Good readers learn from repeating auditory signals, poor readers do not
The vast majority of school-aged children can focus on the voice of a teacher amid the cacophony of the typical classroom thanks to a brain that automatically focuses on relevant, predictable and repeating auditory information, according to new research from Northwestern University.
But for children with developmental dyslexia, the teacher’s voice may get lost in the background noise of banging lockers, whispering children, playground screams and scraping chairs, the researchers say. Their study appears in the Nov. 12 issue of Neuron.
Recent scientific studies suggest that children with developmental dyslexia — a neurological disorder affecting reading and spelling skills in 5 to 10 percent of school aged children — have difficulties separating relevant auditory information from competing noise.
The research from Northwestern University’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory not only confirms those findings but presents biological evidence that children who report problems hearing speech in noise also suffer from a measurable neural impairment that adversely affects their ability to make use of regularities in the sound environment.
“The ability to sharpen or fine-tune repeating elements is crucial to hearing speech in noise because it allows for superior ‘tagging’ of voice pitch, an important cue in picking out a particular voice within background noise,” said Nina Kraus, Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences and Neurobiology and director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory.
In the article “Context-dependent encoding in the human auditory brainstem relates to hearing speech-in-noise: Implications for developmental dyslexia,” Kraus and co-investigators Bharath Chandrasekaran, Jane Hornickel, Erika Skoe and Trent Nicol demonstrate that the remarkable ability of the brain to tune into relevant aspects in the soundscape is carried out by an adaptive auditory system that continuously changes its activity based on the demands of context.
Good and poor readers were asked to watch a video while the speech sound “da” was presented to them through an earphone in two different sessions during which the brain’s response to these sounds was continuously measured.
In the first session, “da” was repeated over and over and over again (in what the researchers call a repetitive context). In the second, “da” was presented randomly amid other speech sounds (in what the researchers call a variable context). In an additional session, the researchers performed behavioral tests in which the children were asked to repeat sentences that were presented to them amid increasing degrees of noise.
“Even though the children’s attention was focused on a movie, the auditory system of the good readers ‘tuned in’ to the repeatedly presented speech sound context and sharpened the sound’s encoding. In contrast, poor readers did not show an improvement in encoding with repetition,” said Chandrasekaran, lead author of the study. “We also found that children who had an adaptive auditory system performed better on the behavioral tests that required them to perceive speech in noisy backgrounds.”
The study suggests that in addition to conventional reading and spelling based interventions, poor readers who have difficulties processing information in noisy backgrounds could benefit from the employment of relatively simple strategies, such as placing the child in front of the teacher or using wireless technologies to enhance the sound of a teacher’s voice for an individual student.
Interestingly, the researchers found that dyslexic children showed enhanced brain activity in the variable condition. This may enable dyslexic children to represent their sensory environment in a broader and arguably more creative manner, although at the cost of the ability to exclude irrelevant signals (e.g. noise).
“The study brings us closer to understanding sensory processing in children who experience difficulty excluding irrelevant noise. It provides an objective index that can help in the assessment of children with reading problems,” Kraus says.
For nearly two decades, Kraus has been trying to determine why some children with good hearing have difficulties learning to read and spell while others do not. Early in her work, because the deficits she was exploring related to the complex processes of reading and writing, Kraus studied how the cortex — the part of the brain responsible for thinking –encoded sounds. She and her colleagues now understand that problems associated with the encoding of sound also can occur in lower perceptual structures.
Northwestern University
Showing posts with label Playground. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Playground. Show all posts
12 November 2009
03 October 2009
SportsAbility to bring outdoor activities to those with disabilities
| Ocala.com | Star-Banner | Ocala, FL
By Andy Fillmore
Correspondent
Published: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.
Diane Leaf has been toiling almost a year for grins.
Or, more specifically, smiles.
Since January, Leaf, program supervisor for the city of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department, has been working on a joint venture with Marion County Parks and Recreation and the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association to bring SportsAbility to the area.
SportsAbility - open to the public and free to participants and spectators - is a two-day event aimed at making park and outdoor leisure activities accessible to those who encounter barriers to healthful leisure time.
Leaf, a certified therapeutic recreation therapist, said the event will be fun for participants experiencing something they may never have done because conventional playground and sports equipment would not accommodate their wheelchairs or allow accessibility.
"My joy is seeing the smiling faces," Leaf said.
SportsAbility literature lists some benefits of outdoor activity as better overall health and avoiding additional health problems.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to be involved with healthful and relaxing leisure activities, Leaf said.
"Prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act, there may not have been the same opportunities," she said.
SportsAbility is a program of the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association. Outdoorsman David Jones founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1990 after a hunting accident left him with paralysis in his left side. He wanted to establish a means to allow people with varying physical capabilities to start or continue to enjoy the benefits of outdoor activities, Leaf said.
"Individuals have participated with conditions from arthritis to cerebral palsy," she added.
During the event, activities at the MLK Recreation Complex and the Ed Croskey Center's Hampton Aquatic Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday will include wheelchair basketball, adaptive golf and tennis, bocce, laser target shooting, an interactive fishing simulation and therapeutic horseback riding. An adaptive aquatics demonstration and pool party are on the agenda.
An exposition on the recreation complex grounds will include sponsor displays with information about adaptive equipment such as custom-made sit-to-ski chairs. The Pyramid Players, sponsored by the Marion County Children's Alliance, will provide song and dance entertainment at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
In the same timeframe Saturday, events will take place at the Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area in Ocklawaha. They will include skiing programs by U Can Ski 2, sailing, canoeing, kayaking and pontoon boat rides. Also on tap are archery, target shooting, fishing and nature presentations.
A free hamburger and hot dog lunch will be available, while supplies last.
Therapeutic horseback riding also is planned that day, and Betty Gray of Stirrups 'n' Strides is planning to bring Morgan horses Barney and Knickee. Gray's daughter, Kathy, is a national award winner in Special Olympics riding.
