Facing the Future 26

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Facing the Future 26 Facing The Future 26 HIRED: Blueprints for Employment Success A conference for professionals highlighting best practices in supporting people with disabilities in career planning, supported and customized employment, and transition from school to work March 23, 2018 Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick, NJ Conference at a Glance 8:00 A.M. Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Exhibits Welcome 8:15 A.M. Rebecca Shulman, NJ APSE and Margaret Gilbride, The Boggs Center Specs for the Blueprints 8:30 A.M. Margaret Gilbride, The Boggs Center 9:00 A.M. Break (20 minutes) STATE SERVICES STATE SERVICES EDUCATION / TRANSITION SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT (DDD) (DVRS) TRANSITION PROGRAMS BARRIERS STRATEGIES JOB COACHING JOB DEVELOPMENT TRENDING TOPICS Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Workshop 3 Workshop 4 Workshop 5 Workshop 6 Workshop 7 Workshop 8 Workshop 9 9:20 A.M. Navigating NJ DVRS Transition Not Just Navigating ABA for Fading Everyone Can 2017 National TO the Division of Business Assessment Laundry: Social-Sexual Employment Gracefully: Work! Employment 10:35 A.M. Developmental Outreach Team: – What is This Creating a Challenges at Specialists Using Data to & Disability Disabilities 7 Habits of and How Do I Well-rounded the Workplace Guide Services Survey: Service Highly Effective Do It? Vocational Supervisor System Business Part 1 Program Perspectives Engagement 10:35 A.M. Break (20 minutes) STATE SERVICES STATE SERVICES EDUCATION / TRANSITION SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT (DDD) (DVRS) TRANSITION PROGRAMS BARRIERS STRATEGIES JOB COACHING JOB DEVELOPMENT TRENDING TOPICS Workshop 10 Workshop 11 Workshop 12 Workshop 13 Workshop 14 Workshop 15 Workshop 16 Workshop 17 Workshop 18 Quality and Establishing Transition Meeting the Building Achieving Social Media What Make Your Supported a Project Assessment Employment Employer Greater for Job Employers Job: An 10:55 A.M. Employment SEARCH – What is This Needs of Relationships Independence Coaches and Want Entrepreneurship TO Program and How Do I Students with to Facilitate in the Developers Program for 12:10 P.M. Do It? Disabilities: Job Matches Workplace People with Part 2 Lessons Through Disabilities Learned Assistive Using From an Early Technology Makerspace Intervention Technology Project 12:10 P.M. Lunch 1:00 P.M. Award Ceremony 1:20 P.M. Break (10 minutes) STATE SERVICES STATE SERVICES EDUCATION / TRANSITION SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT (DDD) (DVRS) TRANSITION PROGRAMS BARRIERS STRATEGIES JOB COACHING JOB DEVELOPMENT TRENDING TOPICS Workshop 19 Workshop 20 Workshop 21 Workshop 22 Workshop 23 Workshop 24 Workshop 25 Workshop 26 Workshop 27 1:30 P.M. Living A Structured Establishing From Good to Job Self-Advocacy: Creative Job How to Get Navigating TO Meaningful Learning and & Maintaining Great: Making Development A Social and Coaching Your Foot in Social 2:45 P.M. Life VR: Perfect a Positive the Best of for People Vocational Skill Using the Door and Security Work Together Rapport with Your Transition with I/DD Compensatory Keep the Door Incentives for a Community Program and Criminal Strategies Open! the Transition Work Site Histories and Natural Age Population Supports 2:45 P.M. Break (15 minutes) 3:00 P.M. Keynote Presentation TO 4:00 P.M. Something to Stare At Josh Blue, Comedian 4:00 P.M. Conference Adjourns Keynote Presentation Something to Stare At Josh Blue, Comedian Something to Stare At is an entertaining presentation by Josh Blue about preconceived ideas of disability and perceptions of what success is. This talk will be based on his unique life, traveling the world and performing as an athlete and comedian, all while living with cerebral palsy. Perhaps best known as the comedian who puts the cerebral in Cerebral Palsy, Josh Blue exploded onto the national comedy scene by capturing the attention and endearment of the country as the winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Having already established himself as one of the most sought after comedians on the college circuit, his weekly appearances on Last Comic Standing expanded his fan base exponentially. Josh debuted a new special, Comedy Central Presents: Josh Blue, which received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Josh starred in his own one- hour Showtime Special, Sticky Change, where he cracks jokes and tells stories about everything from being a white African-American, to dealing with cabbies who think he’ll pay in sticky change. He has appeared twice on Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops on CMT and recently made his late night television debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Possessed with an undeniable likeability and comedic timing that belies his youthfulness, Josh continues to break down stereotypes of people with disabilities one laugh at a time. His stand-up routine is in a constant state of evolution and his off-the-cuff