Initiative Description
AzTAP was asked to provide a training for a local private school that incorporates learning about persons with disabilities and their needs into its curriculum starting in the 1st grade. They teach them about different disabilities and then have a guest speaker to discuss what it is like for them living with their disability. When they get to 2nd grade, they learn what AT is and how it can assist a person with a disability. AzTAP & our Department of Education (ADE) program staff came together to run this training. We divided the group of 55 2nd grade children into three groups. We first discussed with each group how someone with a disability may do an activity and they provided us with ideas and all sorts of possibilities. We then set up stations of AT devices from the following categories; hearing, vision, computers, speech, daily living and games/sports. We reviewed each one of the AT devices with each group and how a person with a disability could use each item. Everyone, including the teachers and the aids asked several questions about the devices. There were a few 2nd graders that even came up with future AT possibilities to help individuals with disabilities.
Lessons Learned/Replication
It would be nice to have had more staff in order to divide the children into smaller groups.