"It's miraculous what riding has done for Kathy; she would likely be in a wheelchair without it," Gray said.
"Kathy plans to participate in the water sports on Saturday," she added.
Leaf said she hopes for a good turnout.
"I love to help people" in the therapeutic recreation setting, Leaf said. "That inspires me."
By Andy Fillmore
Correspondent
Published: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.
Diane Leaf has been toiling almost a year for grins.
Or, more specifically, smiles.
Since January, Leaf, program supervisor for the city of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department, has been working on a joint venture with Marion County Parks and Recreation and the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association to bring SportsAbility to the area.
SportsAbility - open to the public and free to participants and spectators - is a two-day event aimed at making park and outdoor leisure activities accessible to those who encounter barriers to healthful leisure time.
Leaf, a certified therapeutic recreation therapist, said the event will be fun for participants experiencing something they may never have done because conventional playground and sports equipment would not accommodate their wheelchairs or allow accessibility.
"My joy is seeing the smiling faces," Leaf said.
SportsAbility literature lists some benefits of outdoor activity as better overall health and avoiding additional health problems.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to be involved with healthful and relaxing leisure activities, Leaf said.
"Prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act, there may not have been the same opportunities," she said.
SportsAbility is a program of the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association. Outdoorsman David Jones founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1990 after a hunting accident left him with paralysis in his left side. He wanted to establish a means to allow people with varying physical capabilities to start or continue to enjoy the benefits of outdoor activities, Leaf said.
"Individuals have participated with conditions from arthritis to cerebral palsy," she added.
During the event, activities at the MLK Recreation Complex and the Ed Croskey Center's Hampton Aquatic Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday will include wheelchair basketball, adaptive golf and tennis, bocce, laser target shooting, an interactive fishing simulation and therapeutic horseback riding. An adaptive aquatics demonstration and pool party are on the agenda.
An exposition on the recreation complex grounds will include sponsor displays with information about adaptive equipment such as custom-made sit-to-ski chairs. The Pyramid Players, sponsored by the Marion County Children's Alliance, will provide song and dance entertainment at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
In the same timeframe Saturday, events will take place at the Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area in Ocklawaha. They will include skiing programs by U Can Ski 2, sailing, canoeing, kayaking and pontoon boat rides. Also on tap are archery, target shooting, fishing and nature presentations.
A free hamburger and hot dog lunch will be available, while supplies last.
Therapeutic horseback riding also is planned that day, and Betty Gray of Stirrups 'n' Strides is planning to bring Morgan horses Barney and Knickee. Gray's daughter, Kathy, is a national award winner in Special Olympics riding.
"It's miraculous what riding has done for Kathy; she would likely be in a wheelchair without it," Gray said.
"Kathy plans to participate in the water sports on Saturday," she added.
Leaf said she hopes for a good turnout.
"I love to help people" in the therapeutic recreation setting, Leaf said. "That inspires me."
07 September 2009
Free wheeling
UD helps a 3-year-old with cerebral palsy get around -- while giving other kids hope
By RACHEL KIPP
The News Journal
It was late afternoon, close to dinnertime, and Julianne Harp was ready to leave the playground for home. But when Harp walked toward the exit, her 3-year-old son, Will, headed in the opposite direction, toward the sandbox.
"It's so nice to see him able to do typical age-appropriate behavior -- that outweighs your frustration at him for not listening," Harp said.
Harp clearly welcomes Will's little acts of defiance. Since he was born, there haven't been many times she has had to run after her preschooler.
Will has cerebral palsy and the neurological disorder has left him without much control of his arms and legs. Most of the time, he relies on adults to carry him or to push his stroller. Oftentimes, he sits on the sidelines while classmates at the University of Delaware's Early Learning Center race each other on tricycles.
But this summer is different. For the first time in his young life, Will is joining the chase.
With a turn of a joystick, Will zips around in a power chair custom-made by researchers at the University of Delaware. Using the chair, the brown-haired preschooler can travel in a pack of his classmates from the sandbox to the swingset and back. He no longer has to yell for friends to come to him, or bring up the rear because he had to wait for an adult's help. The research team taught him to drive, and they've been a constant presence over the past several months, watching how Will reacts to his newfound independence.
Will is at the center of a study of power mobility in young children. Researchers wondered if babies could use power chairs to move around obstacles. Now they are looking not just at mobility but at how the freedom of movement affects a child's ability to make friends and interact with the world.
"He's never been reprimanded, he's never acted out. He's the perfect student in class -- and it's horrible," said Cole Galloway, an associate professor at UD and one of the lead researchers. "There's a window right now at his age and if we don't get him mobile and social ... he's the perfect elementary school kid. He's the hidden kid."
Other researchers have conducted studies that involve children using robotic devices, but this work is unique because of the young age of the children and because it looks at the role mobility plays in developing a child's social skills and personality. Researchers hope their work could lead to young children whose immobility now hinders their social development to learning socialization skills to enable them to make friends so they are not behind their peers when they enter school.
The team at UD believes that starting young is essential because by the time a child enters kindergarten, there are fewer opportunities for unstructured play. Children don't usually start using power chairs until early elementary school; as toddlers and preschoolers, they often rely on adults to carry them from place to place. UD researchers are worried that, by age 6 or 7, children without mobility have already fallen behind in terms of learning to take risks and initiate the spontaneous interaction that is often so key to making friends.
"Will has developed tremendous focus and attention. What this helps him to do is engage in more cooperative play and to navigate his world," said Laura Morris, associate director of the Early Learning Center. "There are very few 3- and 4-year-olds who don't challenge the world in some way. That's how a child learns to take risks, how they learn to push limits and how they learn to get what they want through lots of different strategies. Will hasn't had the same kind of early opportunities to do that."
