text:
Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing
Respect for Identities
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Past Keynotes and Presentations
50 Years: Reflections on Past, Present & Future with Dr. Susan Rose Transcript
Assessment Results as a Tool for Effective Family-Based Communication Development Transcript
Cultivating Real World Skill-sets for 21st Century Success with Susan Elliot Transcript
Language Justice for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students Transcript
Language Play Through ASL Rhymes and Rhythms Transcript
Longitudinal Study: Outcomes for Children with Hearing Loss Transcript
Multicultural Education Environment for Diverse Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children Transcript
Raising the Bar for Postsecondary Success Transcript
Social and Emotional Functioning's Impact on Academic Success with Mark Rosica Transcript
Successful Transitioning: A Panel of Successful Adults (ASL and English) with Elise Knopf and Panelists Transcript
Supporting the Whole Child: Supporting the Gift of a Different Ability Transcript
The Time is Now: Research Shifts in Understanding Language Acquisition Impacts in Deaf Education Transcript
Weaving Strong Connections in Mainstream Settings with Dr. Linda Lytle Transcript
What Happens in Preschool Doesn't Stay in Preschool with Dr. Debbie Golos Transcript
What's Really Happening in Literacy Education? with Dr. Susan Easterbrooks Transcript
Come and Learn about the Foundations of Language Resources
Deaf and Hearing Interpreters in Educational Setting: Ways it can Work
Deaf Cultural & Global Competencies Gained from Learning a Second Language
Emerging Healthy Deaf Identity
Emotion Regulation Skills System Therapy Made Accessible for Deaf Students
Empowering Your Child and Their Health Advocacy Skills
Sunshine 2.0
Fostering Joy Toolbox
Individualizing and Personalizing Literacy Lessons
Keynote: Executive Functioning
Keynote: Fostering Joy
Reflecting on Cross-disciplinary Collaboration
So Now You're Woke
Social Media's Impact on DHH High School/Transition Program Students
Social Media's Impact on DHH Middle School Students
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) at Home
Supporting Learners: Deafness, Trauma and Anti-racial Awareness
Supporting Your Students Defining their Boundaries
Surviving The Digital Age
The Basics of DeafBlindness
Using Pandemic Technology to Create Access in Classrooms
Using Person-Centered Practices for the Many Transitions from Infanthood to Adulthood
Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students Age 14 to 21
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Collaborative Plan
10 Years Strong Transcript
Collaborative Efforts Transcript
IEPs - Confusion Lifted Transcript
Love and Language Transcript
Reducing Isolation through Collaboration Transcript
Deaf Mentors
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Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)
Foundation of Language Series
Families of DHH Children: Conclusion Transcript
Families of DHH Children: Introduction Transcript
Families of DHH Children: Mindfulness Transcript
Families of DHH Children: Play Time Transcript
Families of DHH Children: Positive Sense of Self
Families of DHH Children: Reading Time Transcript
Families of DHH Children: Snack Time Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: ASL Rhyme & Rhythm Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: Chaining Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: Concepts of Print
Professionals for DHH Families: Conclusion Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: Expand on Language Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: Get & Maintain Attention Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: Introduction Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: Mindfulness Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families: Open-Ended Questions Transcript
Professionals for DHH Families" Positive Sense of Self Transcript
IEP Discussion Guide
IEP Webinars
IEP Discussion Guide: Co-Occurring Disabilities Transcript
IEP Discussion Guide: How Hearing Loss Affects Communication
IEP Discussion Guide: Introduction Transcript
IEP Discussion Guide: Opportunities for Direct Communication Transcript
IEP Discussion Guide: Other Educationally Relevant Needs Transcript
IEP Discussion Guide: PLAAFP Transcript
IEP Discussion Guide: Summary Transcript
IEP Discussion Guide: What Should be Considered
IEP Discussion Guide: What Specific Data is Available
Mock IEP Meeting: A Middle School Student Transcript
Mock IEP Meeting: A Student with Special Needs Transcript
Mock IEP Meeting: Preparing for a Re-Evaluation Transcript
Mock IEP Meeting: Transition Planning Transcript
Mini-Lessons for Teachers
Improved Education Data Collection
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Resources List
Social & Emotional Development
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Social-Emotional Support for Students (DHH): Elementary School Years Transcript
Social-Emotional Support for Students (DHH): High School to Post High School Years Transcript
Social-Emotional Support for Students (DHH): Introduction (Transcript)
Social-Emotional Support for Students (DHH): Middle School Years Transcript
Student Access During COVID-19
Information for DHH Staff: Student Access During COVID-19 Transcript
Information for General Ed Staff: Student Access During COVID-19 Transcript
Information for Parents: Student Access During COVID-19 Transcript
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Accessible Health Care 1. Introduction Transcript
Accessible Health Care: 2. Story of an Advocate and Patient Transcript
Accessible Health Care: 3. Assumptions that Providers Might Make Transcript
Accessible Health Care: 4. What You Can Do in Advance Transcript
Accessible Health Care: 5. Emergencies Transcript
Accessible Health Care: 6. What Are Your Rights Transcript
Accessible Health Care: 7. What to Do if You Don't Get Assistance Transcript
Hearing Aids for Adults
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How to Vote Early by Mail - Apply Online Transcript
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What to Do When You've Received an Absentee Ballot and You're Registered Transcript
What to Do When You've Received an Absentee Ballot and You're Unregistered Transcript
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Barbara Schmidt, Deaf Advocate Transcript
Dwight Maxa, Hard of Hearing Advocate Transcript
George Failes, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind Advocate Transcript
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Leslie Peterson, DeafBlind Advocate Transcript
Lynette Boyer, DeafBlind Advocate Transcript
Richard "Rich" Diedrichsen, Hard of Hearing Advocate Transcript
Minnesota Deaf Heritage
David and Kimberly Williams
Diane Leonard Transcript
Doug Bahl on Thompson Hall's History Transcript
Doug Bahl Transcript
Gordon Allen Transcript
James "Jim" Jones Transcript
JaNahne "Jan" McCready-Johnson Transcript
Joan Stephan Transcript
Kim Wassenaar Transcript
Lloyd and Kathleen Moe Transcript
Robert "Bob" Cook and Dale Finke Transcript
Robert "Bob" Harris Transcript
History Matters Workshop
History Matters Workshop (Part 1) Transcript
Signs of Minnesota
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Low and No Cost Solutions Transcript
Why Get Help
Quick Facts about Age-Related Hearing Loss Transcript
Tools for Living Successfully with Hearing Loss Transcript
Health Impacts of Age-Related Hearing Loss Transcript
Age-Related Hearing Loss - A Growing Public Health Issue Transcript
Growing Public Health Issue
Hearing Loss Matters Documentary Transcript
Making Your Case
Brenda Hommerding
Chandra Petersen
Dave McAuliffe
Kathryn Rose
Krista Dillman
Les Fairbanks
Maisie Blaine
Michele Isham
Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash
Peggy Nelson
Rebecca Thomas
Sally Prouty
Tricia (Trish) Oyaas
Alicia Lane-Outlaw
Anne Sittner Anderson
Danelle Gournaris
Darlene Zangara
Jessalyn Akerman-Frank
Maya Larson
Andrea Riffe
Cindi Martin
Jer Loudenback
Kaitlyn Mielke
Keenan Gao
Keystone Interpreting Solutions (KIS)
Migdalia Rogers
Pamela Burry
Patrick Vellia
Phillina Lilly Steinbruckner
Rania Johnson
Riss Leitzke
Accessible Emergency Communications
KMSP Spring Flooding Coverage (3/15/2019 10 PM) Transcript
KSTP Spring Flooding Coverage (3/16/2019 8 AM) Transcript
[Collaborative Experience Conference logo]
[A PPT slide appears with a stick figure and the following text, "Multicultural Education Environment for Diverse Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children. A Journey of Transformative Teaching. Laurene E. Simms. 2017 Collaborative Experience Conference. Breezy Point Resort, Breezy Point Minnesota. November 3, 2017]
[Laurene appears onscreen. She is onstage and signing.]
Laurene: I want to thank Anna Paulson for inviting me to be here today. Thanks so much. It's really an honor to be presenting to you. She had to get in touch with me a long time ago to make sure that this would work in my calendar. But she made it work. So thank you Anna for inviting me. Thank you so much. Like I said, it's an honor for me to be in Minnesota today. This is a wonderful state - just wonderful. I have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time so I'm gonna do my best and luckily I have a little clock here in front of me to make sure that I stay on track but it is a lot of pressure. Let's get going. So who am I? I asked Debbie and Alicia to keep their introductions brief because I'm going to be giving you more information about myself as we go along this morning. True, I indeed do work at Gallaudet University. I am a professor in the Education Department. I see some of my former students here and it makes me so proud to see the wonderful work you have done. Congratulations! I've been teaching for a very long time. I've had some of my current students - graduate students - say that they remember seeing me when they were in kindergarten. Wow! When I ask them what they're doing at Gallaudet, they say they wanted to study with me. That's how long I've been around. Retirement is not too far though, not too far off. I also work as an ASL and English consultant with bilingual schools and have a contract currently with three different schools. My work with the schools is focused on children ages 5 and under. I also work as a multicultural and social justice and education consultant. So that's a little bit about what I'm doing right now. I'm also the mother of three. All of my children are parents themselves. My oldest son is deaf. My middle child is someone I think many of you are familiar with. Do you know Rosa Lee? She's pretty well known for her performing arts work and signing music. She grew up hard of hearing but it's losing more of that hearing as she gets older as part of a genetic process. Watching our other keynote speaker this morning talking about the experiences of hard-of-hearing children was really interesting to me. It really helped me understand what my daughter's experience growing up. My third child is a hearing boy which makes him a CODA. I am now the grandmother of five. My first grandchild is deaf, my second hard-of-hearing and the remaining three are hearing. We have a diverse and wonderful family who love nothing more than be together and talk. That's enough about me for now.
