At SpecialNeeds.com, we are always excited to highlight companies that are leading the way in creating inclusive and accessible workplaces for individuals with disabilities. Headspace, a global leader in mindfulness and meditation, has recently demonstrated its strong commitment to disability inclusion through several notable initiatives.Headspace's dedication to workplace equality was recently recognized by Disability:IN, a nonprofit organization that promotes disability inclusion in the business world. The company was named a "<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2023-best-places-work-announcing-dei-top-scoring-companies/">Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion</a>" and achieved an impressive score of 90 on the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilityin.org/what-we-do/disability-equality-index/">Disability Equality Index (DEI)</a>, a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build roadmaps for tangible actions toward disability inclusion and equality.Building on this recognition, Headspace took a significant step forward by signing Disability:IN's <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disabilityin.org/releases/ceo-letter-on-disability-inclusion/">CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion</a>. This letter, designed for CEOs to take action in building inclusive, accessible, and equitable workplaces, showcases Headspace's commitment to advancing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. By signing the letter, Headspace joins a growing list of companies that are prioritizing disability inclusion at the highest levels of leadership.Headspace's dedication to inclusion is further evident through its employee resource group, SpoonSpace. This group focuses on increasing visibility, connection, and collaboration among people with diverse abilities within the company. By hosting events like the recent Autism Awareness Month panel, SpoonSpace is actively fostering a culture of understanding and support for employees with disabilities.The impact of Headspace's efforts extends beyond its own walls. As a participant in the DEI, Headspace is part of a larger movement of companies that are driving innovation, sustainability, and profitability through disability inclusion. Research has shown that companies leading in disability inclusion have realized significant benefits, including increased revenue, net income, and economic profit compared to their peers.Moreover, Headspace's commitment to disability inclusion aligns with the growing interest from investors in companies that prioritize social and corporate governance factors. A global investor coalition, representing more than $2.8 trillion in combined assets, has called on companies to become more disability-inclusive, recognizing the business case for creating accessible and equitable workplaces.As a leader in the mindfulness and meditation space, Headspace's dedication to disability inclusion serves as a powerful example for other companies to follow. By signing the CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion, actively supporting employee resource groups, and participating in the DEI, Headspace is demonstrating that disability inclusion is not only the right thing to do but also makes good business sense.At SpecialNeeds.com, we commend Headspace for its leadership in creating an inclusive and accessible workplace for individuals with disabilities. We hope that more companies will follow Headspace's example, recognizing the immense value and potential of the disability community and taking concrete steps to build a more equitable future for all.

Headspace prioritizes disability inclusion through initiatives like SpoonSpace, Disability Equality Index, and ESG alignment.

Headspace's Commitment to Disability Inclusion: A Model for Corporate Leadership

What Is ADHD?
With the number of learning disorders and physical disabilities treated each year, one that often gets misdiagnosed or misunderstood is ADHD. What is ADHD? <a href="http://www.adhdnews.com/what-is-adhd.htm">ADHD</a> stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This disorder can affect children and adults. The most widely affected group is school children, which can be because they are most likely to have a teacher or professional to recognize and diagnose their problem.
Although those with ADHD have clear signs and symptoms of the disorder, many children are <a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/site/misc/pr/5mar12_pr.xhtml">misdiagnosed</a> each year. A recent study from the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that children who were the youngest among their classmates were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. However, many of these children did not have ADHD, but their maturity level made it seem like they did in comparison to the older children.
What Is ADHD in Children?
ADHD in children presents itself in three different sets of signs — inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD show the following signs:
<ul>
<li>Will often have a hard time concentrating on a specific task</li>
<li>Gets easily distracted</li>
<li>Have a hard time waiting for their turn</li>
<li>Are forgetful</li>
<li>Have a hard time organizing his schedule or work</li>
<li>Have trouble with sitting still for a period of time</li>
<li>Have the tendency to daydream </li>
<li>Do not listen well to others </li>
</ul>
What Is ADHD in Adults?
While the ADHD disorder is essentially the same disorder for children and adults, the symptoms can be much different. Adults with ADHD are more mature than children with ADHD; therefore their symptoms may not be as obvious. Adults with ADHD can show some of the following symptoms:
<ul>
<li>Have problems with chronic forgetfulness</li>
<li>Have problems with being late</li>
<li>Are disorganized</li>
<li>Have trouble with controlling their anger or frustration</li>
<li>Patience tolerance is low</li>
<li>Adults with ADHD tend to have problems in their relationships, as well as with their employers or fellow employees</li>
<li>Adults with ADHD can also be impulsive and resort to substance abuse or addictions</li>
<li>Have a hard time focusing on certain tasks, as well as a hard time concentrating </li>
<li>Problems of hyper focus, which happens when one concentrates too much on minor items or issues</li>
</ul>
While many people can confuse individuals with ADHD as being lazy or misbehaved, ADHD is a real disorder that affects thousands of children and adults each year. The exact cause of ADHD is not known, though it could be an issue in the brain, such as chemical imbalance or an issue with genes. ADHD can affect people’s social lives, school work and learning, and their careers, which is why it is essential to get your child tested if he has one of the many symptoms of ADHD. 
Photo by khrawlings

