Community resources assist the unemployed

For those handed the pink slip, the financial concerns of how to generate an income are consistently weighing down on the pocketbook — providing a daily reminder that losing your job can mean losing a meal, a car, or even a home.

Many of those plagued by unemployment, in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, turn towards community resources to assist them during financially troubling times, offering ways to prevent eviction or deal with being homeless.

Bethesda Cares is one such outreach program whose goal is to assist the “working poor and homeless of Montgomery County.”

“We are receiving requests for help from those who have never been in this position before so they are twice as scared and much more needy than those who have done this before,” said Susan Kirk, one of the directors for Bethesda Cares.

The organization, a is a non-profit agency, was founded in 1988 by county government, community area congregations, businesses and concerned individuals. Bethesda Cares uses a two-part system to help prevent and work with homelessness. For individuals who have lost a job and are threatened with losing their home, the eviction prevention program offers aid to prevent utility cut-off and eviction. An eviction prevention counselor works hand-in-hand with Emergency Services of the Department of Social Services and other volunteer programs to ensure people do not get evicted from their homes. Assistance is provided once a year, with payment going directly to the landlord. According to the company history, the clientele for this program is mainly women and children.

And for those already living on the street, organizers assist them through their outreach program. Bethesda Cares offers such services as lunch six times a week and dinner on Sundays, clothing closets and medical assistance. Clients can also receive mail using the office address and utilize the office’s phone, fax machine and computer to keep in touch with family, friends and search for a job and resume-building skills are also offered. A full-time professional social worker offers counsels and a psychiatrist comes in once a week, providing therapy and medication check-ups.

According to the organization’s mission, “Bringing this service to those on the streets, lowers the barrier to seeking treatment for a population that is often treatment resistant.”

There are about 450 volunteers that work with the organization. Darren Duvall, 50, of Rockville, MD said that he’s been volunteering primarily with Bethesda Cares for thirteen years.

“It’s all about volunteering,” said Duvall.

The Various Faces

Kirk said that the clientele is usually single men, there has been a shift in demographics since the recession. Last year, six pregnant woman utilized the services. Elderly individuals come in to enjoy the company and a cooked meal. Seasonal workers also take advantage of the free meals to save money.

“I’m not homeless, I just can’t make ends meet,” said Fred Harich, Jr., 47, who comes to the lunch program. Harich currently lives in Bethesda with his mother and her boyfriend and explained he can’t keep a full-time job because of health problems and receives Social Services benefits for disability.

Marcus Green, 49, of Bethesda lost his job in 2006 and has been on the streets since.

He said that the objective of outreach programs such as Bethesda Cares is to “get you up again.” Some people stay down because they’re discouraged about unemployment and can’t find the motivation to start looking again. Others just can’t pull themselves up again, whether it be substance abuse problems or just societal restraints like discrimination against hiring someone who has been on the streets. And there are still others who won’t get back up again — just on their own accord.

Green said it’s not about which presidency is better or worse when it comes to the outreach program, because there was always been a “continual, gradual improvement in the quality of services and security” during the Bush administration, but Obama just seems to be moving a bit faster than the previous administration.

National Level Foreshadows Hope
The Obama administration voiced hope for the economy last Friday, December 4, after the Department of Labor released a report signaling the nation’s employers are cutting back on layoffs and the unemployment rate is going down.

According to a report in Bloomberg which details the labor report, “payrolls fell by 11,000…compared with the median forecast for a 125,000 decline in a Bloomberg News survey of 82 economists.” Those without jobs declined to 10 percent, up from 10.2 percent the previous month.

“Because of the Recovery Act and a number of other steps we’ve taken, we’re no longer facing the potential collapse of our financial system or a second Great Depression. We’re no longer losing jobs at a rate of 700,000 a month. And our economy’s growing for the first time in a year,” said President Obama, in his weekly address on Saturday, December 5.

Economy places price check on holiday hiring

Published in the American Observer on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 | Coryn Connelly-Cabreros

Photo from Flickr user stevendepolo

Smile, sell and stock; fold, pile and repeat.

 

Despite the often monotonous nature of a holiday job, this holiday season many retailers are experiencing a backlash from the recession as they are forced to adjust seasonal hiring practices. Some retailers are hiring later than usual, while others hesitate to hire for what they see as a questionable spending season.

 

 

“Traffic is down and [there are] less hours for individuals, so less to do on the sales floor,” said Angie Aguirre, assistant manager at Express in Algonquin, Il., a clothing retail store.