Taking it to the next level
When Galloway's team began studying power mobility in children, their work was confined to the lab and the Early Learning Center gym. There, researchers observed babies from 4 months to 15 months old as they drove power chairs with robotic brains and sensors to help them avoid walls and bumps.
To take the study to the next level, however, they had to introduce the obstacles of daily life.
"It's immensely different to be using this technology in a real community," Galloway said. "Now it's not just about the technology, it's about Will."
Will's family got involved in the research on the advice of Tracy Stoner, his physical therapist. Crawling, walking and getting in and out of different positions have always been a challenge for him, and Stoner thought he might be motivated if given the power to easily move on his own.
"He puts out so much energy when he's trying to walk; he's working so hard that he's just dripping with sweat trying to get where he's going," Stoner said. "I know he's working his little heart out. And one of the other reasons I saw Will as being a candidate for power mobility is if I have to work so hard to get 50 feet to a toy I want, if I'm so exhausted by the time I get there, I don't want to play anymore. It's sort of negative reinforcement: I won't move because it takes so much energy, and I hate walking because it's taking so much energy."
Will started working with the UD researchers when he was 2 1/2. First, he learned to drive what the team calls his rocket chair. Although the chair is one of the smallest power chairs available, it was too bulky for the classroom. Will could use it only in the Early Learning Center gym or outside on the playground.
In July, however, Will started using UD2, a power chair about the same height as his classmates' tricycles. A green and blue booster seat with a tray is attached to the robot, which has indoor/outdoor wheels and a wireless joystick. It has a robotic brain and sensors that researchers covered with a red foam swimming noodle because Will is adept enough to avoid obstacles on his own.
"It took him three months to learn to drive when he started," said Christina Ragonesi, a UD graduate student working on her doctorate in biomechanics and movement science who taught Will to drive the power chair. "The coolest part of the training was when he learned to drive away. I'd say it was time to leave the gym and he would drive away from me. It showed Will was learning to make his own decisions."
Learning to drive
Before Will began using UD2, researchers filmed him during class to see what his life was like without the power chair. It was business as usual at the Early Learning Center, a day care facility that does double duty as a living laboratory.
"He would just sit, he had to rely on teachers to move him from Point A to Point B," Ragonesi said. "He couldn't really make his own decisions unless he called a teacher over."
The power chair is only one of the devices that Will uses to get around. The researchers, his physical therapist and his parents agree that he needs to spend time each day using technology like a gait trainer that gives him the support he needs to walk.
"He needs both. He can't just have all the power and he needs to learn standing and he needs to use the gait trainer," Stoner said. "He needs to have options for both so he has time to learn and time to explore and time to walk and transition within tight spaces. Right now, no matter how small the robot is, there are places where it can't go so he needs to learn to walk."
When the researchers started training Will, they thought he would "just take off," after learning to drive the chair, Galloway said. That didn't happen. Soon after he started using the device, a group of classmates started a game of hide-and-seek. Will was "it," but after counting to 10 while the other children found hiding places, he didn't move.
"Just because Will understood how to drive in the halls didn't mean he knew how to use his mobility to play a game like hide-and-seek. He could tell you the rules of hide-and-seek but he couldn't use his mobility to interact and know that if I'm going to come seek you, I have to use the power chair to do that," Galloway said. "Even though he knew how to drive, even with the robot in class, it's taking some intervention for him to learn how to go and follow a group to a next activity."
Gradually, Will is getting used to the new circumstances. Recently, he donned a policeman's costume and drove around the classroom pretending his chair was a cruiser. He figured out the chair had enough bulk to push the classroom bookshelves along the floor. The little boy's classmates helped out by moving chairs or toys out of the way of the power chair.
While using UD2 on the playground last week, he was initially more interested in handing Ragonesi shovelfuls of sand from his pail and drawing on his tray table with sidewalk chalk than moving around.
"What color is this?" Ragonesi asked as she helped him draw a star on the tray with lilac-colored chalk.
"Purple," Will replied.
Then Will decided he wanted to drive under the playset. He careened toward the slide. His friends, twins Alexis and Arianna Mayle, ran over. Will shared the sand pail with the girls and the three wandered away together chattering, as Ragonesi shouted after Will to stay off the grass.
"I like to see this," Ragonesi said. "He never used to initiate anything."
The team studied Will's use of the power chair for 19 days. They filmed him for two hours a day and documented how many minutes he spent at each activity and how many minutes he spent interacting with other children and adults. A computer inside the chair provided raw data about Will's movements. Last week, the team was preparing to take the power chair away for three days to see how Will reacted to losing the mobility.
"If he cries and asks for it, we're going to give it to him the minute he cries," Ragonesi said. "After this week, we'll give him the robot from now on. We'll step out of the picture."
Selling the chair
Typically, children with physical disabilities don't start using manual wheelchairs or power chairs until they're about 2 years old, said Dr. Timothy J. Brei, a developmental pediatrician at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and medical director for the Spina Bifida Association, an advocacy group. Brei said most children start out using manual chairs.
"Power mobility is very expensive and you want to make sure you give it to someone who can really effectively use it," Brei said.
Although many in the medical community believe that mobility has some bearing on other aspects of a child's development, Brei isn't aware of any studies that document the connection.
"A child at preschool age is learning about who they are separate from their parents and they're learning social skills, interacting with their peers, playing or turn taking," Brei said. "But are they also learning something about who they are and their own sense of self-competence or self-worth or self-esteem? I think that may be as valuable as any just flat-out ability to navigate their environment or cognitive learning or social skills learning."
For the UD researchers to move forward with their work, they need to get power chairs into the lives of other children with physical disabilities.
Galloway gets a call about every two weeks from families who read about his work and want to get their children involved. But the team needs additional funding to expand. Ideally, they hope to form partnerships within the business world and commercialize the power chairs.
