{"id":26128,"date":"2013-12-06T10:49:14","date_gmt":"2013-12-06T14:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=26128"},"modified":"2014-01-24T11:45:40","modified_gmt":"2014-01-24T15:45:40","slug":"grad-student-helps-establish-special-needs-flag-corps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2013\/12\/06\/grad-student-helps-establish-special-needs-flag-corps\/","title":{"rendered":"Student helps establish special needs flag corps"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Wright State University graduate student Morgan Ruppert and 10-year-old Brooklyn Vanskoyck at Miami Valley Adaptive Color Guard (MVACG) practice.<\/p><\/div>\n

Morgan Ruppert had devoted a few minutes to unsuccessfully attempting to inflate a round blue pool float when she realized a small hole in the ring had been negating her efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll just do the best we can with what we\u2019ve got,\u201d Ruppert said, shrugging her shoulders.<\/p>\n

She helped 7-year-old Leah Anderson out of her wheelchair, then dropped the partially inflated float over the child\u2019s head and onto her shoulders. Ruppert held Leah\u2019s hand as they began to walk in a circle. Leah\u2019s facial expression changed from a grimace to a grin, then an ear-to-ear smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeah loves color guard practice,\u201d said Staci Anderson, Leah\u2019s mother. \u201cThe first time I brought her, she cried through the whole practice. But, to Morgan, it was no big deal. She kept working with her and got her through it. Now color guard has become a big part of Leah\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ruppert enrolled in the Intervention Specialist graduate program at Wright State\u2019s College of Education and Human Services this fall, she said, because of the university\u2019s dedication to campus accessibility and its excellent faculty.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ruppert, a Wright State graduate student, is assistant director of the Miami Valley Adaptive Color Guard (MVACG). Ohio\u2019s first and only special needs color guard includes children, teenagers and young adults affected by developmental disabilities. Their challenges include Down syndrome, spina bifida, autism and growth disorders.<\/p>\n

There are 15 members in the program, double from 2012\u00ad\u201313, the color guard\u2019s first season. Some are not able to manipulate large flags; they instead utilize more manageable items like pool floats and smaller flags that attach to the wrist.<\/p>\n

Ruppert found her true calling through working with the color guard after having earned her undergraduate degree in communication and political science at Ohio University, then working in human resources for a year.<\/p>\n

She began to substitute teach, primarily in special education classes, and spent the summer of 2013 working at a camp for special needs children. Ruppert enrolled in the Intervention Specialist graduate program at Wright State\u2019s College of Education and Human Services this fall, she said, because of the university\u2019s dedication to campus accessibility and its excellent faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorgan is a wonderful advocate for people with disabilities and a rising star in our graduate teacher education program,\u201d said Jason Fruth, Ph.D., director of the Intervention Specialist program.<\/p>\n

Cathy Barnes-Miller was the Miamisburg High School color guard director when Ruppert was a member. When Barnes-Miller asked Ruppert if she would be interested in helping out with the first MVACG season, the immediate reply was, \u201cLet\u2019s go for it. I\u2019m in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ruppert and 7-year-old Leah Anderson.<\/p><\/div>\n

She certainly was.<\/p>\n

Ruppert helped prepare and pass out flyers, contacted potential donors and participants through friends and relatives, sewed costumes and made or modified performance props. She also volunteered to work with the team\u2019s most severely handicapped members.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used my lunch breaks at work to make flags,\u201d Ruppert said. \u201cI found myself leaving early because I was so anxious to get ready for practice. That\u2019s when I knew my future was in something other than human resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruppert devotes roughly half of each one-hour practice session to working with Leah Anderson and Brooklyn VanSkoyck. Anderson is globally developmentally delayed due to severe epilepsy. VanSkoyck, 10, is battling Canavan disease, a rare neurological disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorgan\u2019s patience is unbelievable,\u201d said Beth VanSkoyck, Brooklyn\u2019s mother. \u201cIf Brooklyn can\u2019t do what she\u2019s asking, Morgan will adjust it until she can. (Brooklyn) has had such a positive reaction to Morgan. She loves being here.\u201dRuppert loves the promise her new career path offers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelping a student overcome a disability is just a matter of finding out what that student needs to succeed,\u201d Ruppert said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKids who are profoundly challenged are turned away from so many opportunities, yet each of these kids is so unique, so amazing. They have so many talents I want people to see. It has been easy for me to pour myself into helping them. I can\u2019t imagine anything more rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more:<\/p>\n

www.mvacg.org<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Morgan Ruppert had devoted a few minutes to unsuccessfully attempting to inflate a round blue pool float when she realized a small hole in the ring had been negating her efforts. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":26132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,729,2025,2060,744,725,715,719],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-around-campus","category-community-service","category-graduate","category-education-human-services","category-home-news-sidebar","category-news","category-special-categories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26128"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27040,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26128\/revisions\/27040"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}