Walking in another's shoes: Students learn about people with disabilities
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Kindergarten student Sami Garbowsky learns to use a walker at the Gill Hall Elementary School as their class learns about disabilities and how people live with them from Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania Integration Support Specialist Betsy Smith. Gill Hall Elementary is in the West Jefferson Hills School District. -
Kindergarten student Adam Janesko experiences the dots in a sample braille book. -
His eyes closed tight, kindergarten student Brett Smith uses a mobility cane as he is helped by class assistant Gloria Maben, making his way among classmates trying out crutches and walkers.
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On Monday, students in Karen Bakalarski's kindergarten at class at Gill Hall Elementary in the West Jefferson Hills School District set aside their school work in order to learn some life lessons.
Instead of handling flashcards, books and crayons, the pint-sized pupils were trying out crutches, wheelchairs, mechanical voice boxes, examining Braille books and learning sign language.
It was all part of a presentation called Building Disability Awareness sponsored by Easter Seals Western Pennsylvania.
And it wasn't just a lecture. It was a hands-on experience led by Tracey McDonough, an integration coordinator, and Betsy Smith, an integration specialist for Easter Seals.
"Our goal is to get the students to be accepting of disabilities at a very young age," Mrs. McDonough said.
The first part of the presentation was to introduce the students to each of the devices and explain how they help individuals overcome their disabilities.
They explained how people who have difficulty walking may wear braces on their legs and some children with leg braces may also have to wear helmets to protect their heads if they fall.
Mrs. McDonough asked the students to close their eyes to simulate blindness. She then instructed them to feel their hair, shirt and shoes.
"So even if someone can't see, they can feel with their hands," she pointed out.
She also asked the students to close their eyes while she spoke so they could realize that people who are blind can still hear.
Then, Mrs. Smith showed the children a mobility cane that is used by those with visual impairments, a cane that has a black handle, white body and red tip.
Mrs. Smith then demonstrated how a mobility cane is used. And, she showed how an able-bodied person can help a visually impaired person by offering to let him or her hold onto an elbow and then guiding them to their destination.
First Published March 11, 2010 12:00 am
