Dear Me:

"I AM WOMAN; HEAR ME ROAR!" (Burton & Reddy) I have completed 10 weeks of summer school. I have stared fear in the face, and I have crushed it. I have stepped up to the plate, and I have batted a thousand. I have made me proud: Proud of who I am, proud of what I have accomplished. I am stronger, more self disciplined, and more learned. Frankly, I AM AMAZING.

In the beginning, I told myself that I couldn't survive 10 weeks of research; But I did survive. I AM A SURVIVOR. I am living proof of what can be accomplished with self determination. I quit whining and I did what I had to do:

I researched.
I formulated.
I devised.
I wrote.
I revised.
I created.
I revised again.
I explored.
I pondered.
I wrote.
I wondered.
I laughed.
I cried.
I revised some more.
I worked for hours on end.
I tweeked.
I polished.
I FINISHED.

Somewhere in my the depths of my mind, I knew I could it. No one ever doubted my ability, but me. I tried not to compare my work with others; I tried to delight in my own work. I realized that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
I behold my work, and it is beautiful.

I am thankful for the experience.
I am thankful for my mind.
I am thankful for the trying times; thankful for the easy times, for in those I have grown as a person.
But most of all, I am thankful for the growing friendships that make me complete.

What words of wisdom can I leave for those who are soon to follow in my footsteps? First of all, work diligently on your project. Procrastination is your enemy in this class. If you don't keep up with your work, death is not far behind.......

Secondly, treasure the peer reviews. I realized too late that peer reviews are a great way to enhance your project. Most of the time, I did just enough work on my genres to get them posted. In the end, I changed most of my genres in a drastic way. Looking back, I wasted my peer reviews on a piece that I probably never had any intention of using. Then I realized that I should have been working diligently from week 1.

Thirdly, HAVE FUN! Doing the MRP is so much more interesting than a typical research paper. It gives you some freedom to be creative, and show off your talent. I won't lie and tell you that it's all fun and games, because it isn't. But take heart, the summer class was the guinea pigs. We are at here to help you along the way. We have "been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt."

Lastly, take a deep breath. Try to remain calm. Add this class in with a full load of other classes, and the word "overwhelming" is probably an understatement. That is why I urge you to work diligently from the start. It will make your life much easier.

Angelo, Dianne H. & Parette, Howard P. (1996). Augmentative and Alternative Communication Impact on Families: Trends and Future Directions. Journal of Special Education, 30, 77-99. Retrieved July 17, 2002, from Academic Search Elite database.
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Evans, Sarah, Martin, Tony & Shapiro, Tom. (2000). I Keep Looking. [Recorded by Sara Evans]. On Born to Fly [Compact Disk]. Nashville, Tennessee: RCA Records Label.
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Fallon, Karen A., Light, Janice C. & Paige, Tara Kramer (2001, February). Enhancing Vocabulary Selection for Preschoolers Who Require Augmentative and Alternative. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 10(1), 81-95. Retrieved July 17, 2002, from Academic Search Elite database.
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Goals of Augmentative Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2002 from Wright State University, College of Engineering and Computer Science Web site: http://www.cs.wright.edu/bie/rehabengr/AAC/goals.htm
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Golinker, Lewis. Upshaw Institute for the Blind (1997). Medicare Funding for Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices. Retrieved August 5, 2002 from http://www.upshawinst.org/techearlyspring97/aacmed.htm
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Golinker, Lewis. Increasing Capabilities Access Network. (2001, January). Medicare to Cover AAC Devices. Retrieved July 30, 2002 from http://www.arkansas-ican.org/txt/Medicare_AAC.htm
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Golinker, Lewis. ALS Survival Guide. (n.d.). Funding for Augmentative Communication Systems. Retrieved August 10, 2002 from http://www.lougehrigsdisease.net/als_pages/funding_for_augmentative_communi.htm
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Golinker, Lewis & Sheldon, James R. Neighborhood Legal Services. (1999, December). Medicare, Managed Care and AAC Devices. Retrieved July 12, 2002 from http://www.nls.org/medihmo.htm
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Lewis Class Intermediate School District (1997-2002). Augmentative/Alternative Communication: Who, Why, What, When, Where? Retrieved July 15, 2002 from http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/lcisd/augment.htm
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Moore, Marat (2000, April). HCFA Considers Medicare Reimbursement for AAC Devices. ASHA Leader, 5(8), 4. Retrieved August 10, 2002 from Academic Search Elite database.
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Moore, Marat (2000, October). A Global View of AAC. ASHA Leader, 5(19), 1. Retrieved August 10, 2002 from Academic Search Elite database.
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Moore, Marat (2000, November). Medicare Moves Closer to Coverage for AAC Devices. ASHA Leader, 5(22), 1. Retrieved August 10, 2002 from Academic Search Elite database.
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Romski, MaryAnn & Sevcik, Rose A. (2000, October). AAC: More Than Three Decades of Growth and Development. ASHA Leader, 5(19), 5-6. Retrieved July 14, 2002, from Academic Search Elite database.
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The Augmentative Communication System: Requirements for a Multi-Component Communication System (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2002 from Wright State University, College of Engineering and Computer Science Web site: http://www.cs.wright.edu/bie/rehabengr/AAC/acsystem.htm
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Washington Assistive Technology Alliance. Illustrated Tour of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices. Retrieved July 27, 2002 from http://wata.org/resource/communication/Tour/index.htm
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