[PPT slide with three figures, each holding a sign. One says "Critical Pedagogy," the second says "Equality vs. Equity" and the third says "Spheres of Influence." The title of the slide is "Key Points A Journey of Transformational Teaching"]
Laurene: The description of this keynote uses words like multiculturalism, diversity and intersectionality. That is a lot to wrestle with. I'm narrowing down my presentation today to these three key points what I call a journey of transformational teaching. I sign the concept of transformational this way. There are three key points I will be talking about. The first is critical pedagogy which I will sign as the abbreviation CP. The second being equality versus equity and the third is a discussion of spheres of influence. These are my main topics for today.
[Slide with a picture of Amy Hile, a well-known teacher with the years 1968-2016 besides her picture. The slide title is, "My presentation is dedicated to my dear friend and colleague, Amy E. Hile."]
Laurene: I don't know how many of you know Amy Hile. Oh, I see a lot of you. Well she's a Minnesota girl. She was one of my closest friends. It's hard for me to talk about her without getting emotional but I will try. Amy was a colleague in the Department of Education and also a dear friend. We shared a philosophy and an approach to our work that was similar. I want to dedicate today's conversation to Amy Hile. Oh and let me explain a little bit about why.
[Slide with a picture of Laurene and Amy smiling side by side. The slide title is "Our Last Journey on Train February 2016"]
Laurene: Last year Amy and I took a four-hour train ride. We were going to be giving a presentation to teachers of deaf educators. We had a lot of time to talk on that train ride.During that trip, a lot of what we talked about was how to transform deaf education. But something happened on that train ride that knocked me off my foundations. At one point Amy said to me, Laurene I know I am white, I know I come from a deaf family, and I know that gives me a lot of privilege. I came from a family where every person could hear except me. I went through a lot of trauma with school speech class and so on just as I'm sure many of you did. Amy acknowledged to me that she was deeply aware of the privileges she carried. Up till then I had never had anyone speak about their privilege and I was honored. I certainly had read articles and there are a lot of amazing discussions going on about multiculturalism and diversity in my life. But, Amy was the first person to personally say something about it to me.
[Slide appears with a book cover along with a picture of the author, Paula S. Rothenberg. The book title is, "White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other Side of Racism."]
Laurene: Amy shared her perspective on this particular book. If you have the time and if you are willing, this can be a very powerful read. Amy said that in reading this book, it prompted her to want to work toward changes in the deaf education system. She realized I was the only black deaf person in the academic field of deaf education in the world. American born, yes, but I am the only specialist in this field who is black. Amy could see quite clearly we need to have more people of color and languages in our field. We started a really long conversation in which I learned so much from Amy. She helped me shift my perspective, my attitude, and my understanding of the experience of white people. Up until that time, I had become so angry - your typical angry black deaf person. As I understood her experience more, I felt profoundly changed. I'm so grateful to Amy for giving me that experience. Anyway, one of the points that Amy made was that we had to be extremely conscientious.
[A slide appears. The title is, "Be conscientious" and below is a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., "The oppressed must never allow the conscience of the oppressor to slumber. Religion reminds every man that he is his brother's keeper."]
Laurene: Let me talk a little bit about what I mean by conscience. I'm not talking about a conscience or the way we use this sign implying guilt.
[Slide changes to a picture of a white woman with small writing all over he face. Underneath the woman are the words, "White Guilt."]
Laurene: I'm talking about the phenomenon of white guilt or feeling bad because you happen to be white.
[Slide returns to the MLK quote]
Laurene: Instead, I'm talking about a kind of consciousness that is signed in a way that indicates a deep awareness or the ability to attend and to reflect on the choices and decisions that are being made. It is about attending to your moral compass in your thinking, sensitivity and monitoring what's happening. Amy said consciousness requires constant vigilance, deliberately and making the effort to maintain awarenesss. Amy said not many people are capable of this kind of awareness of consciousness. That's because they're deeply embedded into a system that gives them privilege and power and one in which they are very comfortable. That was a very powerful realization for me. The remainder of my presentation links to what Amy taught me.
[Slide changes to two graphics and the following text, "Engage in Social Responsibility Individually and Collectively." The first graphic is the word "blame" crossed out. THe second graphic shows a series of street signs with the following text, "not me" "their fault" "his fault" "her fault".]
Laurene: When you leave this conference, I want you to leave with a mindset that does not include blame. I was at one of the schools where I consult and talking to a teacher. I heard another one say what I often hear which is a complaint from an educator that a student shows up in high school not being able to read and so they blame the middle school. In turn blame elementary school teachers for a child not being able to read and write at grade level. The elementary school teachers blame ECE and early childhood then passes that blame on to the parents for not having the appropriate communications systems.But where does it stop? Do you blame the fetus? Do you blame the parents for getting pregnant in the first place? Where does the blame game stop? What we do know and understand is that the educational system, like many systems, is extremely powerful. What we don't often understand is that we are the system. We are the system. There is no one else to blame because the system is us and each of us has a component of that system. Each of us are a component of that system. Each of us individually and collectively need to be accountable for changes in that system. So when you leave this room, I want you to take all the blame and toss it in the trash can so it does not leave with you. Am I clear. All of us need to be accountable. All of us need to take action for change, including me.
[Slide changes to a quotation box with the words, "Trigger Warning."]
Laurene: Even without the blame game involved, some of you will be triggered by some of what I say today that is because each of you has a core value system that you, you are and I am operating under - a way of being in the world that you have developed over time. When Amy spoke of her experience growing up as a white person, you'd better believe I was triggering hard. I was being reminded again and again how growing up I hadn't understood why I was experiencing pain that I never asked for or deserved. I had all these unanswered questions until this conversation and I started to read this book. Some of you here, particularly those people of color, will experience some of those triggers today. If this happens, please remind yourself to take a deep breath and recognize you are surrounded by good people. We are all here to support one another so that's my trigger warning.
Laurene: Let's look to the first point, critical pedagogy, then I'll move on to equity versus equality and sphere of influence.
[Slide appears with the title, "Professional Development" with icons of several people in conversations and surrounded by mobile phones, light bulbs, magnifying glasses, wheels, email, laptop, etc.]
Laurene: Now I know you have come in part because you are looking for professional development credit. I see you racing to the back of the room to sign up for your CEUs when you attend these workshops and certainly we want to have that kind of professional development. but I also want you to personally challenge yourself to look at issues of your own privilege within this profession as we discussed this topic today. We all know professional development is ongoing. None of us will ever stop learning. I'm 65 years old and I'm still learning. I'll never stop.Even though I look forward to retirement, I know I will never stop learning. The conversation with Amy happened less than a year ago and I learned so much...so much ...from the day I was born until then I had been learning.
[Slide with pictures from recent incidents, a Black Lives Matter poster, victims of a bible study massacre, two people holding rainbow flags and crying, and the school pictures of the Sandy Hook students who were killed.]
Laurene: You're familiar with what's happening in the social sphere lately and this has a relationship to critical pedagogy. Look at the Black Lives Matter movement, the massacre during Bible study at a church, the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, and the killing of all these children at Sandy Hook Elementary. These are all horrible experiences that are not new to us as a society. Those of us who have been around a while have seen movements like Black Lives Matter before. We saw how a church in Salem was bombed in a racist attack, killing four little girls. The shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was another demonstration of attacks, this time because of homophobia. Sadly, we now have a newer horror in the murder of children at Sandy Hook.
[Slide changes to news media pictures of the Charlottesville, VA white supremacy march and their protesters.]
Laurene: Then we have the recent incident in Charlottesville, Virginia. But even there, we have the KKK involved and again this is nothing new. What is new is social media and how it magnifies these events. We may see more but we also know these are repeated experiences in our society. Amy and I talked on and on about the cycle and how we believe the answer to stopping this cycle is critical pedagogy - education. What do we do in middle school, in high school. What do we do? I've seen a school that had a strict policy on bullying but never managed to follow through on incidences. The system was so busy playing the blame game that the bullying continued and the child suffered. How do we ensure follow-through for these children? These are the questions Amy and I had.
[Slide appears with the words, "Critical Pedagogy. 'Social justice is part of teaching. Critical Pedagogy. ' -Sonia Nieto" along with a picture of chidlrens' hands raised, all with diverse skin tones.]
Laurene: Critical Pedagogy. Social justice is only part of teaching. Being an educator is one of the most important jobs there is in the world and one of the most thankless. It's a noble profession. Without teachers, we wouldn't have doctors. Without teachers, we wouldn't have attorneys. Without teachers, we wouldn't have Presidents. We take teachers for granted but we know system change will begin in the classroom with those teachers.
[Slide appears with a drawing of a person with a jigsaw puzzle brain. He is holding one of the pieces. The following text is shown, "What am I thinking? Feeling? Doing?" There is also a quote, "Teachers cannot transform schools until they transform themselves." (Howard, 1999)]
Laurene: You have to look at what you're thinking and doing in order for transformation to occur. Transformation has to begin with yourself and then move into the classroom.
