*Written by Parent....
Reasons why Drama & the arts are vital for children with disabilities.
1. Zoe is unique in that she cannot feel pain, she's non-verbal, cannot walk and she's g-tube fed. But she's very cognizant and loves interaction of her peers & adults. She brings energy and light to class!
2. The preschool drama group offers a safe haven for children with differing disabilities. It's unique in that we all come together from different backgrounds, but have common ground with our extraordinarychildren. By the end of the 8 weeks, we became a family and every child grew from their experience. For example, when Zoe entered the class, she exuded excitement and her new friends would greet her and smile. They treated each other with respect and looked out for one another in the class. A couple of the children who were afraid to enter the class, by the end actually participated in whole class!
3. The preschool drama class is a "Safe Haven" for children with disabilities. Parents & children knew that no one was judging them and they could be themselves. No pressures, no judgements.
4. Drama classes and other classes for children with disabilities is very important for our communities because it offers a protected environment where children & parents can be themselves. Parents don't need to worry that their child is interrupting or eccentric. Everyone is equal and we all accept and respect each other. We became a community and our children looked forward to going to drama and seeing their friends.
5. This class is one of the few opportunities outside of school where children with differing abilities can be themselves and participate in a fun class! And as parents, we want the best for our children and we want them to have same opportunities that typical children have.
Thank you, Bonnie, and her outstanding teachers, for an exciting, inclusive, and artistic class.
We really enjoyed it and hope that there are more opportunities in the future!
Please feel free to contact me in the future if I can help out in any way.
Sincerely,
Mom of Zach, 7, 2nd grader at Concord and Zoe, 5, preschooler at ECC and soon to be kindergartner at Concord.
Victoria and Zoe participated in Drama Interaction's Parent/Child Training Program funded by the
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and Legacy Funds. It is very important to contact your legislatures
and advocate for children like Zoe and her friends so that they may have more opportunities to participate
in the Arts. Thank you!
If you would like to have a program brought to your location give us a call. Please note, if you prefer to participate in our Online programming please reach out
Programs have been held at St. David's, School Internships, Opportunity Partners, Courage Center, Choice, Chrestomathy, New Options, transition programs, GIGI'S Playhouse, Reach for Resources, Senior Facilities such as Sholom West, Menorah, Roitenberg, Reedemer, Praire Care, Havenwood, Good Samaritan, Ebeneezer Ridges, Highland Ridges, Sholom East and many more locations.
Teaching Artists: Bonnie, Sheila, Julie, Sandra, Mindy, Alexandra, Brynn, Katrina,Tinka, Michelle, Robin, Kaiti, Marianne and Angela.
(Autism Consultant, Speech Language Pathologist on Staff-Jill Kuzma)
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