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“Together” is the theme for
Developmental Disabilities
Awareness Month 2011.
Starlight Programs and other
related organizations celebrate
Developmental Disabilities
Awareness Month in March, and
invite you to consider the true
meaning of this year’s theme,
“Together”.
Early Intervention
– The Foundation
for Lifelong Learning
The Starlight Early Interven-
tion Program (EI) provides ser-
vices for children from birth
through two years of age and
their families. There is no cost
to this program. Children with
concerns are referred for evalu-
ation by Help Me Grow (HMG).
Help Me Grow will assist the
family with the development
of an Individual Family Service
Plan (IFSP). Starlight Early Inter-
[°°y[
‚[° Starlight’s EI Team includes
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“Together”
Statewide, and across the na-
tion, organizations devoted to
serving individuals with develop-
mental disabilities are planning
special events in March to raise
public awareness of the many
abilities people have, regardless
of disability. “Together” encour-
ages people to understand that
when people with disabilities
vention is a provider of services
for Muskingum County. Children
who receive services have been
identified with a developmental
delay by an evaluation team. The
team will evaluate all areas of
development including speech
and language, cognitive, social/
emotional, fine and gross motor
skills and self help.
After enrollment in Starlight EI,
staff members work as a team to
meet the needs of children and
parents. Service options include
home based and school based
through individual or group day-
time or evening sessions. Service
options and frequency are deter-
mined through discussions with
families. Parent involvement
and participation are central to
the program. Family routines
and schedules give children the
best opportunities to practice
the skills they need. The team
provides the families with in-
formation they can use at home
so they can continue to be their
child’s best teacher.
hand use, functional vision skills
four disciplines, the early in-
tervention specialist, speech
therapist, physical therapist and
occupational therapist. A vision
specialist is available as need-
ed. The EI specialist will coordi-
nate therapies, develop a devel-
are welcomed into local neigh-
borhoods, workplaces, houses of
worship, and schools, everyone
wins.
This is a time when our orga-
nization focuses on encouraging
the public to better understand
the individuals we serve. Dur-
ing ‘Developmental Disabilities
Awareness Month’, I want to
opmental program, and assess
any areas with an emphasis on
cognition and social-emotional
skills. They will take an educa-
tors role to help families become
more knowledgeable and confi-
dent in working with their child.
Speech therapy is provided to de-
termine the child understands of
language and the child’s ability
to express language according
to their developmental age level.
The physical therapist (PT) will
focus on how the child uses their
large muscles as they develop
walking, sitting, and movement
skills. PT will assist the families
in making referrals for orthope-
dic needs, such as braces, or
adaptive equipment, such as a
wheelchair. Occupational thera-
py (OT) is directed to improve the
child’s “occupation” (the things
that occupy a child’s time) such
as playing, eating and sleeping.
These things usually involve us-
ing the hands and eyes, so OT’s
design activities and exercises to
help babies and toddlers develop
and early intervention special-
and beginning self-care skills. It
is not unusual to see the OT show
up when it is time for a child to
take off their coat, eat, or finger-
paint. A doctor’s prescription is
needed for OT and PT services.
All the therapists give parents
encourage people to learn more
about the almost 400 children
and adults in this community
who are served by Starlight Pro-
grams; and to recognize that all
of us have talents and abilities
that we can offer to make this a
better place to live. It is a great
pleasure to partner with the
Times Recorder to bring many of
“Tamara Chaney
assists her son,
Carson, during an
Early Intervention
session focused on
giving parents the
skills to develop
their child’s
abilities”
priate toys and adaptive equip-
ist’s ideas to improve skills that
can be used routinely throughout
the day. Visits are designed to
model strategies for parents to
promote skills through play and
functional activities. Information
and recommendations on appro-
Page 2
our stories to you in this supple-
ment. If after reading these
stories, you have any questions
or would like more information
about Starlight Programs, please
contact me at 740-453-4829 or
jhill@muskingumdd.org. “To-
gether” we can accomplish so
John E. Hill,
much more. Superintendent
“EI Specialist, Eileen Liles directs Carson
Chaney along with his mother and sisters”
“Twins, Anna and Hannah A. play with Kalen
during EI Transition class”
school program for 3-6 year olds.
ment are provided. The team at Starlight under-
Six months prior to the child’s stands that the first few years of
third birthday there is a transi- a child’s life lay the foundation
tion process to determine if the for lifelong learning. Muskingum
child is eligible for a preschool County special needs children
program. Parents are guided to
help their child make a smooth
have a strong support system
with Starlight Early Intervention
transfer to an appropriate pre- Program.
 Page 3
Working Together to Ensure the Health and Safety of
Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
Assuring the health and safety
of individuals receiving services
from the Starlight Programs is
an important job responsibility
of each staff member employed,
as well as service providers un-
der contract with the program.
The required reporting and tak-
ing steps necessary to protect
health and safety are based upon
the Incidents Adversely Affecting
Health and Safety Rule from the
Ohio Department of Develop-
mental Disabilities as specified
in the Ohio Administrative Code
5123:2-17-02.
There are many types of abuse
and/or neglect that individuals
with developmental disabilities
may experience. This informa-
The Adult Day Program
The purpose and mission of Musk-
ingum Starlight Industries’ (MSI)
Adult Day Program is to provide
individuals with disabilities the op-
tion of non-vocational programming
and activities if they are unable to,
or choose not to work. Starlight cur-
rently serves thirty individuals with
seven staff members.
The Adult Day Program offers
a wide variety of activities and
services on the campus including
motor and social skills training,
arts and crafts education, and
sensory stimulation; as well as
community-based activities and
services including community out-
ings and inclusion, and adult daily
living skills.
Motor skills training includes ac-
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tivities such as exercise, walking,
gardening, nature appreciation,
and other long-term projects to pro-
mote strength and stamina.
Social skills training includes
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games, puzzles, reading, storytell-
ing, computer skills, fine motor
projects and other activities which
promote social skills, acceptance
and inclusion.
Arts and crafts education uses
tion is being provided in order
to make you aware of how to get
help and what to report when
a person with developmental
disabilities is thought to be in-
volved in incidents that adverse-
ly affect their health and safety.
