We Went Over the Edge for KIT!

On Saturday, October 17th a group of 45 intrepid KIT supporters showed their commitment to inclusion by rappelling 33 floors off of Hyatt hotel in downtown San Diego. The Over the Edge event raised over $50,000 to support KIT's service to its affiliates.

In an amazing show of dedication and support, KIT trainer Janet George traveled all the way from North Carolina to participate in the event. Here Torrie and Janet are going over the edge together (Torrie slow and steady on the left of the photo and Janet cool and confident on the right):



Nili also went over the edge, as did both of her parents!



It was a fun day and a great way to raise money for inclusion. Plans are already underway for next year. Wanna join us? Call or email the KIT office to get on the list for next year!

A Good Walk Spoiled

Wasn't that how Mark Twain described the game of golf? Well, in this case the game of golf was a good way to raise money for an excellent cause- inclusion! Mitsubishi Electric America held their annual Hallway Golf competition in their plants around the US, and KIT was selected as the national charity for the event. This means that half of the money raised at each of the 9 events will be donated to KIT to support its important work. The other half is donated within each plant's community.


KIT CEO Jan Giacinti was able to attend the event in Orange County, CA. She reported that Mitsubishi workers designed miniature golf holes that were fun and creative with a theme of "cartoons." Students from Rancho Alamitos High School both participated in the event and voted on their favorite hole. The winning hole from each event gets shipped to the headquarters for their big, culminating event. The winning hole in the Southern California event was Finding Nemo.



KIT is grateful for the on-going support of Mitsubishi Electric America and excited that the Mitsubishi staff members around the country recognize the importance of inclusion. Thank you, Mitsubishi!

Sometimes the party is at our house...

In general this blog details the travel of KIT staff, as we promote inclusion across the country and even around the world. However, we do also have a brick and mortar location in San Diego where we present training, both for local and national audiences. In addition to our KIT trainings, many other groups use our beautiful space to hold committee meetings, presentations and retreats. This was the case this week, as we hosted the California After School Network Leadership Team for two days of meetings. Leadership Team members from around California came together to participate in a strategic planning event facilitated by Glen Price of the Glen Price Group. The strategic plan will guide the efforts of the network for the next three years.

The meeting was very well facilitated, participants were engaged and the outcome was positive. But, I am going to keep it real and admit that our beautiful space is not air conditioned. This is not usually a problem in San Diego, but we were having a heat wave this week where temps were 10-15 degrees above the average for late September. We did what we could with fans, windows and cold drinks, but it was pretty warm. Everyone did a great job of keeping their cool under steamy conditions.

The Real Thing

Meet Jan. She participated in Jump Rope Camp this summer at the City of Coronado. The City of Coronado is one of KIT's Alumni Affiliates and dedicated to the process of inclusion. As a trainer, I am always talking about inclusion, providing examples and creating scenarios to tackle with training participants. It is always refreshing to hear a story from the program's perspective - real and uncut. Here is how Recreation Specialist Sarah Melchert explained Jan's experience at camp:

"Jan truly benefited from inclusion this week. There were many girls who didn't think twice about including Jan in their group, during a game or even just an encouraging high five. Because of inclusion, Jan was able to [perform] the jump rope skills she saw [modeled] all around her which allowed her to improve and learn new skills. This is a skill Jan can practice and improve upon her whole life almost anywhere. A skill that will last! Way to go Jan!"

Sarah's enthusiasm for Jan's success came shining through in how she described the experience. Celebrating success is so important to the process of inclusion, which can sometimes present many challenges along the way to success. So I say, "Way to go City of Coronado!"

Free KIT Webinar for Back to School!

The school busses are lined up and ready to go...it's back to school! Is your program ready for the children and youth that will populate your after school community this fall? Have you brushed up your skills in supporting positive behavior so that the year gets off to a good start? If you are new to KIT, we invite you to participate in one of our free webinars "Best in Behavior" in September. You can sit at your desk (with a computer and a phone) and participate in a 30 minute experience. Our KIT Program Specialist, Nili Mathews, CTRS, will give practical tips on the inclusion of children with disabilities in out-of-school time programs.

Dates: September 16th at 12pm PDT and September 23rd at 10am PDT

To register, please email Amanda Caruso at amanda@kitonline.org

Thank you KIT interns!

This summer KIT was lucky enough to have 3 interns, who helped us in a variety of ways. Laura Smith, an undergrad from the University of Arizona worked on grant research and writing, in addition to helping with upcoming special events by tracking donations. She is also an accomplished oboe player, as you can see from the photo!

Priyam Chatterjee, receiving her Masters in Information Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, supported KIT's work by enhancing our online capabilities and conducting a thorough usability study of our website. Carrie Narvesen, an undergrad in the Graphic Design program at Rochester Institute of Technology directly supported KIT's training by creating handouts for conference sessions, working on a Google map of places we've trained, working with evaluation data and preparing training materials.
We are all so grateful for their help and to show our appreciation we held a Thank You Picnic at the end of the summer. There was lovely San Diego weather, the beautiful Liberty Station setting, delicious cake and a special musical performance by Laura. Thank you Priyam, Carrie and Laura and best wishes to you all!

