The placement is called Academy for Autism. Staying on International Drive was not the best idea as the placement is a 15 minute drive away or an hour and a half on a bus, therefore it would have been a better idea to attend a school nearby, there are many schools a lot closer but hard to come by on the internet when searching. Previous students had stayed in hotels in Internation Drive, however after looking at the prices for 3 weeks we decided to rent a Condo which is just over an hours bus journey to placement.
The Academy was not what was expected, it looked like it was in a business site, however it is well sign posted and the bus stops right outside the school. We would recommend visiting the schools website to get an idea of what you're looking out for. The staff are all lovely and friendly, they are easy to talk to and are more than willing to answer any questions asked in depth, it was a lot smaller than imagined, they have to make the most of what they have.
The school currently has around 19 students split between 3 classrooms; the rooms are quite small so can sometimes get a bit crowded espeically with the older children as the classes are mixed age ranges.
Academy for Autism relies mainly on sponsorship and therapy sessions as it recieves no funding from the Government. There are several therapy rooms in the school and the therapy sessions run for out patients as well. The staff consists of teachers, teaching assisstants, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists and Speech Therapists, there is also the director (Zulma) who keeps the place running smoothly, and also transports some of the children too and from the school.
The TEACCH method is heavily implemented within the setting which allows the children to have a routine and give them structure within school life, this method uses small picture cards to structure each individual childs day. They also use PCI which is a reading and listening system, this is intended to help children learn specific words and not focus on the phonics, as some children with autism cannot always understand this.
For our last day the staff at Academy for Autism made us a lovely cake, and gave us both a present, they were all very sad to see us go and gave us both excellent reviews on our placement forms.
The International Palms Resort is on International Drive. The hotel is ok, the rooms are quite clean, and it is in a central location, however the fact that some of the hotel staff are a little impolite, and have made numerous mistakes with this booking, would make it advisable to check that you and the hotel are clear with each other. Also, before booking, research the different ways to go about booking, direct with the hotel is not necessarily the best option. Upon reflection it may be better to book with a third party as the resorts daily fee (which covers use of parking, pool, internet and other amenities) may be covered by them. Having said this £805 (split between two) is a good price for a three week stay.
There is also a hotel shop, hairdressers and restaurant, which also serves breakfast. These are all a quite expensive and as a result it is advisable to not use them frequently.
Previous students suggested looking at holiday homes as they found hotels expensive. We decided to rent a condo for the duration of our stay, there are a lot of websites advertising this type of accommodation. We stayed in the general Orlando area, however if you are looking to stay towards Kissimee in the more tourist area, the staff at the school live locally to that area, so you may be able to organise lifts with them. The cost of our condo was around £900 for 3 weeks, between 3 of us this was a reasonable price. Included in the condo we had a kitchen, two bedrooms, one double, two singles and a sofa bed, two bathrooms, a living room, dining area, satellite tv, free wifi, free washing machine, tumble dryer, local calls, a balcony and free unlimited access to a pool. it was located in a country club and had 24 hour gated security, there was no safety deposit box, however we had the only set of keys to the condo so it was secure. There are no local corner shops, however there are supermarkets about a 15 minute walk away or 5 minutes on a bus, so we suggest doing a weekly shop rather than buying as you need every day.
We rented our condo through the website www.valuevacationrentals.com and then just searched for condo's in Orlando.
The best advice for transportation in and around Orlando is to hire a car, although this requires a good level of research because the price for this can vary from company to company and depending on your age. For a 21 year old driver a standard, air-conditioned automatic can be around £115.00 to £230.00 per week (http://www.carhire3000.com), this appears to cover insurance, theft protection and unlimited mileage, however make sure you have confirmation of the final price, as there are some stories of the company demanding a further deposit of money on collection of the car. However a car will give you much more freedom to explore the Orlando area, because it is very big and walking is not always recommended, not just due to distance, but there are also some areas that do not have sidewalks.
