Spotlight: Iris Halmshaw

By the age of 5, Iris Grace Halmshaw had art collectors from around the world bidding on her work.  Amounts have exceeded £4,000 (about $6,300 in 2014) for the paintings of the Leicestershire, England-born girl, and the now 6-year-old currently has over 152,000 Facebook likes.  Her work has been said to communicate an astonishing amount, perhaps especially impressive for a girl who, when she first started painting, could barely speak at all.

Iris has autism, diagnosed after her parents noticed that, at two years old, she rarely made eye contact and hadn't picked up any words.  After Iris was diagnosed, her parents—photographer Arabella Carter-Johnson and husband Peter-Jon Halmshaw—continued to do their own research on autism, which eventually led them to the idea of art therapy.

Iris started painting in March of 2013.  As part of a homeschool curriculum Carter-Johnson had created for her daughter, they taped paper to Iris's favorite table and let her paint whatever she liked.  And paint she did, but not with the usual technique of a toddler.  Instead, she filled the paper with a colorful impressionist style that would later earn her the title of "mini-Monet."

Iris painting in the kitchen #IrisGrace #Iris #IrisGracePainting #IrisGrace #art #artist #painting

A photo posted by Iris Grace (@irisgracepainting) on Oct 7, 2015 at 12:29am PDT

Iris's mood changed as she painted too, becoming happy and free.  She may have trouble communicating vocally, but her mother says Iris uses her paintbrush as a way to convey her feelings now.  And with the money from sales of paintings and prints, the family has been able to continue Iris's weekly private therapies and hire a tutor to assist in her home education.  Carter-Johnson says that all the profits from the original paintings go into Iris's savings account, and profits from cards and prints go toward her speech and occupational therapies, as well as her music and yoga.  As of 2014, Iris was learning new words every day.

But even with all the publicity, Iris's parents have tried to keep her life as normal as possible.  Carter-Johnson notes that nothing has changed in Iris's world, and she hasn't done interviews or been to TV studios.  Austism affects Iris in many ways, and one of its side effects is that she has trouble with social interactions and can be anxious around new people.  But she appears to have no trouble expressing herself through her many pieces of art.

Trumpet 55cm x 75cm by Iris Grace #IrisGracePainting #IrisGrace #Iris #painting #trumpet #art

A photo posted by Iris Grace (@irisgracepainting) on Sep 30, 2015 at 4:25am PDT

You can learn more about Iris and her paintings on her website and social media pages as linked from the site, as well as from CNN, CBS News, ABC News, Buzzfeed, and other places as listed on her website.

OrCam: Assistive Technology for the Visually Impaired

We've written about emerging technology for visually impaired people before, in the form of a new, more versatile kind of "refreshable braille" display that could one day provide tangible pictures and graphs to its users.  You can read that article here.  Today we have a new piece of assistive technology to feature: OrCam, an already-available device that can help visually-impaired users by identifying nearby objects and even reading text.

The device works by taking a photo with a small camera that attaches to a user's glasses, then describing objects in the photo to the user through a small bone-conduction speaker which also sits atop the user's glasses.  This combination camera-speaker part of the unit is connected by a wire to a larger rectangular box, which can be placed in a pocket or bag.  Unlike other solutions designed for similar purposes, OrCam is completely external and does not require any implants.

So how does OrCam know when to take a photo?  It's user-activated, meaning that the person wearing it has to make a special gesture (in this case, a pointing sign) within the camera's field of view in order to activate the software's special features.  Once the photo has been taken, OrCam will analyze and attempt to identify whatever the user was pointing at.  If the object contains text (a street sign, for example, or a label or even an entire newspaper), OrCam can even read that text aloud.  Watch this video from CNN Money to see it in action:



The man demonstrating how the device works in the video above is Amnon Shashua, who cofounded OrCam in 2010 after being inspired by his wife's aunt.  He shares the story in this TED@NYC talk, saying that his aunt-in-law had macular degeneration, a condition which causes degradation of the retina and loss of vision.  Shashua says he came up with the idea for OrCam when she talked to him just after his doctoral ceremony at MIT.  A computer scientist specializing in the artificial intelligence field, Shashua initially didn't take her request for help seriously, saying that though he was a doctor now, he wasn't the kind who helped people.  But the idea never truly left his mind, and a few years later, OrCam was born.

Elements of Shashua's artificial-intelligence background are still very apparent in some of OrCam's features—the software is not limited to identifying only those objects which it has already been programed to identify, but can also "learn" to understand new objects with some simple instructions from the user.  Given time, it can be customized to suit a user's particular environment, even identifying faces (OrCam has made this video demonstrating those features).

It's not a perfect system yet; the device has trouble in low or bright lighting, cannot read handwriting or script fonts, and currently only "speaks" in English.  But Shashua and his team are continuing to update and improve OrCam, and for many visually impaired individuals, it's already life-changing.

