A big driver of our students' successes is the support they receive from IOB mentors. Dan "Nemo" Janssen is one of these awesome people who dedicates his time, energy, and passion to the Brilliant Breakfast Club (BBC).

For this month's Notebook post, we asked Dan to share his thoughts about his time as a BBC mentor.

It has been a year since we suspended in-person workshops at Islands of Brilliance, so it feels like a good time to reflect and take stock of who we are and how we serve. Looking back at the last 12 months also allows us to see the enormous growth we saw within our students too–they adapted, they learned so much about themselves and their capabilities, and they flourished.

“He’s always on the computer! It drives me crazy! He needs to go outside and play with his friends.”

“She’s always looking at her phone. How will she ever engage with humans in real situations?”

These quotes are all echoed by parents. Whether your child is neurotypical or neurodiverse–if you are a parent–you have likely said one of these things to your spouse or a friend. Today’s children are digital natives, growing up in the information age. We can’t go backwards from this trend of technology being at the forefront of everything that happens at school, work, and home. Of course, the global pandemic has accelerated this trend!

We all know the drill, the new year rolls around and everyone starts focusing on what they want to change in their lives. We set lofty goals for “a better us.” What does that even mean? We often take a look at ourselves or our families and decide this is the year we will change it all! And we quickly overwhelm ourselves with too many goals, plans, and systems. We probably drive ourselves and everyone around us crazy in the process. And before we know it, probably right around now…a few weeks into the new year…we burn out and return to our regular routines. Are you there? Does this feel a little too familiar? Don’t worry! You’re not alone!

I love how as a part of this community, we are able to not only share our common experiences but our knowledge and the resources we collect along each of our personal journeys.

As we all know, last night was a difficult and unimaginable time for our country. As we witnessed these horrifying actions unfold, I couldn’t help but wonder if we should cancel our meeting. As we began our first meeting of the year, we acknowledged that most of us had considered not attending last night, and yet we did gather. As I reflect this morning, I am struck by the power of that seemingly simple action. We came together as a small community, we showed up for each other.

Mornings in our home always start with coffee and conversation—which often revolves around how lucky we are to do what we do. The joy, the sense of community, the self confidence and advocacy, and the sense of pride that has blossomed over the past eight years really is something we are incredibly honored to be part of.

It goes without saying, this has been a year like no other. As we head towards what will definitely be a unique holiday season, it seems clear we will need to shift expectations on our old traditions. There is no better time than now to reflect on ways to stay positive, hopeful, and ideally be more inclusive!

What does the word accessibility mean to you?

Wheelchair ramps, automatically opening doors, and braille on elevators, I imagine you would say. Yes, that is what accessibility means in the world of architecture and physical environments, but what does accessibility mean for learning environments?

“Thank you - I am so glad we found you!”

“My daughter absolutely loved joining in yesterday, when is the next one?”

“What is all this Juice Talk?”

I am really lucky, I get to hear lots of happy stories. We here at IOB call it, "Juice." Juice is representative of all the good stories we get to share—stuff that makes us happy, proud, and know we are doing important and meaningful work.

Students thriving in a distance learning environment.

Until March of this year, I had not truly given thought to what it means to pivot. Being part of an organization with a mission that targets changing perceptions around autism, I thought I understood the nature and value of change - and then everything changed.

Wednesday night we started off the evening with a Question of the Day, “What is a piece of advice you received that you carry with you each day?” What we ended up with was a beautiful pool of wisdom that we can go swimming in anytime we need to!

Students thriving in a distance learning environment.

Until March of this year, I had not truly given thought to what it means to pivot. Being part of an organization with a mission that targets changing perceptions around autism, I thought I understood the nature and value of change - and then everything changed.

Summer is in full swing and we sure felt the heat last weekend here in Milwaukee! Last night we talked about quite a few different topics…from celebrations to Pop Tarts.

Transition. It’s a simple word that can be applied to so many things. Transition to and from work, from grade school to middle school, from puberty to adulthood. As a special education teacher, I’d like to call attention to something that often gets overlooked or is an afterthought in many IEP meetings - the Post Secondary Transition Plan, or PTP for short.

Last night we spent time catching up and sharing how we are all doing. As we find most of the time these days, we are all feeling so many emotions…all of the emotions. It can be a bit overwhelming at times how quickly we move from one feeling to the next!

Good morning! At least I hope it was a good morning. How are you feeling? Rested and ready? Or exhausted and needing more sleep? Last night we spent the majority of the conversation focused on sleep, or more specifically…a lack of it!

As a group, the Lighthouse parents are finding some comfort and joy in getting outside. Whether it is exercise or enjoying a cup of coffee on the patio, the months of being cooped up in the house have given us the desire to be outside as much as possible! Working in the garden, enjoying the beauty of the world coming to life around us, and breathing in the fresh air is a great way to rejuvenate and restore.

Last night was such a powerful conversation. Thank you for being there for each other, for trusting each other, and for being vulnerable with each other. As one parent shared with me this morning, “It was so good to hear how fierce these moms are and also hear their struggles!” If there was ever a conversation that embodied the saying, “We’re all in this together,” it was last night.

We all know that finding a balance in life can be a huge challenge! How many of us have struggled over the years to find that ever-elusive work-life balance? Struggled to find a way to balance self-care with childcare and running a home? I find that the quest for balance usually involves a bit of mindfulness, it takes intentional work to balance out our emotions.