Tag Archives: special needs

Photo Releasing Your Child: The Basics of What to Know

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By Chris Misun, Meridian, Miss.

 

A special needs students examines a bush during a field trip. Parents at Northeast Elementary are given release forms to sign at the beginning of each school year to allow their children to be videotaped and photographed.
2012 Copyright – Chris Misun

Approaching topics featuring special-needs children comes with special requirements, tasks, and careful planning.  When producing a multimedia piece featuring those children, a very important part is obtaining the proper permission to photograph and/or videotape the child.  Approaching the parents of the child and providing them with a Video Release or Appearance Release Form, which is defined as “…a simple contract that gives you legal permission to use the image of the person who has signed the form for commercial and noncommercial purposes,” according to WebVideoZone, will help you gain the rights to use the image and likeness of that child in your publication.

Often times the forms can be as simple as these examples from Kino-Eye or as complicated as MTV’s Standard Real World cast-member contract released by The Village Voice Blog.  The contract from MTV has evolved over time due to past incidents featuring cast members and the way they were portrayed as featured in an article by Jezebel.

Signing a photo release is a legal document. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when presented with one.
2012 Copyright – Chris Misun

Knowing your rights, as both the producer and the subject, are important to maintaining a positive relationship and helps to keep a solid understanding of what the intentions of the production will ultimately be.  As mentioned in the examples above concerning The Real World, cast members have attempted to sue MTV on being portrayed in a “false light” or appearing to have acted different out of context.

It is important to read and understand photo release documents from media organizations to be aware of your rights.
2012 Copyright – Chris Misun

In an upcoming multimedia project by Misun Media, we will be discussing the pros and cons of new technology for teaching special-needs students.  At Northeast Elementary School in Lauderdale County, Miss., special needs teacher, Alison Misun says, “Parents are given a form at the beginning of the school year giving them the option to allow their children to be videotaped or photographed during the year by the local TV station, newspaper, the teacher or other approved groups by the school.”  The local TV Station, WTOK and newspaper, The Meridian Star is required to contact the school before arriving.  Misun says, “We like to give the parents a heads up as to when a news media is coming to the school.”

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Survey Results: Strong Support for Special Education to Use iPads

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Copyright 2012 Misun Media

Recently MisunMedia conducted a survey asking people about their opinions concerning the use of computerized devices such as, but not limited to, the Apple iPad to help teach special needs students, especially those with non-verbal disabilities.

Across the board, all of the people who took part in the survey voted, “Yes,” in, “supporting the use of devices such as the iPad in Special Needs classroom.”

The participants also were asked to choose whichever methods they felt were the best ways to work with non-verbal children and 71% selected “Sign Language,” along with,

“iPad or other Tablet PC devices.”  A much smaller percentage, less than half in fact, selected “other communication devices,” such as the PRC Vantage Lite and, “Picture Prompts,” as other options.

 

MisunMedia also posted a story on June 10, 2012 that contained a video that lays a basis for the topic on the pros and cons of using computerized communication devices for special needs children.  The video received two likes in particular from two special needs teachers. One works with speech students and another who works primarily with autistic children.

The topic will continue to be a strong topic as the Tablet PC devices have become more affordable, but don’t offer as direct of social interaction as the Vantage Lite does.  And as one school year ends and another is on the way and parents are preparing their children for the next grade and trying to determine the proper supplies students will need.  Another result from the survey proposed the question, “If schools didn’t provide computer devices for your child, would you purchase one for your home?”  The result was 100% for, “Yes,” but one participant commented, “I would like to purchase one, but the cost is too much, as I have so many other medical expenses to pay on,” which still stresses that even though the prices are much less expensive in comparison, they are still more than everyone is able to afford.

As MisunMedia continues to explore this topic, the community input will be invaluable and strongly desired.  Please feel free to leave comments on this post or on our Facebook page and let us know your feelings.

@MisunMedia

Survey: Your Take on Technology for Teaching Special Needs Students

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Copyright 2012 – Chris Misun

We are now in a new age.  Technology is all around us through our cellphones, computers, tablet PCs, in our vehicles and most importantly in our classrooms.  Classrooms with Special Needs students are beginning to use devices more frequently as they become less expensive and more accessible.  Devices like the Vantage Lite by PRC comes in very pricey at over $7000.  Options like these are not easy to come by for most families of special needs students without grants but with the tablet PC world becoming stronger, parents will have more options to choose from.  One option that is becoming more popular is the iPad by Apple, Inc.  The iPad starts at $499 and you can get apps like the iCommunicate app, which runs for $49.99.  Please take the survey below and let us know what you think.

Link to Survey

Fill out my online form.

 

Whether or not these devices will be beneficial or detrimental to the developing skills of special needs students and particularly those that are non-verbal will be told over time.  It is important for people to be informed and not get caught up in next best thing and assume that it will be the most ideal thing for their child.  Sometimes the saying goes, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”  Are non-computer forms of working with non-verbal students still working and if not, how do we replace them the right way?

