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Author Topic: AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MARCH 31  (Read 1860 times)
clayMaine-iac
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« on: March 31, 2006, 04:42:51 AM »

Quote
Clay Aiken is the runner-up from the second season of “American Idol” and has since become a triple platinum recording artist as well as an ambassador of children and education for UNICEF, and the co-heads his own foundation. In a Miami Herald article earlier this year in April, Aiken said, “Conventional wisdom often looks upon youth with disabilities as a population to be served by volunteers, instead of as a group that can serve as volunteers.” His notion is correct.


Quote
Disabled People Seek Respect and Equal Rights
By Jennifer Castillo
Corsair Staff Writer

For many years people have been discriminated against for several reasons based on gender, race, sexuality, or ability — in the workplace, schools, restaurants, public buses, rest rooms, housing communities and in voting eligibility rights, among other places. People have been talked down to, looked at as weaker, and thought of as the less important.

When society thinks of those who have endured the torture of racism, they often think of African Americans, Latinos and American Indians first, which is solely because they are more aware of the prejudices against these groups since a huge part of U.S. history shapes around them.

In this day and age there is still so much prejudice against these different groups despite the fact that as a society we are told and try so hard to spread the utmost importance of tolerance. What many seem to forget is that there are others who have endured hateful words as well as actions toward them. There are others who are overlooked and hardly ever mentioned, but should be: those who are disabled, mentally or physically.

Disabled students in particular are forgotten, restricted, and excluded from a variety of things society has to offer. Education is the main part of the problem because school systems are determined to keep disabled students from mainstream classrooms.

People who oppose disabled students joining mainstream classrooms are mainly parents and administrators. Parents feel that if children with disabilities are allowed in mainstream classrooms the other children will be pulled back, weighed down, and given lessons at a slower pace so the needs of disabled students can be accommodated.

Parents want their children to get the best out of their education, however they are unwilling to include disabled children because they worry it will slow the other children down, and that it would also limit the attention given to each student since much of the teacher's time and focus will be spent working with the disabled.

Although they raise valid points, they fail to recognize there are ways to include all children no matter their ability. They do not ever dare to consider that a lesson can be modified to work around a child's disability.

A person's normal assumption of disabled students is that they are dumb and have a small capacity for information, which is far from the truth. The disabled are not dumb. Most can understand things just as well as anyone else can. The process it takes to consume information, however, is simply slower than most, so it would be efficient to cut back on the information given to them by offering that information in smaller doses.

For example, if a history class is focusing on U.S. presidents, the disabled child can learn about the current president; or if a science class is learning about the planets, the lesson can be adjusted so that the child can learn about earth. Administrators feel much the same way except their main concern is the interaction between disabled and non-disabled children. They themselves do not have experience and are unsure how to communicate with the disabled.

So if they are unsure and in experienced even the slightest way, it wouldn't possibly do any good. They cannot set an example for the youth in today's world if they do not treat those with disabilities like everyone else. With respect.

They underestimate people with disabilities as a whole, and with children they simply stick them in classrooms with others who are like them, which is where they stay much of the day. By doing this they are taking away the right to an equal education.

They are isolating the children and allowing segregation to continue when it is now frowned upon and considered unethical. Beginning with education would evolve the whole mind-set of society, allowing not only teachers and parents to understand, but for everyone to understand that, although, having a disability can restrain a person from acquiring certain capabilities as fast as anyone else, it does not limit them from ultimately achieving them.

Clay Aiken is the runner-up from the second season of “American Idol” and has since become a triple platinum recording artist as well as an ambassador of children and education for UNICEF, and the co-heads his own foundation. In a Miami Herald article earlier this year in April, Aiken said, “Conventional wisdom often looks upon youth with disabilities as a population to be served by volunteers, instead of as a group that can serve as volunteers.” His notion is correct.

Often society cannot see past the disability to see the child when adults can very well learn from all children. People forget children have an eye for everything they see, and can comprehend situations better than adults do, providing insight that is far beyond their years.

They make others see the error in their ways, but disabled children cannot fully showcase their capabilities and strengths if they are not given the opportunity to live outside of themselves and others who share the same disability.

Sticking them in a box only prolongs isolation and ignorance, and robs them of awaiting knowledge. Getting by in today's world requires being able to socialize with different people in different settings. Disabled students are not gaining those crucial social skills needed to survive in the world they live in when they are isolated and kept away from other children in school.

If a disabled student is not socializing with non-disabled students or with non-disabled people in general outside of their home, it can cause them problems in the future.

It can prevent them from securing jobs and getting through daily activities many take for granted such as going to the movies, grocery shopping, attending theme parks, enjoying time with friends and a majority of other things. Having friends to talk to and do things with is a blessing and a beautiful treasure that everyone should be able to take part in.

These types of “social experiences and relationships are a part of life” that cannot be ignored or done without, according to tanization Best Buddies. Living requires these two very important factors.

Bringing together disabled and non-disabled students can benefit each person involved, providing those with disabilities with self-confidence and self-worth that otherwise may not have been possible to acquire when only socializing with their own, and those without disabilities can heighten their levels of understanding, compassion and willingness.

Best Buddies does exactly that: “Its mission is to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-on-one friendships and integrated employment.”

This organization has made programs available in middle schools through colleges that bridge the ever present gap around and associated with disabled students. Helping to bring all children with all abilities together in a place where friendships are made, role models are created, and activities can be shared among everyone.

Programs are actively being managed in over 1,000 campuses across the U.S. but has yet to reach so many more. The Bubel Aiken Foundation is another organization that works towards bringing disabled and non-disabled students together in an educational environment in a progression toward what they call inclusion.

Their motto is “opening doors and opening minds,” while their mission is “to create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the possibilities inclusion can bring by extending the boundaries of human experience for all.”

The Bubel Aiken Foundation has taken it upon itself to work toward their vision through continued work with YMCA programs across the country supplying financial assistance to teach adults how to interact with disabled students.

However, neither of these organizations can achieve these goals without parents, teachers, school administrators, students and the entire community. This type of action has to start somewhere, but beginning with one voice leads to many more voices and the hope toward the end of exclusion and socializing is the key.

Another important factor to consider is that education in school from kindergarten through 12th grade is not the same as education in colleges. Unlike K-12, college does not have classes set aside for only disabled students. Classes are mixed with students whether they are disabled or not.

Physical education classes are not split into two categories. There is no Adapted P.E. and Regular P.E. Every single class is integrated. Although college campuses do provide their disabled students with a center for special services to help them progress and achieve their degrees, it is the student's responsibility to make sure their needs are met whether that means they require extra time on tests or bigger print for those who are visually impaired.

There are no longer special education teachers there to count on and who will automatically take care of a disabled student's needs. This is exactly why it is so very important to start early in a child's education career. A disabled student has to have some kind of knowledge as to how to handle themselves once they have graduated from high school.

Without that knowledge disabled students will be thrust into a world that can overwhelm them so significantly it could end their education all together, ultimately affecting their pursuit of a job and making a home for themselves.

Education is a stepping stone and the key to every child's future, but most specifically for a disabled child as a student. This world is full of so many different people, cultures, ideas, and ways of life. Society has made such great strides towards ending segregation for people based on color and gender, but now it has to make the effort toward ending segregation for the disabled.

Some may argue why starting with education is the way to go, but it is through education each person learns social skills and the skills needed in life's progression toward becoming an adult and paving the way to make a living.

School is the beginning to life, the foundation to almost everything in this world; the people around us only add to the people we become. Disabled people cannot continue to be isolated and shunned in schools if they are to live like everyone else does. They deserve equal opportunity and equal recognition.
CORSAIR
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clayMaine-iac
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« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2006, 04:45:21 AM »

Poll:

Quote
Who is the best 'American Idol'?
 Carrie Underwood
 Kelly Clarkson
 Ruben Studdard
 Clay Aiken
 Other

AOL.COM

Current results:
Quote
Who is the best 'American Idol'?
Clay Aiken 91%
Kelly Clarkson 5%
Other 2%
Carrie Underwood 1%
Ruben Studdard 1%
Total Votes: 2,900
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« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2006, 04:47:39 AM »

Quote
Taylor Hicks advances to next round in 'Idol'
Mitch Sneed
Staff Writer  / Opelika-Auburn News
March 30, 2006
 
It didn’t take Taylor Hicks long Wednesday night to know that he would live to sing again on the Fox reality show "American Idol."