 

Retailers usually hire holiday help to deal with the influx of shoppers crowding the busy stores from open to close; as many people cut back on spending and less traffic is driven to stores, some employers have decided to hire later in the holiday season. And with many more people looking for holiday jobs because of layoffs, competition for temporary jobs is higher.

 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics cited that local area unemployment in D.C. this October is at 11.9%. In an economic news release sent out Nov. 20, the bureau reported “jobless rates increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.”

 

According to Aguirre, the adjustment in hiring practices varies from store to store–while retailers are still hiring for the holidays, less shopping means fewer hours. Express hired fewer temporary employees this year to decrease the number of hours employees had to work in an effort to increase profit for the company. She also noticed that the major outlet store Target hired fewer employees over this holiday season.

 

However, Best Buy is opening more stores and hiring more help. Spokeperson Erin Bix said in the Washington Times that “we intend to increase our seasonal hiring this fall, with more positions for this holiday season than we hired in 2008.”

 

More shoppers are flocking online now, with this past “Cyber Monday” being one of the busiest shopping days yet.

 

”Since retailers began highlighting Cyber Monday promotions five years ago, Americans’ spending patterns have changed. More families have high-speed internet access at home and don’t need to rely on their work computers to make holiday purchases, which makes the early morning and evening hours crucial for retail sales,” said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org in a press release by the National Retail Federation.

 

However, most retail companies experience the flurry in holiday spending–but with many shoppers being more thrifty with their spending and wiser with their budgets, even this expected rush may fall short.

 

Whatever the price, cheers to every holiday worker: waking up at 3 a.m to pile doorbusters, only to watch them get knocked down by crazed thrift-shoppers, and staying hours past closing time, re-folding piles of clothes left on the floor and the dressing room in the hurried state of sale-searching.

American Observer

My classmates and I research stories, market, produce and create multimedia for our online graduate publication: American Observer

 

http://inews6.americanobserver.net/

Abortion debate looms over health care reform

Posted on November 10 issue of the American Observer:

President Obama and House Democrats celebrated a decisive moment in the future of health care this weekend, despite the heated party-line debate on abortion funding.

The House passed health care legislation Nov. 7 that would provide coverage to millions of Americans without health insurance. The vote was close, with 220 yes votes to 215 nays, after a last-minute amendment was added to restrict the government from subsidizing abortions. With many incensed over the ongoing abortion debate, the bill may prove difficult to pass in the Senate — a task that Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama are hoping to accomplish by the year’s end, according to The New York Times.

“For years we’ve been told that this couldn’t be done.  After all, neither chamber of Congress has been able to pass a comprehensive health insurance reform bill for generations.  But last night the House proved differently,” said the president in a public address. He urged undecided Democrats to consider the health initiative’s overall goal.

The legislation would cost $1.1 trillion over ten years, extending the coverage to the 36 million Americans who currently live without insurance.

The House battle was in finding common ground Saturday amongst much opposition to the passage of a health care bill that would include abortion rights. Critics ranged from Roman Catholic bishops to a unified GOP front and a number of conservative Democrats.

Photo courtesy: Flickr user erin m

 

 

The amendment

 

The bill’s language regarding abortions proved to be a problem, with many critics of abortion rights speculating that taxpayers could inadvertently end up paying for the procedures. Early Saturday morning before the debate got underway, House leaders struggled to compromise on the language of the abortion provision, to ensure the government would not end up funding them.

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) said he is concerned about the current language regarding federal funding for abortion procedures.

In a public address Ellsworth said, “I will not support a bill that I believe would result in federal tax dollars being used to provide abortions. Unless there is stronger language added to protect federal tax dollars and provide pro-life insurance options in the exchange, I cannot support it.”

One such compromise proposed by Ellsworth was that government plans and private plans for those without employer insurance could cover abortions, but the money would be selected from premiums, not government funds.
However, this was shot down because anti-abortion groups felt that the allocation of government money could not be properly supervised.

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) provided an alternative amendment that would prohibit any funding by government insurance plans or private plans with members who are buying coverage with government subsidies. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops backed this amendment.

In this amendment, women would have the option of purchasing “riders” — separate from the whole health-plan — that would cover an abortion. However, abortion rights supporters have a problem with this, considering that the procedure is usually unexpected, and it would be unlikely women would purchase these “riders” when obtaining health insurance in the first place.

Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, has a difficult job ahead of him to attempt passing the bill in the Senate by Christmas.

Photo courtesy: Flickr user erin m

 

Compromise of some sort

The House eventually decided that the medical procedures would not be subsidized under a new federal health insurance plan or private health insurance plans that include members relying on government funds.

This satisfied anti-abortion groups, such as Catholic bishops and conservative Democrats.

For Democrats who support abortion rights, many of the restrictions are unsettling; however, in order to get the bill passed, they may accept the amendments as opposed to denying legislation that has taken months to prepare.

While the amendment proved disarming to many passionate for abortion rights, a compromise was reached in order to pass an initiative that would achieve numerous goals for health reform.

Despite economic throes baseball enthusiasts chant on Phillies win

Posted on last week’s American Observer: Tuesday, November 3.

Baseball fans everywhere unite — whether it be laughing maniacally, screaming in fury, or applauding until your hands are red with pain — this World Series is going down for another game in what will undoubtedly be a hardcore match-up.

Chase Utley scored two home runs in last night’s Game 5 of the World Series, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-6 victory, while the New York Yankees were leading the series 3-1 and smelling the championship just one game away. After starting strong in Game 1 and stumbling thereafter through three straight losses, the 2008 World Series defending champions reclaimed their territory, in the last game before the Series heads back to the Yankees’ stomping ground.

This is Utley’s fifth home run in the series, tying the Series record set by Yankees veteran Reggie Jackson, in 1977.

Chase Utley hit two home runs in Game 5, making this his fifth homerun in the Series.

Photo courtesy: Flickr user colleen0313

From Little League to the World Series, America’s obsession with baseball is one hard-hitting matter. Especially around this special time of year, when bundled up fans sit in the stands or sprawl out on their couches at home, fists clenched, praying to their baseball gods to let their team make it just a little bit further.

Even in an economic downturn, baseball still provides solace for those needing a couple of hours away from the daily grind of everyday life. From the semi-relaxing days of the early season, to the heart wrenching, nerve-racking days of the playoffs, fans of America’s pastime spend millions of dollars each year to preserve the following of a sport that nevertheless suffers the residual effects of a recession.

It’s apparent by the open seats at some ballparks that fewer fans are attending games due to higher ticket prices; however, according to ABC News, the Yankees boasted a sold-out home opener on April 16. The Yankees’ new ballpark cost a whopping $1.5 billion. And while some names may have to suffer from lower salaries, most MLB players are astronomically high-paid.

According to a CBS News piece, the Yankees can boast the highest paid players in major league baseball — with the entire team’s payroll reaching about $200 million. Alex Rodriguez ranks first, with a contract reeling in about $33 million per year, and team captain Derek Jeter strolls along on approximately $21 million. The same piece reports that amongst major league baseball’s highest paid players, a high number of them come from the Series’ New York team.

Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez is the highest paid player in MLB, making over $33 million
Photo courtesy: Flickr user Keith Allison

The lowest paid player in major league baseball makes, sadly, only $400,000.

Yes, the effects of the recession are clearly seen in those numbers.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, in ABC’s report, said, “We’re in an economic downturn that’s the worst since the Great Depression,” especially since sports teams need to work hard to keep many of their sponsors.

And while many baseball fans can’t shelf their obsession, they may have to shelf their desire to shell out the money for these games, due to economic restraints. According to the ABC News piece, “MLB is bracing for an overall attendance drop of as much as 7 percent following five straight years of 70 million-plus attendance. An Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll this week found that fans think baseball’s top problem is the cost of going to the ballpark.”

However, the stands will undoubtedly be filled to capacity come Wednesday night at the Yankee Stadium, when the Phillies try to tie the Series up during Game 6, and drag it out to a suspenseful Game 7 — with the Yankees just one win away from championship title number 27.

K-9s sniff down contraband cell phones

Posted on October 20 in the American Observer

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | Nihar Sinha and Coryn Connelly-Cabreros

Sit, stay and…smell?

 

Trained dogs are a new resource Maryland prisons are using to hunt down contraband cell phones inmates use to conduct business from their cells. As technology develops, corrections officers try to keep abreast of ways to monitor inmates and limit their possible interaction with the outside world.

 

K-9s hunt down cell phones in prison: Photo Courtesy: Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

 

According to Corrections Today, officials from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) cite cell phone usage as one of the biggest problems today in prisons. Danielle Lueking, Deputy Public Information Officer for the department, said that cell phones “connect the inmates to the people and behavior that in many cases brought them into prison in the first place.”

