Interviews

 Campus for All and Goal Setting From your perspective: Q: What does your title involve?  A: My role as literacy facilitator is spelled out in a contract with Campus for All-the partnership of the Regina and District Association for Community Living, People First of Regina, and University of Regina (Faculty of Education and Registrar's Office) The role evolves as well with additional volunteer time from the literacy facilitators. It involves working with the researcher, the 3 partners through contacts with the university profs who have volunteered to take students (there is one prof in charge of getting placements in classes) sometimes attending any steering committee meetings, and advisory committee meetings, working with other facilitator (usually there are 2 per semester), introducing the profs and students at meetings prior to class and sometimes involves parents, help get the students register at the registrar's office, attending the first class to introduce the program to the students in the class and ask for interested volunteers to contact them after, scheduling the possible mentoring times around student and mentors schedules, meeting with mentors and meeting with mentors and CFA students and then mainly communicating by email with mentors, meeting regularly with Campus for ALL students in a small group to review progress, problems and help facilitate problem solving, communicating with the profs and the researcher and the parents. Prior to the audit of classes there is usually a semester of orientation with a facilitator and during that time the role is making them aware of the univ. campus facilities, library, bookstore, etc. becoming familiar with using a cell phone, buses, money to purchase food, disability office and possible supports available through technology, using computers, lockers, maps, health centre in Kinesiology building, possible attendance with support at career workshops, i.e. resume writing, etc. Attendance at any free events at university to help student become more comfortable in the new surroundings. Sometimes it may involve help with getting outside supports, ie. tape books outreach program at public library, table top for a wheelchair, actual skill of taking a bus either public or paratransit, etc.

Q: Can you give a brief explanation of Campus for All's purpose?  A: From the web site on Univ Education-Programs-Other Initiatives: " Campus for All is an Inclusive Post Secondary Education (IPSE) program providing adults who have an Intellectual disability with the opportunity to audit classes at the university of Regina, to improve their literacy skills, and to make social connections with their fellow students."

Q: Who is eligible to be a Campus for All student?  A: Again from the univ. web site: The program provides adults with intellectual disabilities who are 22 years or older...."

Q: Who gets goal setting?  A: Everyone of the students is involved in setting their own goals.

Does every student have a paper with goals? Yes and they go back to each meeting with their literacy facilitator and the other students in their small group of Campus for All students

Q: Why is goal setting used?  A: To ensure the students are setting their own goals and so practicing self determination in their progress. To show their mentors what they have reflected on and determined as their priorities for their time together.

Q: Who designs the action plan?  A: The student in meeting with the literacy facilitator, parents, profs, mentors.

Q: What are the goals based on?  A: Student priorities, needs, abilities, support available, transportation, class being taken, time available with mentors and facilitator.

Q: How are the goals and actions carried out? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> A: They are carried out by the student in class, with mentors in and outside of class, with prof in class, and progress is discussed weekly by student with facilitator, Mentors communicate with facilitator after and before each session they have with the student and discuss concerns, progress, questions, ideas via emails and sometimes with meetings. Parents sometimes have input, ideas through facilitator.(emails, phone, notes)

<span style="color: green; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Q: Any other additional information about goal setting..benefits, drawbacks, effectiveness, goal setting used in other settings, etc <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> A: The goals change as circumstances change and dictate. For example health issues. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students often use a spiral visual for each goal with the goal at the top and brainstorm ways/actions/needs to reach the goal as they spiral up and problem solve with sessions with the facilitator and share ideas with other Campus for All students in these meetings to encourage each other in their progress. Sometimes the students are in a class where they are learning how to write a <span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Personal/Individual Program Plan <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> and use the opportunity to use the provincial format to do this with the student. At the close of the class there are celebrations of the progress made. These take place in the class, outside of class with other students of Campus for ALL and outside with the students and mentor and outside with the larger group of mentors and other Campus for All students and the larger group of profs involved.

Interview with Brandee's Mom: Overview: My mom is a classroom teacher for Mini-Go school in Weyburn which used to be a program funded by the school boards until the schools began their own Pre-K program. The schools still work very closely with the Mini-Go school even though the papers do not need to be sent in to the board anymore. The Mini-Go program has not changed the way they do things since working with the schools. This is a program for students with special needs (of all types) and students who face environmental challenges at home. It is a very diverse group of students who would all have very different goals and I have had the chance to work with some of these students while running the summer program.

Q: How many students do you have in your pre school? A: There are twenty one students and three classroom teachers. We do goal setting for all of the children that come through our school.

Q: Who is involved with the goal setting process? A: The goal setting process is usually done at the beginning of the school year with the family place manager as the facilitator, the parents, the classroom teacher, and any other supports that the student needs (speech therapists, early childhood intervention program, social services, occupational therapists, etc.). Years ago the ministry of education, principal and teachers used to take part as well. When setting goals the Mini-Go school recieves a binder full of infomation on the student saying what supports they need and what their previous goals have been. In december the goals will be evaluated to see if they have been met and either the goals will be modified or new goals for the student will be set in another meeting.

Q:How do you record those goals? A: The classroom teacher is responsible for their seven students goals. The classroom teacher will work with each student on their goal with also additional supports (ex: speech) coming in throughout the week. There are also various people at The Family Place that work with the students other than just the classroom teachers. The classroom teacher will meet with/talk to the parents (nearly daily) to report their observations of the students. They also have to help the parents with understanding why the students may be acting differently at home than at school.

Q: What happens next? A: At the end of their time at the Mini-Go preschool The Family Place staff will begin to get the child ready for kindergarten. This usually involves a meeting with the teacher at the elementary school, sometimes the prinicipal and the special education teacher will also be involved with the meeting. Sometimes in situations where needed The Family Place staff will go with the student to kindergarten because for some students change is hard and it is difficult to settle.

Q: What types of goals do you have for your students: A: For a lot of students who just have environmental challenges the goals are getting the child prepared for kindergarten. We pick what they are great at and pick what they need to work on and spend time with the individual preparing them in the areas. Some of the students have no speech, can't walk, can't see. Some students have fetal alcohol, autism, adhd, or are feral. There is such a range of students that it can be anything from speech, sitting at a table, acting in public or teaching a little boy who was raised by dogs how to be a real boy.

Q: What additional things do you do with your students: A: We do a lot of work with our students and their parents. If a child is having hearing problems or if a child has somethign such as cerebal palsy we will make referrals for those students for things such as therapy. A lot of times the parents need our assistance so we will go with the parents to meets with the therapists or doctors and help the parents follow through with what they are supposed to be doing. We do our best to help the children.