improvisational skills guarantee that no two shows are exactly alike. Josh has appeared as a regular guest star on Comedy Central’s Mind of Mencia and his story has been featured on Fox, CBS, ABC, and MSNBC. He was the first comedian to perform stand-up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, was named Best Winning Reality Show Guest for his appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly, and made a standout guest appearance on Comics Unleashed. He became the first comic to debut a stand-up special on the big screen when 7 More Days in the Tank was shown in theatres across the country. Portions of the performance also aired on Bravo Network as a half-hour comedy special. Josh is a repeat guest on such nationally syndicated radio programs as NPR’s Talk of the Nation and The Mancow Show and has been featured in numerous print publications including People Magazine and The New York Times. Josh has also performed at the prestigious HBO-Aspen Comedy Festival, Comedy Central’s South Beach Comedy Festival, and The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. Josh has even become quite an Internet sensation with his top two YouTube videos approaching 2 million plays. Josh is also a former member of the US Paralympic Soccer Team and competed in Athens at the Paralympic Games, the world’s second largest sporting event. Workshops 1-9: 9:20 A.M. – 10:35 A.M. 1 Navigating the Division of Developmental Disabilities Service System Nkechi Ugoji, MSW, LSW, Senior Coordinator, Training, Transition, & Policy, NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities Attendees at this session will learn about the system reform occurring within the Division of Developmental Disabilities. This workshop will provide insight into the intake and eligibility process as well as services offered through individual service plans. The method for selecting a support coordination agency will be explained and the agencies' responsibilities described. It will also address quality improvement efforts being made by the Division to ensure continued improvements to service delivery for individuals within the service system. Topic: State Services (DDD) Target Audience: Administrators, Supervisors, Educators Workshop Level: Beginner NJ DVRS Business Outreach Team: 2 7 Habits of Highly Effective Business Engagement Janice Fishbein, MA, CRC, CPM, Chief-Business Outreach and Jennifer Veneziani, MA, Business Consultant, NJ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services The Business Outreach Team (BOT) was established in May 2017 to help DVRS meet the needs of New Jersey's businesses. This presentation will provide an overview of the services of the BOT. Topic: State Services (DVRS) Target Audience: Administrators, Supervisors, Employment Specialists, Job Developers, Educators Workshop Level: Beginner 3 Transition Assessment – What is This and How Do I Do It? Part 1 Bill Freeman, MEd, CSPD Coordinator, New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Special Education Professional Development and Christine Tomkus, MBA, Planning Associate, New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Career Readiness Planning for a successful transition from school to adult life requires a student, family members, and the educators who are responsible for providing FAPE to fully understand who the student is, what he or she wants for the future, and his or her preferences, interests, strengths, and support needs. This information about the student provides the basis for the development of the student's post-secondary goals in the IEP. Even though the collection of this information through tools, methods, and strategies known collectively as "age-appropriate transition assessment" is required by Federal law, educators often struggle with performing this task in a meaningful and useful way. This workshop will provide a thorough overview of transition assessment, and will provide many examples of tools and strategies that help make the process useful and effective. We will include a detailed overview of "NJCAN.ORG" which is a free online tool for helping individuals plan for a successful career. Part 1 of a 2-part workshop; Part 2 is listed as Workshop #12. Topic: Education/Transition Target Audience: Administrators, Supervisors, Educators, Family Members Workshop Level: Intermediate 4 Not Just Laundry: Creating a Well-rounded Vocational Program Michael Farrelly, MA, Principal and Matthew Best, Transition Specialist, Gramon Family of Schools Come learn about innovative vocational experiences that support the diverse skill sets of students with disabilities. From a student-run bistro and catering service to 3-D printing and more, you will come away with ideas to help stimulate your vocational program within a collaborative model. Topic: Transition Programs Target Audience: Administrators, Supervisors, Employment Specialists, Job
Recommended publications
  • Living Well with Disabilities Name:______April 11, 2015 Title:______
