Special educators across the country report using online apps, new software, phone calls and text messaging in order to provide remote services to students with IEPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. While educators miss the classroom and acknowledge that some services, such as speech-language pathology, cannot be provided as effectively via teleconference, they also say they are finding new ways to improve accessibility.
A comic called “Debbie Fights Coronavirus,” produced by a family in Maryland, is being shared by Autism Speaks and several local groups to help children with autism understand the disruptions in their everyday lives. The project started when a father with a background in the comics industry sought a way to explain COVID-19 and social distancing to his daughter, Debbie, who has autism. She serves as the model for the main character.
Members of the UD student group Canine Companions for Independence, who raise and train future service dogs on campus, have taken their dogs home to continue their work. Group members say that they and their puppies are taking the new challenges in stride because adaptability has always been a key aspect of service dog training.
More than 100 medical professional volunteers have signed up with the Division of Public Health’s Office of Preparedness to volunteer since Gov. John Carney issued his Public Health Emergency Declaration on March 23. They are comprised mainly of inactive or retired Delaware physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses.
In a photo essay, the AP follows the progress of an Italian synchronized swimming team seeking to have the sport included in the Summer Paralympics. The team was hoping to make its pitch at the Para Artistic Swimming Festival & International Friendly Games, but it, like the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, has been postponed.
