Facilitated Communication in Maine
A Summary of 1993-94 Activities
by Alan Kurtz
I was hired to coordinate the Facilitated Communication project at The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies in September 1993. Since then, the project has provided technical assistance, introductory workshops, school and agency in-services, advanced workshops, advanced education and support for FC resource people, and topical seminars throughout the state under contract with the Maine Departments of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and Education. A summary of project activities over the past year follows.
OUTREACH EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
Introductory Workshops --Four two-day introductory workshops on the use of facilitated communication were conducted in locations around the state - Houlton, Rockland, Lewiston, and Orono. Parents, teachers, educational technicians, speech and language pathologists, advocates and adult support providers participated and received instruction in the FC technique and issues related to its use including validation strategies and curriculum strategies.
Advanced Seminars --Two advanced seminars were held. The first was conducted by Douglas Biklen on December l5 & 16,1993. It was held in Portland with more than eighty participants representing parents, teachers, special education directors, speech and language pathologists, and adult support providers from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The second advanced seminar was held for FC Resource people who had attended the Center's first advanced seminar in July 1993. This workshop was held on two separate days - August 19, 1994 and September 28, 1994. In addition to covering issues of training and validation, emphasis was placed on designing a support system for FC users and their facilitators throughout the state. Emerging from this seminar was the nucleus for an on-going statewide FC network.
Topical Seminars --Six topical seminars were conducted throughout the state (Houlton, Waterville, Orono, Portland, Brunswick, Lewiston). The topics included: motor planning, literacy, validation, fading support, FC in inclusive settings, and ethical issues. The most popular of the topical seminars were motor planning and fading support. Because of its popularity the motor planning seminar was conducted in a second location.
Technical Assistance Activities - The Project Coordinator provided technical assistance and consultation to schools and agencies throughout the state on 109 occasions during the project year. Technical assistance was provided to more than 80 different individuals using facilitated communication. Technical assistance was provided twice at Pineland Center and five times directly to families. The remainder of the technical assistance was divided equally between schools and agencies serving adults.
Materials Development and Dissemination Activities
Six issues of our newsletter, Facilitated Communication in Maine... An Update, were mailed to almost 2000 people in Maine, New England and throughout the United States and abroad. What Frontline Didn't Tell You, a 30 page compilation of responses to the PBS documentary, was distributed to more than 500 people. We continue to receive requests for this packet of information.
The first draft of a Maine Outreach Education Manual on Facilitated Communication was distributed at the advanced workshop for FC resource people in August This draft was about 200 pages long and contained five chapters in what will ultimately be a 9 chapter manual. The intent of the manual is to provide FC Resource People with the materials and information they need to provide ongoing education and support to parents, staff and providers regarding the FC technique and related issues. Currently we are receiving feedback on the original draft. Two chapters (one on Curricular Strategies and one on Validation Issues) will be developed collaboratively by several of Maine's FC resource people. Individuals from New Hampshire and Vermont have expressed an interest in cooperating on the development of this resource.
Our Maine FC project was featured on a segment that aired in April on ABC's 20120.
Conference and Workshop Presentations
Half-day inservice presentations were conducted for five different school districts, five adult agencies, and for staff at Pineland Center. Presentations about FC were made at several conferences in Maine. These included the Maine Association of Directors of Services to Children with Exceptionalities in Rockport in June; TASH New England in April in South Portland; ANCOR-Maine's "Risky Business Conference"; the Maine Autism Society on June 18, 1994, at Owl's Head; "Speaking for Ourselves" Self Advocacy Conference in November in Portland; Maine CEC in October in Bangor; the Maine Speech/Language and Hearing Association in October in Bar Harbor and the Maine Reading Association's Annual Conference in September in September.
In addition, presentations on Maine's FC project were presented at the Third Annual FC Conference in May in Syracuse, NY; in April at the Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission in Boston; and in November at the TASH conference in Chicago.
Papers for presentation have been accepted for upcoming conferences including the Northeast Regional Autism Society in October and at TASH in November in Atlanta. A paper has been submitted for presentation at the Fourth Annual FC Conference to be held in Syracuse in May, 1995.
SUMMARY
Although Facilitated Communication remains a controversial technique, recent research findings have demonstrated its validity (Cardinal & Hansen, 1994; Crossley, 1994; Olney, 1994; Sheehan & Matouzzi, 1994; Simon, Toll, & Whitehair, 1994; Vasquez, 1994; Weiss, 1994; Calculator & Singer, 1992; Intellectual Disability Review Panel, 1989;). Technical assistance and consultation requests and registrations for our workshops and conferences continue to demonstrate the need for ongoing information and support regarding the technique.
The purpose of Facilitated Communication In Maine is to promote the appropriate use of facilitated communication through education, technical assistance, and support to people with disabilities, parents, educators, speech and language pathologists support providers, and other interested individuals. The project provides up-to-date information on current best practices, introductory and advanced workshops on the technique, resources regarding theoretical and practical components of facilitated communication and ongoing support to a network of resource persons who provide local education and support to other facilitators.
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and in pursuing its own goals of pluralism, the University of Maine shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or citizen status, age, disability, or veterans status in employment education, and all other areas of the University. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. This publication is available on audiotape and upon request this material will be made available in other alternative formats to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities.