Your newsletter for April
To our members and followers:

We sincerely hope you are safe and well. During this time of COVID-19, may we have patience and kindness with ourselves and others.

We are here to support you, your loved ones, your students and clients. Please reach out if we can help you in any way. 

We are all in this together!
  
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors, IDA-Oregon Branch
How To Do Mindfulness Right Now
By Nicole Gulick
"In these unprecedented times, many of us are feeling unprecedented emotions. Many of us are uncertain about what to do with these emotions, even if we are able to name them. We can start with mindfulness ......"
As I write this, most of us are two weeks into radically changed lives. We have witnessed the gradual closures, the major changes, the social distancing that has created a reality different than we have ever lived before. It feels like a really bad movie. Except it’s not.  Read more
“We did it!” Reflections on a journey through school with Dyslexia and an IEP.
By IDA - Oregon Branch member
Michon Silipath (February, 2020)


Today I scheduled my son’s last IEP meeting. When I hung up the phone and the gravity of the situation set in, I cried.

I have cried many times over the years due to an IEP meeting, and for many different reasons. I didn’t know it at the time, but I would cry over every one of those meetings. Sometimes they would be good tears and sometimes they would be bad. I really didn’t expect to cry this time. My son was heading to college. He really wasn’t struggling in school. No one was denying him what he needed to be successful. What did I have to cry about?
Running the Distance Scholarship:
$1,000 opportunity for young adults
Applications due: April 28th, 2020

Do you know of a young adult with dyslexia or other related learning difference (high school senior or college age) who needs help to follow their dream?

Please share this opportunity with them.

Information and application are available in Spanish
Instagram Live each Monday
7 PM (Pacific Time)

with

Watch a recording of the April 7th chat. Jared Blank and IDA Oregon Student Panel hero Kimia get talking about life with dyslexia. Ups and downs and tips for success in school and beyond. Watch and be inspired!
Partnering with the I nternational Dyslexia Association is such an honor for me. I wanted to take time to write on my reasons for this Weekly Reflection.
Soup for the body and soul
Made-from-scratch chicken soup has become a household favorite in our family, and I'd like to share our recipe with you. Creating a rich, flavorful stock is the first and most important step, so this recipe comes in two steps. Plus, you can always freeze the stock for later.

Andrew Peterson is a director on the IDA Oregon board. He is director of operations in his kitchen at home - to the delight of his family!
What's happening online in April?
In light of public health concerns and closures, the AT Lab staff want our community to know we are available to you!
We are available to answer questions via our  Free Call/Email Center.  The AT Lab launched this service last year to provide virtual support to those who are unable to come into the Lab. We have responded to hundreds of calls and emails from people with disabilities, family members, teachers, therapists, and others around the region (and country!) with questions about Assistive Technology. Please feel free to call or email us anytime and we will do our best to respond within 1-2 business days. We are also available via Skype, Facetime, Zoom, and Facebook Messenger. If we don't know the answer to your question, we will do our best to find someone who does.

We have launched our  Free Portland-area AT Loan Closet ! This includes iPads, Surface Pro, Chromebook, switches and interfaces, joystick, keyguards, keyboards, mice, head mice, software, eye gaze computer module, Step-by-Step Communicators, mounts, and more! Thank you to the  Christoper & Dana Reeve Foundation  and the  Oregon Community Foundation  & Zetosch family for making this possible. Please contact us if you are completing AT trials and would like to borrow equipment. Equipment pick up and support is provided through an individual  Consultation  time.

OPEN LAB HOURS - Thursday 12-5 pm - will resume once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

Stay healthy and contact us anytime!

Kim, Carrie, & Sabine: The AT Lab Team @ Community Vision

Address : 2475 SE Ladd Avenue, Portland, OR 97214
Phone : 503.292.4964 x152
Website: www.cv-atlab.org
Follow us on facebook.com/CVATLab
Calendar  of AT Events & Virtual Happenings
Join our branch in supporting this national initiative that will bring help to those in need in Oregon and Southwest Washington.