“Inmates have been known to order ‘hits,’ commit crimes, and circumvent security inside with cell phones,” Lueking said. Inmates are able to get unrestricted access to the community that they otherwise should be denied.

 

 

 

 

According to a CNN crime piece, Maryland’s corrections officials began the cell phone dog program in June 2008 to find cell phones that are often ingeniously hidden. Since cell phones are always developing technologically, they are becoming smaller and easier to conceal. While this makes it easier for inmates to hide them, visitors to smuggle them in, and even security personnel to distribute them, K-9s can smell phones in various hiding places.

“The dogs have detected them in books, under blankets, in shoes – they can even detect their scent if hidden in another electronic device, like a TV,” Lueking said.

 

After the Maryland governor’s office toured the Virginia corrections center, which was already utilizing the cell phone dog program, the K-9 unit for DPSCS developed its own training system based off the teaching process of breedersin California and the UK. Lueking said they started training and breeding their own “drug-sniffing” dogs, which saved Maryland thousands of dollars.                                                             

 

Inmates get creative with hiding phones: Photo Courtesy: Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services

 

It takes about two to three months to train the dogs to the specific scent of the cell phones, according to Lueking. The DPSCS K-9 unit uses different breeds for training, depending on the training and temperament of the individual dogs, but it’s currently using Belgian Malanois and English Springer Spaniel breeds for cell phone sniffing.“We cannot get into the specifics of how the dogs are trained, but much like bomb or drug-sniffing dogs, cell phones have a unique scent signature — not something you and I would be able to pick up, but is distinguishable by the keen nose of a dog,” Lueking said.    

 

 

Andy Falco Jimenez is the owner of Falco K-9 Academy, which assists in training K-9s as detection dogs, patrol dogs, protections dogs and obedient household pets. Jimenez started the academy in 1995 to train dogs for police and rescue organizations. About five years ago, he began training K-9s to detect cell phones.

They are trained over and over to the specific scent of the cell phones and any attached hardware, such as chargers and batteries. Jimenez primarily uses working breeds such as German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers, beginning training at about one to two years old.

 

“That’s the time they are maturing up and develop a personality that they carry on the rest of their life. Once trained, they have the desire to search and hunt all the time,” said Jimenez.

 

 

As of the fiscal year 2009, cell phone dogs have detected 88 phones in Maryland prisons.

Contraband cell phones are becoming a menace in prisons: Photo Courtesy: Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional

Every Child Matters

Actors B.D. Wong and Tamara Tunie from Law and Order: SVU were two of the guest speakers at today’s reporting press event on child abuse.

Every Child Matters asked why over 10,000 children have died from child abuse from 2001 to 2007 and discussed ways to prevent future tragedies from occurring.

Every Child Matters Education Fund held a press event on Capitol Hill today about a report they released this morning to challenge the government to address the deaths of thousands of children at the hands of child abuse.  Health leaders all across the country will meet during a two-day summit from October 22-23 at the Pew Conference Center to discuss cases of neglect and child abuse and highlight preventative measures.

“Since April of this year, 86 children have died from swine flu disease; during that same period, 900 children died from child abuse and neglect,” said Michael Petit, president of Every Child Matters.

Political leaders, child welfare directors and pediatricians spoke at the press event, outlining ways to prevent child abuse deaths that will be discussed at length during the summit.

Summit attendees include Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr., Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, child development researcher and clinical professor of Pediatrics Emeritus at Harvard Medical School, Teri Covington, director of the National Center for Child Death Review, and actors B.D. Wong and Tamara Tunie of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Sen. Casey said the high number of child abuse cases is a failure on behalf of the country to adequately recognize such a tragic problem.

“It presents to the American people, and to Congress and to every presidential administration a very grave challenge. And I believe we have to meet this challenge,” said Casey.

Sen. Casey briefly touched on Senate bill 1267: Evidence-Based Home Visitation Act of 2009 as a preventative measure to be passed as part of the health care bill. Casey said data shows that the risk of child abuse and neglect dropped significantly for young mothers and children involved in the home visitation program.

“We’ve got to do everything we can to try steps like this that are preventative, in addition to prosecuting and punishing and funding the program, to prevent further tragedies,” said Casey.

Dr. Brazelton has sixty years of experience as a pediatrician and spoke about working hands-on with families and children of child abuse.

