Aggie Advocates officers for 2013-2014 are (from top): Slatter, Ingram, Campbell and Lasko.

New officers for Aggie Advocates, a Utah State University student group that promotes awareness of disability issues and advocates for people with disabilities, have been chosen for the 2013-2-14 school year.

Junior Sara Slatter from Kaysville, Utah, will be the new president. She heard about Aggie Advocates from the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign in March.

“This year I hope Aggie Advocates gets a lot of people involved,” she said. “I just want to continue to advocate for those with disabilities, to give them a voice and hopefully work a little bit more with Common Ground. “

Junior special ed major Caitlin Ingram from Murray, Utah, will be the new vice-president. She became interested in Aggie Advocates after hearing about it in a class.

“What I hope to accomplish next year is getting our name out there more, and having more involvement in this club because it is a great one!” she said.

Junior elementary ed major Melissa Campbell from Ogden, Utah will be the new secretary. She became interested in Aggie Advocates after working with last year’s secretary.

“I hope to increase involvement in Aggie Advocates,” she said. “We have had some great activities in the past, but I would love to make even more of a difference this year.”

Senior special ed/elementary ed major Lauryn Lasko from Salt Lake City, Utah, will be in charge of public relations for the group. She heard about Aggie Advocates through some friends.

“I really would like to make this club a big deal!” she said. “It would be a dream to get a ton of people interested and coming to the club.”

Congrats to the 2013-2014 officers of Aggie Advocates!

AT lab coordinator Clay Christensen works on a project at the Wallace Johnson farm near Provo.

A farmer near Provo will be able to continue farming, thanks to the Assistive Technology Lab and AgrAbility of Utah, a partnership between Utah State University Extension and New Frontiers for Families. AgrAbility is part of a national program that helps farmers, ranchers and their family members stay on the farm despite limitations due to aging, disease, illness or other disability.

Wallace Johnson, 75, was finding it more and more difficult to take care of his farm chores due to age-related knee problems. His son-in-law, Clay Christensen, is the AT lab coordinator at USU’s Center for Persons with Disabilities.

AgrAbility program director Tana Beckstead performed Johnson’s initial assessment and recommended practical solutions to modify equipment so he could keep working. AgrAbility also helps secure funding for projects like Johnson’s. Christensen fabricated the modifications.

“We did some neat things for him,” Christensen said. Projects included a handrail for the back steps of Johnson’s home, a step and handle to access his tractor, adapting and extending floodgate handles and a stand for the plow.

Wallace Johnson

“My father-in-law was reduced to tears by the things we did,” Christensen said. “For me, personally, it was rewarding. It was stuff he needed. He’s going to be able to continue to farm.”

Christensen said there are many farmers and ranchers who could benefit from programs such as AgrAbility.

“They are proud people. They’re the last ones to come knocking on your door for help,” he said. “But they need just as much help as the people I see every day at the AT lab.”

For more information on AgrAbility of Utah, click here.

A preschool student uses a communication device during snack time in the ASSERT classroom.

The ASSERT preschool classroom is a place where everyday tasks are broken down into the smallest possible steps, where the tiniest victories are celebrated and monumental obstacles are conquered one baby-step at a time.

Autism Support Services: Education, Research and Training (ASSERT) is a program at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities for preschool-age children on the autism spectrum.

ASSERT uses applied behavioral analysis to change the negative behaviors of children with autism, said Lyndsay Nix, ASSERT program coordinator. The preschool is in session year-round, with two-week breaks at the beginning of June and the end of August.

Each child has their own cubicle and a teacher who uses ABA techniques to reinforce specific, desired behaviors.

Recently, a small group of children practiced social conversation and behavior during snack time, which doubles as a teaching experience.

“Mary, please give me a cookie,” said one boy at the table. Mary responded by picking up a piece of cookie and flying it over her head before placing it in the boy’s hand. After a few tries and some coaching from their teachers, the two children were able to exchange cookie bits more quickly.

Often, teachers have to engage in a little detective work to figure out what a child is trying to communicate. At a different table, the children ask for a particular snack by pointing to picture cards. One boy pointed to a picture of a gummy treat and received a small piece, resulting in screaming and squirming as he tried to leave the table. Soon his teacher realized that he wanted a specific color of gummy treat. She quickly placed color cards on the table so he could communicate what he wanted, and relative calm was restored.

The ASSERT preschool class celebrates the Week of the Young Child with a parade down the center of campus.

ASSERT is also a training site for the Autism Enhancement strand of Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND). Trainees attend a week-long training at the clinic and receive the same training as staff members. They work with the children in the morning and have didactic sessions in the afternoon.

“They learn the policies, techniques and strategies we use so that when they leave, they have the full experience and have been trained as ASSERT staff,” Nix said. “Those who aren’t on the AE track are still welcome to set up observations as often as they like to get as much of an experience as they want.”

In addition to being a URLEND training site, ASSERT provides consultations for school districts throughout Utah and provides training to school district personnel on effective educational and behavioral strategies for children with autism.

ASSERT also provides monthly training especially for the parents of children in the program and children who are on the waiting list to get into the program, although anyone can attend the classes. In addition, ASSERT staff members give presentations to USU classes that are interested in autism, as well as providing short-term consulting services for parents on the waiting list.

“We’re pretty much open to anyone who needs support in dealing with people with autism,” Nix said.

Seven staff members at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities will graduate with a  variety of degrees this semester. Here’s a quick look at them:

Natalie Allen is graduating with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (nurse practitioner) degree from the University of Utah. She has been a registered nurse with the Up to 3 Early Intervention program at the CPD for about 13 years. She has been a registered nurse for 25 years and said becoming a nurse practitioner has always been a goal. Her coursework took 10 semesters, and she will sit for the family and pediatric board exams later this spring.

Jared Gunnell is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He works with the ASSERT program. Jared switched to psychology from pre-med after taking a class in applied behavioral analysis. He is from Logan. His future plans include marriage and grad school as he continues to work with ASSERT and at Chrysalis, a residential provider of services to people with developmental disabilities.

Rene Hernandez is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. He works with Smart Start K-3 Plus. Rene is originally from El Salvador but grew up in Logan. He will continue to work with Smart Start while completing his second bachelor’s degree online in communication disorders through USU.

Greg Peterson is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. He works in IT at the CPD and is from West Valley City, Utah. After graduation he will be a software development engineer in Boise, Idaho.

Curt Phillips is graduating with a Ph.D. in Disability Disciplines. He has been a physical therapist with the CPD’s Up to 3 Early Intervention program for 13 years. He participated in the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND) program about nine years ago, and was encouraged by Interdisciplinary Training Director Judith Holt to enroll in the doctoral program, which took him 7 1/2 years to complete. In his newly found spare time, he plans to enjoy his family and continue to coach sports for his seven children.

Becca Roylance is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders. She works with the ASSERT program and is from Cottonwood Heights, Utah. She plans to finish the summer with ASSERT and will begin a master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology at USU in June.

Jess Trettin is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. She works with the ASSERT program and is from Wildomar, Calif. She plans to return to California after graduation and work in a school district while completing a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology.

Congratulations, graduates!

Shane Johnson, associate director of development at the Center for Persons with Disabilities, introduces student callers to ‘people-first’ language.

A phonathon to raise money for two specific funds at Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities will begin Monday and last for about a week, according to Shane Johnson, the CPD’s associate director of development.

Student callers will be soliciting pledges for the Family Assistance Fund, which allows needy families to access CPD services, and the Community Investment Fund, which awards grants to disability advocacy groups around the state of Utah.

The phonathon and a spring mailer are part of the CPD’s annual giving effort, Johnson said. The list of people the students will be calling includes those who have given gifts in the past, people who have worked or are currently employed at the CPD, and people who may have studied at the CPD but their own college didn’t call them.

Johnson encouraged people who receive the phone calls to offer feedback to the student callers. For many of them, this phonathon will be their first experience with disability and using ‘people-first’ language, which emphasizes the person rather than their disability.