ADHD, often misdiagnosed, is a disorder marked by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity affecting both children and adults.

What is ADHD?

Operating pursuant to a charter granted either by a local educational or the State Board of Education, charter schools are primary or secondary schools created by interested agencies and individuals and receive public money for the students who attend. Other than public schools which have become charter schools, charter school are attended by choice and are a popular alternative to schools operated by a local school district.
In California, every student who otherwise qualifies for entrance into a charter school has the right to attend without regard to his or her disabilities. Charter schools are not exempt from laws protecting the rights of students with disabilities. This means that charter schools must provide special education and related services to the same extent such services are provided in district operated schools.
Just like district operated schools, a charter school has the duty to identify and assess students in all areas of suspected disability and a student cannot be asked to leave a charter school because he or she has a disability. Once a child has been identified as eligible for services, the charter school must give notice and convene IEPs with the necessary members of the IEP team. It must provide an appropriate educational program for each student who is eligible for special education services. When a charter school fails to do so, parents have the same rights and remedies to seek “due process” through an administrative hearing as those with a child enrolled in a district operated school.
As the charter school movement develops, and more district-operated schools become charters, it is essential for parents to understand that their children lose no rights when they enroll in a charter school or if the local school becomes a charter. Students with disabilities have the same rights as all other students to attend charter schools and parents have every right to be aggressive advocates for their children in charter schools just as they would if their children were in district operated public schools. A student need not leave a charter school to obtain an appropriate education. If a charter school does not provide such an education for a student, parents should consider obtaining advocacy services for their child.

Charter schools, funded by public money, must provide special education without discriminating against disabilities.

