Do you remember your first stroke of a pencil, painting or drawing? My physically challenged students are unable to write, paint or draw with traditional pencils, crayons and paint brushes due to their disabilities. The specialized materials I am requesting will help them accomplish theses things.
I teach a combined class of Kindergarten and Grade 1 physically challenged students in an inner city school where materials are few, especially materials that are adaptive for the disabled.
The students have a wide range of disabilities and academic levels. The students receive physical, and occupational therapy to help them with fine and gross motor task. The therapists allow us to borrow some adaptive material but where there are over 50 students who require their services in the building, we are not able to keep the material longer than a class period.
Our school is located in a large inner city with a very diverse population. The students come from low income households and qualify for free or reduced lunch and 9 of the 10 students come from households where English is not their first language.
My Project
The students have many challenges but are capable and very willing to learn new skills daily. I am requesting materials that will help them easily achieve their goals of writing, painting and coloring for the first time. Please help them have the joy of doing activities that other young children do in their classrooms.
The specialized slant boards, wide pencil grips, thumb crayons, and chubby paint brushes will help the students begin to form letters, write, color a picture and do the things that typical students do daily.
The project is designed to have centers where students can work independently.
It is so important to design activities where students with special needs can be independent. Please help us get these valuable materials. With the help of your donations, these wonderful eager students who have limited mobility but are so eager to learn and be like the typical student, will experience the joy of holding a pencil, crayon or paint brush independently for the first time.
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