UD2 was developed by Sunil Agrawal, a mechanical engineering professor. His group ordered the pieces of the chair, assembled it and then wrote a software program so the device could be used for power mobility. The challenge they face is developing commercially available chairs that have the same technology as Will's but can be sold at a relatively low cost. Each robot costs between $15,000 and $20,000; the researchers want to develop a chair that could be purchased for $1,000 to $2,000.
The team submitted a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health that would fund the production of 16 power chairs -- half would be similar to Will's and the other half would be tweaked so the researchers could study add-ons. If several dozen families living in Delaware or across the country started using the chairs, Galloway said, their experiences using the devices in different environments would help the researchers continue to perfect the technology and explore mobility's connection to social development.
"We want you to see UD3 in local grocery stores, in churches and synagogues, in ballparks," Galloway said. "That's in line with our research. That's what pushes us to the next level. This kind of project, it's not just research, it's advocacy, it's policy."
The research is also focused on early education, Galloway said. By the time Will is in elementary school, he said, sitting quiet and still becomes an asset rather than something adults discourage. If the little boy doesn't venture out of his comfort zone now, he may never learn to.
Expressing himself
The adults in Will's life say he's an easygoing, "go-with-the-flow" type. But that's not necessarily good.
"He's got to be the bad boy," Galloway explained. "Luckily, he has administrators and classroom teachers who understand that they need to work for the whole range of behaviors, that a tantrum is part of normal development."
"The other piece is trying to be very careful not to turn Will into something he's not," Morris said. "This is about giving him opportunities to explore his world and being able to step back and see how he does that."
Will uses the power chairs only at school. When he wants something at his home in Newark, the little boy uses a tactic he calls "being a caterpillar:" He army crawls to get what he wants. Galloway helped his parents secure a power chair for a recent family trip to Disney World, and it was often Will who announced, "I know how to do it!" and figured out how to maneuver the device through doorways or tight spaces.
"I don't know if it's the chair or it's his age, but he's starting to express himself more," Harp said. "He'll say, 'I want that,' or 'You stole my toy.' He's much more vocal about what he wants and what he doesn't. On the downside, because he can move from one place to another, his attention span, for one thing, has become less."
While on the playground with Ragonesi last week, Will urged, "Let's go!" when she paused to talk to another adult. Without being prompted, he turned back to retrieve a forgotten sand pail. Paul Urbaniak, another of Will's classmates, grabbed the chair's joystick and Will inched a few feet forward. The little boy didn't appear to mind, but Will's teachers reminded both boys that Paul needs to ask permission before operating Will's chair.
Lately, the researchers and Will's teachers are starting to talk about how to react if Will begins using the chair to break the rules.
"We call him the 13th kid. There are 13 kids in his class, but if he's not mobile, there are 12," Galloway said. "You give him mobility and the teachers say, 'Oh no, you just gave us a new kid.' "
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By RACHEL KIPP
The News Journal
It was late afternoon, close to dinnertime, and Julianne Harp was ready to leave the playground for home. But when Harp walked toward the exit, her 3-year-old son, Will, headed in the opposite direction, toward the sandbox.
"It's so nice to see him able to do typical age-appropriate behavior -- that outweighs your frustration at him for not listening," Harp said.
Harp clearly welcomes Will's little acts of defiance. Since he was born, there haven't been many times she has had to run after her preschooler.
Will has cerebral palsy and the neurological disorder has left him without much control of his arms and legs. Most of the time, he relies on adults to carry him or to push his stroller. Oftentimes, he sits on the sidelines while classmates at the University of Delaware's Early Learning Center race each other on tricycles.
But this summer is different. For the first time in his young life, Will is joining the chase.
With a turn of a joystick, Will zips around in a power chair custom-made by researchers at the University of Delaware. Using the chair, the brown-haired preschooler can travel in a pack of his classmates from the sandbox to the swingset and back. He no longer has to yell for friends to come to him, or bring up the rear because he had to wait for an adult's help. The research team taught him to drive, and they've been a constant presence over the past several months, watching how Will reacts to his newfound independence.
Will is at the center of a study of power mobility in young children. Researchers wondered if babies could use power chairs to move around obstacles. Now they are looking not just at mobility but at how the freedom of movement affects a child's ability to make friends and interact with the world.
"He's never been reprimanded, he's never acted out. He's the perfect student in class -- and it's horrible," said Cole Galloway, an associate professor at UD and one of the lead researchers. "There's a window right now at his age and if we don't get him mobile and social ... he's the perfect elementary school kid. He's the hidden kid."
Other researchers have conducted studies that involve children using robotic devices, but this work is unique because of the young age of the children and because it looks at the role mobility plays in developing a child's social skills and personality. Researchers hope their work could lead to young children whose immobility now hinders their social development to learning socialization skills to enable them to make friends so they are not behind their peers when they enter school.
The team at UD believes that starting young is essential because by the time a child enters kindergarten, there are fewer opportunities for unstructured play. Children don't usually start using power chairs until early elementary school; as toddlers and preschoolers, they often rely on adults to carry them from place to place. UD researchers are worried that, by age 6 or 7, children without mobility have already fallen behind in terms of learning to take risks and initiate the spontaneous interaction that is often so key to making friends.
"Will has developed tremendous focus and attention. What this helps him to do is engage in more cooperative play and to navigate his world," said Laura Morris, associate director of the Early Learning Center. "There are very few 3- and 4-year-olds who don't challenge the world in some way. That's how a child learns to take risks, how they learn to push limits and how they learn to get what they want through lots of different strategies. Will hasn't had the same kind of early opportunities to do that."
Taking it to the next level
When Galloway's team began studying power mobility in children, their work was confined to the lab and the Early Learning Center gym. There, researchers observed babies from 4 months to 15 months old as they drove power chairs with robotic brains and sensors to help them avoid walls and bumps.
To take the study to the next level, however, they had to introduce the obstacles of daily life.