@MisunMedia

The Rise of Special Needs Students Requires Support

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Whether you work with special needs children or just want to know more information, there is beginning to be more and more data showing the rise in children being diagnosed with Developmental Disabilities (DD) and that means that there will be more demand for people that work with those children.


Meridian’s Challenger League

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By Chris Misun, Meridian, Miss

For almost two decades, a group in Meridian has organized an activity called Challenger League.  The Parents Circle Support Group is responsible for providing an opportunity to special needs children to participate in softball one night a week for four weeks between April and May.

“We usually have about 80 children that participate from all around Newton County, Lauderdale County, Kemper, Neshoba…,” says Patty Smith, the treasurer for the group.

The children are placed on teams and each player gets a turn to bat before the teams switch from offense to defense.  Depending on time permitting, each player gets at least two at bats each night.

“It gives our children an opportunity to be able to participate in sports and all because at this time of year everybody is playing sports, so this gives our children an opportunity that are unable to play for any regular team.”

The Parents Circle Support group also offers bowling as an activity at different times throughout the year, but playing ball has been the favorite amongst the kids.

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The Dustys and Debs help volunteer with the special needs kids while they play ball.

Students spread out among three different fields and age groups to participate in Challenger League.

 

All of the kids participating get to bat a couple of times each night.

 

Jeannie’s Seizure Free Journey

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The story of Jeannie Null has many layers.  Jeannie will only be turning 8 years old in May, but has already had enough experiences to fill that of someone three times her age.  It was not discovered until she was around 18 months that she had Hypotonia, which according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describe it as decreased muscle tone.

A few years later, Jason and Julie Null, Jeannie’s parents, were told that Jeannie had experienced an In-Utero Stroke, which meant she had a stroke while in the womb.  This stroke caused Jeannie to develop epileptic seizures around age 5 and her parents decided the she would undergo several brain surgeries to help slow the seizures or potentially stop them all together.

In 2010, Jeannie had two brain surgeries, the second of which, on November 2nd, has been the last time since she has experienced a seizure.

Since that time, Jeannie has now come back to school and is back on her schedule for different therapies, including speech, occupational and physical therapy.  Her progress in speech therapy has now allowed her to be able to speak in sentences and communicate what she wants and is feeling according to her mother.  The more difficult of the two, Julie says, is the physical therapy.  “It hurts and her muscles get very tight and it’s painful.”

Jeannie’s journey is a never-ending one as it is for us all, but her vibrant personality and infectious smile helps influence the journey of those around her.  Julie Null knows that Jeannie may never be able to be self reliant but she has great optimism that her daughter will continue to make great strides in her therapy and consequently in life as well.

@MisunMedia

Jeannie and her dad, Jason Null, take a ride through their backyard on the Null's golf cart.

Jeannie has been seizure free since November 2, 2010.

 

Jeannie and her brother, Jonah.

Jeannie and her mother, Julie Null.

 

Jeannie's mother, Julie, says she has made great strides in her progress since her surgeries in 2010. Jeannie has been a regular at speech, occupational and physical therapies.

LOCAL SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN BRING HOLIDAY CHEER

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-MERIDIAN, Miss.

Elementary students in the special needs program at Northeast Lauderdale Elementary (NEE) sang songs and performed skits of holiday cheer in front of family, friends and faculty on Thursday.   The students spent weeks preparing in their individual classrooms, learning routines and reciting words to some of their favorite holiday tunes.

“I want all of my 3 and 4-year-olds to be a part of the Christmas play,” Alison Crowell says.  “We start practicing the songs first of November and the students learn the songs by pictures and cue cards.  My non-verbal students get to participate through the use of their communication devices.”

Crowell is one of two 3 and 4-year-old teachers at NEE.  The program places students in three different age groups, 3 and 4-year-olds, 5 and 6-year olds, and 7 to 11-year-olds.  There are two different classrooms within each age group that produced six different skits for the audience.

The 3 and 4-year-old and 5 and 6-year-old classes performed skits based on Christmas books.  Crowell’s 3 and 4-year-olds sang a song, “Pack Up the Sleigh” while the 5 and 6-year-olds included speaking parts along with their song, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”  The oldest children in the program performed a version of “Silent Night,” using hand bells and also did a dance to a modified Christmas version of the famous Lou Bega song, “Mambo #5.”

“I am thankful to the administration at our school and the county office for supporting the students and their accomplishments,” says Crowell.   In addition to their performance at the school, the students are given the opportunity to display their talents at the County Office and the Naval Air Station flight students in Meridian.

Currently in Lauderdale County, only two of the four schools provide special needs programs, which cover the entire county.   The Mississippi Department of Education provides data profiles on all of the counties and their special needs programs.

In Lauderdale, 11.32 percent of their 6,711 students fall in the “Students with Disabilities,” category.  NEE is home to approximately 64 of the 760 special needs students.  They are also the only special needs program in the county that performs a Christmas program.

 

Chris Misun (@misunmedia)