You can learn more about OrCam in The New York Times, ZDNet, Bloomberg News, and other places as listed on their website.

"Dreams"

The National Down Syndrome Society is a non-profit organization that advocates for the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.  Their website has a lot of information and resources, and we highly recommend checking it out (particularly their "Preferred Language Guide" page).

This week we are featuring one of the videos from the National Down Syndrome Society's YouTube account.  "Dreams" lets people with Down syndrome share their dreams and achievements with the world.  From the video description: "Dreams features people with Down syndrome of all ages talking about their aspirations and accomplishments. This inspirational video celebrates the achievements of the Down syndrome community. (2004)"

We hope you enjoy!

Frozen Light: An Immersive, Interactive Theater Experience

The smell of a forest after rain.  The sound of thunder.  The feel of wind and raindrops.  These are just a few of the features that the audience gets to experience at UK-based theater company Frozen Light's latest show, entitled The Forest.  Frozen Light specializes in creating performances for people with what is known as PMLD, or Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities.

The theater experience can be a memorable and rewarding one, but people with different abilities cannot always experience it in the same way many others do.  In a piece published by The Guardian, co-creators of Frozen Light Amber Onat Gregory and Lucy Garland quote the UK charity Mencap:

"Any event, no matter how awesome, is unlikely to have any relevance to most people with PMLD if it takes place some distance from them."

With that in mind, Frozen Light aims to create shows than can truly involve the audience.  Small performances—shows have a maximum of six attendees with PMLD, plus one caregiver each—mean that the performers can spend time with each individual, creating a truly interactive experience.



The cast is small, too—just three performers, including co-creators Gregory and Garland and fellow actor Al Watts.  While Garland narrates, Gregory and Watts act out the story of Thea and Robin, two characters who embark on life-changing journeys into the forest.  The audience is invited along for the adventure, with the cast bringing in props for them to feel and talking or singing directly to individuals.  Inclusion is a major focus of Frozen Light's productions, yet at the same time, so is making a person not feel badly if they do not want to participate.  The primary objective is simply to create something that meets the needs of people who aren't always able to participate in the world of theatrical storytelling.

Amber Onat Gregory and Lucy Garland studied together at the University of Kent in 2006, and during their time in the Applied Performance Masters program they developed their own kind of multi-sensory theater for a group of teenagers with PMLD.  After graduation the two created their own companies, but later reconnected in 2013 to form Frozen Light.  Their first show, Tunnels, premiered last year, and tour dates (UK only) for their second show The Forest are available here.

You can learn more about The Forest and Frozen Light on their website, in The Guardian, in The Stage, in The Social Issue, and other places as listed on Frozen Light's website.

"We're more alike than different"

Just a quick post today to leave the focus on this video from the National Down Syndrome Congress.  Entitled "More Alike Than Different," it's part of the organization's More Alike Awareness Campaign, which seeks to highlight societal disparities that people with Down syndrome experience and also to dispel myths surrounding Down syndrome.  Check it out here: http://www.ndsccenter.org/more-alike-awareness-campaign/.

Enjoy the video!

Note: a version of the video with Spanish-speaking advocates can be found here.

A visit to Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp, part 2

Our Social Media Manager visited camp this last summer to meet campers and counselors, take photos, and share the experience with you.  Read part 1 here.

After we left the pool and campsite, faculty member Carolyn Bradley continued to show me the camp.  I'm in the presence of an expert; it's Carolyn's 17th year supervising counselors here.  "I love it," she says of her work and the camp.

We start with the sites where outdoor activities take place.  Below is a tree where campers are hoisted up into the air with a harness, their weight carried by a row of campers and counselors down below.  It's a fun activity for the person being lifted and a great team-building exercise for those still on the ground.

A camper is hoisted into the air during one of the many outdoor activities available at camp.

 We then headed up a hill to visit the horses.  There are four full-sized horses, and the campers get to take turns riding them around a fence-enclosed area.

The campers get to ride horses around this fence-enclosed area.

There's also a miniature horse named Disco, a newer addition to the equine experience at Kiwanis Camp.  Disco came up to us immediately as we approached, calmly letting me take photos and then munching on weeds as Carolyn showed me around.

Disco, the small horse above, is for interacting with socially rather than riding.

By then it was time for the fishing activity to start, so we headed back down to the area around Fanning Hall and to the pond.  It's a catch-and-release affair, with no fish permanently harmed.  Carolyn told me of an elusive larger fish that everyone likes to catch, and it became easy to see how a culture and a feeling of community build up here in only two-week sessions.

A pond where campers and counselors practice catch-and-release fishing.