"It's immensely different to be using this technology in a real community," Galloway said. "Now it's not just about the technology, it's about Will."
Will's family got involved in the research on the advice of Tracy Stoner, his physical therapist. Crawling, walking and getting in and out of different positions have always been a challenge for him, and Stoner thought he might be motivated if given the power to easily move on his own.
"He puts out so much energy when he's trying to walk; he's working so hard that he's just dripping with sweat trying to get where he's going," Stoner said. "I know he's working his little heart out. And one of the other reasons I saw Will as being a candidate for power mobility is if I have to work so hard to get 50 feet to a toy I want, if I'm so exhausted by the time I get there, I don't want to play anymore. It's sort of negative reinforcement: I won't move because it takes so much energy, and I hate walking because it's taking so much energy."
Will started working with the UD researchers when he was 2 1/2. First, he learned to drive what the team calls his rocket chair. Although the chair is one of the smallest power chairs available, it was too bulky for the classroom. Will could use it only in the Early Learning Center gym or outside on the playground.
In July, however, Will started using UD2, a power chair about the same height as his classmates' tricycles. A green and blue booster seat with a tray is attached to the robot, which has indoor/outdoor wheels and a wireless joystick. It has a robotic brain and sensors that researchers covered with a red foam swimming noodle because Will is adept enough to avoid obstacles on his own.
"It took him three months to learn to drive when he started," said Christina Ragonesi, a UD graduate student working on her doctorate in biomechanics and movement science who taught Will to drive the power chair. "The coolest part of the training was when he learned to drive away. I'd say it was time to leave the gym and he would drive away from me. It showed Will was learning to make his own decisions."
Learning to drive
Before Will began using UD2, researchers filmed him during class to see what his life was like without the power chair. It was business as usual at the Early Learning Center, a day care facility that does double duty as a living laboratory.
"He would just sit, he had to rely on teachers to move him from Point A to Point B," Ragonesi said. "He couldn't really make his own decisions unless he called a teacher over."
The power chair is only one of the devices that Will uses to get around. The researchers, his physical therapist and his parents agree that he needs to spend time each day using technology like a gait trainer that gives him the support he needs to walk.
"He needs both. He can't just have all the power and he needs to learn standing and he needs to use the gait trainer," Stoner said. "He needs to have options for both so he has time to learn and time to explore and time to walk and transition within tight spaces. Right now, no matter how small the robot is, there are places where it can't go so he needs to learn to walk."
When the researchers started training Will, they thought he would "just take off," after learning to drive the chair, Galloway said. That didn't happen. Soon after he started using the device, a group of classmates started a game of hide-and-seek. Will was "it," but after counting to 10 while the other children found hiding places, he didn't move.
"Just because Will understood how to drive in the halls didn't mean he knew how to use his mobility to play a game like hide-and-seek. He could tell you the rules of hide-and-seek but he couldn't use his mobility to interact and know that if I'm going to come seek you, I have to use the power chair to do that," Galloway said. "Even though he knew how to drive, even with the robot in class, it's taking some intervention for him to learn how to go and follow a group to a next activity."
Gradually, Will is getting used to the new circumstances. Recently, he donned a policeman's costume and drove around the classroom pretending his chair was a cruiser. He figured out the chair had enough bulk to push the classroom bookshelves along the floor. The little boy's classmates helped out by moving chairs or toys out of the way of the power chair.
While using UD2 on the playground last week, he was initially more interested in handing Ragonesi shovelfuls of sand from his pail and drawing on his tray table with sidewalk chalk than moving around.
"What color is this?" Ragonesi asked as she helped him draw a star on the tray with lilac-colored chalk.
"Purple," Will replied.
Then Will decided he wanted to drive under the playset. He careened toward the slide. His friends, twins Alexis and Arianna Mayle, ran over. Will shared the sand pail with the girls and the three wandered away together chattering, as Ragonesi shouted after Will to stay off the grass.
"I like to see this," Ragonesi said. "He never used to initiate anything."
The team studied Will's use of the power chair for 19 days. They filmed him for two hours a day and documented how many minutes he spent at each activity and how many minutes he spent interacting with other children and adults. A computer inside the chair provided raw data about Will's movements. Last week, the team was preparing to take the power chair away for three days to see how Will reacted to losing the mobility.
"If he cries and asks for it, we're going to give it to him the minute he cries," Ragonesi said. "After this week, we'll give him the robot from now on. We'll step out of the picture."
Selling the chair
Typically, children with physical disabilities don't start using manual wheelchairs or power chairs until they're about 2 years old, said Dr. Timothy J. Brei, a developmental pediatrician at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and medical director for the Spina Bifida Association, an advocacy group. Brei said most children start out using manual chairs.
"Power mobility is very expensive and you want to make sure you give it to someone who can really effectively use it," Brei said.
Although many in the medical community believe that mobility has some bearing on other aspects of a child's development, Brei isn't aware of any studies that document the connection.
"A child at preschool age is learning about who they are separate from their parents and they're learning social skills, interacting with their peers, playing or turn taking," Brei said. "But are they also learning something about who they are and their own sense of self-competence or self-worth or self-esteem? I think that may be as valuable as any just flat-out ability to navigate their environment or cognitive learning or social skills learning."
For the UD researchers to move forward with their work, they need to get power chairs into the lives of other children with physical disabilities.
Galloway gets a call about every two weeks from families who read about his work and want to get their children involved. But the team needs additional funding to expand. Ideally, they hope to form partnerships within the business world and commercialize the power chairs.
UD2 was developed by Sunil Agrawal, a mechanical engineering professor. His group ordered the pieces of the chair, assembled it and then wrote a software program so the device could be used for power mobility. The challenge they face is developing commercially available chairs that have the same technology as Will's but can be sold at a relatively low cost. Each robot costs between $15,000 and $20,000; the researchers want to develop a chair that could be purchased for $1,000 to $2,000.
