Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, October 25, 2011

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Students practiced maneuvering a wheelchair, first picking up a lunch tray and then weaving through small cones. This was one of the simulation stations in the gym during Glendover's Special Needs Awareness Week.

Students at Glendover Elementary are walking in someone else’s shoes during the school’s Special Needs Awareness Week.

“Acceptance begins with knowledge and understanding,” said organizer Kim Grasso, who hopes it’s a starting point for greater acceptance and kindness toward all children.

When her family moved here from Georgia three years ago, Grasso brought along this idea to broaden sensibilities, and specials teachers at Glendover stepped up to add relevant content in everything from physical education to music and art.

“We really want to hit home with children this age that you want to be empathetic to others and just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you’re disabled,” said Grasso, noting that hurdles sometimes can enhance a child’s other abilities and natural talents. “I think of my son as a little workhorse,” she added. “It’s amazing the obstacles he has to go through.”

Each day at Glendover would highlight a different special need – Down syndrome, impaired hearing or vision, and so-called hidden disabilities such as ADHD, epilepsy and diabetes.

In P.E.

Parent volunteers and students from Eastern Kentucky University helped out with simulation stations in the gym, where Janie DeLong reviewed some basics of Tuesday’s emphasis: autism. Her students mentioned several possible indicators such as avoiding eye contact and waving arms erratically.

DeLong also pointed out how fifth-grader Demetrius, Grasso’s son, at first shied away from the gym because the loud, echoing sounds bothered his sensitive ears, but now he enjoys P.E. Classmates also noted that Demetrius no longer covers his ears when the bell rings.

“We’re all different so it’s really neat that we all understand each other a little more,” DeLong told the kids.

In the far corner, children learned about communicating through sign language. Nearby, blindfolded kids worked to assemble wooden puzzles, while right-handers tried to throw and catch a ball with their left hand. Another group tested their balance and fine motor skills while encumbered by ankle weights and overloaded backpacks.

“These kids can really feel what it’s like to have weak muscles,” said occupational therapist Emily Damron, whose son has a neurobiological disorder called Asperger syndrome. “You take for granted what it’s like when your muscles are strong,” she told a handful of boys navigating the obstacle course, “but some of our friends find it hard to sit in a chair and can’t run and play.”

At another station, students took turns maneuvering a wheelchair – first picking up a lunch tray, then weaving through small cones en route to a heavy door most found impossible to open.

Some children simply have never thought about these difficulties and the isolation their peers with disabilities might feel, said parent volunteer Penny Christian. “The hope is if they have a classmate with some issue that they’ll be more willing to help,” she said.

In the music room

First, the children learned about teenager Rex Lewis-Clack, who was born blind and with severe brain damage. Aside from his everyday limitations, Rex is a musical savant – one of a handful of people in the world who share a mysterious combination of blindness, mental disability and musical genius.

Anna Deitsch then shared several short bios, asking her students to identify well-known musicians ranging from contemporary rocker Bret Michaels, who has Type 1 diabetes, to classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who was deaf. She also played the “We Are the World” video, which featured blind singers Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles and asthma sufferer Billy Joel.

“I wanted them to realize there are musicians with special needs who are still very successful,” Deitsch said in between classes.

In art class

Sprawled on the floor were huge self-portraits drawn by kids holding a marker at the end of a long stick. Stacked on a table were masterpieces painstakingly copied by students using their non-dominant hand.

Many bemoaned their efforts, saying the artwork looked like something they’d drawn as a preschooler. Others expressed anger, frustration, sadness and nervousness when confronted by the physical challenges.

“When you put them in a situation where they’re struggling, then they understand what others go through,” said art teacher Janet Geissler.

In the library

Kids thumbed through books like “All Dogs Have ADHD” and “The Handmade Alphabet.” Meanwhile, librarian Joann Bender read a story called “Say Something,” about teasing, bullying and silent bystanders.

Guidance counselor Meghan Borough pulled it all together with a short lesson on “walking in another’s shoes” to show the importance of empathy, inclusivity and dignity.

“We talk about how that one act of kindness can really make a person’s day,” she said.

To make the concepts more tangible, students colored cut-out shoes bearing their ideas for actively accepting people who are different, such as greeting them in the hallway or sitting next to someone alone in the cafeteria.

“Everyone wants to feel accepted, and we need to go out of our way to make that happen,” as Borough said.

Grasso, who coordinated the week’s activities, also wants the Glendover students simply to realize that some of their classmates have to work a little harder as they try their best.

“Everyone has their gifts. Let’s walk in their shoes and acknowledge what their difficulties might be but also their strengths,” she said. “History will show that just because you have issues doesn’t mean you can’t make an amazing mark on the world.”

Resources

If your school would like to host a Special Needs Awareness Week or similar project, Glendover parent Kim Grasso will be glad to share ideas and advice. Email her at kimlgrasso@gmail.com.

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