Haters are just confused admirers...

Now, I just shared the super exciting news Gary James recently shared with the A4cwsn community.
Of course there is already "people" trying to cause drama.
 "If people are trying to bring you down, it only means you are above them".

The people/person is trying to create a drama out of this post...

I believe this comment was made because someone (not naming names..) had posted some very rude comments on A4cwsn. Stating that they could not win because they were in Israel (along with other comments that suggested Gary James was racist against certain religious or ethnic groups.)

These comments are COMPLETELY untrue and based on absolutely nothing but feelings of entitlement! People from all over the world can win and have won apps and 'items' from A4cwsn, as long as Apple allows it, for instance someone in Australia cannot win an iTunes card bought in America.

Apple's rules.

Not Gary's rules.

Not A4cwsn's rules.

Where you live does NOT minimize your chance at winning anything - unless it's due to Apple restrictions such as in the case of iTunes gift cards.

Your religion does NOT minimize or maximize your chance at winning.
There are people from all over the world, representing all different ethnic and religious groups on A4cwsn.
Everyone is and has always been treated the same!

Not once have I seen anyone's religion or ethnicity mentioned, not once have these things been commented on by Members OR Admin, not once has there been an issue about religion - positive or negative. It has never, ever come into it. The only time I've seen religion brought up on A4cwsn is when this particular former member brought it up. That should speak for itself. Who's the one with the problem here?

Also a comment on a certain blog that discusses this issue and accuses A4cwsn of being racist: The blog suggests the use of the term 'Monkey' is derogatory to Jewish people - specifically that it is used by Arabs and Muslims as a racial slur towards Jews. I've consulted reliable sources (read: Arabs and Muslims) who have told me this is NOT the case. When A4 supporters use the term 'Monkey' to refer to haters, they are simply deriving it from the title of the blog from which most of the hatred towards A4cwsn comes. Period.

Super Exciting!

Gary James recently told the A4cwsn facebook community this exciting news!

How exciting is THIS!!!

Fun!

You never know what's going to happen over at A4cwsn!
Always lots of fun!

Just a bit of friendly competition...

You might even be pleasantly surprised.
If you join in and are a part of the community any thing can happen!

More amazing things

The A4cwsn facebook page has been pretty busy lately...

There has been the Purchased App Party, where 700 apps were given away.

There has been the Top Fan (friendly) competition going on.
Where there will be apps/iTunes cards given to some of the top fans

There is a new A4cwsn page, being run by a few lovely people from A4, all about Free Apps!

And Now we were just told some exciting news! One person is going to win $500!!

There is always something exciting going on over at A4cwsn

Wonderful Community

Just a quick post...
I wanted to share another little screenshot showing how wonderful the people in the A4 community are.
Here is a person who won an iPod touch a little while ago from A4.
He recently had a chip-in supported by A4CWSN.

The chip-in is complete so he decided to give the iPod touch back to A4 so that someone who is in need of a device is able to win it.

Harassment

A few months ago A4cwsn-Australia were in a competition run by Sunsuper.
A4 needed to get the most votes to win a $5000 grant towards getting iPads to children with special needs in Australia and New Zealand.
A4cwsn - Australia won!
We were all very excited, these things do take a little bit of organizing and time.
That was not good enough for those who have something against A4cwsn.
So they started to harass sunsuper.
Here are some pictures of them doing just that.

Some fun things!

Just wanted to share some more positives.

Some of the fun things that go on over at the A4cwsn facebook page

You can win iTunes cards!

 Apps

Lovely community members gift apps so that others can have a chance to win!

Possibility for teachers and therapists to win an iPad to use!

Apps are randomly given out by developers/reviewers!

And of course when we see a price drop of an app we let each other know!

Just a few more pictures showing how awesome A4cwsn really is!