The team submitted a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health that would fund the production of 16 power chairs -- half would be similar to Will's and the other half would be tweaked so the researchers could study add-ons. If several dozen families living in Delaware or across the country started using the chairs, Galloway said, their experiences using the devices in different environments would help the researchers continue to perfect the technology and explore mobility's connection to social development.
"We want you to see UD3 in local grocery stores, in churches and synagogues, in ballparks," Galloway said. "That's in line with our research. That's what pushes us to the next level. This kind of project, it's not just research, it's advocacy, it's policy."
The research is also focused on early education, Galloway said. By the time Will is in elementary school, he said, sitting quiet and still becomes an asset rather than something adults discourage. If the little boy doesn't venture out of his comfort zone now, he may never learn to.
Expressing himself
The adults in Will's life say he's an easygoing, "go-with-the-flow" type. But that's not necessarily good.
"He's got to be the bad boy," Galloway explained. "Luckily, he has administrators and classroom teachers who understand that they need to work for the whole range of behaviors, that a tantrum is part of normal development."
"The other piece is trying to be very careful not to turn Will into something he's not," Morris said. "This is about giving him opportunities to explore his world and being able to step back and see how he does that."
Will uses the power chairs only at school. When he wants something at his home in Newark, the little boy uses a tactic he calls "being a caterpillar:" He army crawls to get what he wants. Galloway helped his parents secure a power chair for a recent family trip to Disney World, and it was often Will who announced, "I know how to do it!" and figured out how to maneuver the device through doorways or tight spaces.
"I don't know if it's the chair or it's his age, but he's starting to express himself more," Harp said. "He'll say, 'I want that,' or 'You stole my toy.' He's much more vocal about what he wants and what he doesn't. On the downside, because he can move from one place to another, his attention span, for one thing, has become less."
While on the playground with Ragonesi last week, Will urged, "Let's go!" when she paused to talk to another adult. Without being prompted, he turned back to retrieve a forgotten sand pail. Paul Urbaniak, another of Will's classmates, grabbed the chair's joystick and Will inched a few feet forward. The little boy didn't appear to mind, but Will's teachers reminded both boys that Paul needs to ask permission before operating Will's chair.
Lately, the researchers and Will's teachers are starting to talk about how to react if Will begins using the chair to break the rules.
"We call him the 13th kid. There are 13 kids in his class, but if he's not mobile, there are 12," Galloway said. "You give him mobility and the teachers say, 'Oh no, you just gave us a new kid.' "
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27 March 2009
Visitors Guide 'Let’s Go with the Children’
Take a break from the usual overseas holiday this summer and inspire your family with all that England has to offer!
Planning the family holidays this year could present us all with some exciting challenges. The economic downturn not only makes the working week a little more worrisome but when you do have the chance to take a break, you feel like you still need to save money.
A recent survey suggested that more than half of us will stay in the UK this year and whilst this may not initially seem like the most appealing prospect, for families with children there is a world of adventure and hidden gems to be found on English soil – and a great deal of them are free of charge!
You don’t have to opt for the traditional seaside holiday either. Stay in your local areas of Yorkshire, Durham or Cumbria for example and discover a wealth of beautiful countryside and little known attractions.
There are literally hundreds of ways to be thrifty without compromising on fun! Whether you stay for a week or just for a day you can find exciting activities, whatever the weather and whatever the budget.
The brand new ‘Let’s Go with the Children’ Guide books cover 14 regional areas of England and offer endless ideas on places to go and things to do with the family this summer. Your biggest problem will be deciding where to go first!
Here are a few suggestions on how to nurture your child’s hidden passions or talents, whilst ensuring the whole family has hours of fun for less this summer, whatever the weather and whatever the budget!
Yorkshire, North East & North West - Free Places to Visit...
Hexham Park 01434 652121.
Small but perfectly formed Green Flag award winning park beside stunning Hexham Abbey with play and picnic areas, boarding and BMX facilities.
Newcastle Discovery Museum 0191 232 6789 www.twmuseums.org.uk.
Discover all about life in Newcastle and Tyneside, from maritime history and world changing science and technology through to fashion through the eras and military history. The museum is bursting with interactive displats; the perfect place to learn and have fun.
National Glass Centre, Sunderland 0191 515 5555 www.nationalglasscentre.com.
Take a fascinating tour, see glass artists at work and walk across the glass roof. Children’s workshops during school holidays. The National Glass Centre promotes the art, history and science of glass in a context that is relevant to place, through a programme of exhibitions, new commissions and education that is international in its scope and vision, and fosters meaningful debate and participation between artists, audiences and educators.
Hamsterley Forest 01388 488312 www.forestry.gov.uk/hamsterleyforest.
2000 hectares of mixed woodland lying between the Wear and Tees valleys on the edge of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Hamsterley is a delightful oasis of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, sprawling along the sides of a sheltered valley. With way marked walks, cycle routes and horse riding trails, all levels of fitness and ability are catered for.
Consett to Sunderland Railway Path 0845 113 0065 www.sustrans.org.uk.
Part of the award winning C2C route, this popular traffic free cycle route is 21 miles long using former railway lines with lots of fascinating flora, fauna and public works of art along the way. There is plenty to visit along the route. Between Stanley and Beamish you pass the intriguingly named Hell Hole Wood, managed by the Woodland Trust and part of the Great North Community Forest.
Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesborough 01642 311211 www.captcook-ne.co.uk.
Experience life below the decks and find out about the world famous navigator through interactive displays. It is housed in a purpose-built building close to the granite urn marking the site of Cook’s birthplace cottage in Stewart Park, Marton, and Middlesbrough. The museum tells the story of one of the world’s greatest navigators and mariners through themed display galleries, temporary exhibitions, associated activities and events and a lively education programme.
