TEAM SOUTHWEST HOMESCHOOLERS VIDEO FIELD TRIP
Video 3: Team Southwest Homeschoolers traveled to the Turnstone Center for Disabled Adults and Children for a field trip in conjunction with Disabilities Awareness Month 2008. Please take a moment to view the <<events of our day! |
To learn more about Disabilities Awareness Month 2008 visit: www.in.gov/gpcpd/ To learn more about Turnstone visit: www.turnstone.org For suggested book list for disability awareness CLICK HERE |
Video 2: Team Southwest Homeschoolers traveled to Mitchell's Books Studio M Movie Room for a special day with Ruff Ruffman from FETCH! Special thanks to Susan Pierce at PBS 39 for assisting with our day. <<Check it out! |
 |  |  |  |
| Students listened to guest speakers Rick Ramsey and Team Southwest member, Halsey, share about their disabilities. Rick Ramsey shared about his auto accident and paralysis that occurred as a result. He also spoke about his position at Turnstone and his service dog, Cassidy. Kevin Hughes, Turnstone wheelchair basketball coach, also shared about his Spina Bifida and held a wheelchair basketball practice session with the students. Karen Tyner, Turnstone Services, helped students understand the perspective of persons with disabilities through demonstrations and gave information about how to approach and speak to people with a disability. Below is the speech Team Southwest Homeschooler, Halsey, shared with the students this day. _________________________________________________________________________________ Hi, my name is Halsey and I am ten-years-old. I am in the 5th grade. I am here to tell you about kids with disabilities. A disability means there is something a person can not do or they can’t do it the same as most people. I was born with a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA. SMA is caused by a missing gene in my DNA. This missing gene is used to help your muscles grow. I do not have this gene or it is “broken” so my muscles are weak. Because SMA makes my muscles so weak, I have never crawled, I have never walked, I use a machine to breathe at night, and I use a power wheelchair. SMA can be very bad and many babies die because they are so weak. Having SMA does not scare me because I have lived all the way to the age of ten, so I am sure I will live longer. I know God protects me. I got my first wheelchair when I was one and a half years old. I have seen a physical therapist to help me stretch my body and keep my muscles from getting weaker since I was a baby. I use rings, balls and sit on things to test my balance. I also see many doctors and have tests to check my health. SMA makes my lungs weak because lungs work by using muscles too. I have to be careful not to get a cold and wash my hands carefully. I have two metal rods in my back that stretch from my neck to my tail bone. The rods look like this (share metal rod piece). The rods hold my back straight. Before I had rods in my back, my back was turned very badly because my back muscles were too weak to support my spine -- which is the long group of bones down your back. Being a kid with a disability makes me different because I can’t do some things the same as other kids. There are some things I can’t quite reach, it’s hard to hide in “hide-and-seek,” and I need someone to get me out of bed in the morning. I am also the same as other kids too because I still “run around” using my wheelchair, I like to read books, and I sing in my church choir. Some things take longer than normal for me to do. I do not get discouraged because I know eventually I can do it. When I go to someone’s house I have to think about if there are stairs or if I can get in. My wheelchair is too heavy to lift. We bring a ramp that works sometimes if there aren’t too many steps or if they aren’t too big. Other kids ask me, why I am in a wheelchair, why can’t I walk, or are your legs broken? I like to be asked these questions. When they ask me, they can learn more about me. I do things that many people think I can’t do. I swim, ride horses and go bowling with some help. I paint and use my computer. Sometimes it is hard having a disability like when groups of kids play games I can’t play. I think it is important to find area to play where everyone can participate. I like when kids offer to help me reach something. I want people to know that kids with disabilities are really the same as them. Some people think we need extra attention, but really we need the same attention everyone else gets. I like to be treated the same as you treat other people. You should not be afraid of people in wheelchairs. Many people like to talk about their disability. But, it’s important to ask a person if they mind answering your questions. It is important to learn more about kids or people with disabilities so that you can help them the way that they do need help -- like when my friends help me reach things. I like to be asked if I need or want help. Learning how to change a game or find ways to involve people of all abilities is something everyone should try. Halsey |
Video 1: Team Southwest Homeschoolers traveled to Smith Field Airport in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In addition to learning more about historic Smith Field, students met legendary female aviator, Margaret Ringenberg. Special thanks to our guest speakers and Smith Field. <<See our trip here! |