[Slide with the cover of the book, "Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World," Third Edition, by Joan Wink. and the following text, "Three Models of Pedagogy * Transmission Model * Generative Model * Transformative Model"]
Laurene: Let me explain a little bit about the historical models of pedagogy that we have been using in classrooms and in any kind of educational setting. Everybody in this system is working under one of these models. By the way, this book is an easy read...easy read and it's an excellent book. The first is the transmission model, the second is the generative model, and the third is the transformative model.
[Slide with the title, "Transmission Model" and a drawing of a teacher in front of bored and confused children. The following text is next to it, "The teacher is standing in front of the classroom and the students are at their seats, which are in rows. They listen to what she says and write it down in their notebooks. The teacher's job is to transmit knowledge. The teacher controls who knows what; power has always been a part of pedagogy."
Laurene: The transmission model is our traditional approach to education with a teacher in the front of the room teaching students seated individually. I work hard with our graduate students who are about to go out on an internship to identify which model they see being used just so they get it a sense of what it's like. The transmission model is centered around the teacher giving information to the students. I'm not saying that that's a bad approach, don't get me wrong, because there are times when this can be beneficial. It is just less effective in terms of learning, the power is all in the hands of the educator and it's the model you see most often in deaf education.
[Slide: A graphic of a teacher working with three students in a group. All have questions. The following text is shown, "Generative Model. A classroom is set with small groups of students clustered around various learning centers. The teacher moves around the room, quietly observes, and periodically interacts with various groups. The generative model maintains tha students must actively engage in their learning process. Learning is not passive."]
Laurene: Now the generative model, that one focuses on small groups working on assignments with teachers moving from group to group. Its biggest benefit is learning how to strengthen teamwork skills - be engaged in the work. Learning is not passive. It's a move toward less teacher-centered and more students-centered work where the students are learning from and with each other.
[Slide: Graphic of a teacher and students actively exploring nature. There are no question marks and everyone is engaged in activity. The following text is shown, "Transformative Model. This model reflects, not only the changing world, but also our more complex understandings of meaningful teaching and learning. This model reflects today and prepares for tomorrow. The goal of includes generating knowledge and extends from the classroom to the community. Critical pedagogy starts in the classroom and goes out into the community to make life a little better. A group of students is doing critical pedagogy."]
Laurene: And finally the transformative model is the most challenging approach and also the most effective. The transformative model is the one which where students are empowered to brainstorm, analyze and create solutions to problems for today and the future. This is the transformative approach.
[Slide with a quote by Albert Schweitzer, "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."]
Laurene: Of course you will want to see an example of the transformative model. This quote is one of my favorites. Deaf people always want to know what's it like, what's it look like, what does it look like. I know hearing people do too but you can guarantee a deaf audience is going to want and to move out of the theoretical and into a practical example. Let me give you a visual to explain what transformative education looks like.
[Slide with the title, "Equality vs. Equity" and two side by side graphics. The graphic on the left shows three individuals with different height on the same size stool looking over a wall. Only the tallest person can see well. The graphic on the right shows the shortest person on the tallest stool and the tallest person on the shortest stool. Everyone can see over the wall.]
Laurene: I think a lot of you have probably seen a variation of this image, correct? Now think of it in terms of your IEPs. Are you applying the same language in all your IEPs, your report cards? What do the audiologists document for students? What do the teachers say about students and their levels? Look at how we treat students. Are the phrases we, us, and assessments we choose equal for all students like in the first image?
[Slide: Similar photos asthe previous one but they include a person in a wheel chair. In the left photo, the person in a wheelchair is next to a stool. In the right photo, he has a ramp.]
Laurene: I see a new variation of this image and I like it a little bit better. In that case, the wall is removed and the caption under the picture says liberation. But if you take the wall down from a soccer game, somebody's going to get hurt. In this case, do you want to put a chain-link fence in so that the people can be protected and see through? That's a system change that allows things to be tailored for individual needs. Our goal is to dismantle the current deaf education system, to know down the wall. System change is extremely difficult however. Systems are subject to the laws of inertia particularly because they are so big. Systems are resistant to change and that is because we are resistant to change. If we are the system and we are clinging to our personal values way of being and attitudes, then the system also does that.
[Slide shows a confused looking child next to the words, "Literacy as Obligation vs." and a child concentrating on a book next to the words "Literacy as Desire."]
Laurene: Let's talk about one potential area for transformation literacy as obligation versus literacy as desire. My oldest son who is deaf, Jared, teaches English in high school in Southern California. He has the most beautiful language in both English and ASL. He's published two books. He is just amazing okay I'm a mother bragging of course. This is my son so I have to do a little bragging but he really is wonderful. Anyway, he told me he felt awful and hurt because his student told him they hate reading. Now hate is a very powerful word and that is the word they used. My son has tried everything to encourage his students and engage his students. He used comics, graphic novels, films to no avail. He loves to read and write and so once to spark his students, but because literacy is seen as an obligation, he's completely stymied. He said "Mom, you have been in deaf education for all these years and have so much experience.Tell me how I can teach my high school students to enjoy reading and writing?" I told him there are many issues that do not reflect him - it's the system. Somewhere along the way we teach deaf children to hate to read. Let me show you why. How many of you have seen deaf kids say that they hate to read? I know there's a lot of hearing students who hate to read also but my comments are focused on deaf education.
[Slide title is "Literacy as Obligation: and the following quote, "In schools serving predominantly economic, social, or linguistic minorities, the curriculum often is reorganized into a more segmented, subdivided, and decontexualized approach called skill-building. In other words, the further a student falls behind in literacy activities, the more skill building she/he is fed, with the best of intentions."]
Laurene: I know this slide has a lot of text so just pay attention to the underlined section. I have been to so many schools where the teachers love to hand out worksheets and drills. Teachers love doing drills, practicing specific skills. They just love it. But skill practice is not effective. Ironically, if you focus on a skill, the more students fail, the more you tend to drill them on skills to make up the deficit which burrows into more failure with even more drills and so on and so on and so on. That's the transmission model of instruction I showed you earlier where students are given more and more work and still get further and further behind. Eventually they hit their senior year and they're still failing.
[Slide with the following text. Literacy as Obligation. * Oftentimes students do not have the bridges between school skills and authentic task. * School skills seem distinct from and unrelated to real life."]
Laurene: In the framework of literacy, as obligation students, do the work for the teacher not for learning. Let me just say the students are amazing actors. Every single one of them should get an Academy Award. They know how to act to please the teacher and earn praise. This makes teachers happy and they feel like they are accomplishing something but it's not good for the student. You have to sometimes challenge students who act like they understand to really demonstrate their understanding.
[Slide: Has the following text, "Literacy as Desire * Students are to be engaged with whole, authentic, written discourse; hence, the mastery of English will occur. * Students tend to achieve more when learning, occurred through observation, apprenticeship, or discovery through experience."]
Laurene: So what is literacy as desire? Here's the definition. Students feel engaged and involved with the whole authentic written discourse.
[Reaches for her phone]
Laurene: Here's my iPhone. I see so many different signs for it. Anyway, I have an app. You can download it. It is fantastic. It's called Cardzilla, C - A - R-D - Z - I - L - L - A, and the kids love it. It's a text chat app and a really effective way to practice conversation in text. My daughter and I are always using it with each other conversations are saved so they can be reviewed. It uses a nice big easy-to-read font and functions like written notes. If students want to understand something, we use this to help them write out what they learn.In literacy as desire, the material is always tied to their life experiences.
[Puts her phone back down.]
Laurene: Students use observation, apprenticeship and mentoring to support them as they're learning to read and write.
[Slide switches to a cover of a children's book, "Frog, where are you?" by Mercer Meyer, and the inside the book on one of its pages with no words, which shows a little boy and his dog looking at a frog in a jar.]
Laurene: Last week, I was teaching a workshop for families and they were so anxious - just nervous about reading to their children, wanting to get the signs right. I told them what I tell every teacher. Use wordless books. Take the English out of it and focus on the story. There are some beautiful books online with gorgeous pictures. Let go of words and use whatever kind of visual communication that works. You can be free to sign, gesture, act out things - whatever works. I tell them to always begin their stories with a time indicator. In this case, it's night. They need to indicate the location of the story, the bedroom, and the story evolves from there. The kids so enjoy these stories and that's the key. I've had families try it last week and they all said they wish they had known this approach a long time ago. Most parents learn ASL formally and it's so very hard for them to let go and enjoy signing a story instead of translating everything. I say just relax. Use gestures, signs, acting out things - whatever works. My grandson is deaf. He's Rosa Lee's firstborn. Even she came to me to ask how she could or should sign stories to him. Oh she peppered me with all kinds of questions. I told her what I just told you.Just do it. Just do it. She could not figure out how that would work given the baby was always looking everywhere but at her. I told her from day one be signing in the presence of that baby. Tell him how happy you are that he is there. Talk about milk. My daughter says she feels like a fool signing to him while the baby was looking at the ceiling or at the wall or whatever and I said do it sign all the time. She did it at the store. She would sign to him in his stroller all day. Every day - signing. I did warn her that there would be consequences of course. You know what happened? as soon as he could form a question he was on her like flies on butter, always wanting to know why this, why that. She can't stand how he is always pestering her. She can't cook a meal without him interrupting every other minute. He's seven years old now and the questions have not abated a bit. He drives her crazy and of course she comes to me asking where the heck this constant chatter came from. I could say and I did: It came from you. She was the same way with me. Always, always, always talking. She's 41 years old now and still always always talking. I tried my best to get a word in edgewise but when she's rolling, there's just nothing to do but give up and watch. How many of you have had similar experiences? That's why I encourage every parent of a deaf child to start signing from day one. Never underestimate a baby. Babies are small but their brains are huge. That little 21 inch, seven and a half pound bundle, has a giant brain. They may not be watching but those brains are absorbing everything around them. I say do this. Use wordless books. Don't worry about written English. The English text will come but only if you start with storytelling.
