My program

Setting up my visit to Slovakia was not easy.  My colleague is now a top administrator at Comenius University with many international obligations and projects.  I purposely chose to come in October/November to better align with the university schedule.  In 2006 I arrived in September, which turned out to be a lovely time to be in Slovakia weather-wise, but poor timing with regards to the university schedule.  Classes did not begin until mid-September, faculty were busy getting ready for classes, and having class lectures at the beginning of the semester did not seem very pragmatic.  Serendipitously, I did find myself at Comenius when a conference had been scheduled by the Pedagogical Faculty to celebrate 50 years of special education.  I was immediately invited to do one of the plenary sessions.  The focus was assessment, which fit well with what I had just written about at that time.  Most faculty didn’t understand English well enough to listen to my presentation without translation.  As a result, I was introduced to Silvia, a lovely young doctoral student who had recently returned to Bratislava from a yearlong Fulbright in the US.  She was fabulous and anxious to continue connections with Americans. 

Fast forward to 2013.  I arrived with few things scheduled, but anticipated my “program” would fill once I arrived and reconnected with friends and colleagues from my previous trips.  It took me a while to understand “program” was really “schedule of events.”   When first asked about my program, I could only think of a program like we receive at an event such as a concert.  Eventually, I understood it was my plan for while I was in Slovakia.  It was a bit of a leap of faith to hope it would all come together, and it has!

I have provided 2 lectures for students in the Department of Psychology.  Both were students who are studying to become teachers of psychology at the secondary level.  First, I spoke about attitudes towards persons with disabilities.  Second, I spoke about the 20-year history of special education I had observed in Slovakia during my visits. 

I lectured for more than 2 hours to students in the Department of Speech Therapy on Augmentative/Alternative Communication for Persons with Cerebral Palsy.  Next week, I’ll do a 4-hour workshop for students from this department on Assistive Technology.  This will be very hands-on.  I brought supplies with me so each could make a simple adaptive switch and I’ve bought a few things here to use for demonstration.  No sense bringing things from the US, if they can’t get them here.  I felt it much more valuable to use things readily available to them as future practitioners. 

Today I presented a lecture on Intellectual Disabilities Across the Lifespan:  Perspectives for Services.  The difference was today is Saturday and the College in Sladkovičovo is a private university, soon to be renamed Danube University.  Students attending class are part-time students and their program of study is referred to as “extended.”  In other words university coursework for students who are working and are furthering their education on weekends and in the evening.  These particular students are studying to become social workers.  Additionally, I was paid to do this presentation, much to my surprise!  One of the attendees is a friend of my colleague, M.  She brought flowers for myself and M, which she gave us after the presentation.  Got to love that!  While it wasn’t required, students were strongly urged to attend.  One young man played on his phone the entire time I was talking.  Not in a minute, do I ever want him to provide services as a social worker for anyone I know!  Another man came up to me afterwards and genuinely thanked me for my presentation.  He made a point of complimenting the use of pictures in my presentation to support the ideas I was talking about.  Thank you to my dear family and the orphans in China for providing me with good visuals! 

The administrator for International Programs took me to lunch afterwards at a local restaurant.  It was great food!  She was excited to speak English with me and we had a lovely time. 

M translated for me today, but for the most part students understand me and I am able to make my points in English.  Several attendees commented on the expression of my voice, face, and gestures.  All helps them to understand me.  I am truly grateful for the gift of non-verbal communication. 

Next week, I’ll do a presentation for students in the Department of Preprimary and Primary Education on Social Inclusion of Children with Disabilities.  I’ll also do a brief 10 – 15 minute presentation on Integration for the directors of the special schools in Bratislava.  They are meeting as a group with the Pedagogical Faculty to make some decisions around future practice.  I’ll also meet with the Director of the American Studies Program at The Economic University.  I met Peter in Oregon when he was part of a tour sponsored by the World Affairs Council.  My friend, Nancy, invited him to her house for dinner along with a colleague in a similar position at Sichuan University in Chengdu.  Nancy and I reconnected with Guang when we were in Chengdu this past summer.  Now, I’ll reconnect with Peter.  It’s a small world!

My last presentation will actually bring me full circle in many ways.  I began my work in Slovakia as part of the Orava Project through the University of Northern Iowa.  The purpose was to infuse democracy into the schools and I was asked to provide technical assistance to the then Department of Mental Retardation at Comenius University.  The project was very successful and provided tremendous support to educators working in schools throughout Slovakia.  When the project finally wound down, a NGO was established in Bratislava to carry on the work.  I’ll be doing a workshop sponsored by the NGO on adult literacy with a focus on functional reading and sight word acquisition. 

All of this has kept me very busy, given me the opportunity to interact with students, renew ties with colleagues, meet new people, and think somewhat differently about what I usually do.  I think that’s a pretty successful program when on sabbatical.

Have PowerPoint, will travel! 

Yes, I did get the cable to work and resolved the issue with resolution and projection.

P. S.  When I get some pictures from my colleague's camera, I'll revise this post to include the pictures.