Letter from an A4 fan

My son was diagnosed mild-mod Autism a few months before I found A4cwsn.
After his diagnosis I searched online for support groups.
My husband was a great support but I wanted to be able to chat with other mothers going through similar things, other mothers who could offer advice.
I found a few different support groups on facebook. Watched for a week or so before joining in.
I never felt comfortable sharing there.
There were a lot of arguments going on. Bio-med, Not Bio-Med. Therapies, no therapies.
I wanted a place with no arguments, I had enough stress in my life without getting into/seeing arguments.
I wanted somewhere I could feel safe to share my story, struggles and triumphs.
I decided that it wasn't worth it and left the groups I was in.
Not long after that I stumbled across A4cwsn.com and found out there was a facebook page.
I 'liked' it and watched what went on for a week or 2.
I saw support and what seemed to be real friendships.
I didn't see any arguments.
I introduced myself and told my families story.
I was welcomed within 5 minutes of posting there.
My questions were and still are always answered.
I know without a doubt that if I am struggling I can go to A4cwsn on facebook and vent, ask advice or go there to have a laugh with friends.
I say friends and I truly mean friends. I talk with people I met on A4 daily, I have many of them on my friends list. I even txt and talk on the phone with some of them.
I never needed an iPad from A4 as I already had one for my son but I have gained a lot of different information about apps that are useful for the things my son struggles with.
I want to thank Gary James for giving me a place to go for support for making it possible to meet the amazing people I have met.
I want to thank the A4 community for showing me kindness, for showing me it is ok to struggle sometimes and for being there for me and others.
To those believing the bad things you read...I would say go to A4cwsn, get to know some of the people, see how much support there is and how many caring people are there for you, even when you are a stranger!

Point of view from A4 admin

I wanted to publish some thoughts about A4CWSN from someone behind the scenes.
An admin.
About what they have found at A4, the community and things they have experienced.

Here it is...

I first stumbled across A4cwsn when I was doing some online research into educational apps for my daughter Jorja. A friend had told me how helpful iPads can be to assist kids with special needs, especially in my daughter's case where her vision impairment has made it a lot harder for her to learn basic literacy and numeracy skills. I waited until I got my tax refund and purchased a 16 gig iPad2. Little did I know how much this chain of events would change both my mine and my daughter's lives! 

Suddenly, I had entered a whole new world where I was discovering a miriad of ways to help children learn, communicate and have fun while doing it! While I had once thought an iPad was just another expensive gaming platform or a "fad" I started to realise that this little device really can be a useful and important key to learning for a lot of special kids who have missed out on opportunities in education for a very long time. 

Initially I spent a lot of time just reading up about apps, and watching the video reviews on A4cwsn.com, and then ventured over to the A4cwsn Facebook page. It was pretty overwhelming at first, all this talk about apps, developers, codes and "code-grabs" not to mention the "app party". I wanted to be a part of it all but really didn't understand what it was all about!. Meanwhile my learning curve was steep and I was already seeing the benefits of introducing this technology into my daughter's life. She was gaining in confidence, and it was truly a joy to see her getting so much pleasure out of learning. I couldn't stop talking about how impressed I was with A4cwsn and how the iPad was helping Jorja - with anyone that would listen, especially with my daughter's school. I was really impressed with what Gary James (who started A4cwsn) was doing to help parents of kids with special needs. On the webpage not only were they being introduced to the right apps to help their kids, they weren't wasting money on the wrong ones. The Facebook page was a vehicle to bring developers and parents purchasing the apps together, the developers were able to showcase their product, and seek input from parents during all stages of app development. In turn the parents had a chance to receive discounted and even free apps, they had a chance to influence the type of apps being developed, and they gained knowledge in ways to help their amazing kids. We all know knowledge is power. This is never more true than in the special needs community. 

Then there is the concept of an "app party" where hundreds of apps were discounted or even given away for free, as well as iPads being given away as well... that all seemed amazing to me. Obviously I don't get out much! I didn't hesitate in buying a couple of "tickets" to attend the app party, although I already knew I wouldn't be participating in the code grabs, far too stressful for me! Instead I just concentrated on accessing the discounted apps I had my eye on, and furthering my knowledge. Little did I know I was one of about 14 people who bought tickets to the app party to actually win an iPad! I watched a video of two of Gary's gorgeous boys who picked 14 pieces of paper off of a rug in their living room, there were literally hundreds of entries! To see my name on that piece of paper was very exciting, I knew straight away that I would be donating that iPad on to Jorja's school so that many other children with special needs would also benefit from this amazing technology. I was so very grateful to be given the opportunity to do this. 

Down the track A4cwsn decided to branch out and start another Facebook page dedicated to those in the community based in Australia and New Zealand. Wow. Over the last few months A4cwsn Australia and New Zealand has become a close knit community in its own right, a group of parents with a heart to support each other through the highs and lows, triumphs and challenges of parenting kids with special needs. The community have had triumphs and challenges of our own, with app parties, entries into the Sunsuper Dreams competition (2nd one successfully!) and a fundraising campaign to raise funds for iPads for kids in Australia and New Zealand. To date we have been a part of seeing around 16 iPads and thousands of dollars worth of apps placed into the hands of some very deserving children with special needs (some about to be delivered but they are almost in their hands!!). 

