The Research Institute

Research to Practice • Practice to Research

February 2017

Febru

Child Development Center Adds SMART Reading Program

After a fall term spent organizing, scouting and preparing, the Child Development Center on Jan. 18 started welcoming volunteers with Start Making a Reader Today for weekly visits to Western Oregon University. The seven SMART volunteers read one on one with children for an hour each Wednesday morning, providing personal attention and sharing their enthusiasm for books.

After just two weeks, the children already are looking forward to the visits, said Carey Gilbert, director of CDC, one of the eight centers housed within The Research Institute.

“Having the volunteers come in makes reading more of an event,” she said. “It makes an impression on the room. It tells the kids this is something we are all taking the time to do because it’s important.”

Read more . . .

TRI Welcomes Mike Bicknell

In January, Mike Bicknell accepted a position at the National Center on Deaf-Blindness as a Technology Specialist. He agreed to share a little about himself with us.

Mike Bicknell, wearing a black T-shirt, stands in front of a background of trees and vines in front of a cream-colored stone house.
I was fortunate to start my technology career in 2007 with the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs in Austin. I am now thankful for Superintendent Bill Daugherty’s mandate to make all products accessible, as the acquisition of these skills helped to clarify my personal work mission and helped me to become a lifelong advocate for making information accessible, user-friendly, and available for all.

Prior to my role as a technology specialist, I worked at TSBVI with students in the dorms, as a Weekends Home transportation aide, as the Weekends Home Coordinator, and a brief stint as a teaching assistant. I was particularly influenced by the program set-up by Residential Director Garner Vogt and many others whom supported staff in learning how to work with visually impaired students with multiple disabilities.