| Kacy's
Story (as told to us by
her mother)
I
have noticed your advertisements in the paper regarding the new
campaign and am very excited about it. What a wonderful way
to communicate to the public how everyone does belong.
I
thought I would share a little of our story with you. I have
a fifteen year old daughter who is moderately mentally challenged
and has some physical disabilities as well. She is quite high functioning
and is integrated into Chestermere High School quite well.
She does spend a fair amount of time in the resource room but she
attends foods classes, art and various other options to receive
an integrated program.
Kacy
has wanted to be a teacher since she was about four. She doesn't
really have many memories of life before school as she began at
the ACH in the preschool multi-handicapped preschool at age two
half days. She plays school in her spare time with dolls and
cats, whoever she can find to teach.
Last
year, her resource teachers told me it was a shame about Kacy's
disabilities (that is still a remark that hurts) as she had a wonderful
gift of teaching and they often used Kacy's skills with more challenged
students. It got me thinking...
This
year she entered high school here in Rockyview. She spent
exam week in January at home with me and very bored. Kacy
loves school and would spend all week there if she could.
I approached the elementary school in our area to see if there was
a possibility that Kacy could help out in their library during exam
week in June. The librarian thought it could work as Kacy
has gained considerable library experience working 5 periods a week
in her own school library. Well, from there it has evolved.
A grade one teacher that worked with Kacy as an aide asked if Kacy
could come and help out in her class as well. It is proving
to be most successful. The kids in the school like Kacy, ask
for her help and ask her to come out at recess and eat lunch with
them. She is helping in the library by reshelving books, helping
the librarian with a reading program, and doing inventory.
She works in the classroom with students, reading and writing and
redirecting. She takes things off bulletin boards, puts them
up, does photocopying and is helping pack up for the summer.
She is in heaven...and so are we. I have asked the school
to write some thoughts down about Kacy and how they feel this inclusion
is making Kacy a part of our community and they have agreed. They
may also take some pictures for us.
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