Wynyard Woodland Park 01740 630011 www.wynyardwoodlandpark.org.uk.
Enjoying a beautiful woodland setting, this 180 acre park has many historical features. Facilities include a visitor centre, Planetarium, observatory, cycle ways, picnic spots, sculpture trail and play area. There is a railway carriage which acts as a classroom, a Virtual Visitor Centre Project and a new sculpture trail.
Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk Take a net and a bucket to hunt for fossils on the rocky shores between Robin Hood’s Bay and Boggle Hole. Children must be supervised. Whether you are on a day trip or a weekly holiday to Robin Hood’s Bay, in a family group, finishing the coast to coast or simply getting away from it all, there is much to indulge in and certainly something for everyone. In addition to simply soaking up the scenery and relaxing in the surroundings, let your taste buds be tickled and your creative side tempted!
Lotherton Hall Estate, Leeds 01132 813259 www.leeds.gov.uk.
Explore the stone circle within the Boundary Trail, wander through one of Europe’s largest walk-through aviaries, admire the red deer or simply run off steam in the delightful grounds. Enjoy a great day out at Lotherton Hall and Estate and explore the fine country home within extensive grounds, including a red deer park, bird garden, nature trails, café and extensive family play area.
Manor Heath Park Jungle Experience and Walled Garden 01422 365631.
The Jungle Experience at Manor Heath Park, Halifax is a tropical oasis packed with fish, quail, terrapin and butterflies as well as a collection of plants from all over the world, where visitors can enjoy the all year round tropical atmosphere. The walled garden has many traditional and modern designs of planting, and the well kept park has a children's play area, picnic tables, mature trees and well kept gardens. A must for all the family!
Cusworth Hall Museum and Park, Doncaster 01302 782342 www.doncaster.gov.uk.
Discover lots of traditional toys in the childhood room and enjoy a picnic in the grounds. Cusworth Hall, Museum and Park re-opened to the public in May 2007, after several years of extensive restoration work.The Hall and its surrounding parkland have been transformed, stunning ceiling paintings in the Italianate Chapel have been revealed and restored, after being hidden under layers of paint for 50 years.The Great Kitchen, Bake House, Still Room and Laundry are also sometimes open to the public, giving a glimpse of what life was like 'below stairs'.
Graves Park Animal Farm, Sheffield 01142 582452 www.gravesparksheffield.info.
Get close to cuddly baby animals, domestic and rare breeds. In the park take the bird and sculpture trail and check out the play area. The farm has three distinct sections, just off the Hemsworth Road Car Park is a farmyard which houses the collections small animals such as Specialist Chickens, Guinea Pigs and Rabbits, the area is tarmac and accessible for disabled people. The farmyard is also home to the main barn where there are often baby animals, including piglets and lambs which is particularly popular with families.
Old Penny Memories Museum, Bridlington 01262 608400.
Old Penny Memories is one of the biggest collection of antique slot machines in England. Visitors to the museum can actually play the slot machines with the exchange of their money into old pennies. Admission is free, so you only pay if you play. Those visitors who are just wanting to look around are welcome to. The collection of machines and memorabilia dates from Edwardian 1920s up to the swinging 60s. You can feel the atmosphere of the era with the seaside organ music playing.
Spurn Lightship, Hull www.hullcc.gov.uk.
See how the crew lived aboard the ship which guided others into Hull’s port. Built in 1927, the 'Spurn' served for almost 50 years as a navigational aid in the treacherous River Humber. Now enjoying a leisurely mooring in Hull's attractive marina, she and her knowledgeable 'crew' are prepared to receive and welcome boarders who wish to explore.
Low Barns Nature Reserve, Durham 01388 488728.
Discover acres of beautiful woods, lakes and meadows including a visitor centre and observatory. Low Barns Nature Reserve is a 50 hectare wetland site with areas of mixed woodland and grassland. The Reserve is situated on an ex-gravel extraction site, which has been managed by Durham Wildlife Trust since operations ended in 1964.Wetland features include three lakes, interconnecting streams, a number of mature ponds, and a wet pasture. The River Wear also flows through the reserve.
Bowlees Picnic Area, Teesdale 0191 383 3594 www.durham.gov.uk.
Charming spot on the River Tees from where you can explore Gibson’s Cave, Summerhill Force and Low Force. There is a Visitor Centre run by Durham Wildlife Trust over the Bowlees Beck. One of the most attractive sections of the Pennine Way is only a 15-minute walk away. This section follows the River Tees midway between Middleton and Cauldron Snout. It can be reached by crossing the Tees on the Wynch Bridge, near Low Force.
Bowes Castle, Durham 0191 269 1200 www.bowes.org.uk/castle.
Explore the vast ruins of this open-access, three-storey, 12th century keep overlooking the River Greta. The present ruins of the castle are fifty-three feet in height, the remains being of the keep, surrounded on two sides by the remains of an original inner moat. There are few remains of the original bailey wall but it is possible to climb up part of the inside of the keep itself.
Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon 01388 777999 www.locomotion.uk.com.
Open-air museum with vehicles and interactive displays to explain the life of Timothy Hackworth and the development of railways. There’s a fun packed programme of special events throughout the year. For a fabulous day out, try their exclusive package culminating in driving a steam engine. There is an Easter Fair for all the family and events through school holidays.
Brimham Rocks, Harrogate 01423 780688 www.brimhamrocks.co.uk.
Take sturdy shoes to explore these spectacular rock formations including the Dancing Bear and Druid’s Writing Desk. Tracker packs available for over 5s. The curious rock formations at Brimham in Nidderdale are scattered over some 50 acres on Brimham Moor and provide a great variety of weird and wonderful shapes. Many of the gritty monstrosities suggest all manner of things, including elephants, hippos, bears, mushrooms and some are said to have associations with druids, Mother Shipton and even the Devil himself.
Whinlatter Forest Park 017687 78469 www.forestry.gov.uk.