These incidents may include but
are not limited to the following:
physical abuse (physical pain or
injury), verbal abuse (language
or gestures that threaten, in-
sult or show disrespect), mental
abuse (harassing or humiliating
an individual), sexual abuse (in-
appropriate touching or sexual
gratification), neglect (failure to
provide food or medical/personal
care), rights abuse (when basic
client rights are ignored) and
simple crafting and art projects, ex-
ploring the creative side of individu-
als with developmental disabilities
and giving them an opportunity to
express themselves through art.
Sensory stimulation was devel-
oped to provide a variety of oppor-
tunities for building skills in the
area of sensory perception such
as aromatherapy, relaxation tech-
niques, visual stimulation, fine mo-
tor skills, music therapy, cognition
therapies, and opportunities to cre-
ate and sharpen thought processes,
decision making, and choice.
Our community-based activities
and services include involving in-
dividuals in a variety of field trips
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finally, misappropriation or theft
(obtaining the property of an in-
dividual without their consent).
Individuals with developmen-
tal disabilities are at a greater
risk that others for all types of
abuse and neglect. According to
research, most people with dis-
abilities will experience some
form of sexual abuse in their
lifetime. At least 20 percent of
females and 5 to 10 percent of
males are sexually abused ev-
ery year in the United States.
Although these figures are dis-
turbingly high, people with de-
velopmental disabilities are at
an even greater risk, with more
than 90 percent experiencing
sexual abuse at some point in
within the community, based on
the individual’s choice and specific
need. We provide opportunities to
support several local businesses as
well as outside locations.
In order to help our individu-
als learn by experiencing, we offer
adult daily living skills and habili-
tation with the purpose of providing
a variety of activities to promote
and sharpen skills in the area of
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their lives. Forty-nine percent 453-4829 during business hours anonymously if you choose.
will experience 10 or more abu- (weekdays between the hours Only by working together as a
sive incidents (Valenti-Hein & of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.) On community can we help ensure
Schwartz, 1995). Other studies evenings, weekends or holidays the health and safety of people
suggest that 39 to 68 percent call our emergency number at with disabilities.
of girls and 16 to 30 percent 1-800-881-8790. Reports of
of boys will be sexually abused abuse or neglect can be made
before their eighteenth birthday.
The likelihood of rape is stagger-
ing: 15,000 to 19,000 of people
with developmental disabilities
are raped each year in the United
States (Sobsey, 1994).
If you are aware of an individ-
ual (child or adult) with develop-
mental disabilities who is being
abused or neglected, please re-
port this information as soon as
possible to Kathy Shesky, Unusu-
al Incident Coordinator, at 740-
daily living.
Muskingum Starlight Industries’
Adult Day Program is located at
1330 Newark Road (directly across
from Subway). Our hours of opera-
tion are Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m.
– 3:00 p.m. All questions regarding
the Adult Day Program should be di-
rected to Larry Wheeler, Director of
Adult Services at 740-453-4622.
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“Together…..
We Can Accomplish More”
The Muskingum County Men-
tal Retardation and Develop-
mental Disabilities Program,
better known as Starlight Pro-
grams, began in January of
1959 through the dedication of
a group of parents who wanted
educational services for their
children that were excluded from
public school. The original group
of parents involved were Bruce
and Martha Brannon, Bernard
and Irene Goldstein, Harold and
Ethel Newcome, Dorothy Patter-
son, Lou and Pauline Sentivany,
and Nellie Wilson. They began by
forming the Muskingum County
Council for Retarded Children
with the purpose of educating
the public and justifying the
need for their children to have
educational/
training services.
The first class
started in February
1959 at Jefferson
Elementary School
in Dresden, Ohio.
The class had 7
students, a teacher
and an assistant.
The classroom was
donated by the Tri-
Valley Local School
District. A parent do-
nated an automobile
and the classroom teacher was
responsible for transporting the
students to and from school. In
September of 1959, it was nec-
essary to open another classroom
and it was held at Central Pres-
byterian Church in Zanesville
while continuing the original
class in Dresden. A carryall bus
was donated by the Downtown
Kiwanis Club to provide part of
the transportation. The follow-
ing fall (1960) it was decided
to consolidate the program so it
could be centrally located. The
program was transferred to a
building provided by the Good-
will Industries and a third class
was added. The classrooms were
cleaned, painted and main-
tained by the parents. Transpor-
tation was improved by adding
a 24-passenger bus that was
again donated by the Downtown
Kiwanis Club.
In the summer of 1961, it
became necessary to obtain an
even larger facility to accom-
modate four classrooms for forty
eight students, 4 teachers, and
4 teacher assistants. Mr. Harry
Kirke was employed by the pro-
gram as administrator and a
building was donated by the
Newton School (now the Maysville
Local School District) in East Ful-
tonham. The transportation fleet
was
increased to 4
buses with one being provided
by the Council and the other by
the County Commissioners. In
September of 1963, a fifth class
was added bringing the total
enrollment to sixty students. It
was obvious to the parents that
the building in East Fultonham
was unable to accommodate the
rapid growth of the program.
The program was financed
by parent directed fund drives,
community contributions, in-
kind facility donations, state
reimbursement from the De-
partment of Mental Hygiene and
tuition from the local school
districts. In the Fall of 1961,
State legislation shifted the re-
sponsibility for the Muskingum
County Mental Retardation Pro-
gram to the Child Welfare Board
under the financial direction of
the Muskingum County Board
of County Commissioners. The
Muskingum County Council for
Retarded Children utilized a
“Light of Life” Campaign to fund
the many financial needs of the
growing program. Parents under
the direction of Marguerite Fitz
visited every community in the
county (often going door to door)
to acquire support for the pro-
gram in the form of a levy to be
placed on the ballot that would
build a new facility to house the
program.
The Muskingum
County Commission-
ers donated land ad-
jacent to the County
Home and placed a
1.4 mill construction
levy on the ballot in
November of 1963.
This levy passed and
the new facility on
Newark Road was
dedicated on No-
vember 15, 1964.
The need was
justified to the community; the
voters responded and a dream
came true.
The above article is an excerpt
from A BIOGRAPHICAL HIS-
TORY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY,
OHIO PREPARED BY THE MUSK-
INGUM COUNTY GENEALOGICAL
SOCIETY MUSKINGUM COUNTY
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
PROGRAM – Information com-
piled and written by Caribeth
Legats, January 15, 2005.
“Together” Look How
Far We’ve Come …
Starlight Programs now pro-
vides many services for 400
Page 4
Muskingum County residents
with developmental disabilities.
Starlight School services chil-
dren/young adults from 0-21
years of
age through
the Early
Intervention
Program,
preschool
program
and school
age classes.
Muskingum
Starlight In-
dustries (MSI)
provides em-
ployment ser-
vices through
the commu-
nity, transitional, and sheltered
workshop. MSI also operates
the Starlight Café located in
the MAPT Bus Station on Main
Street in downtown Zanesville.
The Adult Day Program provides
opportunities for those individu-
als who do not work to help them
socialize, learn new skills, and
maintain those skills. The Ser-
vice Coordination Department
assist individual and their fami-
lies in accessing needed servic-
es. The Transportation Depart-
ment maintains routes covering
all areas of Muskingum County,
traveling almost 206,000 miles
per year with a fleet of seventeen
buses. Our program is funded
through federal, state and local
levy dollars. “Together” our fu-
ture is brighter!
 Page 5
Developing Learning Skills at Preschool
Wouldn’t we all like to go
back to the happy, carefree days
where playing nicely with oth-
ers was our day’s goal? If you
were in preschool at Starlight,
you would be in one of three
classrooms. Each of the three
classrooms has twelve children,
ages 3-6. Eight of the children
have been identified as having
special needs such as delays in
speech, motor skills, or learn-
ing. Four students in the class
are typically developing part-
ners. Preschool teacher, Sarah
Paul explains, “All the students
work together …. They are all
friends.” Teacher assistant, Jane
L. shares, “Bringing children to-
gether at such a young age helps
them understand differences—
It’s okay that you are different—
we all have different needs and
different abilities.”
Preschoolers participate in a
wide variety of activities –some
are “school-like” and others
are more developmental and
exploratory. They follow a rou-
tine preschool day: Breakfast,
free time, physical education,
and circle with music, calendar
and reading time, table time
with art projects, outside play,
lunch, nap, centers, snack, and
dismissal. Free time choices
are emphasized as part of the
learning process. Teachers direct
the day so that state developed
curriculum and standards are
incorporated. Each classroom
also has a teacher assistant who

00
“Madelyn Labaki celebrates her birthday with
teacher, Becky Beltran in preschool class.”
is preferred to adult assistance
when appropriate to encourage
more typical relationships, social
skills and communication. Star-
light has an accessible garden
that students help in planning,
wedding and harvesting. Nutri-
tion is promoted as they taste
new vegetables.
The intensity of services pro-
vided within the Starlight en-
vironment makes this an ideal
setting. Gym class is directed by
Dwayne Liles, Adapted Physical
Education teacher you assesses
motor abilities and adapts or
adjusts the activities so that
all students can participate.
environment and the home. The
Speech Language Pathologist
(SLP) supports language un-
derstanding, pre-literacy, social
skills and pronunciation skills.
Some students begin to learn
alternative communication tech-
niques such as picture symbols,
sign language and verbal output
devices. Physical Therapy (PT) is
involved to work with the teacher
and assistants to make inde-
pendent walking, sitting, move-
ment between positions, in and
out of wheelchairs and regular
chairs part of the daily routine. plan). For many students pre- life as a student you learn how
PT also adjusts special equip- school provides a safe, happy to view yourself. There are no
ment, provides evaluations for and predictable, structured en- handicaps – only different ways
braces, wheelchairs and other vironment which helps them do to do things. At Starlight we will
adaptive equipment. Occupa- things they might otherwise not not consider being helpless or
tional therapy helps students have an opportunity to try. It dependent, but we will learn to
with the things that occupy their often helps parents see their say “I can do this!”
time – play, eat, coats on/off— children as more capable and
and in general activities that independent.” When you begin
require eye-hand coordination.
Occupational therapist work
directly with students during
meals, class projects, sensory
motor tasks, and creative move-
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who need it and it provides a
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with a lesson in diversity for oth-
ers.” Karen Linser, OTR/L, states,
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opportunity like no other for our
students. Many times develop-
mental issues can be addressed
so well that the student can go
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IEP (individualized educational
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helps to promote independence
through all the daily routines
such as eating, zipping, and
toileting.
Starlight students are encour-
aged to become more indepen-
dent in skills related to learning.
The structure is geared to provide
the least intrusive assistance
that is needed. That may include
changes to the school environ-
ment, such as putting toys on a
low shelf for a child that cannot
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Students Rewarded for Their Efforts
The curriculum at Starlight
School includes teaching stu-
dents to become good citizens.
This is accomplished by provid-
ing a variety of reward items,
activities, and experiences
throughout the school day to
encourage students to follow
the structure of the classroom
and get along well with their
classmates. Teachers use many
strategies to do this including
giving stickers, stamps, high
fives, praise, preferred activities
and special responsibilities. In
addition, students have access
to the token store.
Students earn tokens through-
out the day for good behavior
and use the tokens to “pur-
chase” things they want at the
token store. The store is filled
with fun items such as pop,
pretzels, t-shirts, crayons, mark-
ers, tablets, backpacks, bubble-
head figurines, etc. The more
tokens students have to spend,
the more valuable the items they
can purchase.
Depending on their skill level,
students may use a checking ac-
count system instead of tokens
Page 6
and more expensive items can
be put on layaway for future pur-
chase. Many skills are taught as
part of going to the token store.
Students are taught to take
turns, wait in line, count out
their tokens, make decisions on
what to buy, and learn the rela-
tive value of items that can be
purchased. Students gain an
appreciation for working hard
to manage their behavior and
being rewarded for their efforts.
This is a valuable life skill that
will stay with students long after
they graduate.

“Mitchell M. deciding what he wants to buy with his tokens”

Rob, an Parent Involvement is

Inspiration to
Peers & Staff
Rob Brown is one of those peo-
ple you meet once in your lifetime.
He excels in an area that too few
of us think much about. In every-
thing he does, Rob gives his all.