“There are four times in the first two years when we can predict that child abuse can happen; and if we were willing to get in and support abusing families at that point, we could prevent child abuse. Child abuse should never, never happen. We ought to be able to prevent it; if we don’t, it’s our fault,” said Brazelton.

According to La Terra Cole, Campaigns and Policy associate for Every Child Matters, planning for the press event began in June, but the report has been revised numerous times this year before its release this morning.

The two-day summit, which begins tomorrow and will highlight numerous funding strategies and preventative measures, is an opportunity to urge the presidential administration and Congress to include child abuse awareness in the health reform bill.

“We are asking President Obama to lead a national effort on behalf of all children in need of protection; we are asking our Congress to support that effort…in a very badly under-resourced system that cannot protect all the children brought to its attention.” said Petit.

“Girls Are the Solution”

Today for my Reporting Public Affairs class, I attended a discussion at the Center for Global Development about global health initiatives for adolescent girls in developing countries. The Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, was a keynote speaker. It’s really a great opportunity to attend these events each week all over the metropolitan area, and each week I think I develop better techniques to hammer out a story by our deadline of 5p.m Armed with only our status as American University graduate students, my classmates and I run around the city each week attending panels and press conferences…hoping there will be hot coffee and free muffins! (Today there wasn’t, but I’ll survive!) Below is my story!

Health care, education and economy-based intervention remains at the forefront of the political agenda, with many saying global health for adolescent girls needs to be at the center of this talk.

Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, was a keynote speaker Wednesday in a discussion organized by the Center for Global Development (CGD) on the importance of education, health and economic intervention for adolescent girls in the global sphere.

“I think we need to remind ourselves that girls and women are just not an issue, just not a segment of the population, but the unique determining population that actually has the power, if developed and unleashed, to solve the challenges of our time,” said Verveer.

Verveer described the importance of the adolescent stage in a girl’s life.  She said that this period could be viewed as “a path fraught with trap-doors, through which girls can disappear, and when that happens, their potential is squashed forever.”

CGD launched its newest report Wednesday, which highlights certain health risks young girls face and how education and economic leverage in developing countries can prevent such risks.

Ruth Levine, Senior Fellow and vice president of the CGD, and Miriam Temin co-authored the report, Start With A Girl: A New Agenda For Global Health. The Nike Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored the report.

The report focuses on the 0threats adolescent girls from developing countries continuously encounter, such as poverty, violence, early marriage, genital cutting, sexual trafficking, and the continuous exposure to HIV/AIDS.

The lack of education on youth-friendly health services and health financing in developing countries forces young girls into debilitating situations, such as early marriages, exposure to HIV/AIDS, and sexual trafficking cases.

According to Levine, the importance of focusing on this gender, this small age range, is that these girls are going through “the most important transition from one phase of the life cycle to another, with respect to not only their own short and long-term health outcomes, but also those of their children, their family and their communities.”

Levine explained that education in poorer countries is essential in providing skills and offering positive health outcomes for adolescent girls. Secondary schooling needs to be stressed, with financial incentives offered to families to promote not only further education for young girls, but also assistance in the girl’s absence.

Pamela Shifman, the director of Initiatives for Women and Girls for NoVo Foundation, an organization that empowers women and girls, stressed that the focus needs to be on girls when it comes to any social issue, whether it is related to the environment, education or health sector.

“Girls are the solution. So we don’t just invest in girls because it’s the right thing to do, because they have the greatest needs and are the most stressed –which they are- but because these are the most sound investments we can make, with the highest return,” said Shifman.

Belinda Stronach, Chair of The Belinda Stronach Foundation and a board member for the Center for Global Development, said that economic clout and political leadership enables young girls and women to raise health issues in a different way.

“The intersection of the economic freedom that women need to be able to obtain to make choices, combined with political empowerment… when you have these two things and you can achieve these two things in the nation, you can really transform society,” said Stronach.

The importance of health care and education is not just a national issue discussed widely today, but also a global one, especially highlighted by CGD’s focus on adolescent girls in developing countries. Secondary schooling offers not only an opportunity for young girls to develop intellectually, but also avoid become educated on health risks associated with early marriage, sexual trafficking and sexually-transmitted diseases and AIDS.

Autism Research Proves Daunting Task

I attended this workshop for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research on Wednesday, September 30 for my Reporting Public Affairs class. My brother attends Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago, with some of the brightest minds in the city. He mentioned some of the challenges autistic students experience in class, ranging from teacher’s overlooking their comments to difficulties socializing with peers.