[A slide appears with the title, "An Ideal Approach for Literacy as Desire" and shows a series of three arrows forming a circle. Each arrow has a label, "Professionals" "Deaf learner" and "Families & Communities." In the middle of the circle is the word, "Interdependence."]
Laurene: What is the ideal approach. For literacy as desire, it is to be the work of an independent circle of people in the child's life. Can't be the learner alone or the professional alone or the family alone attempting to foster this desire for literacy. It has to be all of us. Remember, this is our collective responsibility.
[A slide with the title, "Team Words (Interdependence) and two columns. In the left column are the following words, "Discouraging Approach * You have to read. This is a hearing world. You have to live with it. * You need to learn to read or you will not have a good job. * You will fail if you can't read. Reading is important to succeed." In the right column are the following words, "Encouraging Approach * I really love this story. Would you like for us to read it together? * I know of a wonderful book we can read together. * What is your favorite book or comic? I'd like to read it. Reading is fun."]
Laurene: Also consider the language you use when you're talking about reading. Remember, how my son said his students hated reading? I wonder how much of it had to do with language like this? How many times a student's told they must read in order to function in a hearing world and they have to live with it? What a turn-off. Oh they just have to read or they don't get a good job. Well if they don't learn to read, they will fail. This is discouraging language. Supposed we use encouraging language instead? I was the last of eight children and the only one who was deaf of the entire hearing family. When I was six or seven my mother passed away, my father had his hands full managing all of us. We were too poor to afford a babysitter. I was the only one that wasn't in school and so my father didn't know what to do with me during the day. eventually he brought me to the local library where the librarian was a friend and asked her to take care of me during the day. The librarian said she would do it for a short time. She did. I tell people I was born again in the public library. I'm grateful to my father and I "one hundred and fifty percent" endorse free public libraries open to everyone. They're free. I devoured books in that library land have loved them ever since. I have a trick I use to spark interest in reading. I taught first grade for a number of years. I would take down a book and pretend to be so engrossed and amazed by the story that I could not pay attention to anything else. Of course that meant that a student would eventually grab that book from me so that they could read it and see what all the fuss was about. If you love reading, show the students. Tell them the book is a must-read and they would enjoy it. I always wonder why schools don't use comic books. Comic books are great to read. I bet if you ask deaf adults who are fluent readers what they first started reading, they will say comic books. Is that true of anyone here? Look at all of the yes's. Yes, I still have a comic book in my bag. I'm guilty. I love Archie! Yay for Archie fans! Really I have the proof in my bag. If you open it up, there's a comic book in there still. I'm still reading comics. Every time I travel, I bring three books. One book usually an academic text. You can see from my face how I feel about that and then a magazine and a comic book. I read the magazine to take off because I'm nervous about flying and it keeps me distracted. Once we're in the air, the dreaded academic textbook comes out as I'm preparing for class when we start our descent, I switch to the comic book because there is an emotional component to the story that keeps me engaged so I don't pay attention to the landing I might be crazy but it works every time. Share comic books. Comic books are a perfect option for reading because there are images that go with the text.
[Slide with two quotes. The first quote says, "Learners have to want to read with desire, to write with intent beyond that of pleasing adults." by Margaret Meek and "We should start where the learner is, and help the learner to expand from there." by John Dewey.]
[Laurene flips to the next slide.]
[Slide: Researc title, "Deaf Epistemological (emic) perspective that uses insights from fluent adult Deaf readers. Gallimore, 2000, Mounty, J. Pucci, C & Harmon, K (2013) Simms, L, Andrew, J, Smith, A. (2005)"]
Laurene: This is research. Oh I don't think you can read the publication date, but it's going to be published next year in the spring. Our research led us to a process that we call RTS or read-think-sign. You know that most schools teach reading and word by word process right? Students read and sign each word in the order of the text.
[Slide with the following text, "Word Identification. Studies on deaf readers who have focused on their word identification skills indicate that word identification is not sufficient for developing high-level reading comprehension skills. Gibbs, 1989; Hanson, 1989, 1991; Tzeng, 1993."]
Laurene: How many of you as adults still read word by word? I get a lot of mixed responses here. When I'm in the airplane, I'm not sitting there signing each word as I read it. Fluent reading happens in a way completely opposite from word by word yet that is the way we have insisted on teaching reading to our students.
[Switches back to the Deaf Epistemological slide]
Laurene: During my research, I interviewed fluent deaf readers to try to identify what was effective for them when learning how to read. This kind of research is an "emic" study which means it's a deaf researcher talking to other deaf people and researching from within. It's not magic. There's no big secret to it. It's just the fact that we were asking what people do from within the culture. We did the study because we know the system doesn't work and I wanted to know what does. There are more and more deaf researchers out there. We have lots of research proving the current approach does not work.
[Switches back to the word identification slide]
Laurene: Instead of focusing on what we have been doing, we want to identify a better approach. Look at the dates of this older research. Word by word reading was proposed such a long time ago - back in the late 1980s. Wake up! We're basing our current literacy education approach out of very old research. This is what we were told then. What I am telling you now is this does not work. This is why our students hate to read. Don't get me wrong. Word identification is fine for assessing students' knowledge of vocabulary. If you want more than vocabulary, you cannot use the old approach. The transformation model starts from a completely different place - one that assumes and expects children to love reading and not do it on command.
[New slide: Title is "Continuum: Translation" Below is a long arrow on both ends of the lines. On the left arrow is the word, "Literal" and on the right arrow is the word "Free." Below the literal arrow is the word, "guided reading." Below the free arrow is the word "storysigning." In the middle is the the following text, "Read, Think and Sign (RTS)."]
Laurene: In this research, we created a model where we put this process on a continuum. On the literal end, you see guided reading or that process of having a student read translated everything they read into a sign word by word by word. You know how hard it is to keep a child from becoming a little jumping bean during guided reading? We can't blame them. This type of effort is very tedious and requires a lot of mental energy. I'll talk a little bit about why that is a little later. In the middle of the continuum is the read-think-sign: RTS process. Here you encourage students to read and try to understand the meaning. Encourage them to guess even if they guess wrong. Teach them to use their experience, intuition, look at pictures and search for clues to help them understand what they are reading. Make sure the materials are not too far above their reading level so they don't get too frustrated. They should have about having to stretch just a bit for that last 25%. On the far end of the continuum, you see storytelling like the wordless books I was talking about before.
[Slide with the words, "The cat ran up the tree."]
Laurene: Let's look at the middle: RTS process. I have an activity for you. There are blank sheets of paper in the middle of your tables. Make sure everyone has a piece of paper and I'm going to help you experience with the RTS approach and what it looks like. Is everybody ready? Okay, if you don't want to participate and prefer to observe that's fine too. Totally up to you. We're going to give you one minute to draw the sentence you see in front of you. The cat ran up the tree. Go! Okay, now I have some questions for you. I want to make sure that I repeat your answers so everyone can see. How many of you drew the cat first? Okay, one, two, three people. Okay, that's in line with my research. Alright now. How many of you drew the tree first? Most of you. I knew that already. That is absolutely in line with the research findings. One more question. How many of you drew the cat sitting at the base of the tree? Darn. You are outliners in my research outcomes. The cat should be in the tree. The sentence is past tense which means that the cat is already there. Some of you drew arrows to indicate the path of the cat and that manages the temporal aspect fine. That's an RTS process. Guided reading would have you in essence draw each word as it appears in the sentence. In this approach, you read, think and visualize the meaning and then draw. Use this technique with your students. At the VL2 Research Center at in Gallaudet, they attach goggles to deaf readers that track their eyes while reading. Can you guess the path of the eyes of the deaf reader. Yes, you're absolutely right. The eyes move back and forth throughout the sentence. This is unlike hearing readers, well most hearing readers, whose eyes tract literally through the sentence without backtracking. That is because hearing readers are basing their reading on the phonology of the word. Without the same auditory memory, deaf readers have to constantly backtrack to be able to understand the meaning of the text as it unfolds in English word order. This is why word by word reading is so exhausting and frustrating. If you look at the word order of the sentence, you see the cat, then past tense of run, then the tree. For a signer, the tree has to come first just like you did in your drawing. In order for the deaf student to read, they have to see the sentence as a whole and think about what is being said. Again, they have to be able to understand text to enjoy it so approaches other than word my word have to happen first. Okay, only 15 minutes left. I planned to have more activities with RTS but you got it. Right? Just understand we need to fundamentally change our approach to the way we teach reading
[Returns to the "Continuum: Translation" slide.]