But the thing that sets him apart
is the fact that when he is asked
to do something, he just does it.
He never frowns or says “I don’t
want to”; he just delivers with a
smile. The positive outlook he has
is something you have to see to
believe.
Rob is a student at Starlight
school where he also works with
the custodians cleaning the lunch
room and emptying trash. “Rob
never says no” says Pat Fisher,
a custodian at Starlight. “Rob
knows his job and he works hard”
says Jack Nelson also a custodi-
an at Starlight. Both Fisher and
Nelson were amazed on how fast
Rob catches on. His eagerness to
work and good humor makes him
a fine person to work with.
In the classroom, Rob has
earned the respect of his teacher
“Rob cleaning
cafeteria tables”
and classmates for his willing-
ness to help when needed. Mrs.
Reinbeau says, “Rob will attempt
to complete any task you ask of
him.” and “He inspires those
around him to do better.”
Rob enjoys learning about fa-
mous people as well as counting,
reading, and especially cooking.
At home Rob likes to work, ride
his bike, and take walks when-
ever he can.
Key in Student’s Success
Parent involvement in Star-
light Programs is critical to stu-
dent success. Matthew and Lisa
Smith are parents of two Star-
light students. Anthony, age 7 is
in Mrs. Tharp’s School Age Class
1 and Ethan, age 5 is in Mrs.
Luckhaupt’s preschool class this
year. Anthony and Ethan, both
have the diagnosis of Down syn-
drome and have been attending
Starlight since they were adopted
into the Smith family: Anthony
at 9 months and Ethan at birth.
Lisa shares that Anthony learn-
ing to communicate with sign
language has helped their fam-
ily. For Ethan, who has had heart
problems, she states, “Ethan has
always been a fast learner…that
he lives, walks and talks is an
amazement to me.”
Lisa tells other parents with
children who have special needs,
“Children with special needs love
purely and simple. They do not
judge you if you are rich or poor,
black or white, fat or thin. They
want to be happy and to love. Our
children help us to appreciate
and see the simple things … As
far as frustrations go; it is more
of being frustrated for them …
we feel bad for them when people
look at them as lesser … we get
frustrated when they are sick. It
is scary thinking about Ethan’s
heart and pacemaker. My heart
breaks for Anthony when he gets
so upset because it is hard for
him to make you understand
what he needs. No matter what
the issue, we are very thankful for
all our children. We are thankful
for the chances they have in this “Anthony and Ethan Smith with family and
county and this country.”
As Lisa and Matthew describe Gabba Gabba”
how Starlight has helped their
boys learn and grow, they sum-
marize, “Starlight is more like a
family to us. We could not do this
as parents without their help.”
“Anthony and Ethan
Smith at Down
Syndrome buddy
Walk with
Columbus Crew”
 Page 7
Remarkable Teachers Make A Difference
CNN had an inspiring report
on an intercity school whose
students were excelling despite
handicaps of poverty and home-
lessness. The principal said,
“The students succeed for two
reasons: The expertise and hard
work of the classroom teachers
and parent support.” This is also
true of the success behind Star-
light School Age students. Let
us take a moment to meet the
experienced professionals who
write the lesson plans, direct
teacher assistants, and make
sure learning happens.
The teacher for School Age 1
(ages 5-9), the youngest group
of students, is Jessica Tharp.
She graduated as valedictorian
of Muskingum College Class of
2006, with a bachelors of sci-
ence in early childhood educa-
tion. She is currently working on
her Masters Degree in Special
Education. Her classroom is a
“respectful, positive, encourag-
ing, supportive, fun and struc-
tured learning environment”. It
is full of life, including crabs,
butterflies, and ladybugs de-
pending on the science of the
day. Mrs. Tharp shares that her
intervention specialist master’s
coursework has kept her up-to-
Building Character through Venturing
In January of 2010 the first
Venture Crew was started at
Muskingum Starlight Industries
(MSI). It is hard to believe that
we have completed our first year.
Venturing is the young adult
program of the Boy Scouts of
America for men and women. It
is designed to build character,
promote citizenship, and develop
physical and mental fitness. This
year we have eight members
who meet the second and fourth
Thursdays of each month. Our
group is Venture Crew #152. In
the coming year we hope to add
new members and advisors to
the crew.
date with the current and best
practices in a culture of edu-
cational change. She has been
inspired by her mother’s example
as a special education teacher.
She adds, “Our students provide
the community with the invalu-
able awareness that children
and adults with developmental
disabilities are able to do many
great things in school and life.”
School Age 2 (ages 10-13) is
taught by Dora Orr, intervention
specialist, graduate of Cedarville
College for grades 1-8, Ohio State
for K-3, and Muskingum College.
She says her training from fellow
teachers and mentor program at
Starlight School helped her de-
velop the most as a teacher. Mrs.
Orr shares “I love the memories
of students performing for pro-
grams such as talent shows and
holiday programs. I love to see
the students achieve something,
such as learning to tie their
shoes, reading their first book,
or even learning to use their own
name stamp.” She adds, “Star-
light school reaches students
that could easily be left out of
the main education line. With
our intense instruction in life
skills with a focus on work skills,
Starlight gives opportunities to
The crew starts each meeting
with the Pledge of Allegiance
and the Venture Oath. Meetings
also include a fun activity, game
or outing. A few of these have
been making medicine bags and
learning what they are used for,
leather and bead necklaces and
key rings. We have been reading
about how the Native Americans
helped the pioneers when they
settled in America. Another part
of Venturing is activities that
benefit others and the crew has
been saving pop tabs for Ronald
McDonald House, and painted
a bookcase for the Next Chap-
ter Book Clubs at MSI. Recently
our students for community or
sheltered workshop jobs.”
It would surprise no one who
knows her that Mrs. Reinbeau
(pronounced rainbow) wanted to
be a teacher for as long as she
could remember. She teaches
School Age 3 (ages 14-17). She
says her students have taught
her “acceptance, patience, re-
spect, endurance, tolerance and
perseverance.” She brings colors
of life to her young teen-age stu-
dents through active use of sign
language and energetic projects,
including all aspects of recycling
and learning about teamwork.
