Julia from the Block

On this "sunny day," in addition to "sweepin' the clouds away," we can also celebrate the addition of Julia, an autistic character, on the long-running children's television program Sesame Street.

According to CNN (excerpted below) and other national news sources, the little lady is the newest member of the Sesame Street family which is already comprised of such famous Muppets as Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch as well as a group of ethnically diverse human actors like Maria, Susan, and Mr. Hooper.  The program is known for its educational content communicated through the puppets and actors, animation and short films, and humor and cultural references.

As author Malcolm Gladwell has stated, "Sesame Street was built around a single, breakthrough insight: that if you can hold the attention of children, you can educate them."  Gladwell also called the essence of the show the "artful blend of fluffy monsters and earnest adults."  Indeed.

Don't get it twisted however: despite Julia's burgeoning career, she's still, she's still Julia from the block!

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All cheers for Julia, the newest friend to join Elmo, Big Bird and the Sesame Street family in a new program designed to spread awareness about children with autism.

The bright-eyed and cheerful little girl plays an essential role in Sesame Street and Autism: See All in Amazing Children, an initiative launched Wednesday to promote awareness about autism. 

One in 68 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  A 2014 report by the CDC estimates that 1 in 42 bpys has autism, 4.5 times as many as girls (1 in 189).

The Sesame Street and Autism: See All in Amazing Children program is available as an app and on desktop.  It includes daily routine cards and resources to help family, friends, and others who encounter children with autism.

Sesame Workshop partnered with 14 other organizations, including the Yale Child Study Center and Autism Speaks, on the initiative. 

In the digital storybook, Elmo plays with Julia on the playground and helps his friend Abby Cadabby understand that Julia plays differently than them.  Through his patience and understanding, he helps Abby understand Julia.

"Elmo's daddy told Elmo that Julia has autism," he says.  "So she does things a little differently.  Sometimes Elmo talks to Julia using fewer words and says the same thing a few times."

As the group goes on a quest for a snack, Julia places her hand over her ears when inside Hooper's store. 

"What's the matter?" asks Abby. 

"Julia has really good ears," explains Elmo.

"Sometimes she hears noises that Elmo doesn't notice.  Like the noise the blender makes.  She really doesn't like it!"

The website also tells the story of the character Benny and the real-life stories of Nasaiah and Thomas. 

Sesame Street is using #SeeAmazing to encourage people to share their stories, videos, and pictures on social media to keep the conversation and network of support ongoing.

Up, Up, and Away!

Some good news this week out of the Research and Development side of The Toa Nafasi Project.  We have recently learned that the first article about the Project written by Dr. Angela Stone-MacDonald will be published this December in the DADD Online Journal, a new yearly publication from the Division of Autism and Developmental Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children.

It is a comparative piece looking at the use of language and terminology from both her dissertation research conducted in Lushoto in 2009 and her work with Toa Nafasi in Moshi from 2012 to the present.

Angi considers that what the Project does for students in working with Tanzanian teaching staff as the lead and not explicitly conveying to the parents that their child might have a "disability" is the best move given the conservative nature of Tanzanian culture.

Her reasoning?  If we start talking about the children in terms of disability and we distinguish "disability" from "disease," are we setting them up for discrimination in a system where they are currently viewed as lazy as opposed to being somehow aberrant?

Students who have gone through the Toa Nafasi protocol have overcome the labels of "lazy" and "stupid," but can they overcome a label of disabled in this culture?

We want all young children to start school from a position of strength and build on his/her capabilities.  The capability approach supports the holistic view of the child and the growth of that child's knowledge, skills, and innate talents.

Please check out Angi's latest output for the Project: graphs of the progress of the 2014 cohort at six months and after one year of services.  Methinks that despite the cultural issues attendant with addressing disability, the actual improvement the kids are making is extraordinary - I hope you agree!

 

 

Vive La France!

Good morning, merry Monday, and happy Columbus Day, people!

Why so chipper, you ask?  Well, because I am pleased to finally be able to announce in no uncertain terms the landing of our first grant here at The Toa Nafasi Project!!

Last year, I had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of a lovely young lady named Sara whose family runs a charitable foundation out of their native France called Masalina.  Turns out Sara and her family have spent considerable time in Tanzania, mostly Arusha, and had heard about Toa Nafasi through a mutual friend.

Their interest piqued, Sara represented the family at last year's "friend-raiser" in DC where she met me, Angi, and crew, and learned about the activities of the Project in detail.  She urged me to apply for funding and once Rhiannon joined us in April this year, we were finally able to bang it out.

Shortly thereafter, I was sent the following letter (translated from the French), but was wary of publicizing the award prior to having the money in the bank, as it were.  Well, the check has now cleared, so pop open the champagne and laissez les bon temps rouler!

The Toa Nafasi Project has officially diversified its sources of funding and, as grant begets grant, we are hopeful that this is the first of many!!

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Madam,

The board of the Masalina Foundation has ruled at its meeting of May 19, on the grant request presented by the Toa Nafasi organization for children with learning difficulties in the village of Msaranga in Kilimanjaro region.

I am glad to inform you that the members of the Board with the favorable opinion of the Founders, have decided to grant you support amounting to X Euros to help finance the Toa Nafasi program allowing the development of every Tanzanian child taking into account their strengths and weaknesses in conjunction with teachers and parents.

With my best wishes for the continuation of your actions, please Madam, accept the expression of my respectful homage.

Thank you, merci, and asante to Sara, her family, and everyone at Masalina!!

Right Said Ed

I'm still feeling a bit funky since returning to New York, so I've been remiss about writing an original piece for the blog in recent weeks.  I'll try to remedy that shortly, but until then, at least we have this political fodder over which to muse! 

With the election set to take place later this month, the headlines out of Tanzania continue to be dominated by news from the campaign trail.  From the Daily News, this article on presidential hopeful, Edward Lowassa, and his call for the overhaul of the entire Tanzanian education system piqued my interest.... and prompted a lil' chuckle.
 
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Union presidential candidate on the Coalition of Four Opposition Political Parties (UKAWA) ticket, Mr. Edward Lowassa, has promised to overhaul the entire education system to meet current challenges and changes.

Addressing a campaign rally at Mwembeyanga Grounds in Temeke District in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr. Lowassa said his government will review the curriculum of both primary and secondary education should he clinch the top post of the land.

"I will start my leadership with education as my top priority.  All I need is a big number of your votes to have the mandate to deliver what I have promised you," said the former prime minister.

Mr. Lowassa reiterated that education would be free from kindergarten to university level and that the funds to finance the promised free education would be drawn from the country's natural resource endowment, including gas.

"I am vying for the presidency because I hate poverty.  I want to lead Tanzanians to alleviate poverty.  The gap between the haves and have-nots has become huge," he noted.

Drumming support for Temeke CUF parliamentary candidate, Mr. Abdallah Mtolea, Mr. Lowassa said the aspirant would be able to deliver to expectations in development if the Tanzanian people would enable him to become their MP.

Earlier, Mr. Mtolea, whose party is among the four political parties forming UKAWA, pointed out the state of education in Temeke constituency was bad and he asked Mr. Lowassa to address the problem.

"We have a few schools, which do not accommodate the number of children in the constituency while many students are performing poorly in examinations," he said.

Mr. Mtolea promised to eliminate financial contributions to schools by parents should he be elected the area's MP, noting that since Temeke was among the good tax collectors, the district would be able to finance all education costs.

"Count on Me, We're Going to Make Everyone Happy"

With three weeks to go until the presidential election, it's my understanding the political heat in Tanzania is ON!  I've just been perusing the headlines from the Tanzania Daily News, and found the article below mildly interesting, especially as it regards my specific little niche in the Tee-Zed.
 