    Event Registration Living Well With Disabilities Name: _______________________________________ April 11, 2015 Title: ________________________________________ Agency: ______________________________________ 8:30 am – 8:55 am Registration with Continental Breakfast Address: ______________________________________ 8:55 am – 9:00 am Welcome City, State, Zip: _________________________________ Charles Walczak, CEO, EHCA Phone: _______________________________________ 9:00 am – 10:00 am Caring for the Caregiver Email Address: _________________________________ Karen Morahan, RN, PhD, Edinboro University Robert Gulick, MFA, BCBA, Director, Behavior Analytic Services, Mail Registration to: Achievement Center Mary Jo Fulton 10:00 am – 11:00 am Living with a Disability EHCA Josh Blue 226 East 27th Street Erie, PA 16504 11:00 am – 12 Noon Emotional & Sexual Needs of the Individual with Disabilities Amy Tobolski, BA, Behavioral Health Specialist, Milestones, Inc. Cost - $35.00 (Includes continental breakfast and a 12 Noon – 1:00 pm Boxed Lunch boxed lunch) 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Accessing Community Resources Panel: Registration closes April 3, 2014. Valerie Benjamin, BA, Assistant Director Community Services, EHCA Karen Schnaekel, BS, LDN, Nutritionist, Regional Cancer Center & EHCA For more information, please call Mary Jo Fulton, Shelley Hecker, ID Supervisor, Erie County Care Management, Inc. 814-315-1823 at Erie Homes for Children and Adults. 2:00 pm – 2:15 pm EVALUATION Directions The Frank G. Pogue Student Center is located at 405 Program Objectives: Scotland Road, Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA 16444 and can be accessed from Rt. 6-N at the Scotland 1. Develop a greater understanding of the issues individuals with disabilities face on a day-to-day basis. Road (Stadium) entrance. The Pogue Center is the next 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Ironic Feminism: Rhetorical Critique in Satirical News Kathy Elrick Clemson University, [email protected]
    Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 12-2016 Ironic Feminism: Rhetorical Critique in Satirical News Kathy Elrick Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Recommended Citation Elrick, Kathy, "Ironic Feminism: Rhetorical Critique in Satirical News" (2016). All Dissertations. 1847. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1847 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IRONIC FEMINISM: RHETORICAL CRITIQUE IN SATIRICAL NEWS A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design by Kathy Elrick December 2016 Accepted by Dr. David Blakesley, Committee Chair Dr. Jeff Love Dr. Brandon Turner Dr. Victor J. Vitanza ABSTRACT Ironic Feminism: Rhetorical Critique in Satirical News aims to offer another perspective and style toward feminist theories of public discourse through satire. This study develops a model of ironist feminism to approach limitations of hegemonic language for women and minorities in U.S. public discourse. The model is built upon irony as a mode of perspective, and as a function in language, to ferret out and address political norms in dominant language. In comedy and satire, irony subverts dominant language for a laugh; concepts of irony and its relation to comedy situate the study’s focus on rhetorical contributions in joke telling. How are jokes crafted? Who crafts them? What is the motivation behind crafting them? To expand upon these questions, the study analyzes examples of a select group of popular U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • February 2009
    February 2009 TheBurgGreater Harrisburg’s Community Newspaper Free Contents In the Burg Home & Family 4 Letters Good Eats 23 Young Burgers 5 The First Word 16 Restaurant Row 24 Bricks & Mortars 6 City Hall 17 Home Cooking 25 Wags & Whiskers 8 State Street 26 Game Boards Culture Club Burg Biz 18 Creator Sports & Bodies 9 New Business 19 Passing Judgment 27 Senior Health 10 From the Ground Up 20 On the Outskirts 28 The Great Outdoors 11 Doing Good 21 Happenings 29 Move It! 30 One More Thing … Street Corners 12 Neighborhoods 13 Around Town 15 Past Tense Welcome to TheBurg! We’d love to hear from you. Send your ideas and comments to our editor, Pete. pdurantine@ theburgnews. com TheBurg 3 Letters General & Letters TheBurg Readers Welcome Having lived in Harrisburg and the environs for P.O. Box 676 more than five decades, I read with great interest Harrisburg, PA 17108-0676 Our Inaugural Issue every page of your first issue this afternoon. My www.theburgnews.com sincere congratulations on your very constructive step forward for Harrisburg, by creating a genuine Editorial: 717-602-4300 Congratulations on a successful first edition of and independent community newspaper — one Ad Sales: 717-350-0428 TheBurg! I loved everything about it — the con- that contains an eye-pleasing layout and design, tent, layout, contributing writers, overall appear- diverse articles and beholden to no individual or ance — everything! interest. Your operating philosophy and focus on Principals Editor: Peter Durantine I picked up my copy (well, two) at the ‘helping people understand the city, not fear it’ [email protected] downtown Y.