I also thought it would walking distance from my house, but was sadly mistaken. I was SO disappointed to learn President Obama was ALSO in Bethesda speaking; so close…and yet, so far. One of these days! I didn’t dream that he came over for dinner for nothing

 Read below for the piece I did based on the autism research workshop.

 

In a two-day scientific workshop held in Bethesda, MD from Sep. 30 – Oct. 1, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) will discuss their 2009 strategic plan for autism research and outline future objectives in preventing and treating autism.

Different panels will be presenting such issues as early diagnosis biomarkers, preventative measures, causes of autism, treatments and interventions, and available services for families, clinicians and those with autism.  

The IACC is a federal government advisory panel that advises federal agencies on various opportunities and needs for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research.

President Obama was also in Bethesda on Wednesday when he visited the National Institutes of Health, to promote $5 billion in grants for new scientific research aimed at attacking cancer, autism and heart disease. The money will go towards improving public health and providing new jobs, according to an article by the Associated Press.

In the article, Obama titled it the “single largest boost to biomedical research in history.”

Dr. Thomas Insel, M.D. talked about necessary funding for ASD research; $60 million worth of the grants will target autism specifically.

“This is the only disease specific factor in the entire Recovery Act,” said Insel, referring to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

ARRA is an economic stimulus package proposed in February 2009 by President Obama, aimed at stimulating the economy, creating and preserving jobs, and advancing biomedical research, according to Recovery.gov, the U.S. government’s Web site related to the Recovery Act. 

Much of the funding needed for autism research will focus on early diagnosis screenings, training programs for physicians and caregivers, and better services provided for minority groups who may not have access to these resources.

Biomarkers are designed to provide early diagnosis of ASD for families and primary caregivers. IACC panel members discussed some of the ethical challenges faced after diagnosing ASD, such as requesting medical records and collecting DNA. Although these means assist in researching preventative measures, families may still be reeling from a diagnosis and need time to gather the information.

Paula Durbin-Westby, the East Coast’s regional director for the Austistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN,) said that the language surrounding autism should be positive. Pamphlets shouldn’t say: “Parents are devastated with an autism diagnosis.”

Chase Johnson is a sophomore at American University and also interns with ASAN.  He was diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder, a milder version of ASD, when he was in sixth grade.

In high school, Johnson performed well academically but says that some of his teachers did not accommodate his needs. He requested time and a half for the SAT, but was denied.

“It was frustrating to get correct help for my issues in high school,” said Johnson.

The panel also agreed that training programs for medical practitioners are needed in order provide reliable resources for diagnosing ASD, communicating respectfully with various racial and ethnic groups, and monitoring the responses to treatments. Many pediatricians and teachers just don’t have enough background information on identifying signs or utilizing their resources to help those with ASD.

Geraldine Dawson is the chief science officer for “Autism Speaks,” a science and advocacy organization that funds ASD research. Dawson said that devoting money to science research is a priority, and cultural barriers need to be understood and identified in order to assist various ethnic and minority groups.

Dawson said that one issue is “trying to encourage participation of families from minority backgrounds. There is some data to suggest that, for many different complex reasons, children from minority backgrounds are picked up later.”

             With all the work in autism research and preventative measures, Durbin-Westby said this research should include the positive strengths and skills autistic people have.

“Perhaps what we’re all striving for is promotion of the most positive outcome for every individual…the promotion of independence and the choice, and a life that is happy and that people can fulfill their dreams,” said Durbin-Westby.

National Book Festival

Here’s a link to the AU Observer. The front page story is the one I did with fellow Journalism student Ladan Nekoomaram about the National Book Festival. Our photo slideshow is on the site.

(You can also check out stories from my classmates and some of our daily blogs.)

National Book Festival highlights importance of literacy

Monday, September 28, 2009 | Ladan Nekoomaram and Coryn Connelly-Cabreros

• 1
• Culture

Local and national organizations promote reading programs and a love for literature.

D.C.’s National Book Festival: Photo by Ladan Nekoomaram

The turnout for this year’s National Book Festival proved that reading is far from dead.

The National Endowment for the Arts reported in 2004 that literary reading is “in a dramatic decline with fewer than half of American adults now reading literature.” However, thousands of bookworms flooded the National Mall Saturday for the 2009 National Book Festival to see their favorite authors, buy award-winning books, and educate themselves on national and local reading initiatives.