KIT a Hit at the LEAD Conference in DC

On August 14 I traveled to Washington, DC to attend the LEAD (Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability) conference. I was asked to co- present at this conference with my friend Sheri Sherman from the San Diego Zoo. We had a great time and our session was a hit. We presented on the building of bridges between the participants and their frontline staff and between them and their upper management. There were many sessions throughout LEAD on interesting topics I don’t usually get to hear about. One of the sessions I attended was on assistive technology. There are incredible items people have created to make museums, theater, and the arts more accessible. We were able to hear about these items, where they are being used and of course the cost so we can save up to have our very own. We were even able to test them out! Apparently they will be coming soon to Disneyland. What is it? Oh yes, sorry it is a hand held device, about the size of an iphone, (a little bigger) and it captions a predetermined script on an exhibit or attraction for those with hearing loss or who are deaf, in addition it can audio describe for individuals who are blind or have low vision. The changes in accessibility are quite amazing due to these types of technology.

Did you know that KIT will be co-hosting the LEAD conference next year with the San Diego Zoo? If you are a museum or cultural institution this would be a good conference for you to attend. The dates are August 26-29, 2010 in San Diego!

(pictured are Nili Mathews, KIT and Sheri Sherman and Bob Dillon, San Diego Zoo)

What We Did With Our Summer Vacation

The summer typically means less travel for the KIT staff. You are busy giving kids wonderful summer memories in camps, and we are busy at the KIT office creating new training, resources and materials that will be ready for you when the kids you serve are back in school. So, just when we settled in for the summer and got quite cozy in our office chairs...the phone rang and we were invited to visit the City of Brotherly Love to present at the US Army Exceptional Family Member Program manager's conference.

Of course, we never turn down a chance to talk about inclusion so off we went! Alissa and I flew to Philadelphia for a long (5 day) weekend to meet and mingle with EFMP managers from all over the world. Our session was lively and even though it was right after lunch the participants were very engaged and responsive. We also had a little time to see the historic sites of Philly, and while we did not eat Philly Cheese Steak (sorry, Philly, I am vegetarian) we did enjoy a huge pretzel.

Meanwhile, back at the KIT ranch there are a lot of exciting things going on. Have you heard about our upcoming fundraiser?

We hope your summer is going well and that you are making magic for children with and without disabilities. Remember to be in touch if there is anything we can do to help ensure that all children can enjoy a summer camp experience.

Trip to North Carolina

I recently returned from a great trip to North Carolina. I had the pleasure of visiting several branches of the YMCA of the Triangle. The YMCA of the Triangle located in Raleigh North Carolina is one of KIT’s national affiliates. My guides through the YMCA of the Triangle were Yo and Marco two of North Carolina’s finest gentlemen; they are both associate executive directors for YMCA branches. My guides showed me the in’s and out’s of YMCA facilities and programming, highlighting summer camps and after school programs all of which are inclusive. Along the way on our two day tour I was able to meet the real stars of inclusion the young vibrant staff that stand out in my mind as the frontline heroes of our philosophy. The tireless job (and it is because I’ve done it) of being with kids 8 hours a day educating and entertaining and maintaining an inclusive environment is made to seem effortless by these frontline heroes. I really enjoyed thinking back to my summer camp days and the great stories I had about the wonderful people I worked with and those I supported.

Inclusion is such a passion for me and when I see the champion in others to promote it, I get all fired up!

A very special Thank You to my hosts, and true gentlemen, Yo and Marco. Thanks for the tour, the food, and especially the air-conditioning.

Also cheers to my buddies Janet and Anna for hanging with me during my stay always good to travel and see friends.

Nili

Janet George Shares Her 5 Questions for Families

Hi, I am Janet George, School Age Specialist for the Child Care Services Association in Wake County, North Carolina.

Last night I facilitated the Opening Doors to Inclusive Programs: Partnering with Families module for staff from child care centers who provide school age care. They really kept me on my toes! The participants were interactive and voiced strong opinions and beliefs. I think some were initially challenged with the strategies I asked them to employ but they left with new ideas and a willingness to try!

Throughout the evening we discussed many things, including the importance of building the relationship. As a group, we had to shift from a place where we think the parents are “not really interested” and/or “don’t have time” to a place of recognizing that families do want what is best for their children but there may be constraints we are not aware of that interfere. We agreed that creating a welcoming environment and working to figure out how to communicate successfully with families is really important. During the discussion I shared with them 5 questions I like to ask when establishing a relationship with families, and then we conducted an interview with parents in the room using the 5 questions. This approach put providers and parents at ease, and the providers get great information about the children. This is also a great first step to establishing a positive partnership with the family.

These are the 5 questions:
1. What does your child do that makes you laugh/smile?
2. What does your child do that makes him laugh/smile?
3. What are some things that upset your child?
4. What does it look like when your child is upset?
5. How does your child calm herself when she is upset? Does she need help to calm?

Historically, families of children with disabilities are asked about their child’s challenges, difficulties, etc as a first step. Using the questions above allows the parents to share what is important to them and gives the provider insight to likes, dislikes, strengths, needs, potential challenging behaviors and strategies to support the child!