Student Socials: Creating a Community at CLE
Scott and I talked about how our student socials have evolved over the years, and how they reflect our larger goals of fostering friendships and independence outside the walls of the center.
Wearing the Misfit Badge Proudly
We have the privilege of observing and assisting students as they gradually shift from withdrawn and hesitant to self-assured in making new friends; from harsh self-criticism to forgiving self-care; from being ashamed of their differences to wearing their own ‘Community of Misfits’ badge proudly.
The Birds and the Bees
Students often come to me or their CLE mentor with their questions about sex because they do not know who else to talk to; it’s too uncomfortable to talk to mom and dad about it, and their peers may be struggling with the same questions and limited knowledge they have.
What is Taboo in the Disability World?
Living with a “Learning Disability” comes with its own set of preconceived notions, assumptions and expectations. I asked students in my CLE focus groups and individually the question, “Are there things you avoid talking about in the disability community?” Here are some of their answers
Academic Accommodations – Stick it to the Stigma!
Students with disabilities can find themselves in situations where differences hinder their ability to complete work at the same rate as others. When students are offered tools to compensate for their difficulties, then the gap between them and their peers closes. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), "accommodations provide an alternative way to accomplish the course requirements by eliminating or reducing disability-related barriers."
New Student Syndrome
Are you a new student? You may have NSS! Fortunately, you can educate and prepare for this affliction by reading ahead.
Say What You Mean
What would we say if there were no rules and no social consequences? What would we reveal about ourselves that is important to us, but we are afraid to say aloud because of how others might react? I posed that question to a group of CLE Rockville students, and passed out postcard sized paper.
Creating Happiness
When it comes to retraining our minds to create new habits of positive thinking to create greater happiness in our lives, the good news is that we CAN change our mindsets from old patterns into new healthier ones.
Breathe Into It: Using Mindfulness to Make Meaningful Changes
Late last year, CLE-Austin students took a survey to let us know what groups they would find appealing. Surprisingly, our students indicated an interest in Mindfulness! Mindfulness, as it turns out, is one of the most skillful means to break free of outdated patterns and breakthrough to greater health and well-being.
Integrity and Perseverance: Keys to Change
This month's Career Student Spotlight goes to Jeff H. Jeff is a recent graduate of the McFatter Technical School of Culinary Arts. Having graduated only 7 months ago, Jeff has already accomplished a great many things.
Creating Routines
We developed four lists for creating routines, waking up, meal planning and money management. Breaking down big goals into micro tasks can help you reach the goals you’ve been working on.
CLE’s Top Chef
At the beginning, David talked about his desire to be independent and live on his own. Although he wanted this for himself he was unsure of what it looked like and where to begin. We worked together to break down skills and focus on one goal at a time. From the very beginning a goal David had was learning how to cook.
My Open Letter: The Luckiest Brother
If you have a brother or sister getting ready to go off to college, you probably have mixed emotions. If you have a brother or sister with Autism going away to college, then you absolutely do.
Losing Measurement, Gaining Perspective
So how long is one year? And how much can we accomplish, grow, and learn in one year? It depends on who’s measuring. This year’s lesson, for me, has been to break the stick that we measure ourselves by.
Interview with a CLE Mentor and Mentee
I had the pleasure to sit down with Coral and her CLE mentor, Kelsey, for an interview about mentoring.
What Does it Mean to be a Feminist with a Disability?
You only need to turn on the news today to see that there is a renewed importance surrounding the concept of feminism and the overall treatment of women in society.
Finding Love at CLE: Student Spotlight
I would love to introduce you to a couple who met here at CLE and have cultivated their relationship over the past 11 months. They were holding hands throughout the interview and very attentive to each other’s verbalizations.
An Ideal Partner: CLE Students Talk About Their Model Relationships
I set about asking students in Austin what they want in their ideal partner and we got some great qualities listed. Very few students talked about physical traits that they want in a partner, most talk about the personal qualities that they think are important to them in a relationship.
Clear Communication – It’s not so Clear…
Communication is the key to connection and the key to getting what we want and need in life. But the how, when, why, and where of communicating effectively is not so easy.
My Open Letter: Parent to Parent – There Is Much To Address
You’re approaching your child’s transition from high school to adulthood, and I have a guess what you’re feeling. You may be intimidated about choosing what’s next for your child. Just getting your child through K-12 may have absorbed all your attention until now. You may find leaving behind familiar supports feels risky, like launching a rowboat on the open sea.