She has a bachelor’s degree in
grades 1-8 and is certified in
Special Education grades K-12,
with 28 years of teaching experi-
ence.
Jodi Drake is the instructor for
the oldest students in the school;
School Age 4 (ages 18-21). She
has been active in providing vo-
cational training skills including
the development of the “Upper
Level Café”, a food cart where
students prepare and sell lunch.
Jodi shares why she wanted to
be a teacher explaining, “I was
diagnosed with a learning dis-
ability at a young age. I am
dyslexic and ADHD. If it were not
for the meeting we did open
fire cooking and learned to play
Bocce Ball.
Our outings have included trips
to Putnam Landing to feed the
ducks, Putnam Hill Park to see
the view of Zanesville, Zane Grey
Museum for a picnic lunch, and
Deerasic Park for a Fishing CUBE
(Creating Understanding by Ex-
periencing), hayride, and picnic
with the Deerasic Park staff. We
also attended Day Camp at the
Boy Scout Reservation where we
experienced archery, rifle shoot-
ing, swimming and crafts.
We have designed and are
working on tie-dye shirts for our
“Mrs. Orr helps Lara Kramer learn to read”
for the wonderful teachers I had
as a child who believed in me, I
would not be where I am today.
So I wanted to make sure to pass
on the love and understanding I
received to other children.” Mrs.
Drake has a Bachelor of Science
degree in Special Education
in the areas of Specific Learn-
ing Disabled, Developmentally
handicapped, moderate-severe-
profound retardation/multi-
handicapped and severe behav-
ior handicapped.
Mindy Rush has the title of
lead teacher. She assists the
“Learning archery at Venture Crew Day Camp
at the Boy Scout Reservation”
classroom teachers with writ-
ing Individualized Educational
Reports and completing State
Alternate Assessments, as well
as overseeing the daily routine
and special events for the school
age program. Mrs. Rush has a
Bachelor of Science in Family
and Child Development from OSU
with graduate classes through
Bowling Green State University,
Kent State, Ashland University,
Muskingum College and Ohio
University. She is considered
highly qualified in special edu-
cation, math, English and gen-
eral education, for grades 4-6.
She has served Starlight school
for 30 years and recounts her
favorite memory “having a stu-
dent tell me, while on a field trip,
that people would think I was
his mom.” When asked why she
thinks Starlight School benefits
the community she stated “Star-
light provides a setting in which
even the most severely involved
students are given a chance and
support to succeed. It is a school
that celebrates each step!”
Venture Crew, and putting our
pictures for the year together in a
scrapbook. There are a lot of fun
memories and many new friends
we want to share with others.
The crew chose Pioneering as
their first project. We have start-
ed by learning about pioneer-
ing in the past and discussing
safety guidelines. Next, we will
learn to tie different knots and
splice rope.
We look forward to a second
great year with new members,
new adventures and lots of fun
learning together!

Muskingum Starlight Industries
Sheltered Workshop
Muskingum Starlight Indus-
tries (MSI) is a sheltered work-
shop for adults that employs 13
staff members and 103 enroll-
ees. The workshop is open five
days a week, Monday through Fri-
day, year-round. It is even open
on snow days when the school
is cancelled for those individu-
als who can provide their own
transportation. The enrollees get
a paycheck every other Friday,
and pay taxes just like everyone
else. Some enrollees attend the
workshop five days a week while
others have a reduced schedule
to meet their individual need.
The workshop’s focus is on
sheltered employment. The en-
rollees can do a wide variety of
jobs. They take pride in their work
and want it to be of good quality.
If they find the slightest flaw in
Starlight Café – Preparing for Community Employment
The Starlight Café, located on
224 Main Street in downtown
Zanesville, opened its doors to
the community on August 16,
2010.
The principle of the Starlight
Café is not only to be a success in
the community , but most impor-
tantly to provide our individuals
who are enrolled at Muskingum
Starlight Industries (MSI) an op-
portunity to learn new job skills
and prepare them to work in
other community-based jobs in
the future. The MSI staff supplies
job coaching and supervision in
order to help the individuals grow
and improve their skill set.
Jessica M. is an employee at
the Starlight Café. If you ask her
how she feels about working at
the Café, you will see an instant
smile come across her face. While
she has done volunteer work be-
fore, the Café is only the second
a part, they set it aside because
they are so particular; they don’t
take short cuts. When asked
what their favorite part of the
workshop is, they had a variety
of answers. Richard E., Cody B.,
and Tom F. said they like making
money. Shirley M. said she likes
seeing her friends, and Will F.
and Ann P. said they like every-
thing about the workshop. When
asked, what is your favorite job at
the workshop? The majority said
tile (diamonite). Barb G. stated
she likes to do The Chamber of
Commerce mailing, Ryan B. and
Nancy W. said cardboard, and
Vonda R. said she likes to work
on cargo nets. Mike S. said that
it doesn’t matter to him as long
as he’s working.
Production tasks enrollees
complete include collating,
paying job that she has ever had.
It is easy to see when she shows
up for work each day just how
much she enjoys it. Plus, she is
learning valuable job skills that
will help her in her goal of ob-
taining a community-based job.
Her fundamental duties in-
clude pre-shift prep, preparing
food for orders, and basic clean-
ing. She has also learned how
to close the restaurant and just
recently started learning to oper-
ate the cash register. Jessica was
asked what her favorite part of
working at the Café was, and she
replied, “Everything! But if I had
to choose, it would be making
the food.” Not only has the Café
given Jessica a paycheck, it has
helped her learn to focus her en-
ergy, which is what her parents
were hoping for. According to her
mother, the Café has helped Jes-
sica’s self-esteem, and all she
bagging-packaging, labeling-
packaging, assembling, cutting
buckles off cargo nets, stapling,
and attaching lids to bottles.