    [Show full text]
  • Josh Blue Opens up About Cerebral Palsy, 'Last Comic Standing'
    Cue THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015 SECTION C Audra McDonald Saturday, October 17th, 8:00 pm TICKETS START AT $40 309.671.1096 peoriasymphony.org PE-4493521_V2 Josh Blue opens up about cerebral palsy, ‘Last Comic Standing’ BY THOMAS BRUCH OF THE JOURNAL STAR PEORIA — One of the best stand-up comedians in the business, Josh Blue, will be performing at the Jukebox Comedy Club this weekend. Blue, 36, won Season Four of “Last Comic Standing” in 2006 and has since been a staple on the stand-up comedy circuit. Though he has earned many plaudits and has been featured frequently in stand-up specials, he might be best known for having cerebral palsy — something he pokes fun at in a self-deprecating manner in his performances. Yet he also talks about it to highlight what you can accomplish while living with the disorder. Blue will appear at the Jukebox at 8 p.m. Thursday, and at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $20 except for the Thursday show and the late Friday show, which are $15. Tickets can be purchased at the comedy club or online at www.jukeboxcomedy.com. The Journal Star talked to Blue recently about his career, “Last Comic Standing” and another one of his successful endeavors. Q: In retrospect, what’s your opinion on “Last Comic Standing” for younger comedians or comedi- ans who haven’t gotten a shot yet? A: I have mixed feelings about it. Obviously it really helped me blow into the scene. But it’s still a dumb reality show.
    [Show full text]
  • Josh Blue of Last Comic Standing Highlights Stockton's Disability
    THE RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY Office of Public Relations Pomona, NJ 08240 Josh Blue of Last Comic Standing Highlights Stockton’s Disability Awareness Week Activities Proceeds Benefit Fisher House and the South Jersey Field of Dreams For Immediate Release Wednesday, October 03, 2007 Contact: Tim Kelly Stockton Public Relations (609) 652-4950 Galloway Township, NJ – Josh Blue, winner of the hit NBC reality show Last Comic Standing will come to The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and will entertain as a featured event of Stockton’s Disability Awareness Week. Josh, who has cerebral palsy and was a standout soccer player for the 2004 United States’ Paralympics Team and a talented sculptor and artist, will perform at the Stockton Performing Arts Center on Monday, October 22, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. In his standup routine, many of Josh’s jokes are about his disability, how he deals with it and how other people view him. Tickets for the event are $20 for the general public or $10 for students with a valid student ID. For more information or to order tickets, call the Stockton PAC Box Office at (609) 652-9000. Proceeds from the show benefit Fisher House, which is dedicated to serving military and veterans’ families in times of need, and the South Jersey Field of Dreams. The mission of the SJ Field of Dreams (www.sjfieldofdreams) is to provide a recreational facility and league for physically and mentally challenged children and adults in Southern New Jersey. -more- Disability Awareness Week/page 2 The Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org) offers shelter and support to family members when a loved one is injured or wounded in military operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Last Comic Standing Entertains and Enlightens at USFSP I Pagos4&S
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Crow's Nest University History: Campus Publications 11-28-2006 Crow's Nest : 2006 : 11 : 28 University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/crows_nest Recommended Citation University of South Florida St. Petersburg., "Crow's Nest : 2006 : 11 : 28" (2006). Crow's Nest. 612. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/crows_nest/612 This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University History: Campus Publications at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Crow's Nest by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Crew's Nest USF St. Petersburg November 28, 2006 Issue 39-13 www.usfstpetecrowsnest.com f ;f Last Comic Standing entertains and enlightens at USFSP I pagos4&S . Does the movie Wondering what Trying· to make this week 2 news 11Borat" live up happens to campus sense of the 3 opinio!ls 4 campus life to all the hype? computers when 6 sports 2006 elections? 7 variety pageS Read what CN · 8 campus life they are retired? ... find out on page 8 writers think · page3 2 I news I The Craw's Nest 11/28/06 Virtual world to change reality? -!" · ~. by MIKE COLAPIETRO "SL" has also been shown to be a world where contributing writer savvy users can earn big bucks. Business Week reported that avatar Anshe Chung, who owns a A virtual world is being rapidly populated on real estate business in "SL;' has amassed property the Internet, challenging the traditional concept and cash worth $250,000.
