On Wednesday, January 21st, 2009, all King fourth grade students will participate in the Disability Awareness Workshop. This is the third year that King Elementary has held this hands-on, activity-based workshop whose main purpose is to help students understand how difficult and complex daily living can be for individuals with a variety of disabilities. The program includes activities centered on an empathetic understanding of physical, speech, hearing, vision and learning impairments. The students participate in a wheelchair obstacle course, wear glasses that give them momentary vision impairments, experience speaking with an electric larynx and complete exercises that simulate several reading disabilities. The goal is for the students to learn -- through this hands-on experience -- that people should be respected no matter how they may look, act, walk or talk.
This workshop was developed by parents in the Rochester Community Schools Special Education Parent Advisory Committee in 1998. It has now expanded to many schools in Oakland County. In the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the workshop was first held at Logan Elementary School in 2005. In subsequent years, this increased to 4 buildings (2006), 7 (2007, when King was added), 11 (2008) and again 11 elementary schools for 2009, the workshop's fifth year in Ann Arbor.
Please consider volunteering to help with the workshop. We need 20 volunteers in the morning from approximately 8:30 am until 11:50 am, when the students have their lunch break. You are welcome to remain for the rest of the program (12:45 pm to dismissal). Past experience proves that this is a fun and meaningful experience for all of our children as well as the volunteers.
Volunteers will be trained to oversee students as they rotate through nine different stations, including:
Physical Impairment Centers: Wheelchairs; Walkers; and Fine Motor Activities
Vision, Hearing and Speech Stations: Hearing & Speech; Vision; and Learning Disabilities
Accessibility Checklist (students work in teams to complete a checklist that requires some measuring and math computations)
Thank you for contributing to the success of the workshop. Please contact me with any questions.
Kathy Grijalva, 332-3396, kathy.grijalva@gmail.com
King Parent Coordinating the Workshop