On a personal level I mentioned in the first paragraph that my involvement with A4cwsn has changed both mine and my daughter's life.  I am so blessed that through A4cwsn I have met wonderful, inspirational people, who will be friends for life, and it is my privilege to know them.  I have met the most gorgeous and courageous children, whose parents will do anything to give them all the advantages in life that they can. But the biggest way I have been touched by my involvement with A4cwsn is being given the opportunity to participate in seeing children's lives changed forever. Having been "behind the scenes" in an administration position has given me a very different perspective. I can speak with absolute certainty that everything I have seen in the way A4cwsn operates, and how it is run, is completely above board. I value the character traits of honesty, integrity, and generosity, these are demonstrated on a daily basis in A4cwsn. I value my own reputation both personally and professionally, and I would not ever align myself with any group that did not hold these values highly. I am so fortunate to be a part of all of this, and feel like I have gained more than I could have ever imagined. 

Thank you for sharing your point of view, and story about A4cwsn with us.

xxxx

Rude!

This is one of the latest announcements from A4cwsn.
All about kindly giving an iPad1 with apps.
I, personally, think this is an incredibly generous offer. 

Others (people with an issue with Gary James) clearly do not agree...

How rude is this!
Does it matter if it is used? NO it doesn't.
It is still an amazing gift, something many people would not be able to afford.
Not only did this person say it once, they said it TWICE.




It does not matter what the value is.
The value may be $285, but that could be $285 more than someone has for a device like this that can immensely help their child.
Many people would be extremely grateful to receive a gift like this, used or not.

All around the world

A4cwsn is a world wide community.
No one is left out simply because they are in a different part of the world.

On face book there is :

A4cwsn is a big, amazingly supportive community no matter where you live.
I now have friends worldwide.
Thanks Gary James for giving us a place to go, meet new people and hear about different resources all around the world.
Without Gary setting up A4cwsn we may not have met.

Name calling

I just wanted to post a few pictures.

Pictures showing the names that Gary, and people supporting Gary are being called.

I thought people gave up such silly name-calling at a younger age...

But I guess not!

 Not sure what a duche is, but I am assuming it is meant to say douche...

Really?

Whether or not it is the person they are saying it is,

is putting a VERY personal video out there really okay?

No matter who it is.

Tweeting a link to porn?

Posting a link to porn on your blog?

Any child could find the link and watch that video.

Would you like YOUR child to stumble upon that tweet, or that blog post and watch the video?

My opinion??

DISGUSTING!
Disgusting that grown women would put that video online.
Disgusting that they would make such sick jokes about it.
Disgusting that it is being shared around.

I refuse to take screenshots of them posting it because that, in my opinion, does NOT belong on a blog.
Certainly not this blog.

Personal Info

Asking for someones personal information?
Why would they need to know that?

What has that got to do with anything?

Why should they have to prove to strangers that they are not Gary?

If someone does not have their last name on twitter that is THEIR decision, and only their decision.
Other people should not be posting that name.
Telling her to "get over it already". Really?

If there was information you did not want shared on twitter, would you just "get over it"?

Threatening to post pictures of another persons children online?

These are the people who are trying to say that Gary James is untrustworthy.

If you are a supporter of the people against A4cwsn , maybe these screen shots will make you think about whether the people you are listening to are trustworthy or not...

Another Happy Family

Another example of how Gary James is helping families.

Giving families/parents the tools that the professionals are using is a huge help.

The more they can use the same apps as the professionals the easier it will be for the child.

Same tools at home and at at therapy!

Awesome!

Thanks Gary James!

Don't Even Try!

I saw this on twitter last night.
This person was simply trying to tell this woman something, in a nice way.
This is what was said..

This is the reply..

Slightly over the top, yes?

This should show everyone, there is no point in trying to talk to these people.

I, for one, will never get in contact with them after seeing this.

This picture is PUBLIC not PRIVATE

I have blocked out the faces in this picture because I personally don't want to post pictures of people online, without their consent as I would not like that done to me.

What I do want to point out is that this picture IS public. It is up for everyone and anyone to see.

People who are calling others hackers for getting this picture are wrong! Anyone can go and see it.

Anyone at all.

That is the reason for me posting this.

Don't call someone a hacker unless you have proof.

And make sure, if you are posting pictures of your kids online, that you may not want others to see, please make sure your pictures are private. Cover photos are there for everyone to see, just like profile photos.