C.E. Jottings

A Fitbit for orthofunction and healthy lifestyle? Maybe. #CondEd

A Fitbit. For someone who doesn’t walk or take the stairs. Is there any point? Discuss, please. So asked Glenda Watson-Hyatt on Facebook a few days ago. Glenda’s interest was in how much, as an electric wheelchair user, she actually moves. If you’d like to read the whole fascinating series of comments and discussion that followed, you can find it here. Some of the comments focused factually on what a FitBit can actually do: from the maybe well-known such as... Read more →

Work, Citizenship and Orthofunction 3: Keys to Citizenship poster

I just wanted to help extend awareness of this powerful poster for The Centre for Welfare Reform's "7 Keys to Citizenship". Shortly, I will add a note as to its origin and the links. Meanwhile, here's the poster. What I'm asking myself is whether these 7 keys to citizenship help us discuss orthofunction and conductive education across the lifespan when our children with developmental disabilities become adults. Read more →

Work, Citizenship and Orthofunction #CondEd

The aim of conductive education, one might say, is orthofunction. One way I interpreted this when at Paces was that our aim for all children and adults was “independent adulthood as active citizens”. Just hold that as a thought for a moment. Who knows what a “saggar makers bottom knocker” was? Saggar-making was a skilled job requiring a craftsman, someone with experience; bottom-knocking however was less skilled, often left to young lads who worked with the saggar makers. There were... Read more →

Childhood Neurodisability Research priority setting - Make suggestions for research - Survey open!

I'm going to quote this at length and hope that in the interests of spreading the word, the British Academy of Childhood Disability (BACD) is OK with that. The search is on for the top 10 ideas to establish childhood neurodisability priorities. BACD is asking for suggestions via a survey. You can take part online or by completing a questionnaire that can be emailed or posted to BACD. Here it is: Aims and objectives The aim of the Childhood Disability... Read more →

Being enterprising ... Talking Enterprise

I've mentioned Mike Chitty on this blog a number of times. His approach to community development is one that for me resonates with conductive education work with adults or rather how such programmes might be developed, as we have some way to go. Located in "assets" not "needs", focusing firmly on the individual rather than "community" or "business skills", with an emphasis on "being enterprising" and "becoming", Mike's take on development is about people having "active agency in their own... Read more →

An orthofunctional organisation?

On Saturday, I found myself in much the same situation as Jane, "Student Conductor" blogger at Birmingham, pondering answers to the question "what is conductive education". I was attending the spring meeting of the East Pennine Association of Churchill Fellows at Leeming, an association of which I am member as a result of being awarded a Travel fellowship by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. (You can register now to receive information when the Trust opens for applications for the 2009... Read more →