With all the things that the candidates have been promising lately, I have to say I was refreshed (and mildly surprised) to see any attention shown to the disabled community.  Usually, it's all the big-ticket issues that get the banners and us little people and our probs are left in the dust.

It may be naively optimistic of me to think that this dude, Japhary Michael, will put his money where his mouth is, but you know what they say....  Hope floats!
 
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Moshi Urban Cha Dema parliamentary candidate, Mr. Japhary Michael, has pledged to work for the cause of people with special needs, from those in nursery schools to adults in homes and public places.

Addressing a campaign meeting here in Moshi, Mr. Michael said he will see to it that all schools from the lower levels up are equipped with friendly infrastructure for children with disabilities.  "For quite long, vulnerable groups who need special attention have not been attended to properly.

It is my promise to them that I'll concentrate on this matter as a priority.  Count on me, we're going to make everyone happy because God created us all in his own image.  We should support each other," he said.

He said there are some pupils who have difficulties in following lessons because of their physical limitations, and that Cha Dema will ensure they are either enrolled in special schools, or regular schools are provided with extra kits for special needs students.

The outgoing Moshi Municipal mayor said he would ensure the needed infrastructure is fitted in public buildings and that "from now on, all new buildings should be built with the idea of the disabled using them."

Mr. Michael noted that, if elected, his office would strengthen and work with the disabled societies to raise awareness of their rights in society, and use education as a major weapon against injustice and discrimination.  He would coordinate the activities of various non-governmental organizations dealing with the disabled to mobilize resources.

Mr. Michael is contesting the Moshi Urban parliamentary seat for the first time after the retirement of Mr. Philemon Ndesamburo, also of the same party.  He faces stiff competition from Mr. Davis Mosha of the ruling of Chama cha Mapinduzi and ACT-Wazalendo's Mr. Buni Ramole, who defected from CCM after losing preferential polls.

International Association of Special Education 2015

Greetings all.  Please check out the post below penned by my Toa Nafasi colleague, Angi Stone-MacDonald.

Angi was recently in Wroclaw, Poland to attend the biennial conference of the IASE and rep the Project in the process.  Here are her thoughts....

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Attending the International Association of Special Education (IASE) Conference in Poland was so much fun.  The University of Lower Silesia in Wroclaw was a fabulous host and my whole experience in Poland was excellent.  I highly recommend visiting Poland, if you have not.  It is a beautiful and very interesting country in its history.

The sessions at the conference were interesting and offered a lot of variety and the opportunity to learn about new ideas and meet wonderful people.  I also enjoyed reconnecting with friends from other organizations I participate in, in addition to friends from IASE.

I participated in two sessions related to the work of The Toa Nafasi Project.  The first was a research presentation that I delivered about the Project and its results.  It was attended by about 10-12 people with a very interested crowd that offered good feedback on the presentation and the results.

The second session was volunteer service program information session about the various programs in Tanzania with volunteer opportunities.  That session was standing room only and people were very interested in Toa Nafasi, as well as some of the other locations.  I think that it will yield at least a few volunteers sometime in the future.

The conference is a great opportunity to connect researchers, faculty, and practitioners from around the world.

There Are 29 Other Days in September....

....so why is the ninth month of the year still so tragically marked by one?

 

I think, for me, it's because - in addition to being a witness to a national disaster and the worst act of terrorism to be committed on American soil all those years ago - I have developed an acute sense of mortality as I've gotten older.  

My own mortality, to be sure - I turned 40 six months ago, my poor eyesight is poorer, my left hip is achy and my right ankle weak, I'm starting to feel bad about my neck (thank you, Nora Ephron!) - but that of the people in the world around me as well.  Friends, family, pets, even places seem well-worn and a bit long in the tooth these days.

And the month of September underscores that faded, tired feeling.  Summer is over and it's time to get back to the daily grind.  Leaves once green and lush now litter the sidewalks, crunching under feet in socked footwear.  There's a certain small pang or twinge with the shifting seasons.

I suppose academics, optimists, and Jews look at September as a time of a particular kind of rebirth - a new school semester, a revival in trade, the "head of the year."  But I always feel a certain sadness as the weather changes and the light and air take on a new resonance.  Fall is one of my favorite times of year and New York is my favorite place to be in Fall, but I wonder if I take some small delight in my annual pangs and twinges.  Another Fall, another year gone by....

September 11th, 2001 was a gorgeous Tuesday, with a cloudless sky and the air still summery warm.  I was running late to work and it was in the shower that I first heard a low-flying airplane.

Dressed and still planning to head to the office, I saw the first tower collapse as I looked downtown to my right.  To the left, the Empire State Building glistened blithely in the sun.

September 11, 2015 was another beautiful day, a Friday.  I had wanted to be in New York (I like to hear the names of the lost read on TV), but I ended up staying the weekend in Washington, dragging out the late Labor Day holiday the whole week long, staving off "September" for as long as I could!

I was meant to see a dear friend of mine, Nia-Malika Henderson, Senior Political Reporter for CNN that afternoon.  Friends since we met at the Radcliffe Publishing Course in 1999, Nee and I had a lot to catch up on as she had recently left the Washington Post for her big new gig on TV.  And I was back from Tanzania for my stateside Fall....

We had planned to meet at DC's Union Station, conveniently located near a number of news outlets like CNN and NPR as well as the Capitol.  I was excited to see my good friend after a long time apart and arrived early.

But, we never got the chance to meet.

Stepping off the Metro at Union Station, I started to enter the terminal when a swarm of people began running out of the building towards the underground trains.  It was a stampede.  My first thought was that these people, in their rush to catch the Metro, were going to hurt someone!  But then it became clear that they were not running TO something but rather FROM something.

In the end, the incident turned out to be personal and deliberate, but during the minutes that passed when I didn't know what was going on, people all around me were running and screaming senselessly, and reports of a "live shooter" in the Station, I was terrified.  Was this the fear that people felt when the first plane hit?  When no one knew if it was an accident, an act of terror, some sick joke?  When no one knew what would happen next??

A domestic dispute gone wrong had prompted a plain-clothes security guard to shoot, and I suppose the loud noise ricocheted off the cavernous halls of Union Station causing lunching, shopping, commuting, touring crowds to freak out en masse and nearly trample each other in their hurry to find safety.

"Get on a train, any train," I was told by a woman whose husband worked inside the Station.  No need to say it twice.

Rattled but safe, I called Nia from a Metro stop away.  She had not yet left CNN.  We talked for a while as I relayed what had happened and she checked her news feed.  I was starting to calm down.

I guess my initial fear was of the Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook episodes where a disgruntled shooter takes at aim at whoever's in his line of sight, without a care in the world.  That I didn't know when the stream of people running would end and the person or people chasing them would begin was, and still is, a source of real fear.  We just didn't know what would happen next.

Now back in New York a few days later, the anniversary of the real September 11th behind us for the year 2015, I am still pondering the Union Station incident, why it has had such an impact on me.

I suppose the answer is this: that what was once implicit in nature became radically explicit in a split second.  I am not a victim nor did I see anyone victimized, but I did get a taste of that acute fear, more than a pang or a twinge, rather a stab or a blow, right to my my core.  Not a suggestion of mortality, but an unambiguous confirmation of it.

Death has been a meme this year with the loss of Vumi and the illnesses of various other people around me.  

But hurdling challenges has been another meme.  I had a pivotal birthday.  Climbed a pivotal mountain.  Am embarking on a pivotal expansion of The Toa Nafasi Project at year's end.  Without Vumi but in her treasured memory.

So, while I am definitely conscious of the absolute transience of everything that is going on around me, I am also mildly hopeful that among these swirling winds of change, the eye of the storm is a long way off.