A Reminder...

It's not too late to register for the Association for Conductive Education in North America annual conference in Chicago. Go to ACENA's website: www.acena.org to find the Registration Form and full program. Fax or call-in your registration and then join us this Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4.

Some of the presentations include:

"Conductive Education in the USA: Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow"

"Current Research Efforts on CE: Michigan State University"

"A Format for Documenting the Effects of Conductive Education on its Clients"

"Educational & Medical Research Supporting CE"

"Traditional and Non-traditional Cases in CE: Appropriate Candidates"

"Levels of Participation of Children with CP"

I hope to see you there!

Thanks for the memories

Lately I've been thinking how nice it would be to make a return visit to Hungary. I went to Budapest with my classmates and teacher for three weeks in April/May 2006. My classmate and I had just finished our second year, and the three other girls had just finished their third year. While there, we had lectures on adult symptomology, observed in the adult department, visited some of our favorite conductors in their groups, went on a horseback-riding excursion with the integrated kindergarten, enjoyed dinners with professors, bought finger puppets at a shop in Szentendre, saw many attractions around Budapest, and so much more. I've been looking through photos from the trip, and thought I would share just a few of them with you.

It was a long trip from Michigan, but we finally arrived at the airport in Budapest...

We lived at Villanyi Ut Peto for three weeks.

My room
A park on Villanyi ut. Enjoyed more than one piece of dobos torta on the park bench.
We spent lots of time at the Peto Institute.
A view from the balcony.
We enjoyed The Marriage of Figaro at the Opera House.
Fun times on a carriage ride.
One of the most beautiful places I've ever been...

At Moricz Zsigmond Square.
The architecture was so beautiful.
On the Duna...

I do hope to be able to return to Hungary sooner rather than later...

The Keymakers

Keymakers
author unknown

Some people see a closed door,

and turn away.

Others see a closed door,
try the knob

if it doesn't open...

they turn away.

Still others see a closed door,

try the knob,

if it doesn't open,
they find a key,
if the key doesn't fit...
they turn away.

A rare few see a closed door,
try the knob,
if it doesn't open,
they find a key,
if the key doesn't fit...
They make one.

Time for a vacation...

After a summer that was absolutely packed full of CE programming, I now have a couple of weeks to take a bit of a vacation. If I could have planned in advance, I would have loved to make a return trip to Budapest, or perhaps I could have gone to visit Susie M. Alas, my summer schedule came together at the last minute, and now my vacation must be a "local" one. Below I shall describe a few of the options of how I can possibly spend my upcoming free time...

Fulton County Fair, September 4-10

• Primitive camping
• Baby animal barn
• Backseat driver contest
• Cow Milking and Costumed Animal Contest
• The Oak Ridge Boys & Charlie Daniels Band
• Elephant ears, corn dogs, and every other type of junk food
  

Cruise Night, Every Tuesday

• Classic cars lining the street
• My favorite: Blue 1969 Ford Mustang

Sauder Historic Village, Tuesday-Sunday

• Interact with history in our fully-staffed Village brimming with
  the stories, sights and sounds of a century ago.

Toledo Museum of Art, Tuesday-Sunday

• Monkey Business
• Prints of Pop II: The Art of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
• LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel
  

Of course, attempting to sleep in, catching up on some reading, dog-sitting for my parents, and attending the ACENA Conference are also on the list. Any other suggestions are more than welcome.

ACENA Conference

The ACENA (Association for Conductive Education in North America) Conference is being held again this year at the Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago, September 3 & 4. Visit ACENA's website for a Registration Form.

PROGRAM
Thursday, September 3
8:00-8:30 Registration

8:30-8:45 Welcome

8:45-9:45 Keynote - Vincent Garofalo, PhD. "Conductive Education in the USA: Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow"

9:45-10:00 Break

10:00-11:00 Julie Wright "Current Research Efforts on CE: Michigan State University"

11:10-12:15 Citlali Lopez, PhD. & Roberta O'Shea, PhD., PT "Current Research Efforts on CE: Governors State University"

12:15-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:45 Andrea Benyovszky, CET & Vincent Garofalo, PhD. "A Format for Documenting the Effects of Conductive Education on its Clients"

Parallel Sessions
1:55-2:40 Brent Page & Donna Mackay, “Life Stage Transition Service for Teens with Cerebral Palsy: An Ontario Experience”
1:55-2:40 Lara DePoy, OTR/L, “Impact of the Sensory System on Motor Development”

2:50-3:35 Monika Robinson, OTR/L, “Educational & Medical Research Supporting CE”
2:50-3:35 Dave Dvorak, PhD., “Fun with Fundraising”

3:45-4:30 Andrea Benyovszky, CET, “Traditional and Non-traditional Cases in CE: Appropriate Candidates”

5:30-7:30 Social Event at Quartino's Restaurant

Friday, September 4
7:30-8:30 ACENA Executive Committee Meeting

8:30-9:30 Dr. Deborah Gaebler, M.D., "Levels of Participation of Children with CP"

9:30-9:45 Break

9:45-10:45 Dr. Sue Mukherjee, M.D., "Resources for Transitioning Teens into Young Adults"

10:45-11:00 Break

11:00-12:30 Group Forum: "Future Vision and Strategies for the Practice of Conductive Education" ALSO TO INCLUDE: "A National Conductive Education Awareness Day" by Brent Page
Move directly to ACENA Membership Meeting

Welcome to the world of an American conductor...

Finally, I have taken the plunge and created my own blog! As Susie M. wrote on Conductor, "A Blog should most certainly be inserted in the list of the 10 most important things a woman should have, alongside the cordless drill and the little black dress." I am happy to now have my own blog, and will work on getting that cordless drill.


References
Mallett, Susie. 8 March 2008. http://www.susie-mallett.org/2008/03/little-black-dress.html