Special Education organization brings awareness to schools
By Lori Porter
porter@theacorn.com

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn IN SOMEONE ELSE'S SHOES-Fourth- graders Stephen Bilham, left, Lauren Gerber, center, and Caroline Hotchkiss learn how blind people must use their other senses to complete projects during an Ability Awareness Fair at Oak Hills Elementary School in Oak Park on Monday. The purpose was to teach students how to understand and accept the handicaps of other children.

The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC), a group of dedicated district staff members, administration and parents of Oak Park Unified School District, this week sponsored the first round in a series of Abilities Awareness Fairs after receiving funding from Time Warner, Inc. Due to a generous one-time grant, SEAC has now moved forward with a plan to conduct a fair at each of the OPUSD elementary schools, beginning with Oak Hills Elementary School this week.

OPUSD students, parents and teachers experienced firsthand the challenges shared by children with special needs and learning disabilities. Through interactive booths at the fair, others could get a sense of the hurdles that face handicapped children every day.

One of the goals was to produce empathy in students for others with physical challenges. Kids got to use walkers and wheelchairs so they could understand how children with physical disabilities move from place to place. In addition, the kids tried on special gloves that mimicked motor skill difficulties.

Members of SEAC hope the experience will give students the knowledge they need to better understand the limitations of peers with special needs. "With this new understanding, students can begin to become more aware—and ultimately more accepting of people’s differences," said SEAC member Kareen Weidenfeller.

SEAC strives to bridge the gap between families and their school district. They meet on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in room G-9 at Oak Park High School. Weidenfeller said the meetings are open to anyone who’s interested but they’re geared toward parents of children with special education needs from preschool through high school.

Though the monthly meetings are mostly informative, SEAC periodically conducts in-depth workshops. Some of them have covered issues like understanding the Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting, study-skills tools and analysis of President George W. Bush’s "No Child Left Behind" mandate.

The next meeting on Mon, March 8 will be a general information meeting. The April SEAC meeting will be an interactive workshop teaching parents professional communication styles to use during their meetings with special education professionals.

For more information, please call Cathy Skiba, OPUSD director of pupil services, at (818) 735-3208 or Kareen Weidenfeller at (818) 889-6903. SEAC meeting dates are posted on the following Websites: www.oakparkupdate.com and www.opusd.k12.ca.us