Laurene: Teachers can use guided reading to identify miscues where students are misunderstanding particular terms, but this is the back end of the process, not the beginning. First, you have to use storytelling. Make sure all questions are answered in sign, then RTS to make sure students enjoy and understand. This can be a tough shift for our current students. I don't mean for you to suddenly tell your students to stop their approach if they use guided reading. What you can do is model the RTS process to them. Demonstrate how you read for comprehension, then over time, they will begin to adopt those same habits. Use models of the process like the cat and tree activity we just did. Use storytelling. Use RTS. Save guided reading for those times when you really need to look for specific miscues but the children must have the background information first.
[Slide with the title, "A note..." along with a picture of an eager child raising his hand and the words, "We know many things that a Deaf child does NOT know, bu we don't know many things that a Deaf child DOES know."]
Laurene: We know a lot about what a deaf child doesn't know. Our evaluation systems are all about documenting and tracking deficits. Our tools and checklists are focused on lack of knowledge. What we don't focus on and don't know is what deaf students do know. We need to change our assessment focus.
[Slide with a photo of the aughtor, bell hooks, at the left and to the right is the cover of one of her books, "Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom."]
Laurene: We teach from our core values. We teach who we are. All of us are working from our own belief systems. This book is excellent - quite powerful. It will contain a lot of triggers, however. Bell Hooks is focused on systemic change and if you want to move out of the same old failure based system, take a look at this book.
[Slide with the words, "What should I do?"]
Laurene: Wow, time is going fast and we're coming to an end. I'm sure you're wondering what you do next. Do you remember the three elements of the journey to transformation that I talked about before? Let's see. First cognitive pedagogy or CP, then equality versus equity. Finally sphere of influence. Right?
[A slide titled, "Spheres of Influence" with the following text, "1. Self: Educating yourself, understanding your values and feelings, examining how you want to change, 2. Close family and friends: Influencing the people closest to you, 3. Social, school, and work relationships; Friends and acquaintances, coworkers, neighbors, classmates, people with whom you interact on a regular basis, 3. Community: People with whom you interact infrequently or in community settings."]
Laurene: When you move towards transformational teaching, it's a process. I know many of you are excited to go back to work and implement some of these activities right away. I applaud you for that but please transform yourself first. This is what Amy taught me. She was working from the inside out recognizing the privileges that she had as a white woman from a deaf family with a strong command of English. She knew she could use her sphere of influence to work towards transformation. The same process happened to me. I had to look at my own history and my own value system before moving outward. Transformation starts with change of self. Look at yourself. What are your core values? For example, think about how you feel about everything I've been saying today. Read and conduct research about what needs to and can change. Then you can look outside yourself to your close family and friends. Talk to them about what you are seeing and learning. Beyond that, you move into the schools, co-workers, and other colleagues. Then your influence can move out into the larger community. It's a system right? Remember, we are the system and the change doesn't start at the top. It starts at the bottom with us.
[Short video of a person standing on a multi-layered sphere under the words, "Spheres of Influence."The video zooms out to reveal words like, "Close family and friends, influencing the people closest to you" "Self: Educating yourself, understanding your values and feelings, examining how you want to change" and "social, school and work relationships: Friends and acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors, classmates, people with whom you interact on a regular basis, "Community: People with whom you interact infrequently or in community settings."]
[Slide with a mouse wearing a helmet in front of a mouse trap loaded with cheese.]
Laurene: Take the risk, absolutely. You have nothing to lose, honestly. We have nothing to lose at this point. We have already lost. When you have that many deaf children saying they hate to read, you know we have nothing to lose. Without reading, our students cannot understand the world that surrounds them. Without reading, there's no way to dismantle some of these larger systems. As I said before, what we see happening in the world is nothing new. If we want to break the cycle, education is the key and education from the moment a child is born.
[Returns to the "Key Points: A Journey of Transformational Teaching" slide]
Laurene: This is our journey towards transformation. Finally, remember this is a journey we are all taking. Remember to leave that blame behind when you leave this room. Don't blame each other. Don't blame Anna for bringing me here. And don't blame the interpreters. They are doing their best to represent me in English. Don't blame the superintendent. No blame to anyone. We all must take responsibility individually. We all must take responsibility collectively. Thank you, Amy.
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normal uric acid level - Natural Gout Treatment - The Results Of A Gout Diet That Had A Lot Of Success
Natural Gout Treatment - The Results Of A Gout Diet That Had A Lot Of Success
This is the second article of a series about this diet. Please see Natural Gout Treatment - The Rules Of A Gout Diet That Had A Lot Of Success, for the first article.
In the world of natural gout remedies, uric acid's removal can be improved by making it more soluble. This is achieved by drinking lots of water and by raising body pH levels in various ways.
Note especially that the mean uric acid (UA) fall was 1.7mg/dL. In a couple of cases it fell by 2.2 mg/dL and by 2.5mg/dL respectively. Hyperuricemia, (excess uric acid), which may lead to gout, is reckoned to exist if the UA levels exceed 7.2 mg/dL (men), and 6.0 mg/dL (women). The usual UA target in gout treatment is 6.0 mg/dL (somewhat less in women) because at this level the MSU crystals, formed mainly from uric acid may dissolve. (It is the immune system's response to these crystals, which it regards as foreign bodies, which causes the pain and inflammation of gout).
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As we know, prevention is better than treatment; avoiding the intake of food high in uric acid can readily prevent the occurrence of gout. Reducing alcohol consumption is also often helpful.
The study can be found online if you search "Beneficial effects of weight loss associated with moderate calorie/carbohydrate restriction, and increased proportional intake of protein and unsaturated fat on serum urate and lipoprotein levels in gout: a pilot study." Copy and paste this into a search engine search box and hit enter.
NB. The contents of this article contain medical information not medical advice. Please always discuss gout remedies with your doctor or other health care professional, before implementing any treatment.
It also reached the well-known and accepted conclusion that hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity are risk factors for gout. And one other very different conclusion from the conventional wisdom about purines -- purine intake, with the exception of alcohol, was NOT associated with a risk of gout.
In May 2008 the U.S. based company developing Pegloticase made another upbeat statement assessment of what they have learnt in its Phase 3 and open label extension trials. Note that Pegloticase still awaits approval from medical authorities so I am writing here about a new gout drug that is still under development.
Colchicine is a traditional drug used since the 1800's as a treatment for gout. Although Colhicine produces desirable results, it does have side effects of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
THE CAUTION Rapid changes in uric acid levels can trigger a gout attack. This rapid change can be brought about by many factors in addition to possibly mega doses of Vitamin C and by drugs such as probenecid and sulfinpyrazone. People who are susceptible to gout must consider these rapid changes.
The results were sufficiently impressive to give hope and encouragement to any gout sufferer who tries this diet as accurately as possible. The study was conducted in 1999. Unfortunately it has not been followed up by a much larger one designed on the same lines. If conducted, such a study would expand our knowledge of natural gout treatment, perhaps considerably. A natural gout cure is what most gout sufferers want.
Previously it has been thought that the amount needed was at least 4,000 mg (4 grams) daily. For example, Dr. Robert Atkins in his book " Vita Nutrient Solutions," recommended 5,000 -10,000 mg as part of his formula natural remedy for gout.
0.5 mg/dL is a useful reduction but for most people probably not a natural remedy for gout, although the 0.5 mg/dL figure is an average and some participants did better. But a 0.5mg/dL reduction will not be enough to reduce uric acid below the 6.0 mg/dL level at which the MSU crystals may dissolve. However, when combined with other vitamins for gout, a low purine diet and other natural remedies for gout, it could be.
NB. The contents of this article contain medical information not medical advice. Please always discuss remedies with your doctor or other health care professional before implementing any treatment.
Alcoholic beverages should not exceed 3 ounces per day. Reduce or eliminate the purine-containing foods such as organ meats (sweet breads, liver, and kidneys), shrimp, sardines, dried legumes, and anchovies.
Other encouraging statements were that all extension trial patients who had responded earlier to treatment and who were on the every two week course maintained normal uric acid levels, (some were new joiners). 70% of those on an every four week course who had responded earlier to treatment, maintained normal uric acid levels.
The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are also used to treat gout, which does not have the side effects of colhicine. Indomethacin is a widely used NSAID in the treatment of gout. Patients should avoid Aspirin and aspirin-containing products during the attack of gout.
One complicating factor is that elusive fact that most people with hyperuricemia (excess uric acid)do not get gout. Another is that some people with normal uric acid levels do.
In the 2005 study by how much did 500 mg of Vitamin C reduce their uric acid level? It found an average, across all participants, reduction of about 10% (0.5 mg/dL). In addition, reductions were larger among participants who had higher levels of uric acid at the start of the study. Participants took the 500 mg daily level for two months. Those who were given a placebo (i.e. not Vitamin C) showed a slight increase in uric acid levels.
HOW PEGLOTICASE WORKS What makes Pegloticase a very interesting, and more importantly, a hopeful new gout drug, is the way it works. All drugs used in gout try to cure or alleviate the disease by reducing the body's uric acid (UA) levels. They do this by either inhibiting its production or making it easier to remove.
After four months on this diet the effects on uric acid levels and gout attacks were quite impressive. Weight loss and uric acid levels Weight loss over the period was almost 17lbs (7.7kg) i.e. at a rate of about 1lb a week. All but one of the patients lost weight. The median uric acid (UA) fall was 1.7mg/dL.Another very interesting finding was that a more elevated blood uric acid level at the start of the study, meant a large fall of blood uric acid by the end of it. Uric acid levels normalised in 7 of 12 patients who had raised levels of uric acid (UA) before the study.
