Christchurch, thinking of you

Just leaving Christchurch, August 2005

I have been wondering all day since I heard about the earthquake, what has been happening to the families, conductors, and everyone else in Conductive Education in Christchurch, and to the friends of friends who I met there in 2005.

Please let us all know how you are when you can.

Oh, for a list like this

Dried edible things at Tai O

New Zealand again

How many Education Ministries have a list, like this one, that includes conductors?

The Ministry of Education's list of approved specialists for students in the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme includes:

physiotherapist
occupational therapist
speech language therapist
educational psychologist
Māori/cultural adviser
conductor in conductive education programme
orientation and mobility instructor
special education advisor
teacher with additional tertiary qualifications in learning, vision or hearing
music therapist (registered)
adviser on deaf children.

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/SpecialEducation/ServicesAndFunding/ORSOngoingResourcingScheme/UsingOngoingResourcingSchemeAGuide/Using_specialist_services.aspx

It was not a subject touched upon in depth at the Congress...

Lantau Island Country Park

Hong Kong International Airport

I went in the Crystal Car with a glass floor, brilliant.

Yes, it is steep!

Ngong Ping Cable Car
An exciting 5.7 km ride above Tung Chung Bay to Ngong Ping and the Tian Tan Buddha Statue

...but something that hits as all: funding

I arrived back at work to discover that the Conductive Cooking course for young adults that began while I was away, very successfully and with great enthusiasm, is already in danger of closing because of the funding.

Here is a radio report from New Zealand discussing funding cuts there. Cuts that were announced last year and are now being felt:

http://static.radionz.net.nz/assets/audio_item/0006/2448852/ntn-20101221-0908-Government_cuts_to_therapy_for_disabled_children-m048.asx

I am certainly back in the West

The East, that is Hong Kong, appeared to have the funding well and truely sorted.
Perhaps we could have learnt something from a presentation or two about how they do it, or did I miss that while in a different session?

The Hong Kong Congress was good,

"Arty chop sticks"

"An arty chop stick shop!"

but could it be that this one will be even better:

http://www.nzdsn.org.nz/uploads/news/NZDSN_Conference_Workshop_Details_in_PDF.pdf