    [Show full text]
  • CPF Brochure.Pdf
    A Message from our CEO We don’t hear enough about The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is We invite you to become part of cerebral palsy, nor know enough focused on an aggressive growth this important mission and to share about the condition. However, if strategy which will enable us to the impact we are having. you considered all the people in expand our already meaningful the US who have CP, we would be impact on the research, therapies the 12th largest city in America. and insights which improve lives. This is not a far off vision: CP is caused by damage to an CPF’s work is having an impact infant’s brain; and creates on lives today. movement disorders which last Richard Ellenson throughout a person’s life. One in The following pages will take CPF IS Chief Executive Officer CHANGING LIVES five people with CP can’t speak. you through the initiatives, One in three can’t walk. One in two approach, and strategic plan FOR PEOPLE people live in chronic pain. which is driving our work for WITH CEREBRAL PALSY the next three years. Over the past decade, there have been enormous advances in the world of medical research. However, TODAY people affected by cerebral palsy THROUGH RESEARCH often find themselves facing a deeply fragmented system, a lack of INNOVATION awareness about their condition, AND COLLABORATION and an inability to access appropriate therapies and interventions. Because of this, people with cerebral palsy often live lives which are significantly and unnecessarily compromised. Richard Ellenson and his son Thomas CP IS THE MOST COMMON PHYSICAL DISABILITY IN CHILDHOOD We Are Implementing Ways to Recognize CP Earlier Brain plasticity is greatest during the first 12 months of life.
    [Show full text]
  • September 2, 2006
    September 2, 2006- September 14, 2006 Media Packet x FSU-SMC create new degree x Local lampworking artist earns award for her art x MRWA training session held x Artist displays works x ‘Last Comic Standing’ Josh Blue to perform Wednesday at Ferris x Alcohol laws in force x Ferris reports record enrollment x Why make it hard to help at-risk children? x Teeter-totter toward a cure x Ferris celebrates Constitution Week x Ferris to offer voting opportunities x Michigan Construction Hall of Fame gets five more professionals x Brown carried his weight in NFL, now in wrestling x Barnum’s one-man show x Teetering Toward a Cure x FSU retiree to address MARSP x FSU Bulldog Bonanza x Mobile Secretary of State x WSU working to help students graduate Daily News (Dowagiac, MI) August 16, 2006 FSU-SMC create new degree A bachelor of science in early Childhood education degree is now available in Dowagiac through a partnership between Ferris State University and Southwestern Michigan College. Because preschool directors and lead teachers may soon be required to have a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, this program has been created with maximum flexibility for adult students. SMC classes take place both day and evening, while Ferris classes are evening only. The first Ferris class is "Infant Toddler Environments Curriculum" (EDCD 210) and will be offered this fall on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8:50. Fall classes start Tuesday, Sept. 5, and there is still time for students to apply and register, according to Stephanie Timm, the Ferris State southwest Michigan regional coordinator.
    [Show full text]
  • Comedian Josh Blue Pokes Fun at His Own Cerebral Palsy
    SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2006 BY DICK KRECK Comedian Josh Blue Pokes Fun at His Own Cerebral Palsy A guy with cerebral palsy walks into a bar…and emerges as the winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” He twirls and bounces around the stage like an unstrung puppet and, sometimes, not even he knows where he's going to wind up. Comedian Josh Blue exploded out of nowhere this summer to win the NBC reality series "Last Comic Standing." But what sets the 27-year-old Blue apart from the 11 comics he beat in the TV laugh-off, other than his smart jokes and delivery, is that he has cerebral palsy. In fact, he boldly describes himself as the man who "put the cerebral in cerebral palsy." Blue doesn't care if you laugh with him or at him. Either way is fine by him, as long as you laugh. He often opens his act with this exchange: "People ask me if I get nervous before coming up on stage. I say, 'Heck no, I got this many people staring at me all day!!'" And then this: "I realize people are going to stare, so I wanna give them something to stare at." Such stares have fueled his stand-up comedy career, providing a constant source of material surrounding the condition he was born with. Cerebral palsy, caused by damage to brain areas that control motor function and muscle coordination, has left his movements awkward and his speech sometimes slurred. But most strikingly, it has left him with an arm that angles away from his body and ends in a hand that's permanently curled.
