Here's the plan

I hear that the best way to get attention on
the web is with cute pictures of kittens.

When it comes to explaining what I will be doing with my award money I get so excited that I begin describing the minutia of what every day will hold.  When I do this I can see people's eyes gloss over.  My wife describes this phenomenon by explaining that when she no longer follows what I am saying, her brain goes to a safe place where she imagines a kitten batting at a piece of yarn.  Below is an excerpt from my proposal, describing in broad terms what I want to do with my award.


Receiving this award would afford me the opportunity to explore and experience the ways in which individuals with intellectual disabilities are educated, incorporated, supported, and encouraged to demonstrate independence in various countries and cultures.  It is my goal, both personally and professionally, to impact and improve how individuals with disabilities are viewed and included within our society.  My proposal includes travel to three major stops abroad: London, England; Kilkenny, Ireland; and Dublin, Ireland; as well as participation in state and nation wide training opportunities.  It is my hope that the information gained from these combined experiences will not only impact my classroom performance, but that my school, community, and volunteer domains will benefit as well.  My stops in London, Kilkenny, and Dublin will all be centered on communities that are part of L’Arche International.  Since I first became aware of L’Arche, I have been intrigued by their mission and ideology.  They believe in working to support people with intellectual disabilities in order for them to take their rightful place in our communities and in our societies.  As an international organization, L’Arche seeks to promote inclusion, the valuing of diversity, and international solidarity, and seeks to be a sign toward the building of respectful societies founded on relationships between people of differing intellectual capacity, social origin, religion and culture.  At the heart of L’Arche Communities are relationships between people with and without intellectual disabilities. In these Communities a respectful relationship is built between people who treat each other as of equal value, providing security and allowing for growth, personal development and freedom to become more fully the people they want to be.  It is this focus on respect and relationships that I find to be inspiring.  Although the Communities are built on a basic framework, each has a unique personality based on its location and members.  I believe that by experiencing multiple L’Arche Communities (large, small, urban, rural) I may gain insights that will impact my classroom and beyond.

Some of the details have changed since I made my proposal, primarily including the addition of cities that I will be visiting in Ireland.  Now, my list of cities includes Cliffs of Moher, Cork, Donegal (homeland of the Early family), Dublin, Kilkenny, and Sligo.  If you have ever been to any of these places and can recommend specific places to visit, please let me know in the comment section.  Along with my focused time visiting and learning in the L'Arche Communities,  I also intend to do some sight seeing.