Best-selling authors shared their upcoming novels and their insights about the importance of literature at a variety of panels held throughout the day. Headliners of the festival included authors Nicholas Sparks, Judy Blume, Lois Lowry, Jeanette Walls, Julia Alvarez, Michael Connelly and James Patterson.

Bonnie Yazerlow stood in the long line for one of her daughter’s favorite authors, Jeff Kinney. She teaches pre-school children in the Montgomery County school system and has seen a growing interest in reading.

“They really like to read and look at their books. I look in my classroom, and I see kids love when I read to them. I think there’s a lot more emphasis put on reading in schools,” she said.

 

Equally crowded were the pavilions featuring reading programs for the nation’s youth.  “Let’s Read America,” sponsored by the Penguin Group and Scholastic, featured reading education booths for children. The BE BIG booth included a Clifford banner where children could write the different ways they plan to give back to the community.

“BE BIG promotes volunteerism and being a good citizen, and reading is always a big part of it,” said Wendy Lopez, a volunteer for Scholastic. “One thing people can do to give back to their community is to partner up with younger people to do read-alouds or donate their old books to libraries. A lot of people came up with good ideas about how to promote literacy in their communities.”

The Library of Congress Federal Credit Union partnered with The “It’s a Habit!” Company to promote moneysaving strategies for children through reading. They featured a spinning wheel that allowed children to win free books on budgeting.

“We do this through Sammy the Rabbit. He’s a bunny who likes to save his money. And we’re encouraging kids to make habits of saving money and reading,” said Sam Renick, the CEO and founder of “It’s a Habit!” aimed at teaching children financial responsibility through literature.

Penguin Group gave away books every hour on the hour and provided a craft booth for children to create bookmarks.

“We’re just giving people a sense of what Penguin publishes in our young readers division,” said Dave Zimmer, a representative from the Penguin Group. “Our children are encouraged to make bookmarks. We have all the materials out, and we hope they’ll begin reading by using the bookmarks.”

At the Pavilion of the States tent, interested children and parents learned about their home state’s literary history. Representatives from all fifty states educated people about each state’s authors, book festivals and reading promotion activities. The pavilion offered “Discover Great Places Through Reading”–a map of the United States, which also includes a recommended reading list from each state on the back. Children eagerly got a stamp or state sticker on the map as they visited each state’s booth.

 

Indiana’s booth promoted a digital library collection called “Indiana Memory,” which is sponsored by the Indiana State Library, and also gave away bookmarks about Indiana-born authors and brochures about scholarships offered to Indiana students. Mary Woodward, a representative from the New York State Library, wore a Statue of Liberty hat as she gave away bookmarks in different languages and reading lists and encouraged children to keep track of the number books they read–all part of the state’s summer reading program.

 

“It’s a national effort, but New York state has several million kids,” Woodward said.

PBS KIDS Raising Readers pavilion offered a broad range of interactive games, sing-alongs and photographic moments with cartoon characters. One of the goals of PBS KIDS Raising Readers is to build reading skills for younger children who may not have the resources at their disposal. Parents and teachers are educated on many multimedia opportunities to educate children, through the use of TV and web-based interactive games.  

Reading programs are offered for every age group. “Reading Rockets” is a project started by WETA, Washington D.C.’s local public broadcasting station, which targets young and struggling readers. Children also sang along to SteveSongs with Steve Roslonek, an artist who focuses on educational and interactive music for children.

 

Outside of the tents, lines of crowded fans spanned throughout the mall waiting in the pouring rain to have their favorite books signed by their authors. Despite the growing belief that reading is on the decline, many parents and children voiced their disagreement. “We still love to read,” said 10-year-old Keyana, who was at the fair with her parents, twin sister and 6-year-old brother.

 

Ricky Gayan from Dumfries, Va., agreed. “We’re here to celebrate the written word. I think Lois Lowry’s comments were particularly on point in that she suggested we were all writers. And that we all have stories to tell. And that we all should take the time to write them down.” 

 

With their umbrellas opened, oblivious to the pouring rain, people lined up to buy books, get books signed, and listen to authors talk about their books. With big-name sponsors such as Target, Borders, The Washington Post, Penguin Group and AT&T, to name a few, the thousands of people lined up on the National Mall painted the picture that the written word is still something that engages and interests readers of all ages and backgrounds.