 | | | From left, Nick Schroeder, JD Hohman, Ben Mollohan and St. Perpetua principal Karen Goodshaw. Photo Provided
| | | | | | Led by a passionate trio of seventh-grade boys, the first ever Diverse Abilities Awareness Week kicked off Feb. 25 at St. Perpetua School in Lafayette. It was a unique opportunity for students and their families to gain a greater understanding ofpeople living with disabilities.
The inspiration for the event came from student Ben Mollohan who attended a similar educational program at Orinda Intermediate School last year. He was moved by what he learned at the event about those facing physical and mental challenges, and he was inspired by how it affected other students in attendance. He wanted to bring the same experience to students at St. Perpetua.
"It really inspired me because a lot of people there didn't really know about certain disabilities and they learned how to treat people with disabilities," he said.
Mollohan, along with classmates Nick Schroeder and JD Hohman, took the idea for their own event to St. Perpetua student council leader Lindsay Short, who over the course of a year helped them develop a program applicable to kindergarten through eighth-grade classes. With guidance from their parents, special needs teacher Liz Ganey and counselor Caitlin Martindale, they created the first week-long educational and interactive program for their school.
Diverse Abilities Week kicked off with an inspirational guest speaker, Trooper Johnson. Paralyzed since age 17 and a paralympic competitor, Johnson impressed his young audience with his athletic skills, demonstrating that physical differences did not have to limit everyday activities. In the classroom, specialized lesson plans were also devised for the week,with activities focused around tolerance and understanding of disabilities. In some physical education classes, the students even got to experience what it felt like to play their favorite sports in a wheelchair.
An open house for middle school students and their parents was a highlight of the week. Community groups working with the disabled shared information on support resources available and gave the students hands-on experience to help them gain a better understanding of the many different types of physical and mental disabilities existing in our population.
Hohman says he was surprised to learn how many types of challenges were being faced by people every day.
"There's so many people that have disabilities, and some we don't even notice," he said.
Ben, JD and Nick say they hope the program becomes an annual event to encourage tolerance and individual respect for every person in their school and in the community.
"It's saying these people don't have disabilities, they have 'differentabilities,'"said Nick.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA