Archive: KIDLINK and the Special Needs Student

The Hearing Impaired Student Rodrigo Gonzalez, a deaf child, has contributed art for the KIDLINK Gallery of Computer Art. There are 5 pictures of his dinosaurs on this page: http://www.kidlink.org/KIDART/ART97/img/uruguay-1.html Da Síndrome de Down Liliane writes from Brasil: Como pedagoga, eu tive no laboratório de informática de uma escola que eu dirigia, um aluno que vamos chamá-lo de Luz. Luz incialmente não queria de forma alguma sair dos computadores de demonstração do lado de fora da sala de aula, e com paciência e muita imaginação fomos integrando-o na sala com os demais amigos, Luz é portador da síndrome de down, e hoje após quase 3 anos frequentando aulas, ele iniciou um trabalho com especialistas em diversas áreas, foi matriculado em uma escola normal e está indo muito bem obrigada. Este é um depoimento que mostra que um trabalho em equipe , e com confiança, embasado em orientações seguras favorece o desenvolvimento dos alunos com necessidades especiais. Liliane Liliane's text in English: As an educator, I had, in the computer lab of a school that I guided, a student that we will call Luz. Luz, in the beginning, didn't want to leave from the demonstration computers that were outside of the classroom, and with patience and a lot of imagination we were integrating him in the classroom with the other friends. Luz is carrier of the down syndrome and today, after almost 3 years frequenting classes, he began a work with specialists in several areas, he was enrolled in a normal school and he is going very well, thank you. This story shows that working in team, and with trust, based on safe orientations favors the students with special needs' development. Liliane Translation: Kindness of Larissa Sato Dias The Vision Impaired Student From teacher, Patti Weeg, in Maryland: Several years ago I had two visually impaired students who loved to send e-mail and sound files to their keypals. Billy could type well but when his classmates went to the big computer lab for lessons with math and reading software he was lost. During this time he came to my "KIDLINK lab" of donated computers and typed his simple ASCII files to his keypals. He also participated in The Writer's Corner project and wrote his thoughts about violence in the world: "We heard about the bombing in Oklahoma. That is terrible with all the innocent children dying and stuff. It kind of makes you feel less safe in your own home. What is the world coming to? How could any body do such a thing? It has been on the news for a while. The rescue workers are finding more and more people each day from the bomb. It seems like all you see on the news is violence. There's even violence on tv and all that kind of stuff and for all the people with loved ones missing I am really sorry for you. Is there any hope of finding any more alive? I really don't know. I mean I hope there are more living and I hope if they are still in the reckage that they hold on. I am blind and I have to imagine stuff so when I hear it on the news I just imagine how bad it all is. Well that is all the time I can write." Bill Stewart Grade 6 Delmar Elementary School Through my KIDLEADER connections I met Greg Lovelace and his wonderful family in North Carolina. His daughter, Maya, wrote to our other blind student, Peggy, during summer school and sent her seashells from their beaches. How thoughtful to send Peggy something she could feel and touch! A phone call from North Carolina brought smiles to Peggy's face. The two shy friends talked for a few minutes one morning of summer school classes. See both girls and their heartwarming story. Peggy also made sound files to send to her friends as e-mail attachments. Her visual limitations did not prevent her from doing online activities. The Reluctant Learner Last year a student who was very quick to get angry and who didn't care about his poor spelling met his match in Italy. His friend (who used a dictionary to write back to him) fussed because he could not find his American friend's misspelled words in his dictionary! Suddenly he had a real reason to spell correctly - his keypal in Italy couldn't understand his letters. This September a 5th grade student was escorted to my lab during the morning "before class" time when the lab is open. His teacher was afraid that he might get into mischief on the way so she sent another student with him. That lasted one week. Tony loves his KIDLINK friends and is as good as gold when he comes to the lab. He hates to leave when the bell rings for class. He stays for my after school computer club and I have to "push him out the door" when it is time to go home. During Summer School 1996 Salisbury students took part in the "Antarctic Adventure" project and wrote to the two men who were doing a "winter-over" at McMurdo where they did satellite tracking. Several of the "reluctant learners" who normally did not like summer school and who did not like to do their tasks developed a bond with the two men. I watched as these students sat as quiet as church mice and typed to their buddies at the bottom of the earth. Here are samples: Dear Mr. Matt and Mr. Dave, I really like when you write to me. I wish I could write to you all of the time. Thursday July 25, 1996 is our last day of school. Hope I hear from you soon. I did not like summer school until I wrote to you men. I always wake up in the morning looking foreword to writing to you men. I would like to see you. If you are in Salisbury could you stop by North Salisbury School and ask for Jarrell. Well this is my last day writing to you. If I hear from you two I will be so happy. The feeling of not touching these keys again makes me sad. If I could give you something I would for writing back to me. Thank you for all of your letters. You did not have to write to me but you did. I just can't stop saying thank you. Well bye! Your friend, Jarrell ...and the last day of summer school when Jarrell thought he wouldn't be coming to the lab: Dear Mr. Matt and Mr. Dave It looks like I'll be writing to you. I am so happy. This morning I walked in the classroom and ask the teacher did I get a reply from you. So how are you doing. I hope fine. Do you know this is the funniest thing I did. It make me feel happy. I wish you were down here so that I can talk to you. I am saving all your letters. If I never came to summer school I would not be talking to you today. But I do want to do good in school. This keeps me occupied. I like talk to you. My hand feel good touching these keys again. Your friend, Jarrell Mr. Matt and Mr. Dave did come to Salisbury and we gathered five of the boys together at my school. One student was transported from the "Alternative School" for the afternoon so he could see Mr. Matt. All of these students have found a comfortable place in KIDLINK where students with special needs are just like everyone else. Patti Back to the Menu page Back For more information about the Kidlink organization please write to kidlink-info@kidlink.org. Web version maintained by Patricia A. Weeg patti@globalclassroom.org - Updated January 9, 1998. Copyright ® 1997 Kidlink . All rights reserved.