Day 2 is in the books and while I would still much rather be at the lake, I am feeling a little more comfortable.
Amazingly I actually had an aha moment over technology.  The piece on the Tyler in Liverpool helped to clarify the importance of assistive technology in this young man's life is undeniable, as is the effect it has had on the way his classmates view him.  Luckily this was quickly followed by the tutorial on Proloque2go, during which I caught myself thinking " I can do this".  I have often described myself as a technological troglodyte however even I could see the benefits of Poloque2go as compared to the laminated word and picture boards from my past.

The second moment was totally unintentional, so much so that any fool would know that he should not share it....I was absolutely struck by the manner in which the exact same thing can be viewed so completely differently.  Prior to arriving in Wolfeville I had visited some friends, one of whom teaches and another is an involved parent.  The topic of the conversation was a newly designed and built school that had an inordinate amount of sick days associated with it.  Employees and students had several similar complaints. This was very upsetting to both because it was causing teachers who were dedicated to particular instructional approach to not only miss class time but also consider jobs in other schools.
I was shocked when I realized that it was the same school that was highlighted due to the evidence of Universal Design and custom built to encourage Integrated Instructional Model.  The two separate contexts helped me to understand just why education can be so difficult in Nova Scotia.  We really cannot seem to get it totally right.

Finally and most importantly, Circle of Friends.  I have always hated this term, it seemed that Nova Scotians were trying to bureaucratize or justify something that apparently comes natural to us, support.  Instead of kids having friends we developed "Circle of Friends" to support individuals. These kids didn't "hang out" they created "pathways to inclusion" and issues were dealt with by "drawing the circle together".  I have to admit that in previous work I followed this program, and used it to help develop "Ambassadors" to support International students.

I have kept in touch with several of my childhood friends and their families and on at least two occasions noticed Tyler with his friends, not "included" but being one of their "buds".  They did not assist Tyler, they were his friends and I can imagine that; just as their parents passed me a pen when I forgot mine, they  made sure Tyler could access whatever he needed to take part in the class.

There are two pictures that I hope to add that indicate the relationship.  One is from three years ago, three happy kids, excited to finish Junior High and get on with High School,  The second... the LRHS auction for the scholarship fund, grade 12 students are asked to volunteer, Tyler is showing and Afghan blanket.
 I was most taken with this because I think it illustrates that while technology is required, nothing replaces the feeling and importance of having friends and being able to rely on them as they rely upon you.

Fifteen Modes of Commmunication:

Face to Face Oral Language

Facial Expressions

Hand signals

Body Language

Text

film

oral without video

oral with video

telegraph

telephone

rythmic (drums)

visual ( lights)

sound ( sirens)

vocalization

physical contact