Author: boyce.117

Welcome Back Students!

The TOPS Staff is so excited to have students back on campus for the beginning of a new semester and a new year! We are looking forward to another great year with students and cannot wait to see what everyone will accomplish in 2020. As the semester gets started, feel free to reach out to us via e-mail – we are here to help.

O-H!

Research Opportunity: Health Measures/Instruments

See below for information about a research opportunity.

“The goal of this research is to make new instruments to assess health-related problems and well-being for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). These instruments are surveys that ask people with ID about their health and quality of life. The adult with ID will answer questions about their own mental health, physical health, and quality of life. We also ask their support person (someone who knows them well) to answer those same questions about the adult with ID.

The adult with ID and their support person would meet with our researchers either at The Ohio State University Nisonger Center or at the home of the adult with ID to answer these questions in a clinical interview. We would meet with both individuals again 10-20 days later for a second interview. The first interview would take 2-4 hours, and the second would take around 2 hours to complete. For the first interview, both the adult with ID and their support person (study partner) would receive a $25 gift card. For the second interview, both would receive a $50 gift card.”

RRTC Study 1 Measures Recruitment Flier Validity Study

Student Spotlight: Kristen

Our Student Spotlight today is Kristen, a 2nd year in the TOPS Program. Kristen’s career interests include advocating for individuals with disabilities, inclusion, and marketing. On campus, she is involved with Young Life College, and she has also made friends in other faith-based organizations on campus. Her favorite class that she’s taken so far is Foundations of Personal and Professional Leadership.

“My favorite part of the TOPS program is that I get to interact with variety of students and that the TOPS staff sees our disabilities as a good thing. It’s a really positive environment,” she said. She continued, “I just feel really cared for, because they help you find job opportunities that interest you. They take your input into consideration, and I feel heard in this program.”

Kristen’s secret to college success is to reach out to your friends. “It’s not like high school where it’s easy and you see your friends all of the time. You have to advocate to see people.” Her other tip was, “if you commute from off-campus, get to your classes before rush hour so you aren’t stuck in traffic!”

Kristen’s favorite part about being an Ohio State student is seeing people around campus. She said she sees people she knows several times a day from Young Life and her hometown. She has several favorite TOPS memories, including working with her Educational Coaches and going to the Multiple Perspectives Conference, where she enjoyed spending time with TOPS students from other cohorts.

If she could travel anywhere, she said she would choose to go to Malibu Club (a Young Life camp in British Columbia), to Bitty & Beau’s coffee shop, or to meet Bob Goff. When asked whether she would want to scuba dive, skydive, or bungee jump, she said she’d definitely choose bungee jumping!

The TOPS Staff want to recognize Kristen for her positive outlook and outgoing personality. Keep up the great work, Kristen!

World Kindness Day

Source: randomactsofkindness.org

Today is World Kindness Day! We encourage you to engage in a random act of kindness. Don’t know where to start? Here are some suggestions from randomactsofkindness.org:

  • Send someone an encouraging text to let them know you are thinking about them
  • Surprise a friend with coffee (or hot chocolate!)
  • Compliment three people
  • FaceTime a relative or friend you haven’t spoken to in a while
  • Write a thank you note to someone who has helped you recently
  • Donate a book you’ve finished to the Little Free Library (https://littlefreelibrary.org/)
  • Ask to purchase the food/coffee of someone behind you in the drive-thru line
  • Donate old blankets (or tennis balls!) to the local animal shelter
  • Get CPR certified
  • Make dinner for your parents or friends
  • Leave an encouraging note on the bathroom mirror
  • Take your spare change jar to a Coinstar and donate the amount you’ve collected to a cause that is important to you

Every small act of kindness counts – make a difference today!