[tri-med] Disability Awareness

Its that time of the year again here in Aus - coming up towards the end of the 
school year. Instead of focusing on wonderful grades like I did with my NDA 
kids, we seem to focus on all that went wrong, didn't work and highlight all of 
the special needs we live with every day and take as "normal". Sighhhhhhh
One of the things that has cropped up is a lack of understanding and tolerence 
by children and teachers of other people imperfections. 

With the kids this is showing itself in teasing and marginalisation, with the 
adults its coming out as frustration and trying to change what can't be 
changed. 

So what I want to do, actually what I really want to encourage is some 
understanding of what its like to live the lives of our kids. Not in words 
alone, but in action as well.

I have a few resources from my working days but I know that everyone here will 
have some great ideas and I was hoping you may share them with me. 

At the moment I have teaching examples for vision impairment (wearing goggles 
with different types of lenses), deafness (ear plugs, tape recorders etc) and 
physical impairments (splinting a leg, using wheelchairs etc). And one for word 
retrieval problems (tell a story but not being able to use any word with r in 
it). Does anyone have any other ideas?

Specifically I would like some ideas on attention issues (I can find some on 
line but would prefer practical ones) and sensory integration issues.

Many thanks
"It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how 
much we give, but how much love we put in the giving."
 ~ ~ Mother Teresa ~ ~

Keep Looking For Rainbows!!
   _--_|\
 /Karen \
 \ _.--._ /
          v Karen, Mum to Alex (10 years, T-18 Mosaic)
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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