“Accept, Connect, Include” 2014-2015 FASC State Project Tori Cartwright FASC President

What Is It? “Accept, Connect, Include” is a program that focuses on improving the school environment and creating a feeling of acceptance for Intellectually Disabled students.

Intellectual Disability What is an Intellectual Disability?- Intellectual disability is a term used when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or herself, and social skills Intellectual Disability can be caused by many things, including genetics, problems during birth, and other complications

Some Facts More than 545,000 children (ages 6-21) have some level of intellectual disability and receive special education services in public school. Most public schools have a Special Education class. People with an Intellectual Disability score below a 70 on the IQ test. The average score is 100. Intellectual Disability was called Mental Retardation until very recently

Intellectual Disability in Schools As of 2012- 14.3% of Florida students age 3-21 have a disability About 66% of these students spend the same amount of time at school as we do Only 71% graduate

Problems Faced by Disabled Students Difficulty adapting to everyday life Social Isolation Bullying

What Can We Do? The main goal of “Accept, Connect, Include” is to create an accepting and safe environment at our schools for those students with Intellectual Disabilities There are many ways to do this:

Special Olympics The Special Olympics programs were started in the 1950’s by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. The first official event was in 1968 The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities Special Olympics is always looking for volunteers

Best Buddies Since 1995, Best Buddies has been pairing middle and high school students with students who have disabilities There are over 100 schools that already have a Best Buddies program Volunteering with your Best Buddies program is a great way to form relationships with these special students For more information, visit the Best Buddies website

More Organizations Nathaniel’s Hope Buddy Break The Arc A festival for people with disabilities of any kind The Arc Promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Making a Difference This is my cousin Emily. When she was a baby, she had a febrile seizure caused by a very high fever. Although most febrile seizures leave no lasting effect, Emily developed an intellectual disability. Emily went to school until she was 22, and now……. Emily is very active with Special Olympics. She has won many awards in bowling, cycling, and swimming I love her so much, and she is an inspiration to me

At Our Schools What can we do at our own schools? Have your 9th and 10th grade members go in a group with these students to prom. Intellectually disabled kids who are going to prom should have friends to dance with too! Start a Best Buddies club Best Buddies is a great way to form relationships with these special students and make them feel accepted and included.

At Our Schools Those schools that have a Leadership class: make time to go into their class and help with academics. Go with them to PE and play games. Work on arts and crafts together. Host holiday parties. Be creative - just get involved!

“Accept, Connect, Include” Ask me questions and tell me about your ideas! Share you pictures and stories of how you made a difference in the lives of these very special students. tori.cartwright@yahoo.com