However, if hiring a car is not possible you can get around by bus (http://www.golynx.com). $2 will get you a one way fare, and this includes a transfer, but this is only valid for 90mins, or you can pay $4.50 for a day pass, alternatively you can get a 7day pass for $16, or a 30day pass for $50. These extended passes can only be got at the tourist information centre and at certain locations (http://www.golynx.com/?fuse=cstm&app=passpartners), whereas the day pass can only be purchased from the bus operators. The bus operators cannot make change and therefore they ask for you to have exact change when getting on the bus. Bus schedules, complete with a mini map can be found on the website too (http://www.golynx.com/?fuse=cstm&app=route), however these do not display all the stops; like most route maps for English buses they only show the main stops on route. If you are unsure of which stop would be best for you it may be beneficial to check with the bus operator, most are very friendly and helpful, and may even suggest a better, quicker route.
The I-Ride trolley (http://www.iridetrolley.com), runs up and down International Drive and is very useful if you want to get from one end of the 14.5mile long Drive to the other. A one way fair will $1.25 and, like the Lynx Bus, the I-Ride requires exact change.
Unlike students before us we weren't staying on International Drive so we had to use the Lynx bus service, alot of people we spoke to said the bus service wasn't very good, but we had no trouble at all and found them to be usually very reliable. Nearly all the buses you catch go towards Lynx Central Station (LCS) where you can change and get across the city. You can also buy bus passes from here, these were cost effective, however you can buy a day pass for $4.50 on the bus itself. The cost of a one week bus pass was $16 and you were able to use this on any bus, so could use it at weekends too. Once you know where you are staying in Orlando, you can use google maps to plan your journey, as all the Lynx buses and times come up on the journey planner.
You can hire a car, however the roads at first can appear daunting, so we decided against it as the buses were fine for us and easy to use. If you are planning on hiring a car, make sure you look into it thoroughly as there can be hidden costs for under 21's.
Finally, the other way to get around is via taxi. This can begin to work out very expensive, especially if you are not sharing the cost amongst a group of people. If you do get a taxi, you should be able to order one through the reception of the hotel, and they will have the number of reputable ones. When getting in to the taxi check to make sure that it is on a meter, if not either do not use it, or agree a set price prior to leaving for your destination as it will be very easy for a taxi not on a meter to overcharge you. Also, as with all employees within most the service sectors, the taxi driver will expect a tip, you may even find if you are not careful they will set the tip themselves when you give them the fare. Typically a tip for a taxi journey is 15% of the total and no less than 25cents (http://www.tipping.org/tips/us.html).
Although previous students used taxis we found them to be incredibly expensive and a lot of the time ended up costing us more than they said they would. However we found if we did have to take a taxi the cheapest way was to phone up and arrange a price before booking, rather than relying on the meter as this was how they ended up ripping us off.
International Drive is one of, if not the best place to stay whilst in Orlando, Florida. There is always something to do and there is no time to be bored. Restaurants and fast food places are extremely popular on I.Drive, they are all fairly priced and can be for a casual outing or if you want a nice sophisticated night out there are places for that too.
The I.Ride Trolley, that is for transportation up and down I.Drive, takes you straight to Seaworld and Aquatica, and has many stops up and down I.Drive to hop on and off of. This is extremely handy and well priced, as a 14 day pass costs only $16. Whilst on the trolley you can see lots of different things to do, for example; mini/crazy golf, shopping outlets, museums, and gift shops are very popular to come by.
There are plenty of things to do in Orlando, so we suggest that you try and add a bit of holiday onto the end of your placement as its worth making the most of being out there. We found that planning what we wanted to do and when was the best way to get everything fitted in that we all wanted to do.
Florida mall - This is a large shopping centre, located on the outskirts of Orlando, but easy to get to by bus. There are lots of shops and restaurants located here. Also if you want cheaper tickets for any attractions, go to the lobby of the Florida Mall Hotel as they sell them at a discount price, and its all legitimate.
Prime Outlets - This was an outlet village, similar to ones you get here, however it had a lot of American brands at discount prices, there is also a food court and shopping malls the other side of the road too.
