My multi-handicapped students face challenges everyday that we, able bodied people, take for granted. The ability to sit up, walking, talking, use of their hands, vision, hearing or just doing anything for themselves without complete assistance from an adult caregiver.
We are a multi-handicapped/medically fragile special education classroom at an elementary school in Washington state.
I have 10 students this year. Age range is 3-18+ years. They all have a cognitive functioning level of 0-15 months. Some have genetic disorders, some had a birth accident, some had prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol and some were injured or severely abused as infants. They require every one of their needs to be met by an adult staff member. Most are unable to walk. One can crawl. The rest are unable to move at all. Some have vision difficulties. All are non verbal. People see my students and feel sorry for them or feel sad. But I look at them and see happy, loved, affectionate children who enjoy even the most simple things in life and appreciate things that other people do not even notice a light breeze, sparkling lights, a bright sunny day or a song playing in the background.
My Project
I gained 4 preschool age students this year for a grand total of 10 students. I have (including myself) 5 staff members. My students miss out on so much due to their physical and cognitive limitations. This school year has been especially difficult because with 10 non ambulatory students, it's impossible to take them out of our windowless classroom. We just don't have enough hands. I am trying to get funding for a quad stroller that will allow one adult to transport 4 smaller students to recess, go for walks around the school, outside, to school events and to regular education classrooms for time to socialize and play with typically developing peers. It would also make transporting them to and from the buses a much easier and safer undertaking. My students love to go outside, feel the wind, hear the seagulls and get fresh air. It is important to stimulate their senses. They deserve to be able to go to school wide events. And for safety reasons, enable us to evacuate quickly!
I have stated in my previous statements the importance of this stroller.
My students are so limited by their disabilities and I want to be able to expose them to many different sensory experiences, join school events and for the safety of all be able to evacuate the school quickly in the event of a fire, earthquake or other disaster or emergency situation. They can not protect themselves and I need the tools to keep them safe.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Beth Ng and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
