KEEP YOUR EYE ON THESE ADULT LITERACY TUTORS! “PROJECT A+”

A Group To Watch!

Me with “PROJECT A+” Volunteer Tutors. ED Amy Van Bergen is second from left.

I had a great time over the weekend giving workshops in Florida: Jacksonville (DSAJ) and Orlando (DSACF). The audiences were terrific, responsive, and interactive, and in Orlando I had a special meeting with PROJECT A+, a fabulous group of 6 tutors working within the DSACF (Central Florida) under the guiding wings of Amy Van Bergen, Executive Director.

Pilot Project: Adult Literacy

Inspired by an adult literacy program at the DSA of Louisville KY, this team of awesomely qualified volunteer tutors has begun a pilot project called PROJECT A+, a tutoring program targeting literacy for adults with Down syndrome. They don’t care how old you are or what your track record is, they’re there to help you learn to read, write, and more. I have high hopes that this group, as they grow and formalize their protocol and methods, will lead the way for the rest of us…the DSAs around the country. Their goal is to develop a program that can translate across the board into a model that other DSAs can adapt.

Getting Volunteers

How did Amy and the DSACF draw in these volunteers? A well-designed flyer and volunteer match.com. Astonishingly, though the only requirement stipulated by the flyer was a desire to help, the women who responded have these qualifications as their collective backgrounds, with decades of experience each: licensed mental health therapist, special ed teacher, SLP (speech/language pathologist), OT (occupational therapist), IEP coach, and homeschooler. Can you imagine the luck of the DSACF? Wow.

Contact

If you want your DSA to be kept in the contact loop as this pilot program develops, you can email the project coordinator Lynn Cyr at education@dsacf.org.

Best of Luck!

In the meantime, I wish PROJECT A+ all the luck in the world as they experience the excitement and success that comes with building such a model. Ten thumbs up for this team!