our individual and unique way, we learn to value our own voice and find how we can communicate our own needs to others through the creative process. In addition, we learn new ways of connecting to the community around us. This event is sponsored by A Small Miracle. For more information about A Small Miracle, call (919) 854-4400 or visit www.asmallmiracleinc.com.

For a full list of our upcoming events, please visit Cutter’s Edge Consulting.

When I was a child, I would help my parents out in the yard, particularly on a beautiful fall weekend afternoon. We would rake gumballs into piles, water the plants or weed between azalea bushes. I remember one particular day when my father asked me to pick onion weeds. I would point them out, and he would pull them up. I found a whole bunch of onion weeds, and I remember him getting frustrated at the sheer number of onions I found. I began to cry, “But you told me to find all the onions.”

When we are so focused on the problem, the deficit, we forget to celebrate the successes, and many times I see this in the disability community, we can be so overwhelmed with opinions from physicians, school, family and friends, and we fight so hard for everything. Yet, when we’re in that self-advocacy mode of fighting and pushing to move forward in any capacity, it’s all that we see. And we see more and more places that need to be addressed.

We forget to step back, take a breath and celebrate how far we have come, or even that we survived this far.

Successes don’t have to be huge feats- it could be sitting upright, a smile or look, understanding a concept, making a friend, finishing a poem. Progress may be slow, but celebrating these successes is so important.

We are taught that celebrations should be times of self-gratification whether it’s a new toy, technological gadget, cup of coffee or ice cream or other gift for yourself. How can we include others in our celebration or allow our celebrations to serve others?

How will you celebrate a success today?

Reality Summer Camp- writing about shells.

The story of a shell

Pick out a shell (or any other object) it doesn’t have to be perfect. Tell or write about what you see:

What does it look like?
What color is it?
Are there holes?
Is it rough?

Describe it using all of the senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, intuitive.

Then, take a few moments to write or talk about what you don’t know about the shell.
Where did it come from?
Describe the animal that lived in it.
How long was it in the water?
How did it make it out of the ocean?

Draw a picture of your shell.

Adaptations: This is a senses and details game, as well as an imaginative one. Don’t be afraid to use your imagination if you have trouble using any of the senses. Visual aide cards- have pictures of different shells or stories involving a shell can also be used.

“Words in the Web” at Marbles Family Fun Night
For children with disabilities and their families.
October 27, 2011, 5:30-8:00pm
Marbles Kids Museum, 201 East Hargett Street, Raleigh

Barton and Megan Cutter will be joining the fun for Marbles Family Fun Night, an evening dedicated to unique opportunities for families with children with disabilities. This is a Spooktacular evening filled with creepy crawly, ooey gooey spooky fun, just in time for Halloween.

“Words in the Web” will feature an interactive magnetic poetry, drawing and storytelling games!

To find out more, contact Marbles at 919-834-4040 or  visit: http://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/goingon#2870

 

Inclusion builds connections.

When I was in the fifth grade, my parents returned home from a parent teacher conference laughing. I thought this was odd, particularly for a divorced couple who tended not to get along well except for matters concerning my well- being. I asked how the meeting went and what was so funny.

Apparently one of my teachers, the one for language arts, if my memory serves me correctly, innocently asked my parents why I had an aide in class with me all of the time. They paused for a moment, looked at each other and then back at her.

“Well,” my mom said, “He can’t write by hand. So he needs someone to take notes for him and write down his answers.”

The teacher looked baffled. “That never dawned on me. He’s so bright and witty, I had no idea.”

I’m sure that on some levels my teacher was horrified to realize that she had totally overlooked my disability and I’m sure that for some parents such a response may have elicited a host of negative reactions. Yet, from my perspective and fortunately from my parents as well, this was a testament to the process of inclusion.

While there may always be varying degrees of inclusion and the individual levels may vary from family to family, the positive aspects of a response like this can be overlooked. For my family, these benefits were not lost on them. My individual scholastic needs were being met to the greatest possible level. I was being included to the point where I was only recognized for my abilities and potential and because of that, my disabilities were invisible.

This not only allowed me to excel even further academically because my teacher held me to the same standards, but it also allowed me the chance to experience the greatest level of social interaction and engagement possible as I was constantly among my peers.

Cultivating a culture of inclusion within the least restrictive environment can be challenging at times because of varied opinions between school staff, professionals and the family members.

Yet, being able to collaborate and build an environment that offers your child the opportunity for social inclusion can be among the most empowering experiences that a parent can offer in that it enables your child to gain problem solving and negotiation skills that could not be learned in an isolated environment.

It’s not always easy, so here are some tips on inclusion:

• Humor, compassion and dialogue are key components.

• Proposing trial runs to see how your child does.

• Finding out of school opportunities for inclusion- church, sports, boy or girl scouts

• Use a proactive approach to solutions- come with ideas.