TRIAL SUCCESS WITH DIFFICULT TO TREAT GOUT PATIENTS Pegloticase is significant because its trials have focused on gout patients who have not had success with other gout drugs, or who have medical conditions which prohibit the use of them. Thus it has been tackling harder-to-treat gout cases, not the easier ones. Hard to treat cases are a significant percentage of the gout sufferer universe.
And gout attacks? Results overall were expressed as a median. Before the study, participants had at least two attacks in the preceding four months. Median monthly attacks before the study were 2.1. After it, attacks fell to 0.6. The fall in the number of gout attacks occurred in all except one patient. The exception participant had shorter and less severe attacks. Eight of the 13 did not have a gout attack during the four month study period, although as mentioned, they had all had at least two in the previous four months and, as noted above, the median was 2.1 a month, or one attack a fortnight, (every two weeks).
Such a rapid change concerned the authors of one study in the 1970's who had recorded that mega doses of Vitamin C (4,000 mg and 8,000 mg daily) reduced uric acid levels significantly, and by more than in the 2005 study. However, as far as Vitamin C induced changes in uric acid levels is concerned, this triggering has not been reported in any study.
VITAMIN C AS A GOUT PREVENTOR If 500 mg daily of Vitamin C can reduce uric acid levels, then Vitamin C ought to act as a preventative gout vitamin too. A Taiwan study of males in the late 1990's examined the weight, diet and lifestyles of gout and non-gout sufferers in Taiwan. It concluded that Vitamin C, folic acid (folate) and fibre were protective against gout.
There is no cure for gout, but it can be controlled and treated. Usually, the pain associated with gout will subside within 24 hours after treatment has begun. The main objectives of treatment are pain relieving and prevent future attacks of gout.
Were the study patients taking long term medications, such as Allopurinol, for their gout? They were not. They were only taking medications for gout attacks. The study report did not say how much water they drank. Most gout sufferers know that drinking lots of water helps to remove uric acid. In gout treatment there are always caveats. The study was small. Only 13 male gout sufferers. The study lasted just four months, although there were follow-up results after one year (median). The researchers noted a connection between weight loss and a fall in uric acid levels in another study and expected the nutrient proportions (40:30:30) contributed to the uric acid fall. They thought that the dietary measures caused the desired improvement in insulin sensitivity.
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This study, based on the Zone diet, did have a positive effect on markers of insulin resistance: triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) fell. HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) did not fall. But my purpose in this article is mainly to describe its direct effect on uric acid levels and gout attacks.
It has been having a decent degree of success. Elimination of gout attacks In its most recent statement the developing company's most significant remark was that the extension trial group receiving Pegloticase every two weeks, there were only four gout attacks among those who had been administered Pegloticase (8 mg) every fortnight for two months, in subsequent months. And none in this group had a gout attack after five months of Pegloticase treatment, in following months. All were patients who had been through a phase 3 trial.
This suggests that progression of the disease may be contained in difficult-to-treat cases, and therefore may not cause other medical conditions such as kidney stones heart disease and hypertension.
One participant did not have a raised UA level before the start. It was about 5.9mg/dL. But we already know that gout can occur in people with normal uric acid levels, so this was not unusual.
There are many natural products available in the market. Incorporate flax seed or omega 3 oil into your diet to help reduce inflammation and tissue damage. Burdock root can help rid the body of acidic waste build up and help supports normal uric acid levels in the body.
31% of patients who had not reduced tophi at the end of these phase 3 trials did show tophi reduction in the extension trial. It would seem that the longer a gout sufferer is able to take Pegloticase the more successful it may be, in tophi cases at least.
Should you take Vitamin C for gout? The answer is probably yes, but read on for a possibly relevant caution. Gout cures require that uric acid levels be reduced. Vitamins and drugs work in two ways to reduce uric acid levels. One is restricting its supply by inhibiting purine breakdown into uric acid, the other is improving uric acid's breakdown into the urine. Vitamin C is thought to be a uric acid excretory, not an inhibitor. Improving excretion may be more important than reducing production.
So a fall of 1.7 mg/dL, given these numbers, is quite significant, although you should note that many gout sufferers have UA levels much higher than 7.2 mg/dL, and some gout sufferers do not have excess uric acid.
Zyloprim, is a potent treatment for gout, and is usually prescribe for gout patients with kidney stones or other kidney problems. This drug slows down the rate of production of uric acid by the body. The patients who took this drug showed side effects such as skin rashes and stomach upset. Both of these symptoms usually go away as the body began accustomed to the drug.
Those people who have had multiple attacks or developed tophi or kidney stones should stabilize uric acid level in the blood. Probenecid is an important drug, which helps the kidney, eliminate uric acid. Another drug called Alopurinol is used to block the excess production of uric acid by the body. The drug of choice between these types of drugs depends upon the quantity of uric acid excreted through urine.
Although gout is well known, it is not a typical arthritic condition. Gout is caused by an accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints, causing joint pain and inflammation.
However, restricting purines in your diet is not difficult, so it is still worth doing. The conventional wisdom may be correct. Uric acid level tests should tell if a low purine diet works for you.
Pegloticase's answer to the excess uric acid level problem is to remove it by ingeniously converting uric acid into something else, a substance called Allantoin. Allantoin is more soluble and better excreted than uric acid. The principle comes from the way most animals do it. They do it by converting UA to Allantoin, but this is something humans cannot do naturally. Hence the formulation of Pegloticase.
In other patient groups there were reductions in attacks and improvement in tophi reduction. Tophi are those knobbly shaped, awkward looking, lumps of MSU crystals that often develop in longer term gout sufferers.
Pegloticase is getting closer to an application for approval by the U.S. FDA. Its developers hope to apply for a Biologics Licence Application in September 2008, and begin marketing it in 2009.
1,000 MG PLUS DOSES If you wish to try Vitamin C for gout in doses over 1,000 mg as part of a natural gout remedy discuss it with your doctor or a qualified naturopathic doctor. The 500 mg level is below the British government's 1,000 mg (1 gram) recommended upper safety level safety limit for Vitamin C. It is half of the maximum amount (1,000 mg) in a Vitamin C tablet sold in the U.S. and many other countries.
John Mepham has spent much time researching gout. His best tip for curing gout naturally? Get to your ideal weight whatever the sacrifices may be. Learn more about this study and about natural gout treatment at www.gout-smashers-guide.com It's an e-book with a emphasis on natural gout treatment. The Zone diet, and other books by Barry Sears, are available at Official site of The Zone Diet The books can be found by clicking on the products tab on the home page.
SIDE EFFECTS Of course Pegloticase has caused side effects, in the extension trial in about 1 in 5 patients. The developing company has said that most were mild, moderate, or controllable. But in some cases more severe side effects have been described as including chest and back pains, muscle cramps, sweating and flushes.
In the study report, uric acid levels were expressed as mmol/l. In this article I have converted these mmol/l numbers to mg/dL, which is a more frequently used measurement.
A few studies over the past 30 years have concluded that Vitamin C will reduce the uric acid level. They have differed in the amount of Vitamin C given to study participants. A U.S. study of 184 non-smokers, published in 2005, concluded that the amount required to achieve a serum (blood) uric acid level reduction was 500 mg daily. (The Vitamin C was taken as a supplement). This is not a mega dose.
If you suffer from gout, see your doctor and discuss a pain relief program and a correct diet to reduce gout occurrences. With correct treatment and diet, gout outbreaks can be well controlled.
AFTER ONE YEAR About a year later, five of nine patients had no more gout attacks and three had just one attack. So there was a further decrease in attack frequency overall. One patient gained weight after the end of the study. He must have given up on the diet. He suffered three attacks over three months. His blood uric acid levels rose with his weight.
May was a good month for gout sufferers. Febuxostat, (EU trade/brand name Adenuric), the first new major drug medication for gout in over 40 years, was approved for marketing in member countries of the European Union.
If you take Vitamin C for gout as a dietary supplement, remember that it is reckoned to work better in a product that contains added citrus bioflavonoids. In addition, because it is excreted quickly, take it twice daily. To avoid excess acidity (lower pH) also take alkalizing minerals, or another alkalizing agent recommended by your doctor.
Learn More about Natural Gout Remedy
Symptoms of Gout and its Causes
Gout is also known as crystal-induced arthritis. It is a medical condition that sets in when uric acid crystals collect on the joints. At the first stage, gout usually affects the large joints in the big toe. Gradually it can spread to other parts of the body, like the ankles, the instep, the heels and the knees, the wrists and fingers of the hand and the elbows. In severe cases, even the...
Information About Treatment of Gout
Gout is a form of arthritis that usually affects the toe joints. It most often occurs in middle-age, overweight men who consume large amounts of meat, eggs and other foods high in nucleic acid. Men are more prone to gout than women. Women may be protected from gout by the female hormone estrogen. Men start building uric acid levels in puberty. However, uric acid does not start accumulating in...
A New Gout Drug. Febuxostat wins marketing approval in the European Union
It has taken a very long time for a major new gout drug to be developed and approved. Probably the best gout news in over 40 years, is that Febuxostat, which has been given the trade/brand name of Adenuric, has been approved by the European Medicines Agency for marketing in European Union (EU) countries. This approval applies only to EU countries. Febuxostat has not yet been approved in...
Gout vs Pseudogout
Sometimes, even if a person lives a healthy lifestyle, abstains from alcohol or drinks it modestly, they can experience a condition that mirrors gout, but is in actuality, a different arthritic condition altogether known as pseudogout. To help you understand the differences between these two, the following is a breakdown of the causes, symptoms and treatments for each condition. Gout Gout...
