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
