Photo Courtesy of Micheal Roman
By Linda Brenckle
Last Friday, fourth graders at Lincoln Street Elementary school felt the struggle of having a learning disability. They giggled, wriggled, shook their heads, and gave puzzled and concerned looks as they intently worked through the Learning Disabilities unit of the “Understanding Our Differences” program.
Parents in Newton, MA designed “Understanding Our Differences” in 1978, in response to the passage of MA Chapter 2766, which mandated that, for the first time, students with disabilities would attend the public schools. These parents saw a need for schoolchildren to understand the differences they observed. “Understanding Our Differences” has evolved into six instructional units on various disabilities with an additional three to come. It is one of a number of programs offered through the Disability Awareness Institute (http://www.understandingourdifferences.org/school_programs.html).
To teach students to be more sensitive to the challenges of others, according to Barbara Goodman, Director of Student Support Services for the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough, the District philosophy is to “integrate respect for differences every day.” However, the curriculum also includes some instruction, such as the Learning Disabilities unit, which has been included for fourth graders District-wide for the past 12 years. Izumi Ludgate, the parent coordinator for the program at Lincoln Street School, noted that unlike physical disabilities, learning disabilities are not usually obvious, but are likewise demanding, which makes this unit eye-opening for students.
Ten trained parent volunteers ran the Friday program for the 47 fourth graders. The children began by discussing their own strengths and challenges. Some strengths, like “handling diabetes”, were inspiring, while challenges such as “keeping my desk clean” drew a resonating chuckle. Ms. Ludgate used the familiar computer concepts of input, processing, memory, and output to simplify where learning problems can occur. Afterwards, the children cycled through four stations– Mirror Box, Dot-to-Dot/Mystery Pictures, Memory Game, and Circle Story—each of which simulated the experience of having different types of learning disabilities. The stations buzzed; parents provided guidance and urged children not to cheat while they reacted to the task. Fourth grader Katie H, working on the Mirror Box, summed it up well when she said, “It’s kind of like up is down and down is up.” Finally, students reconvened to discuss strategies and to hear from two Algonquin High School students about what it is like to have a learning disability.
The goal for students was not only to become aware of what it feels like to have a learning disability, thereby developing empathy for other students, but also to learn strategies for working through challenges. According to Arlene Shainker, Assistant Director of Student Support Services, “(the) emphasis is on being a helpful learning partner.” It was obvious in their expressions that these fourth graders are well on their way.
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