Our final stop was the art building, a cozy space that was alive with the chatter of campers and counselors as they worked on their arts and crafts.  There were quieter corners of the room as well, and a few of the more shy camper-counselor pairs chose to do their work on some of the smaller tables around the edges.

The arts and crafts room was buzzing with activity when we arrived.

Even in busier environments there are places where campers and counselors can step out of the action for a moment, like this quieter corner in the art building.

The campers can work on personal projects here, but when we arrived they had a group project:  working to complete small boats for a nighttime ceremony that occurs at camp.  Here are some completed boats, with wishes of all kinds written on the sides, such as "I want to meet good new friends next year too!" and "I want to come back soon to camp," and "We wish to come back next, & get into another group, & make new friends but keep the old & feel good next year."

One of the projects that can be created during the art activity is a boat like the one above, which contains wishes (written on small pieces of paper) that the campers and counselors have made.

Our tour was at an end after that, and as we stepped outside I asked Carolyn for some parting thoughts on what she likes best about this capstone.  "You know, there's a lot of publicity and a lot of sharing about how valuable this camp is for campers, and how much they get out of it," she tells me, "But a lot of people don't realize that the counselors get a lot out of it too.  They are learning a lot about themselves, they're growing, and they're becoming people who know more about someone with a disability and are more comfortable around people with a disability.  And that's gonna continue to affect them throughout their life, whether it be with their family or their community or in the workplace.  They're forever changed."

Special thanks to Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp and Carolyn Bradley.

A visit to Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp, part 1

Welcome to fall term, everyone!  Many of you completed your capstone (or some elective credits) at Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp last summer, and we would love to hear about your experience.  Please feel free to tell us about your time at camp here in the comments, or on our Facebook page. 

For those of you who haven't been to camp, however, we wanted to give you some more information about what the location is actually like.  Our Social Media Manager made a trip out to camp last summer to explore the site, take photos, and chat with some of the staff and counselors.  A write-up of the experience appears below.  (If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in a comment here or on Facebook; we'll be checking the comments frequently this week, and will try to answer any questions.  Also, let us know if you like this post, and if you want us to publish Part 2.)

A Visit to the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp Capstone
Last August, on an unseasonably warm summer day, I made the hour-and-a-half long drive from the Portland State University campus to Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp.  Carolyn Bradley, a faculty member at camp, would be meeting me at Fanning Hall, which I'd been told was "the large brown building with the green roof."

Fanning Hall, the main dining hall and administrative building, during a time when outdoor activities were scheduled.  (Image courtesy of Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp.)

  

The campers and counselors were out for activities when I arrived, so I had a few moments to myself before Carolyn could meet me.  The campsite itself is lovely, nestled deep within the trees, and there was a kind of innate peacefulness that made me feel not simply like a visitor among the forest, but a part of the forest itself.  I headed up the dusty path to Fanning Hall.

The path that runs throughout most of the camp.  Fanning Hall is just to the left of where this picture was taken, and the same tables shown in the photo above can be seen on the right.

The dining hall, too, was empty when I arrived, so I asked the nurses who work in an immediately adjacent room to use the walkie-talkie and let Carolyn know I was there.  All of the staff here seem to have a walkie-talkie.  It's the easiest way to talk to someone who's not nearby; cell phone coverage is spotty at best.

Interior of Fanning Hall.  Nurses are on hand for the duration of the capstone, and their office is also in this building (it's just visible on the right side of this photo).

Carolyn arrived soon after, introducing herself to me in a professional tone.  She gave me a primer on the capstone's origins (which you can learn more about on Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp's website here), and then we were off to tour the camp.
Our first stop was the pool, which was specially made to be accessible.  A long ramp runs the pool's length, and a special water-safe wheelchair is provided.

A wheelchair-accessible ramp into the water can be seen at the far side of the pool (a water-safe wheelchair is provided).

A woman in a wheelchair came up to us before we left, and she and Carolyn chatted and exchanged pleasantries for a moment before we moved on.  Carolyn explained to me as we walked that some of the campers here need only physical assistance, some only assistance with mental tasks, and some with both.  All are welcome at Kiwanis.

All people with different abilities are welcome at Kiwanis Camp.  (Image courtesy of Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp.)

We passed a campsite and some single-person tents as we continued on, which prompted a discussion of the living arrangements at camp.  There are several different spots that counselors stay in during the summer, some of them indoor but most of them outdoor, with many students opting to bring their own tents from home.  Sleeping locations are preassigned, but Carolyn tells me that needs can be accommodated—one year, a pregnant counselor needed to be near the restroom, and the camp was happy to provide such an arrangement.

A small selection of counselor's tents, some brought from home, at one of the campsites.

We moved on to see other activities, and even met a tiny horse, but that's another story.  Please let us know in the comments or on Facebook if you'd like us to continue this series!

Have a happy and healthy fall term, everyone.