Metabolic Arthritis and Gout Natural Cures- Why Holistic Treatments are Effective?
After suffering with gout for years, Paul finally decided to try some metabolic arthritis and gout natural cures because of a friend s recommendation. The only bad part of his decision is that he waited over 3 years to listen to his friend. The goods news is that Paul is gout free and has permanently cured metabolic arthritis (also called gout) with...
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CarShowz Features
CSZ Creator (Jeff C.)
Need For Speed NFS Unbound 2022 was just recently released and after taking the plunge to purchase a PS5, the NFS Unbound 2022 edition was on my radar. I have played all of the previous NFS editions and was hopeful the latest release would knock it out of the park. Believe it or not, the first installment of the Need for Speed game began in 1994 with that edition labeled, wait for it, "The Need for Speed".
I have always said, I would love for Rockstar and EA to partner up to create the NFS vehicle customization, racing, drifting, etc. on top of the GTA engine to allow players to have the flexibility to get out of their vehicles and interact in other ways. With that being said, I feel there's more of an arcade type of feel with the latest NFS releases, which in hindsight I do not care too much for that type of game play.
Is it good or not – Need For Speed NFS Unbound 2022?
With the release of Unbound, I am still on the fence whether I like the game or not. I purchased the $80 early access which gave gamers the ability to download the game 3 days in advance (November 29) and a couple of other perks that are in my honest opinion not worth the extra cash.
An exclusive license plate limited unbound driving effect, special banner artwork and stickers, 150K bank, which is in-game currency only usable in multiplayer modes. Let me tell you, that 150K gets sucked up really quick when modding a vehicle.
Story Mode vs. Multimode
Beginning in story mode is typically the route I go to familiarize myself with the controls and there's always that ounce of hope that you will get a decent payday or unlock a vehicle, mods, etc. upon completing the story mode. That's where the designer get you sucked into the daily grind of the game, literally a time suck! Let me tell you, the grind and time suck from this game is real. Story mode seemed to start out decent where they give you the option to select and fix up your ride only for it to be stolen. I guess that's the foundation of the story in story mode. Trying to figure out the right race car set-up along with styling, handling, etc. to win money to unlock additional modifications, upgrading your garage to further unlock advanced performance parts to beef up your ride to win more races to earn more cash.
I am a few hours into the game spread over a couple of days, so initially my thought is, "am I going to be stuck driving this Mitsubishi Eclipse the entire damn time?" All while they tease you with driving missions with the new Nissan Z, Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, Bugatti Chiron, Nissan Skyline and a couple of others. Of course, the cars are maxed our performance wise and then you go back to your slow, boring Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Multiplayer mode I have only dabbled a bit on that side of the game, I am trying to make my way through story mode, but it is a bit challenging for someone who has zero patience. If you have patience and are willing to grind, this game will suit you very well. The graphics and overall gameplay are not bad at all, I just wish there was more interaction and less arcade-like play (i.e., crashing through trees and hitting vehicles is like hitting a building).
Update on Story Mode
I stopped being such an old man and applied some logic to beating the story mode version of the NFS Unbound. Take the conservative approach when modifying your vehicles, build them out for performance and handling before applying all of the cosmetics. It sounds simple, but you would think one would get some "cool points" by adding a body kit, etc., when in reality it does not get you anywhere.
I worked my way up to building my vehicles for different races with a main focus on a "grip" car that was mostly focused on handling. That got me further into the game than anything else. I also learned braking in the corners, when to hit the nitrous to perfect my races. In most scenarios, one crash would literally knock you out of the race, however, you are given restarts to retry the race. Once I got past the first qualifier and learned the above, I was able to breeze through qualifiers 2 and 3, respectively.
Upon completing the story mode, I jumped over to online mode and found it difficult to find anyone on the streets cruising around, despite the server saying there was 16 people on the server. I will continue to mess around in online mode to figure this out. Bottom line up front, the game is OK, the modifications of the vehicles are pretty cool and the variety of vehicles and their mods is decent. I still wish there was a GTA-like engine with the NFS concept behind it. Would make the user experience a lot more interesting.
CarShowz Features and More
For more CarShowz features and more, check out our blog section here on our website.
For more on NFS Unbound, visit: Need for Speed™ Unbound – Official Site (ea.com)
Related Topics:feature, gaming
An enthusiast, a Father, a Husband, and a U.S. Navy Veteran. The Creator of CarShowz a hobby gone mad and a passion for anything on wheels. Armed with a camera who knows where this journey will take me but, stay tuned, it's going to be an exciting ride!
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Woodlands Wellness is excited to introduce a new genetic testing to our practice called the Nutrigenomic Test. This amazing test will be able to take the guesswork out of your health and tell you your genetic weaknesses. One of the many reasons Dr. Sakina Davis decided to incorporate this testing in her practice is the impact that genetic testing could have on improving symptoms associated with fatigue, ADD, depression anxiety and other chronic diseases. Dr. Kendall Stewart who serves as the Chief Science Officer for Genomic Nutrition has revolutionized our ability to diagnose and treat genetic mutations which can impact our everyday life immensely!
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Long's Warning
Striker warns Baggies of threat
Shane Long has admitted it will be strange to line-up against the Royals this weekend, and has warned his colleagues that Brian McDermott's men will pose a stern test at the Hawthorns.
The Irish international was a popular figure at Madejski Stadium before his move to the Baggies, and believes his former club can still show the Premier League what they're all about.
"It's going to be strange playing against the shirt I played in for six years, but hopefully I'll have the bragging rights come the end of the game, he told wba.co.uk.
"I know the Reading lads very well and they've been quite unlucky not have to more than one point from their opening three games.
"I was there for six years and I know that their main concentration is always on the next game.
"They've got players that can really hurt you and I think Jimmy Kebe might be back soon, while Garath McCleary has been brilliant since he was brought in. "They have Jobi McAnuff on the other wing, with Le Fondre and Pogrebnyak up front, so they have plenty of ways they can hurt you."
The 25-year-old has also told the press that he will be respectful should he find the net on Saturday afternoon.
"I still have a lot of friends there at the club, not just the players but the manager, staff and higher up.
"I'll still be doing my job, trying to get the winner and hopefully get West Brom the three points. It's about business as usual. I won't celebrate out of respect if I do score."


A little federal experience and a career in the U.S. Navy have paid great dividends for Tony Encinias. The former naval officer and U.S. Department of Defense technologist came to Pennsylvania in 2008 as chief technology officer, establishing the state as a leader in cybersecurity.
Appointed CIO in December 2012, Encinias spent the last year on a number of projects, most notably automating the creation of user accounts for new hires. Now when someone joins a state agency, instead of waiting for accounts to be authorized and created, one account for email and other systems is enabled with all the permissions set and ready for that person's first day in the office.
Encinias isn't resting on his laurels, however. He revealed that 2014 has a number of projects in the pipeline, including consolidating seven data centers into one management services contract. Pennsylvania state agencies are moving to a compute on-demand model, where virtual storage will be purchased as needed. In addition, the state will upgrade to Microsoft Exchange 2013. That promises to be no small feat — Pennsylvania has 90,000 users and the change needs to be as seamless as possible.
From a leadership perspective, Pennsylvania appears to have the right man at the helm to tackle those challenges. Encinias values his military leadership style, but has modified it to a degree to get the best out of those working under him and establish an efficient operation.


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5 Minors for Mechanical Engineers
You major in mechanical engineering and are excited to learn the ins and outs—but there are other skills that can be a strong complement to that invaluable degree, and they may not be so obvious. With this in mind, here are a few minors for mechanical engineers to consider.
Image: seewhatmitchsee
Big data is hot right now and knowledge of data analytics can be a potential boost to job performance for a ME, says Alexis Abramson, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Case Western Reserve University. "We are collecting more data on everyday life," she says. "What used to be dealing with hundreds of pieces of data is now seemingly endless. By being able to use this data to inform their design process and their understanding of failure, the lifetime of engineered devices can be improved. You used to have an engineer with years of experience to make a call on an invention but now you also have years of data to run analyses."
Abramson is quick to remind that you can't usually just hide in your work—and a business minor is a great way to improve interaction skills and relating to the selling of a product you might even create. "We're talking about the professional softer skills you need to pick up somewhere," she says, "Here you can talk about real world problems—the market, competition, a key in for-profit settings. Also, in business classes you're practicing presentation skills and there's often an emphasis on team projects which is coveted in the job market."
The Humanities
This covers more than one minor, but Abramson likes the humanities because they often force you to improve critical thinking skills and are another place to further develop conversation skills. Many humanities minors can fit the bill but she does see English and History as two standouts. "It's helpful to write papers on a topic that isn't actually a technical report," she says. "You learn to have an argument and clearly articulate it. Exactly what could help you in defending your product when you have to find a way to appeal beyond just the numbers."
A key factor in a successful product? Understanding the mentality of the potential user. A psychology minor could be just the ticket, says Ryan Towles, an undergraduate academic advisor for Michigan Technological University's mechanical engineering school. "We have some students who get really interested in human factors and it's often involving operating machines," Towles says. "They're interested in how people react with controls, how do they look at signals with an interface. And it allows them to understand how the human brain relates." But it also can assist when you get ahead on the corporate ladder. "In a management position it can help you get a sense of how that employee is doing and what will motivate them," Towles says.
