Quarantined and using the time well. Riyadh has its first Ability Guidebook!

Hello everybody! We will be in quarantine as of this afternoon. School in Oregon is cancelled until the end of April. Most likely we will be under a “shelter in place” order in the next few days.

Since I am home, I am going to try to get as many Ability Guidebooks finished as I can. In some ways, a surprise 6-week vacation will allow me to finish quite a few Ability Guidebooks.  I’m hoping for ten new ones by the end of this!

So, without further ado, I announce the first Guidebook for Saudi Arabia! I Am Going to the Yasmak Fortress!

This makes the 41st country to have an Ability Guidebook. Crazy!

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masmak Fortress Ability Guidebook

 

 

An Ability Guidebook for Madagascar!! I Am Going to the Avenue of the Baobabs!

There is nothing better than creating the first Ability Guidebook for a new country! I am so pleased to announce that I Am Going to the Avenue of the  is the very first Guidebook for Madagascar!

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The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa now has an Ability Guidebook to help autistic visitors! Thank you National Education Association Foundation!

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I cannot thank the National Education Association Foundation’s Global Fellowship program enough for helping make this Ability Guidebook happen!  As part of their program I travelled to South Africa and was able to take photos to create 12 new Ability Guidebooks. These free online supports help autistic people visit places in the community and because of the NEAF, quite a few of South Africa’s museums are now easier to visit for people with travel anxiety.

 

The Stellenbosch Village Museum, South Africa now has an Ability Guidebook to support autistic visitors!

Stellenbosch, South Africa has their very first Ability Guidebook! This will support autistic visitors to the Village Museum.

I want to humbly thank the National Education Association Foundation for honoring me for choosing me for their Global Fellowship not once, but twice. This fellowship has allowed me to create over a dozen Ability Guidebooks for Peru and South Africa. The NEAF in an incredible supporter of people with special needs and I am forever grateful!

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Ability Guidebook_ I Am Going To The Stellenbosch Village Museum!

 

Just in time for the new school year! The Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland gets an Ability Guidebook!

It is always fun to create a new Ability Guidebook for my home city of Portland, Oregon!  The Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland is one of the absolute gems of the city!! This book will support autistic people visiting the garden! It makes a great field trip guide for younger grades as well.

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FINAL Ability Guidebook Lan Su Chinese Garden

 

Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa gets an Ability Guidebook!

I would very much like to thank the National Education Association Foundation’s Global Fellow Program for making me a Global Fellow for the second time. As a Fellow I travelled to Peru and now South Africa and because of that these two countries will have close to a dozen Ability Guidebooks! Thank you NEAF!!!

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https://www.canva.com/design/DAC_Co9c7Fk/j8UoR2u8tXa4KEfBsFYSdA/view?utm_content=DAC_Co9c7Fk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton

Eugene, Oregon has its first Ability Guidebook! I Am Going to the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art!

Eugene makes the fourth Oregon City to get an Ability Guidebook! I’m very excited to announce: I Am Going To The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art!

 

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon by Brett Bigham

A California student just stepped up and translated I Am Going to the Getty Villa into Spanish!

This is one of those dreams come true for me! For those of you who follow this blog you know my hope is that I make these book as examples for other people to create books for their own communities.  I know I can only create so many books and so I dream of other people stepping up.

Today I am sharing our newest Ability Guidebook. This one is special because it is a Spanish translation of I Am Going to the Getty Villa! The Getty Villa book is special. I created it to go along with a video lesson put out by The Teaching Channel and the Getty Museum.

 

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A student in California, who was working on a play about a young autistic man heard about the Getty Guidebook and translated the book into Spanish. Erik Arrazola knew that there were many people in the Los Angeles area who are Spanish speakers, and he knew that there are autistic people who could use the Guidebook if it was in Spanish.

I often say these books are to help open doors for autistic people. They provide that support for those who have anxiety about going to new places. For Erik to step up and translate just opened a door for Spanish speakers with an interest in the Getty Villa.  Thank you Erik, not just from me, but from the entire community who will benefit from your work!

Ability Guidebook_ SP I Am Going To The J Paul Getty Museum SPANISH

A Brand New Ability Guidebook For India!! Let’s go visit Ajanta Ellora Caves!

It is always fun when I get a book done for another country! I’m really pleased to announce India has another book! Anyone want to translate??!

Ability Guidebook_ I Am Going To The Ajanta Ellora Caves!

You can find the book here: https://www.canva.com/design/DADIgYyY7pg/5tkksawSZx5rQyR0OGoWCA/view?utm_content=DADIgYyY7pg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton

Soon Washington, D.C. Will Have More Ability Guidebooks Than Portland!

Every time I go on a trip I try to get at least one Ability Guidebook out of it. In September I had the honor to speak on a panel for ECRA-The Education Civil Rights Alliance. I’m proud to be one of their Fellowship of Leading Educators who are fighting for social justice. My hotel was just off of Dupont Circle so I will have several books coming out for that neighborhood in the coming weeks!

Ability Guidebook_ I Am Going To Dupont Circle-2

Follow this link to the PDF! https://www.canva.com/design/DADGiOHrCck/46DER-d_xRzuqoMmV5blxQ/view?utm_content=DADGiOHrCck&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton