? Winning technology award a good sign for David Still
? College launches unique Autism Specialty Program
? Doctor Denton declared Douglas dean
? Jordan Kerton: A peak experience

SLI instructor David Still lets his fingers do the talking.

David Still was frustrated with the lack of instructional materials available for sign language interpreting so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

A Sign Language Interpretation Instructor for Douglas College, Still spent the last year producing a ground-breaking instructional DVD that has now earned him a BC 2006 Innovations Award in Educational Technology.

The award is given out by BCcampus, an online educational service for learners and instructors, along with the BC Educational Technology User Group, an informal group of technology educators. In this case, the achievement recognizes innovative work that will help improve learning for students.

With simplified categories, this new instructional DVD series will not only improve the learning environment for students but also assist the instructors, according to Still. "The DVD gives me more opportunity to work with the participants. It's more guided, so they can focus on the process of interpreting," says Still.

Still enlisted the help of videographer and editor Forest Smith to put the production together ? along with over 80 people who mostly acted out learning scenarios.

"The students are excited about it; it gives them more structured material and more avenues for self-study outside of the classroom," says Still. "As an instructor, I have used it in workshops that I've done and it streamlines everything."

The response to the project has been excellent and Still already has orders coming in for the DVD series from other educational institutions. The most satisfying part of the project, however, will be seeing the improvement in the sign language interpretation learning environment.

"It's rewarding when the students get it, when it clicks with them, and they understand the process and how to do it," says Still, "and to see them evolving not in terms of how to interpret but becoming an interpreter."

Douglas College President Susan Witter (left) joins Minister of State for Childcare Linda Reid at the Autism Specialty Program announcement.

Douglas College's Faculty of Child, Family and Community Studies is launching a new Autism specialty program which will begin educating practitioners in the Winter 2007 semester.

Developed within the Classroom and Community Support (CCS) Department, the 18-credit Behaviour Intervention Citation is the only program of its kind in western Canada. The new citation addresses a major community need for front-line practitioners who can work with children with Autism and their families.

"Once thought to be rare, Autism is now the most common neurological disability affecting children today," says CCS Coordinator Lori Woods, who oversaw development of the program. The current estimate regarding the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder is approximately one in 167 children. In BC, over 4,000 children receive Autism intervention funds from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD).

The program was officially unveiled by the Honourable Linda Reid, the Minister of State for Childcare at the New Westminster Campus on June 5. The announcement capped a major collaborative effort by College faculty, community partners including the Family-Centred Practice Group and the MCFD.

The program's pilot intake will accept up to 30 students. Looking ahead, plans for the next phase of the Autism Specialty Stream include development of specialty options within the existing collaborative degree with the University of Calgary and the possibility of a post-degree diploma.

Dr. Kathy Denton makes the transition from psychology classroom to dean's desk.

What's it like becoming a new Dean? Well, according to Kathy Denton, the new Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, it's a little bit funny. "Dean Denton. Everyone comments on the alliteration. Sometimes they point out longer forms of it, such as Dr. Dean Denton, or, at home, 'doesn't do dishes Dr. Dean Denton' seems to be the most popular version."

Denton began her career at Douglas College in 1993 in the Psychology department and had been the department's chair for the last nine years. She began her academic training at SFU and achieved both her BA and MA in Criminology. Following the path of her research on the effects of alcohol and social context on moral judgment, she went on to complete her PhD in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario.

Since then Denton has become a well-respected academic for her research in social support strategies. In 2005 she had a review published in Psychological Review, and recently published a response to critics in the same journal.

"The first day in my new job was fantastic. Everyone has been incredibly supportive. Jay McGilvery is making the transition very easy; and the Humanities and Social Science support staff have been great in so many ways. I'm also grateful to work with such a strong group of academics who are committed to providing high quality education. What could be better than this?"

Therapeutic Recreation grad Jordan Kerton.

When it comes to peak experiences, Jordan Kerton's climb up Mount Kilimanjaro with her client Brock Metcalf and an off-road wheelchair tops them all.

Kerton, Metcalf and team set a world wheelchair altitude record by climbing to the 19,000-foot Stella Point on the fabled African mountain.

"We made the climb to build awareness that anything is possible, like Brock wanting to climb this mountain," says Kerton. "He had this dream and it came true."

Kerton met Metcalf through her work as a therapeutic recreation practitioner and care worker. When Metcalf ? who has cerebral palsy ? was selected by the North Shore Disability Resource Centre to make the climb, Kerton worked closely with him to make it a reality.

"It was difficult," said Kerton. "I did Brock's care work during the climb and it was quite the adventure. It was a huge learning experience for me."

Another major learning experience Kerton met was the Therapeutic Recreation Program at Douglas College. Kerton had been working as a private, in-home care giver, mostly with people with spinal cord injuries, before entering the program in 2003.

The program trains Therapeutic Recreation Practitioners (TRP) like Kerton to work with people who have disabilities or illnesses that prevent them from having a healthy leisure lifestyle. TRPs provide meaningful leisure activities that help their clients achieve the quality of life they deserve.

For Kerton, the program was a perfect fit.

"I've always been athletic and I enjoy working with my clients. I thought I wanted to be a nurse, but that changed when I felt the excitement of helping someone do something they thought they'd never do again, like go swimming," says Kerton.

"It's a life-transforming experience to help people do the things they want to do and to realize that life doesn't end after an injury."

Kerton graduated in 2005 and works as a self-employed TRP and care worker.

Starting in September, students will be able to earn their Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation from Douglas College ? the first degree of its kind to be offered in British Columbia.