They also shred and recycle
newsprint, magazines, office
paper and cardboard. MSI can
pick up your recycling for a $10
pick-up fee or you can bring it to
the workshop. Shredding is $0.17
per pound. MSI has many local
businesses that we work with on
a regular basis. American Light,
Avon, General Graphics, Six
County Core, and The Chamber of
Commerce just to name a few. We
also work with businesses out-
side of Muskingum County. Some
of the companies are General
Electric in Louisville, Kentucky,
Cerco Diamonite in Shreve Ohio,
Southeast Diversified Industries
in Cambridge Ohio, Miba Bear-
“Jessica M preparing a boxed
lunch at the Starlight Café”
talks about when she gets home
is what she learned and what she
did. Jessica is well on her way to
having most of the skills neces-
sary to go to the next step, but we
are glad to have her with us at
the Café until then!
ings LLC in McConnellsville Ohio
and Riverview Productions in
Gallipolis Ohio.
On a typical day at MSI, enroll-
ees arrive at the workshop around
9:00 a.m. and leave around 3:00
p.m. Many either ride the Star-
light Programs’ or MAPT buses,
while some are transported by
their home staff or guardians.
Once they arrive, they go to the
job board to see what job they
are assigned to for the day and
report to that area. The job board
also shows them what staff they
will be working with.
Unfortunately, we do not have
enough work for everyone every
day, so if an enrollee is not on a
paid job on a particular day, they
participate in a CUBE (Creating
Understanding by Experiencing)
activity instead. So, the enrollee
When Jessica takes the next
step in working independently in
the community, Starlight’s Com-
munity Employment Services will
be there to ensure she is suc-
cessful. Job coaching will be pro-
vided to help her learn the tasks
“Barb G and Cindy H working on cargo nets.”
checks the CUBE board and finds
their picture to see which CUBE
activity they are assigned for that
time period. The enrollees work or
participate in a CUBE activity
until 11:00 a.m. then they have
lunch for a half hour and free
time for another half hour. Free
time offers a variety of activity
choices, for example: socializing
with co-workers, doing puzzles,
watching TV, listening to music,
playing a variety of games with
required. As she becomes more
independent, the job coach will
gradually reduce the time spent
with her. However, Starlight will
continue to check on Jessica with
regular phone calls and visits to
her and the employer to discuss
her progress and assist with any
areas of concern that may arise.
Starlight offers assistance with
many areas that may include:
finding transportation to work,
finding proper apparel for the
particular job, instruction in work
ethics, and finding medical, fi-
nancial or counseling services.
As a part of the Community
Employment Services, Jessica
will have the opportunity to join
the approximately 40 other in-
dividuals in monthly Job Club
activities. Monthly events are
scheduled to give individuals
the chance to socialize and share
what they are doing. Their favor-
Page 8
staff, and looking at magazines.
Depending on the weather, en-
rollees can choose to go outside
to eat their lunch and during
free time they can participate in
outdoor games like corn hole, or
just enjoy some fresh air in the
courtyard. At 12:00 p.m. they
return to work or CUBE activities
until 2:30 p.m. when they gather
their belongings and prepare to
go home.
ite activity is the Annual Commu-
nity and Transitional Employment
Banquet that is held to honor
those who have taken a big step
and are willing to work in the
community and the employers
that have so willingly given them
the opportunity to be employed
tax-paying citizens.
If you would like additional in-
formation regarding Community
Employment Services, please call
Rita Stanbery or Tim Duff at 740-
453-3544.
If you would like to place an
order for breakfast or lunch, the
Starlight Café phone number
is 740-450-7100. You can also
find order forms on our website
at www.muskingumdd.org. Walk-
ins are welcome too! Hours are
8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Mon-
day, Tuesday and Friday and 8:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday
and Thursday.
 Page 9
Challenging Students to Learn Through New Experiences
Starlight School adapts the
academic curriculum to the stu-
dent’s abilities. Classroom strat-
egies often involve repetitive
practice of skills, but learning
through new experiences is also
vital to student education. Field-
trips help the students interact
with what they’re learning, as-
semblies bring worlds of new
experiences into the school, and
food dish and prepared it for a “Flo” Owen, organizes an annual always looking at what the stu-
School wide Thanksgiving feast. “Jimmy Buffet” day where one dents need to learn though real
Table decorations made by the can actually see a cheeseburger life practice. At Starlight School;
students were a source of pride. dancing in the paradise called fieldtrips, assemblies, and fun
December is a holiday month Starlight School. Students from stimulate brains and motivate
everywhere and Starlight is no Rosecrans Key Club have been hearts.
different. School agers enjoy a active in decorating and dancing
fieldtrip to the mall and dollar with Starlight students during
store for lunch and shopping for this event. The creative staff is
a gift exchange present for their
friend. High School Students

festivals offer opportunities to
practice motor and social skills
in a real-life setting. The special
events at Starlight School chal-
lenge the students to problem-
solve, interact with others and to
think in new ways.
There are several special
events that occur during each
school year. Before a special
event is planned, teachers and
specialists look at the individual
needs of the students and top-
ics of curriculum. Some of the
events include swimming at the
: -/$4<
from Mid East Joint Vocational
visit twice to “Adopt a Child”
visiting to get to know the child
and visiting with gifts and a
party. Older Starlight students
assist with party decorations,
04--$/2
refreshments and clean-up.
There is an emphasis on learn-
ing to give to others in the way
“Gary Howdyshell pets the Columbus Zoo
of service throughout the year. alligator. Starlight visits the Zoo annually”
Mrs. Reinbeau’s December ser-
vice project was having her class
play carols on the bells for other "
 $ 2/
groups, including Headstart pre-
Fieldhouse, a weekly dance pro-
gram taught by volunteer dance
instructors from the Genesis
Dance Academy and game nights
with local middle school students
to meet new friends and learn
new game skills. Students from
other schools are invited to share
ideas, talents and activities. The
Tri-Valley Choir sings during the
Holidays, Nathan Zangmeister
has played his guitar and sang
at music class and the Zanes-
ville Blue Devil Baseball team
demonstrated skills on the field
behind our school. We are always
looking for visitors to open up our
world and expand our thinking.
In September this year, school
age classes had a field trip to
McDonald’s farm. They went
through the maze, rode the hay
wagon, petted the animals, had
a weiner roast and picked their
school. December also means a "
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holiday program and this year
the program featured “Holidays
around the world” where small
groups presented information !th§\Aøt 0ģàà²tºtÀđ /Ađtý
through music and dance about
other countries.
