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“Mobility and the Mouse”. Take several HS Visually Impaired students doing traditional mobility, Combine them with a group of young adults with cognitive disabilities doing generic mobility – drop them off at Disney World And what do you get?.
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“Mobility and the Mouse” Take several HS Visually Impaired students doing traditional mobility, Combine them with a group of young adults with cognitive disabilities doing generic mobility – drop them off at Disney World And what do you get?
Participants:*HS Students with a Visual Impairment *HSStudents & Young Adults with a Cognitive Disability
Premise: A collaborative learning environment is established in which CD & VI students rely on each other to build their skills and help each other increase their levels of independence, self esteem, and mobility skills. • VI students are mentors / role models for the CD students, assisting with: • Counting money • Making purchases • Assisting non-verbal students • Meal planning & preparation • Maintaining a time schedule • Read braille maps • Assisted with ADL skills in the rooms • The CD students assist the VI Students with: • Reading menus in dark restaurants • Sighted guide at night within the crowds • Reading park signs • Navigating the airports • Locating luggage & seats on the plane • Locate bus stops & read the names on the bus
Our Journey Begins Checking in at the Airport
First Time on a Plane Helping each other find their seats
Home away from home Girls & Guys are in their own villas and help each other with daily tasks.
CD Students: locate items & read prices VI Students: estimate costs & pay for items PLANNING & SHOPPING FOR MEALS
Meal Preparation VI Students – work on cooking skills CD Students – read directions on packages
It’s a Vision Thing! “Peanut butter is great on ice cream!”
Mobility Around the Parks • Generic mobility skills are worked on with the CD students, including how to be a sighted guide. • Traditional Mobility skills are worked on with the VI students.
Taking the Bus CD Students read the bus schedule VI Students help to figure out the times
CD Students reading bus stop signs And doing sighted guide Getting to the Parks
VI Student Using Braille a Map CD Students reading the print maps Mobility in the Park
Cane travel in less crowded areas CD students are the sighted guides in the crowds and at night
Everyone wants to use the Cane (Except the Visually Impaired Student!)
CD Students do sighted guide to the rides VI Students get to drive!
Getting directions Shopping
VI Student entering a Pin number CD students describing what’s on the buffet Buffet Lines
Technology Checking for dinner reservations & reading menus using an iTouch. CD & VI students programed them in together before they left for Disney.
CD Students read the menu VI students assist with the orders Dining
Disney World is an amazing place to incorporate a lifetime worth of skills, independence and mobility training in just a few days. But even if you can’t make it to Florida, hopefully, this will help spark some ideas on how to incorporate skills between groups of students with multiple disabilities, in a unique setting.
However, the real magic is being able to see how individuals with such different disabilities can work together, teach each other, and…
Maintain friendships that have lasted long after the fireworks have burned out.
Long term benefits for the VI Students Build self-esteem by being a positive role model & mentor, and helping someone else with a disability Assist with the Special Olympics team during practices and travel with them for state meets. Organizing a tournament at their college and sharing their dorm rooms Secure college jobs as RA’s in their dorms as a result of the training and experience they received on the Disney trips. Employed at Café Arrowhead, & Lake Country Artisans the CD student’s businesses Participation in the Lobster Boil fundraising activity Travel independently both nationally & internationally “It’s a small world after all!”
After the first trip with my 9th grade VI student, I asked her what she thought about being with the CD students; “I always knew the stereotypes about people with visual impairments, but I had no idea how people with cognitive disabilities were treated – this really made me see things from a different side.” 10 years later she is a Special Education teacher at Arrowhead High School and was a chaperone on this year’s trip. Lynn Goeden-Hough My thanks to John Hough and the Arrowhead CD Program / Students and Arrowhead Special Olympics Team without whom none of this would have been possible! Presenters