    [Show full text]
  • Josh Blue Biography Contact: Mike Mike Raftery, Mike@Comedyworks
    Josh Blue Biography Contact: Mike Mike Raftery, [email protected], 1-720-476-5560 Josh Blue has been a fast-rising star since first appearing on Comedy Central’s “Mind of Mencia” before gaining the attention and endearment of the country as a favorite on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Josh is a diverse and triumphant individual - hilarious stand-up comedian, stand-out guest star on television, talented artist, and stellar U.S. Paralympic Soccer player – refusing to bow to any of the challenges that come from living with Cerebral Palsy. Blue jokes, “I realize that people are going to stare so I want to give them something to stare at.” Josh uses his incredible sense of humor and versatile persona to defy stereotypes and encourage others to overcome their preconceived notions about people who are considered “disabled.” His unique brand of “reverse teasing” affords him the great joy of “humbling condescending people.” Josh’s stand-out performances at the 2004 Las Vegas Comedy Festival earned him $10,000 as Grand Prize Winner of the Royal Flush Comedy Competition. He has appeared on NBC, MSNBC, FOX News, and Fox Sports Net. In 2005, Josh emerged as a major force on the college circuit with Main Stage Showcases that garnered rave reviews and a helped earn him a nomination for BEST DIVERSITY EVENT OF 2006 by APCA. A Lewis & Clark College programmer remarked “Not only did Josh Blue receive a standing ovation, but he was the funniest comedian of the entire three day convention.” From comedy clubs and theater engagements to college campuses and corporate events, wherever he takes the stage Josh elicits a wildly appreciative crowd response.
    [Show full text]
  • Comedian Josh Blue Makes Cerebral Palsy a Laughing Ma Er
    OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 BY OLGA RUKOVETS Comedian Josh Blue Makes Cerebral Palsy a Laughing Ma}er ~e acclaimed funnyman gets serious—well, sort of—about his cerebral palsy. Born in Cameroon, West Africa, Josh Blue—who made headlines when he won NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2006—began his life as a world traveler on his second day on the planet. Blue's father, a professor of romance languages, was teaching in a mission there at the time. In November 1978, Blue was medically evacuated to the United States after experiencing serious complications during childbirth. A year later, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP), a neurologic condition caused by injury or abnormal development in the immature brain, often before birth, that leads to problems with movement, muscle tone, or posture. Cerebral palsy is the most common disability affecting movement during childhood. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the prevalence of CP as 1 in 303 8-year-old children in the United States. (See "Cerebral Palsy: The Basics" below.) "The most common cause of CP is prematurity. Roughly 20 percent of babies born before 32 weeks gestational age will have CP. Less frequent causes of CP include a complication of labor and delivery, a stroke or brain infection while inside the uterus, or disorders of brain development present at birth," says Barry S. Russman, M.D., professor of pediatrics and neurology at Oregon Health and Science University and Shriners Hospital for Children, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). For the 33-year-old comedian, CP is such a familiar part of his existence that he doesn't notice it much, he tells Neurology Now.
    [Show full text]
  • WASHINGTON TIMES DENVER T
    Ⅵ Civil War page / D3 ᮤ Around Michigan / D4 Ⅵ World weather map / D4 SATURDAY, MAY T17, 2008 ravel SECTION D By Mary Margaret Green THE WASHINGTON TIMES DENVER t. Louis has its Gate- way Arch, New York its Statue of Liberty and the District its Wash- ington Monument. Denver has a big blue bear. Make that a 42- foot-tall, 10,000- pound, deep-lapis- toned bear, a playful work of public art by Uni- versity of Denver professor Lawrence Argent that is sure to make Democrats smile when they hold their national con- Svention in the city Aug. 25 through 28. Appropriately named “I See What You Mean,” the bear stands on its hind legs in the grass along 14th Street, lean- ing forward and seeming to press its forepaws and snout against the glass- walled Colorado Convention Center like a curious, if fantastically overgrown, child striving for a better view inside. Denver has more to amuse party animals and tourists, of course, and the staff of the Denver Post had fun compiling a list of “What we have that New York doesn’t” in January 2007, when the Democrats chose the Mile High City over the Big Apple as their meeting place. “Anything New York can do, we can do better,” the paper crowed. “We’ve got your art (how ‘bout a big blue bear?). We’ve got your celebrities (like come- dian Josh Blue). We’ve got your sense of history. And we’ve got it all without a $20 cover to leave your hotel.” The bear was the paper’s tongue-in- cheek counterpoint to the Statue of Liberty as “colossal figure.” Mr.
    [Show full text]