Hicks, the 29-year-old, gray-haired Birmingham native and former Auburn student who is a regular act at local clubs, advanced to the next round.

Tuesday night, Hicks sang Ray LaMontagne’s "Trouble" and got mixed reviews from "Idol" judges Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul.

"To me, it wasn’t a great song because it didn’t let you show off," Jackson said. But Abdul disagreed. "It’s nice to see you stand behind the mike and just sing a song," Abdul said.

"I quite like the song," Cowell said "It was an excellent vocal. The only slight problem I have is the styling. It’s very Clay Aiken. It’s all a bit pop school."
Read the rest:
OANOW
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« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2006, 04:50:09 AM »

Quote
'Idol' Chatter
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
QUOTABLE

"The only slight problem I have is the styling. It's very Clay Aiken." Simon Cowell on Taylor Hicks' wardrobe
BIRMINGHAMNEWS
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« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2006, 04:51:58 AM »

Quote
03.30.06 - Attention Clay Aiken Fans, an unconfirmed target release date for Clay Aiken's upcoming LP was accidentally posted on this site over the weekend. Clay is currently in a studio working hard on his new album. Title and release date are TBD. Sorry for the confusion!

RCARECORDS
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HE'S KILLING ME!!!!!!


« Reply #5 on: March 31, 2006, 05:02:39 AM »

Quote
03.30.06 - Attention Clay Aiken Fans, an unconfirmed target release date for Clay Aiken's upcoming LP was accidentally posted on this site over the weekend. Clay is currently in a studio working hard on his new album. Title and release date are TBD. Sorry for the confusion!

RCARECORDS


CAN YOU IMAGINE THE EMAILS AND CALLS RCA GOT? ROFLMAO ROFLMAO ROFLMAO  MAYBE THEY WILL PUT A FIRE UNDER HIS ADORABLE BUTT TO GET THE DAMN CD DONE ALREADY.

GWENN
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clayMaine-iac
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« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2006, 05:16:19 AM »

Good Morning Gwenn!! Hug

 
Quote
American Idol: AI5: Complacency Killed the Kat: And a Look Back So Far.....
Posted by: jlynn206 on Thursday, March 30, 2006 - 12:52 PM PST
   
   Is it a shock for someone who copies Christina Aguilera weakly to wind up in the bottom 3? Can I handle that the guy I'm dating managed to tell me the emotional history behind the song "Suds in a Bucket?" Who is really capable of winning this thing? Let's evaluate! (snip)

As the title of my article says, complacency almost killed the Kat. Now, I think this is more Kat’s fans complacency, but there’s a bit of hers as well. Katharine fans have been sitting pretty. The judges love her, the buzz on her has always been hot, and she herself is a beautiful girl. She was coming out on top in polls, and despite a couple lackluster performances, everyone seemed to be pretending she could do no wrong. As a vocalist myself, while I am impressed with parts of Katharine’s voice, other parts of it leave me cold. I’m afraid to come off arrogant, but I sing quite a bit like Katharine. I have a more nondescript, crystal clear, limited range belt, with a nice connecting head voice. I’m not saying I should win American Idol, because I shouldn’t, and neither should Kat. If I could sing like Christina Aguilera, I wouldn’t be sitting at this computer right now. If Kat could sing as well as Christina, she wouldn’t be on the hot seat.

That said, her fans now know that she is not skating through this thing easy like Clay, Carrie, or Kelly. I wasn’t totally and completely shocked by any means, I didn’t think she would either.

MEDIAFIENDS
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« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2006, 07:48:33 AM »

That was my first thought after I saw the RCA announcement - I wonder how many calls and emails they got after they took the release date off of the site!  lmao
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« Reply #8 on: March 31, 2006, 08:14:43 AM »

Good Morning!!!

It is still morning barely, been a CRAZY morning at the office so far....but it is Friday.  Woo Hoo

Thanks for the news!!!

Debbie
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