Helsinki now has two Ability Guidebooks! I present:
Tag: brett bigham
Finland! A New Ability Guidebook! A New Country! I Am Going To The Ateneum!
My first book for Finland is finished in English, not Finnish! I am thrilled to announce: I Am Going To The Ateneum Art Museum!
Another Ability Guidebook for Estonia. I Am Going To The Niguliste Museum!
To round out my books for the Art Museum of Estonia I give you: I Am Going To The Niguliste Museum!
I Am Going To The KUMU! A New Ability Guidebook for Estonia!
I am thrilled to announce another international Ability Guidebook! This one is for the KUMU art museum in Tallinn, Estonia!
Ability Guidebook! I Am Going To The Mikkel Museum In Tallinn, Estonia
Here is my newest Ability Guidebook for the Mikkel Museum in Tallinn, Estonia! I am excited to offer these supports for people in Estonia who have autism. If you speak Estonian, I’d love to get them translated!
Estonia! A New Ability Guidebook & A New Country! I Am Going To The Kadriorg Art Museum!
It is always a great day when I get a new Ability Guidebook done but today is special since it is in a new country! Introducing: I Am Going To The Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn, Estonia!!
Ability Guidebook_ I Am Going To The Kadriorg Museum
If you know anyone who speaks Estonian, send them my way!
Explore Rome and Visit the Macuteo Obelisk! A New Ability Guidebook!
Ability Guidebook_ I Am Going To The Macuteo Obelisk
It is always fun when I get a new Ability Guidebook finished! I am inspired because I have had a volunteer step forward to translate the books into Italian! You cannot Imagine how exciting it was to get that email! I am writing these books for Italy knowing that only a few English speaking tourists might ever need them.
But I knew that once the books were in English, if I could find someone to translate, they could then be a valuable tool for people with autism who live in, or who are visiting Rome.
My hope is that I will inspire some people in Italy to step forward and make some books of their own! Even now my friend Bill Pierce is visiting Vienna taking pictures to create some additional Ability Guidebooks. Some of Sam Sennott’s students at Portland State University chose to make a book instead of doing a final paper. These are more awesome people stepping up to help create a permanant library of supports for people with autism! (And a support for teachers who are taking their younger students on field trips to these important cultural destinations). I am thrilled to have Bill join me in this project and the students of PSU as well!
If anyone has decent pictures of the Vatican Museum entry I sure could use them….mine turned out pretty poorly.
Brett Bigham
2014 Oregon State Teacher of the Year
2015 NEA National Award for Teaching Excellence
I Am Going To The Rose Festival!
Three years ago I contacted the Rose Festival to suggest to them that they create some events that were more accessible to people with special needs. Because I work so much with people with autism I knew that there were quite a few people who were never able to visit Cityfair at Waterfront Park. With the combinations of crowds, noise, music and carnival rides it was more than some of my students could handle.
The Rose Festival has been awesome and for three years they have opened early one day during the weekend and allowed visitors free entry to the Walk on the Wild Side Animal Safari and the Kidzone. This finally allowed people with sensory issues a chance to visit the lions, skunks, lizards and snakes without any noise or crowds. I never dreamed the Rose Festival would be so amazing and every year is better. This year they are doubling the amount of time for the special needs day.
June 3 from 9-11 there is free entry to Cityfair for people with special needs and their families. Come see the animals and then walk around the carnival area. At eleven the rides will start running so maybe you can stay and try a ride or two!!
Below is a link to an Ablity Guidebook on how to attend the event. Print it out or pull it up on your phone. We look forward to seeing you at the animal safari!
It’s Time To Visit The Supreme Court!
This book is all about perseverance! In 2014 Mike and I were in D.C. for the White House Honoring Ceremony. It was an amazing week and we took every spare minute to meet with elected officials during the visit. We had a few minutes in between meeting Senator Merkley and Senator Baldwin and we decided we had time to make a book!
It was pouring down rain as we ran from the Hart Senate Building to the Supreme Court. There was over four inches of standing water in the street! We splashed through, raced into the Supreme Court and quickly squished our way throught the building taking pictures as fast as I could.
Needless to say, the pictures turned out pretty terrible and I didn’t have the shots I needed to make a book.
Nine months later I was awarded the NEA National Award for Teaching Excellence and Mike and I found ourselves back in D.C. I had my chance to get those pictures I needed to complete a Supreme Court Ability Guidebook! Again, the weather was none to cooperative. February snows kept us from our photo mission.
Last October I had the honor of being part of Kevin Jennings book tour for his book “One Teacher In Ten In the New Millennium.” He had accepted my essay “Teacher of the Year” for publication and I was able to travel to D.C. and L.A. for book readings. During that trip I was finally able to get the last pictures I needed at the Supreme Court.
So, finally, at last, with great happiness I present