The Bridge School

Filing Period

Aug 1, 2011 to Jul 31, 2012

Signed

Jun 5, 2013

Return Version

2011v1.5

Gross Receipts

$6,115,610

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Outreach and disseminationthe bridge school's mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (aac) and assistive technology (at) globally. Key to achieving this mission is the global dissemination of effective intervention strategies developed and tested in our educational program to parents, professionals and users of aac/at. Various avenues are used in our dissemination efforts including a week-long aac camp, local access fairs, an international teacher-in-residence program, our aac by the bay conference, our adult activity group and our information-rich web site. Our staff presents at numerous professional conferences; we publish articles in refereed journals; we train individuals from local universities and every other year, we host a professional from a developing country as a teacher-in-residence. This professional studies with our staff for 7 to 10 months, attends local university classes, visits comparable educational programs, and participates in professional conferences. When the teacher-in-residence returns to his/her home country, they work with their local support network to disseminate the strategies they have learned from their experiences during their residency. The bridge school follows up with an in-country visit to provide site-specific training, conduct local and regional workshops, provide demonstration teaching, respond to radio and television interviews and participate in organized conference events.all of our outreach and dissemination efforts are designed to have global impact on the education of children with severe physical impairments and complex communication needs.

Activity 3

Transitionthe bridge school is a transitional placement for children. Our goal is to provide short-term, intensive intervention aimed at preparing the child return to their home school district placements as quickly as possible with the skills they need to be successful participants in their educational and social situations. Providing support services when the student leaves the bridge school is critical to their success. As the student develops he/her communication skills within the bridge school environment, work also moves forward in the area of transition. When the iep team determines that a student is ready for transition, our transition team works collaboratively with the parents, the school district professionals and the student to secure an appropriate placement of the student. While at the bridge school, each student spends a percentage of her/her day in a general education classroom environment. Our partnership with the hillsborough city school district gives us the opportunity for each bridge student to participate in an age-appropriate classroom at north elementary or crocker middle school. During these experiences, our staff is able to determine what accommodations and modifications are necessary for the student to be able to actively participate in the curriculum alongside their typically developing peers.prior to leaving the bridge school, transition team members work with the home school district and the parents to:- assess potential placements- document effective strategies used at the bridge school- identify appropriate expectations for academic and social participation- provide guidance to staff and families to navigate the transition processupon transitioning, bridge school students have access to various placement options. Many experience success in the general education environment with support, appropriate modifications and with the aid of an instructional assistant. For a small number of students, an alternate program placement is still most appropriate. In all school districts, a continuum of services must be available and the bridge school transition team is available to work with the former student and their educational teams, regardless of choice of placement.

Filer

EIN

95-4068784