• Have a unified vision for your child.

• Perseverance (don’t give up)!

Community Event: Step Up for Down Syndrome
Step Up for Down Syndrome!
Sunday, Oct 9 1:00p to 4:00p
Brier Creek Community Center, Raleigh, NC
Step Up for Down Syndrome! is the Triangle Down Syndrome Network’s annual community event for our members and includes not only families but also professionals and other supportive members of the community who come to celebrate the lives, potential, and achievements of individuals with Down syndrome. This is also their primary fundraiser for the year.

Barton and Megan will be participating in the event sharing poetry & creative expression games. Find us in the vendor area!

For a young person growing into one’s independence can be both exciting and scary at the same time. While they often dream of having more freedom and ability to do things on their own, taking on the responsibility that comes with this can, at times, stop them in their tracks. The same is true for all of us, no matter what stage of life we are in.

One of my mother’s favorite stories to tell is about the first time I decided to cross the street on my own. I was somewhere between 5 and 7 years old at the time driving my first power wheelchair which I had been in since age 4.

As my mom relates it, she was sitting on the front porch watching me from afar. According to her, I approached the crosswalk very carefully and as I diligently looked both ways to make sure that nothing was coming, my mother suddenly realized my intent and her heart leaped into her throat. She reminisces now that it took everything she had to stay in her seat and let me go about my exploration; there was nothing coming and I was in no immediate danger.

My mom recognized this. She also recognized that this was an important step in my attempt to gain more independence, and because she valued my independence, she fought back all of her motherly impulses in order to allow me to succeed. As soon as I crossed the street, both ways successfully, I ran to her excited and beaming with pride. Mom greeted me with a huge hug and let me know that she was proud of me, reinforcing that I was more than capable of doing things for myself.

While for me, this act of crossing the street was a rather large step at my young age, not all progress toward independence need to come in such dramatic events. For many kids, the simple act of asking for something without prompting or exploring their own environment, no matter how large or small that may be, can be major steps toward establishing their own sense of independence. When these moments are recognized and honored by the parent or guardian, it gives the child the ability to recognize their own growth and the confidence to do it again.

2011 Triangle Run/Walk for Autism
Saturday, October 8, 2011- 9:00am
Moore Square, Raleigh

Mark your calendar and plan to join us at the 13th Annual Triangle Run/Walk for Autism. There is something for everyone! You can run or walk the 5K, run or walk one mile, and enjoy the kid’s dash. Sign up today as a participant and even better, get your friends and family together to form a team. Spend the morning in Moore Square enjoying music, vendors, and special entertainment.

Barton and Megan will be out bright & early in the morning with poetry & creative expression games. Find us in the vendor area!

For more information, visit http://www.trianglerunwalkforautism.org/

When my grandmother moved into a nursing home as the stages of Alzheimer’s progressed, my grandfather would visit her and try to get her to talk as she always had, with the vibrant voice of a storyteller, becoming frustrated when she couldn’t. As the illness progressed, her vocabulary deteriorated to singing, non-sensical words, and finally only slight hand and eye movements.

Letting go of expectations, I would find other avenues for connection- the meaning beyond her language, the idea behind a phrase, massaging her hands or wrists, the way she reached out to touch my face, her insistence to go home, facial expressions, and entering the world she stepped into full of school children from her days as a teacher and invisible people that I could not see.

And yet, the last time I saw my grandmother before she passed away, the look in her eye spoke to me louder than any words could.

It’s natural to want our children to speak and communicate as we do. Even as adults, we have a hard time slowing down with the expectations that others speak at the same pace, rate, and way we speak. For parents with non-verbal children, it can be especially difficult to communicate, not only to meet physical and emotional needs but to determinate interests, values, perceptions different from your own.

Patience is the number one key to communication, verbal or non-verbal. Realize that there may not be any “one method” that works. Integration of speech therapy, visual aide cards, computer or augmentative devise, offering choices, and awareness of reactions or body language may all be useful in helping you understand your child.

Finding the creativity to design different methods of non-verbal or verbal relationships includes developing an environment of curiosity and exploration that can foster communication and dialogue.

Saturday, September 24, 2011
12 noon-6:00pm
Koka Booth Ampitheatre

The 4th annual family-friendly festival will feature performances by local musical and performing arts groups, great food, tons of children’s activities, a silent auction you won’t want to miss, various local vendors, and much more! Maripolooza will take place at Koka Booth Amphitheatre at Regency Park in Cary, NC. The show will go on rain or shine! Admission is free and all-inclusive Children’s Activities wristbands are only $5.00.

Barton and Megan Cutter will be assisting youth with ArtStream, an inclusive theatre program with a performance at 1:00pm.

Visit http://www.maripolooza.org/event-details.php for more information!