A New Year’s Party opens the

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year with opportunities for danc-
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with the year on it and preparing
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an assembly from the Columbus
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bring small exotic animals that Í ÒÒĹæ”Ĉ ÒĝĂæĹĔ
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admission goes to Operation
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where skills were put to the
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The Heart of Art program at
Muskingum Starlight Industries
(MSI) is committed to providing
individuals with developmental
disabilities the opportunity to
explore their creative side and
express themselves through art.
We have been full of activity in
the art department creating with
different mediums; painting,
working with clay, fabrics, and
completing pencil and marker
drawings. Through working with
individuals in the art depart-
ment, we have discovered some
extremely talented artists. We
are very excited with products
they are currently creating.
Some of our artists enjoy
painting their interpretation of
pictures they see, while others
design their own. Several indi-
viduals have been creating wall
hangings by hand stitching fab-
rics that have been donated or
Learning through Creating Understanding by
Experiencing (CUBES)
For the past several years,
Muskingum Starlight Industries
(MSI), like most businesses,
has experienced a decline in the
work available for our enrollees.
To fill that void, individuals par-
ticipated in learning a variety of
new tasks referred to as work
skills training. However, after
participating in these activities
for years, it became clear that
people were tired of them and
ready for change. On 8/21/09,
the workshop had a “Good Bye
Work Skills” party and made a
commitment to provide inter-
esting and enriching activities
when paid work was not avail-
able. The enrollees voted to call
these CUBE’s or Creating Under-
standing by Experiencing.
The participating individuals
help decide what they would like
to learn through CUBE activities,
The Heart of Art Program
“Painting by
Susan C”
found in fabric sample books.
The Heart of Art recently at-
tended the Ohio Association
County Boards’ (OACB) 27th An-
nual Convention held in Colum-
bus. Our artwork was displayed
with the opportunity to be sold.
Artist, Susan C, attended the
convention with several staff
members. In the early stages
of developing the art program
Susan wanted no part of it; but
and are typically assigned to
groups based on their personal
needs & interests, or by choice.
Typically, there are 23 different
CUBEs running at various times
“Enjoying a lunch break while at Quarter
Horse Congress”
now she really enjoys going to art
on the days she is not working.
On the way to the show, Susan
talked about what she liked
about the Art Department. She
responded very enthusiastically,
“I love art. I love to paint trees
with backgrounds and sunsets.
I painted an apple, a cross for
my preacher, and a flag. ” On the
return trip, Susan commented
“Susan C ‘Night
Scene’ painting”
throughout the day (depending
on production needs) including
Art, Music, Computer, Weather,
Magic, Games, NASCAR, Healthy
Lifestyles, American Idol, Beauty,
Page 10
“Painting by
Michelle B”
on how much she enjoyed the
show and hoped to attend next
year. While at the show Susan
displayed several paintings that “Susan C at the Ohio Association of County
people admired and she even
Boards of DD Art Show held December 2010
sold one that night.
We continue to design new at the Easton Hilton”
products and are always look-
Programs website at www.musk- for the First Friday Art Walk. For
ing for places to display and sell ingumdd.org or join us at the more information, please call
our artwork. To view art samples,
Starlight Café, 224 Main Street Nancy Wills at 740.453.4622.
please check out the Starlight
Times Recorder, and Volunteer-
ing. The enrollees have started
their own newspaper, reporting
on topics and individuals that
interest them, and they publish
this monthly.
It has been over a year since
the CUBEs started and the re-
sponse has been very good. For
the past several months, we
have been fortunate that more
work has been available, and the
CUBEs are run less frequently;
however they continue to help
make downtime interesting and
stimulating. Individuals enjoy
the choices and opportunities “Michelle M participating in Library Day”
they now have and have even
started offering suggestions great opportunities to our indi- If you have any questions or
about what topics they want viduals. A special thanks to Di- suggestions, please call Kelly
made into a CUBE. ane Williams from the Coshocton Jackson at 740-453-4622.
Thank you to the Nisonger CBDD, who provided unlimited
Center, Boy Scouts, and our vol- encouragement during our start-
unteers for helping us provide up process.
 Page 11
Starlight School
Senior’s Story of Success
Teresa Blue, mother of Star-
light School’s senior, Kevin Blue
is a parent volunteer and regular
face at Starlight School. Kevin will
graduate from Starlight School
this spring. Kevin’s mom is just
like any other mother of a senior
student. When the weather was
bad and Kevin worried that his
school field trip would be can-
celled, she explained, “I just want
him to have all the experiences he
can before he graduates.”
Kevin’s parents, Teresa and
George Blue, have been a part of
the Starlight family since Kevin
was diagnosed with autism at
age four. They are active in mak-
ing others aware of the increasing
number of children diagnosed with
autism. Kevin has received occu-
pational therapy, speech therapy,
physical therapy and specialized
classroom instruction services.
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“’Kevin rides an adult three-wheeled bicycle
around the Starlight School gym”
Teresa states “He is in an envi-
ronment where he is nurtured,
encouraged and celebrated.”
Teresa shared some of her fa-
vorite memories of Kevin’s time
at Starlight: “Kevin has always
had an aversion to being wet.
If he had a drop of water on his
shirt, he would insist on changing
it. Starlight has a program that
provides swimming instruction
at the Fieldhouse. It took a lot of
coaxing but eventually, he was
persuaded to dip a hand and then
a foot, until he was in the pool
completely. A couple of summers
ago, Kevin had the opportunity to
spend time in the Fieldhouse pool
with one-on-one instruction. When
they realized it was Kevin and that
his progress in the pool was hard
earned, they let him attend at
no charge. Now he can’t wait for
swimming trips and can engage
ĦVŒĪ ĜÔōħ
in ball toss and simple walking
races with his classmates.”
Kevin was always frustrated by
his attempts to ride his bicycle.
His parents would break their
backs bending down and helping
him make the rotations to propel it
forward (and isn’t this what we do
as parents with so many of life’s
challenges.) The adapted physi-
cal education teacher, Mr. Liles,
called to invite Teresa to the gym
and she cried with joy to see Kevin
riding an adult-three-wheeled bi-
cycle around the gym on his own;
and with the help of the Family
Support Services, he now has one
at home and another lifelong lei-
sure activity to enjoy.