Aquatica - One of the many water parks Orlando has to offer, we chose it as it was the cheapest, however there are still plenty of water rides and a 'beach'. There is also an all day, all you can eat buffet for $15 where you can go in as many times as you like and take drinks out. We suggest getting there early as it gets quite busy.
Disneyworld - TALK TO ZULMA BEFORE YOU BUY TICKETS! A lot of the parents at the school work for Disney, so are able to get you cheaper tickets, for example we got the park hopper ticket for $50 instead of $150 each. This is easy to get to by bus, the bus stops outside the entrance to Magic Kingdom. If you get a Park Hopper you can visit all the other parks with a free shuttle bus.
Restaurants - There are plenty of restaurants located on every street, they vary in price, however everywhere usually offers some form of take away. If you are in a condo thats gated, just make sure you ring the front gate so they know. Portions in America are MASSIVE, so you may want to share sides and starters. It is customary to tip, no matter what service you recieve, there are plenty of websites online that offer advice on suitable tipping ettiquette.
International drive - There's loads of attractions along here, and plenty of shops to cater to all needs. It is easy to get to both on the Lynx bus and I-Ride trolley, its a really long road, so don't walk.
Things to do, things not to do
- Always get in a taxi that uses a meter as some taxis don't and can charge you up to double of what your fayre should be.
- Try and go to a Walmart which is just like a big ASDA, because this is a lot cheaper for buying food and drink, whereas "Supermarkets" such as Walgreens focuses mainly on beauty products, is very scarce on food supplies, and is very over priced.
-Do get an ESTA, you do not need a Visa, and an ESTA is simply done online.
-Do get a letter of confirmation from placement, just in case you get questioned at border security
-Do get a Travelex card, this is a preloaded cash card, it is a mastercard and visa, so all shops accept them in America, and it is a lot safer than carrying all cash. However most ATMs in America do have charges of around $3 so just be careful when withdrawing money.
-Do make sure you have some cash
-Do take plenty of suncream, factor 30 at least. Although it is not always that hot, the UV is a lot higher than in England, so you are more likely to burn.
-Do take some warmer clothes as March can be quite windy and sometimes wet so don't presume its going to be boiling.
-Don't get in a taxi without asking for a prearranged price.
-Don't assume that cars will stop if you are crossing a road at a crossing, as cars can turn right on red lights.
The director of the Academy, Zulma Rivas-Vetell, was surprised to get international students from England, mainly because the setting is still quite new, it was only established in 2005, however she has recently had two sets of English university visitors for placement, and some visitors from Rome also. She is very interested in welcoming any other students who wish to go. To get in touch with Zulma the email address is academy4autism@hotmail.com, alternatively, if you wish to ring, the phone number is (407) 852-9922, however this will ring numerous phones within the setting, so you could get any member of staff. The setting is located at 5232 B South Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32809
Just in case of any emergency, you may find it useful to have the British Embassy details with you. The embassy is located at 200 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801-3410, this is just a 13 minute drive from the school, and the phone number is (407) 254-3300.
- Make sure you have all the correct and important numbers that you will need for example:
- The American Embassy,
- The hotel number,
- Placement numbers and email addresses,
- Tutors numbers and emails addresses.
- Make sure you will have enough money for: Food; drink; transport; accomodation: necessities and emergencies.
- Knoow about transport, if you are using public transport, work out prices and routes before you go, this will ease a lot of stress and make you feel more comfortable. Work out a day to do a trial run to and from placement.
- Do research on the rules of the road, for example what we see as a zebra crossing, is not seen as a zebra crossing in America, the cars do not stop to give way and you have to wait for the lights to turn green to cross, also if the lights are on red a car can still go if they are turning right, so be careful!!!!
- As Spanish is the second language you may want to look over some common words, but it isn't neccessary as it is mainly English speaking, and the signs are in English and Spanish.
Power sockets are weaker voltage in America, so it can take longer for phones to charge, however we had no problems. Be aware that some higher voltage appliances like straighteners may not work.
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