And, just in case you don't want to stray from engineering for even a minor, Towles likes electrical as a leg up in many areas. "It just has so many things it crosses over to," he says. "You're talking robotics, aerospace, hydroelectric, and more. Having that background will give you the advantage of speaking that language better, and also help with fitting into that fabric."
Eric Butterman is an independent writer.
In business classes you're practicing presentation skills and there's often an emphasis on team projects which is coveted in the job market. Prof. Alexis Abramson, Case Western Reserve University
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Les maisons de campagne écossaises, aussi appelées maisons de domaines ou maisons de succession, sont de grandes demeures généralement situées sur des propriétés foncières en Écosse. Ces maisons plus confortables pour la royauté, la noblesse et les « lairds » locaux ont été construites à partir du XVIe siècle en remplacement de châteaux défensifs. Les maisons de campagne écossaises trouvent leurs origines dans l'imitation des vastes constructions et reconstructions des résidences royales, débutées avec le palais de Linlithgow, sous l'influence de l'architecture Renaissance. Le Scottish baronial style, propre aux demeures écossaises, apparaît dans les années 1560. Il reprend des éléments architecturaux des châteaux médiévaux, tels des maisons-tours et des « tour peel », tout en adoptant des plans Renaissance, dans des maisons destinées bien plus à la résidence qu'à la défense.

Après la Restauration de 1660, l'architecte William Bruce introduit en Écosse une nouvelle phase d'architecture classique sous la forme de palais royaux et de maisons de domaines intégrant des éléments de style palladien. Au cours du XVIIIe siècle, l'Écosse donne certains des plus importants architectes britanniques, incluant le néo-palladien William Adam et son fils Robert Adam, qui rejette le style palladien et fait partie des initiateurs européens de l'architecture néoclassique que l'on peut retrouver dans une série de maisons de campagne en Écosse et en Angleterre. L'incorporation d'éléments gothiques d'architecture médiévale par William Adam participe au lancement d'un renouveau du Scottish baronial style au XIXe siècle, obtenant une certaine popularité par son utilisation à Abbotsford, demeure de l'écrivain Walter Scott, et au château de Balmoral, résidence de la reine Victoria. La construction de nouvelles maisons de campagne se raréfie au XXe siècle en raison du déclin de l'aristocratie et nombre d'entre-elles sont reprises par le National Trust et l'Historic Scotland.

Après la Réforme écossaise et la fin de la  en 1603 à la suite de la réunion avec le royaume d'Angleterre, les artistes et artisans se tournent vers le mécénat privé et les domaines deviennent des dépôts d'art et de mobilier élaboré. Les maisons de campagne s'ornent de peintures, de boiseries et de plâtres. Le Grand Tour encourage la collection d'art classique et l'adoption de styles classiques pour les nouvelles œuvres qui sont intégrées au style Adam. Le renouveau du style baronnial abouti à un style victorien synthétisé combiné avec des éléments de la Renaissance, des symboles du pouvoir foncier et de l'affiliation nationale avec des équipements modernes. Depuis la fin du , nombre de ces maisons de domaines sont entourées par des jardins influencés par le style des jardins italiens de la Renaissance. À partir du XVIIe siècle les jardins à l'italienne cèdent la place aux jardins à la française et aux jardins hollandais. Au XVIIIe siècle, les jardins qui perdent en formalité et en symétrie deviennent la norme avec le développement des jardins à l'anglaise. Les jardins à proximité de la maison reprennent un style plus formel au XIXe siècle. Le développement de la maison de campagne palladienne au XVIIe siècle sépare la famille du maître de maison des domestiques. Les familles de la noblesse passent une grande partie de leur temps à rendre visite aux membres de leur famille, de leur cercle amical ou au voisinage. L'hospitalité est un élément important de la vie dans ces maisons de campagne. Les principales activités sont la chasse, les jeux de cartes, les échecs et la musique. Les repas copieux et somptueux constituent également une partie importante de la vie sociale. Au XVIIIe siècle, les maisons de domaines sont par conséquent conçues comme des lieux de représentation publique, mais au XIXe siècle elles deviennent de plus en plus privées et connaissent un développement d'espaces distincts pour les hommes.

Notes et références

Architecture en Écosse

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looking too close
What can we learn from this blown-up image of Stephen Bannon's white board?
byJeva Lange
Friday offered home viewers a rare opportunity to glimpse chief strategist Stephen Bannon's white board (not to be confused with his conspiracy board), an object of obsession in some circles ever since it was teased in a CNN article last April.
The board was first visually confirmed in early May in the background of a selfie taken by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. A new view of the board was then accidentally posted (and swiftly deleted) on Friday by Dinesh D'Souza, in photographs of his visit to the White House. Why was D'Souza at the White House? Because he was "handing out copies of his new book, which compares Democrats to Nazis," of course, as the Center for Public Integrity's Christina Wilkie reported:
Dinesh D'Souza is in the West Wing today handing out copies of his new book, which compares Democrats to Nazis. He signed one for Trump. pic.twitter.com/cr1IEDlhRr
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) August 4, 2017
D'Souza is responsible for the conspiracy-theory-laced films 2016: Obama's America and Hillary's America. He also pled guilty to a charge of making illegal donations to his friend's Senate campaign in 2014. D'Souza fought back against the charges, Media Matters reports, claiming they were "stifling political dissent" and reminiscent of "Nazi Germany." You might be beginning to see a pattern.
But back to the board: What can blown-up images of Bannon's to-do list teach us about the Trump administration's inner workings? First of all, there are at least four "EOs," or executive orders, that are listed, including a checked-off "Buy American." The word "TAXES" is written on the board in capital letters and then starred, circled, and emphasized with three exclamation points. Lest anyone miss it, "TAXES" is also being pointed at with a number of red arrows. As an additional safeguard against "TAXES" getting overlooked (there is a lot going on), "CUT CORP TAX" is written at the bottom of the board too.
There are also a number of mysterious, multi-colored dots on the board — perhaps from Bannon testing his white board pens? Or some mysterious code? Draw your own conclusions below. Jeva Lange
Color enhanced photos of Steve Bannon's office whiteboard: pic.twitter.com/yHJXZTZfZR


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The sad reality of city driving is that getting there is only half the battle. You sit for an hour on I-35 wishing for the sweet release of death, hoping you're on time. You made it! Until the fact that you have to find a parking space (and there isn't one) makes you annoyingly late. Luckily, new navigation systems being may help you drive straight to an open space.
German auto supplier Robert Bosch GmbH is one of many suppliers who are shifting their priorities towards developing the latest technology in autonomous electric cars. Part of that strategy involves beefing up their navigation systems with connected mapping and high-definition maps, reports Automotive News.
Real-time data on where parking spots are available would be crowd-sourced from cameras and sensors on vehicles, which will record open parking spots. A shared cloud network would record and serve the locations of those open spots to drivers who need parking. While you'll have to drive yourself to those spots for now, being able to let a car find its own parking space is a clear next step in autonomous vehicle development.
A parking spot finder is an idea so good that our own Raphael and Mike pitched an app like it—Parkr—on Cars vs. America. Only they didn't make it first, so we won't have to eat them with the other rich folks when the revolution comes. Bosch's Parkr-like service is already about to jump out of its pilot phase to a test run in 20 cities, including Boston and Los Angeles.
Bosch also recently purchased a 5 percent stake in navigation company Here, which is another part of their jump to meet the needs of autonomous cars. They hope to use similar sensor-sourced technology to update maps in real-time with data on things like traffic.
Because cars can't drive themselves yet, Bosch also unveiled an Alexa-style virtual assistant that responds to spoken commands as well as a "human-machine interface concept" of an in-car cockpit at CES. That cockpit prioritized important data like alerts and warnings to put in drivers' peripheral vision, and used haptic feedback to let drivers know they've pressed a button on a big screen.


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Link to Prison Reform Trust website
Prison Reform Trust response to Islington Council 'Developing plans for the Holloway Prison site: a discussion paper'
Corporate author(s)
Prison Reform Trust
Offenders, Social Work, Social Care and Social Services, Community Development and Regeneration
Download (355KB )
The Prison Reform Trust welcomes the publication of the 'Developing plans for the Holloway Prison site: a discussion paper' and the opportunity to contribute views at this stage prior to the publication of a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) setting out planning guidance for the HMP Holloway site.
HMP Holloway was the first female-only prison in the country and the biggest women's jail in Western Europe. It has housed many thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged women in the course of its history, and although rebuilt since then it is well-known as the prison where suffragettes were incarcerated and force fed. Its role and reputation in the long struggle for women's equality warrant more than a plaque. Its closure is a matter for celebration, but only if its legacy includes a modern and humane contribution to the continuing struggle to eliminate the disadvantage and discrimination that leads so many into crime and ultimately to prison.
Related to Offenders
Prison Reform Trust response to Home Office PACE Code consultation
Response to Home Office PACE Code consultation
Prison Reform Trust response to the Law Commission consultation on the draft sentencing code
Prison Reform Trust response to the draft sentencing code
Prison Reform Trust response to Scottish Sentencing Council Consultation on the Principles and Purposes of Sentencing
Consultation on the Principles and Purposes of Sentencing in Scotland
Why focus on reducing women's imprisonment: prison reform trust briefing
This briefing presents key facts and evidence about women's experience of criminal justice