Special Education Advocacy and Charter Schools

In the past year, <a href="http://www.act-today.org/" title="ACT Today! site">ACT Today!</a> has given 88 iPads to children with autism around the country. As part of the autism care and treatment nonprofit’s new Assisted Technology Program, tools like the iPad ensure that children on the autism spectrum will reach their highest potential. Executive Director Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson talks about why the iPads are changing the lives of these children and recommends some of her favorite apps.
“Our children are such visual learners, and many times concepts are very hard for them that are easy for other children,” says Alspaugh-Jackson. She is also a mother with a son on the autism spectrum. When she first became involved with ACT Today! six years ago, she found herself on a parallel journey with other families who were searching for various treatments for their children. “For a lot of families, their children will not get better because they’re not getting access to the proper care and treatment. Seeing that and realizing I could help them gave me a sense of gratitude of what I’ve been able to do for my son.” Alspaugh-Jackson recalls thinking, “If it’s very difficult for me, how difficult is it for a single mom with several children, sometimes more than one on the spectrum?”
Last year, two new members joined the board of directors of ACT Today! Eddie and Lisa Guardado had already raised $45,000 through their own foundation, and after seeing how much an iPad had helped their own daughter, they decided to give out $45,000 worth of iPads through ACT Today! Families who applied for assistive technology grants through the organization and received the iPads were soon seeing their children engage in something on a whole new level. “Keeping our children constantly engaged and learning is so important,” says Alspaugh-Jackson. “This is a great way to do that.”
Alspaugh-Jackson was able to witness first hand the reactions of two children in the Los Angeles area on both ends of the autism spectrum. Max, who has high-functioning autism, took to the iPad right away. He emails, makes movies, takes photographs, and where he was formerly having difficulty in social situations, the iPad has been a great conduit for social interaction. Alspaugh-Jackson relates what Max’s mother told her, “It’s become a real outlet for him and he has been able to make friends by showing them his iPad and the movies he’s making.”
Dustin was the opposite of Max. He has a severe form of autism and had just recently become verbal, though he was difficult to understand. Once he began to interact with his iPad, his therapist wrote a letter saying in the six years she has worked with Dustin she has never seen such gains. She now uses it as a tool to help him become more verbal and have wider interests.
Apps for children on the autism spectrum can be helpful in areas ranging from body language to language comprehension, from relaxation to voice output. Alspaugh-Jackson mentions a few of her personal favorites based on her experiences with her son, Wyatt. For children who do not make eye contact, there is an app called AutismExpress which shows facial expressions that correspond with emotions. Another app, the Calm Counter, shows a distressed face that exclaims, “I need a break!” It then counts down from 10, and the face grows calmer as it goes, ending with a happy face and a deep breath. Alspaugh-Jackson also loves the iDress app that gives children a weather forecast and a closet full of clothes that are appropriate for the weather. To help with learning in schools, there are math apps that make lessons extremely visual, and there is an app called Storytime, which is a wonderful reading tool for all children.
For Alspaugh-Jackson and her son, drawing apps such as Draw Free have perhaps proved most valuable. This app gives the user a paint palette and allows them to choose colors and draw with his or her fingers. For Wyatt, who loves to draw, this is the number one thing he uses when he has anxiety. Now he can sit quietly in places like church, which he could not do before.
As Alspaugh-Jackson says, “You don’t want to just babysit a child. You want to have them doing something interactive.” Her plan with the Assistive Technology Program is to eventually give iPads with some apps preloaded on them. For now, ACT Today! does give app recommendations to families who receive iPad grants. Each family receives an email with a link to an <a href="http://www.gadgetsdna.com/10-revolutionary-ipad-apps-to-help-autistic-children/5522/" title="10 revolutionary ipad apps">article</a> that lists 10 revolutionary iPad apps to help children with autism. Alspaugh-Jackson also suggests picking up an apps for autism <a href="http://www.autismtoday.com/appsforautism.html " title="Apps for Autism">resource guide</a>, which can be found on Amazon.com.

ACT Today! has donated 88 iPads to kids with autism, aiding learning and communication, with apps targeting various skills and challenges.

ACT Today! Grants iPads to Kids with Autism

Parents of children with special needs often find themselves feeling pressured to explain or apologize for their child’s behavior around the holiday dinner table. Maybe your child is a picky eater or prone to outbursts. This may cause tension if your host takes it personally, but there are ways to make the meal enjoyable for you, your child, and your family and friends. 
If your child happens to be hypersensitive to smells, Dawn Villarreal, President of One Place for Special Needs, suggests rehearsing ways to verbalize this ahead of time. Instead of saying, “this food stinks,” it might be good to practice saying, “The smell of this food is too much for me.”
For the child who has trouble sitting still at the table, the problem may have to do with the fact that the child’s feet are not touching the floor. If this is the case, Villarreal offers up the solution of placing a plastic storage bin under his or her feet. It can also be useful to bring something visually stimulating, such as a toy or a book, for the child to look at while eating.
Children who are nonverbal may be prone to making loud noises and startling relatives who are not accustomed to it. It is best to educate everyone ahead of time about your child’s condition and to help them understand that this is his or her way of expressing joy at being with everyone. If the activity around the holiday table is overwhelming for your child, it might be helpful to prepare a quiet area for the child to play during the meal. Music, such as on an iPod, or books and drawing materials can assist in calming your child without having to completely distance him or her from the rest of the guests.
It may benefit parents of slow or picky eaters to feed their children ahead of time. For slow eaters, even eating one food item that is ready in advance will help to balance out the time when sitting down to the full meal. Parents who tube feed their children may want to ask their child if watching others eat is too difficult for them. If you typically tube feed your child at the dinner table, ask relatives if it makes them uncomfortable. In some cases it may be a good idea to feed your child ahead of time or arrive a bit later to skip the dinner portion of the holiday gathering. 
To read more about Dawn Villarreal’s holiday tips for families who have children with special needs, click <a href="http://blog.friendshipcircle.org/2010/12/16/holiday-dinners-with-your-special-needs-child/" title="Holiday Dinners with Your Special Needs Child">here</a>.

Parents can prep special needs kids for holiday meals with strategies for sensory issues, seat adjustments, and managing feeding routines.

Holiday Meals and Families with Special Needs

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