Teresa’s advice to parents who
have a child with a developmental
disability would be to “Let go of
your expectations, and celebrate
every accomplishment. Knowl-
edge is power, so educate yourself
on your child’s disability. A thera-
pist once told me to take time for
myself and my husband. He said
that our son would be better for
it. We could not have had better
advice.”
“You are your child’s best ad-
vocate and no one can do it bet-
ter. Make sure you have plenty of
patience, tolerance, acceptance,
and LOVE.”
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Enclaves Provides
Opportunities to Work at
Community Jobsites
At Muskingum Starlight In-
dustries (MSI), enclaves are
one of the production services
we provide. Workshop enrollees,
plus a supervisor, leave the
workshop and go to the com-
munity jobsite to complete the
work for the business.
In this case, the jobsite is in
the basement of the Richard
Hixson Government building.
While there, we photocopy old
records and put them on mi-
crofilm. The MSI employee ac-
tually runs the photo machine “Michael S scanning old records at the
and does the work; while the Records Center in the Richard Hixson
supervisor and Records Center
staff are available to help when
Government Building”
needed. job and taking pictures, and
According to Mitzi Shook, Re- Mike S. said nothing special, he
cords Coordinator, this service just likes the job.
helps to preserve and archive Other enclave services offered
their most valuable records by MSI include recycling, janito- TĒŷ¼ļ ışêĤă¼ĉŒ <<
dating back as far as 1804. rial duties, lawn care, stripping
This is a huge service; keeping die cuts, dishwashing, and re-
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records safe, usable, and avail- packaging/relabeling.
able to the public. For more information, or to
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When asked what they like discuss how MSI enclaves could ĦŌÔƃħ ÔÑŝéĎōŌƃ
about this particular job, Jeff become a valuable asset to your
F. said he likes taking the pic- business, please call Tim Smith
tures, Brenda W. likes making at 740-453-4622.
new friends, Lydia N. likes the BĒĉ®|ź é %ļê®|ź ĦÄ|ă é ōĤăħ
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Service Coordination and Community Service Department
The Service Coordination and
Community Services Department
of Starlight Programs serves
individuals with developmental
disabilities. Promoting choice,
independence and community
integration for the individuals
served. Working together with
the individual, their family and
other important people to the
individual, the Service Coordina-
tor identifies the support needed
and works to link the individual
to services.
Any individual, their family, or
others providing services may
make a request for services to
Starlight Programs. Eligibility
is determined for each person
based on if they have a qualify-
ing disability and functional lim-
itations in major life areas have
been identified in the Ohio Eligi-
bility Determination Instrument
(OEDI). Functional limitations
assessed include mobility, self
care, language, self direction,
¼Ŷ¼ļùź Ŷ¼Ī© x|ĉ¼ńŶêùù¼© H+ ÔŗŌƃĜ
etc. The OEDI is administered by
eZ.CZZĴ
a Service Coordinator who has
been trained by The Ohio Depart-
ment of Developmental Disabili-
ties. Participation with Starlight
Programs is voluntary unless the
individual is being abused or
$!-
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Starlight Programs
determined eligible for services,
a Service Coordinator then be-
gins to develop a relationship
with the individual and their
community of support. The Ser-
vice Coordinator assists the in-
dividual in navigating through
the often confusing system of
agencies, providers, doctors,
teachers, etc. The Service Coor-
dinator has many responsibili-
ties such as assessing and eval-
uating the individual’s need for
services, providing information
and referrals as requested by the
individual, monitoring services
and ensuring the rights of the in-
dividual are understood and pro-
tected. The Service Coordinator
assists individuals in accessing
medical, social, educational and
other needed services and helps
in developing a budget for those
services.
Starlight Programs is required
to develop an Individual Service
Plan (ISP) to reflect the services
the individual is linked to and
identify the desired outcomes
for them. The ISP is developed in
cooperation with the individual
served along with their commu-
nity of support (ISP Team). The
ultimate goal is to link the indi-
Page 12
individuals with a developmental
disability. A Service Coordinator
may be reached during business
hours (8:30 a.m. – 4:00p.m.);
Monday through Friday at
740.453.4829; during evenings,
weekends and holidays at
800.881.8700. If you would like
additional information regarding
Service Coordination/Commu-
nity Services, please contact Dee
Fountain at 740.453.4829.
ōƃ©ƃƃƃ Bêù¼ `ļ¼|®ŷ¼|ļ
TļĒŒ¼›ŒêĒĉ <êăꌼ®
q|ļļ|ĉŒź
š ĉä|ĉ›¼® ŷ¼Œ Œļ|›ŒêĒĉ ‡ ŷêĉŒ¼ļ Ĥ¼ļÏĒļă|ĉ›¼ Ēĉ ńĉĒŷ |ĉ® ꛼Ī
“Starlight Programs’ Service Coordination Team” š .ăĤļĒŶ¼ń ńŒ¼¼ļêĉÖ ļ¼ńĤĒĉń¼ ŷäêù¼ ļ¼®ş›êĉÖ ĉĒêń¼
š ¼ùêŶ¼ļń Öļ¼|Œ¼ļ ļş¼ļ ®¼ĉńêŒź Ēĉ Œä¼ ļĒ|®©
ļ¼®ş›êĉÖ ńäĒşù®¼ļ ŷ¼|ļ |ĉ® ĉĒêń¼Ī
vices Department is mandated B›Bêùù¼ĉ `êļ¼ Z¼ļŶ꛼© .ĉ›Ī
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to provide 24 hour a day / 7 days ĴZVp. .Z HeV
a week on-call emergency assis- F,ēǨǨǨǨƝûƕƮƮŖ ÔÑÔéŌÔÄƃ
tance. This emergency interven-
tion service is made available to
ensure the health and safety of
9½½ /$40
neglected. Should an individual
not be determined eligible for
Starlight Programs, alternative
services that may be appropriate
will be shared with the individual
vidual to services, develop skills, “Service Coordinator
90$" $
surround with support in such
a manner for each individual to
assisting individual
in signing their
reach their most independent
potential. Individual Service
$/

and their family. Starlight Programs Service Plan (ISP)”
$$/ I "



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