Explore the mountain forest on foot or two wheels, orienteering, playground and picnic area. From April to August annually watch the Bassenthwaite Ospreys through the live nest camera or visit the Lake District Osprey Project and see the ospreys from the outdoor viewpoint or visit the exhibition and live video camera at Whinlatter.
Talkin Tarn Country Park, Cumbria 01697 73129 www.visitcumbria.com.
Stroll around this delightful glacial tarn, hire a boat in summer or enjoy the Boathouse Tearoom all year round. The tarn is glacial in origin, being formed about 10000 years ago, and is fed by underground streams. You can sail, windsurf, canoe or hire one of the wooden rowing boats. Fishing is available at the Tarn. There is a small camping and caravan site, and a permanent orienteering course is laid out around the park. The shop hires mountain bikes and there are suggested routes taking you through beautiful countryside. There is a 1.3 mile path round the tarn which is suitable for wheelchairs. The Boathouse Tea Room has superb views of the tarn, and a blazing log fire.
Aira Force Waterfall, Cumbria 01768 482067 www.visitcumbria.com.
A magnificent beauty spot, Aira Force and the Ullswater Valley are home to a large variety of wildlife, including Wordsworth's famous daffodils. Probably the most famous of the Lake District waterfalls, the main force falls 70 feet from below a stone footbridge. Aira Force provides a glimpse of a landscaped Victorian park with dramatic waterfalls, arboretum and rocks scenery.
Low Sizergh Barn, Lake District 015395 60426 www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk.
There is a farm shop, tea room, craft gallery and farm trail on this organic dairy farm near the Lake District national park. The farm shop is filled with one of the best selections of local and speciality foods in Cumbria, with farm products -- our own organic Kendal cheese, organic eggs and ice cream made from our milk -- taking pride of place. Watch the milking from the gallery between 1.15-3.15pm.
Lancaster Canal Trust 01524 735504 www.lctrust.co.uk.
Run by enthusiasts, experience their narrow boat "Waterwitch" for a trip along the pretty northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal.
Abbott Lodge Jersey Ice Cream, Penrith 01931 712720 www.abbottlodgejerseyicecream.co.uk.
Meet the Jersey cows at this working farm, try the ice cream and work up an appetite in the indoor and outdoor playgrounds. The farm offers a tea room, function room for educational visits and you can watch the calves at their computerised feeding station. Sampling the ice cream is a must!
Alderley Edge, Cheshire 01625 584412 www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Dramatic wooded hill rising out of the Cheshire plain. Legend says that kind Arthur lies sleeping underground. Explore mysterious trails and seek the wizards well. Alderley Edge is designated an SSSI for its geological interest. It has a long history of copper mining, going back to Bronze Age and Roman times. The mines are open twice a year, organised by the Derbyshire Caving Club. There are views across Cheshire and the Peak District and numerous paths through the oak and beech woodlands, including a link to Hare Hill.
Cheshire Workshops, Buwardsley 01829 770401 www.visitchester.com.
Discover candle making and watch working craftsmen. Lots of activities for children at weekends and school holidays including candle dipping, badge making, card making and pottery painting. Open 10-5pm Delamere Forest Park, Cheshire 01606 882167 Take a picnic and explore this extensive forest. Visitor centre and ranger-led activities throughout the year, with extra events during school holidays. Good network of cycle paths.
Delamere Forest Park is Cheshire's largest area of woodland and is a place for families to let off steam, escape the crowds and find peace in the heart of the forest.
Ainsdale on Sea Beach & Discovery Centre, Southport 0151 9342967.
Explore this extensive, clean beach and the maze-like sand dunes. Hire a free bicycle from the centre or take part in extreme kite activities.. Ainsdale-on-Sea is an ideal starting point for exploring Sefton's Natural Coast. A mile from the village of Ainsdale, it is Southport's main bathing beach with Lifeguards on duty during the summer season.The beach is one of the most popular on the coast and achieves the Seaside Award annually.
Wirral Country Park, Cheshire 0151 327 5145.
From the restored Hadlow Station, walk or cycle along 12 miles of footpaths, with shorter pathways into other areas. Fantastic bird watching, with great views over the Dee Estuary to North Wales. Visitor centre and guided walks. Wirral Country Park is a place of contrasts. Badgers and Foxes hunt the quieter parts, birds nest in the dense hedges or feed on the berries in winter, and you may see up to 10 kinds of butterfly in summer. Head for the 60 feet high, boulder-clay cliffs and look out over the Dee Estuary and you'll smell the tang of mud and salt, feel the sea breeze and get a sense of space quite unlike the enclosed, inland Wirral Way.
Greater Manchester Police Museum 0161 856 3287 www.gmp.police.uk.
Step back into unruly Victorian Manchester, see the wooden pillows in the Victorian cells, plus uniforms and equipment. Learn about forgery and forensic science.
Three Owls Bird Sanctuary & Reserve 01706 642162 www.threeowls.co.uk.
Relying heavily on donations, this sanctuary takes wild distressed birds, rehabilitates them and returns them to the wild. Between 300 and 1600 birds can be seen depending on the season.
Stockport Hat Works 0845 833 0975 www.hatworks.org.uk If you have ever wondered how hats were made, then this is the place for you. View the history of hat making from its origins through to mechanisation in the mills with working machines in action.
National Football Museum, Preston 01772 908442.
Investigate all aspects of the beautiful game including displays and Hall of Fame, Match of the Day Interactive and the Goalstriker Experience. Discover the best football museum in the world. Exciting moments, unforgettable memories, world famous objects, legendary players, 'hands-on' fun for all the family ... best of all it's FREE Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site 01434 332002 www.hadrians-wall.org.
This famous frontier was built by the order of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Along its length are many museums, forts and temples. Follow the national trail, an 84 mile trail from coast to coast with links to 40 short walks. Steeped in history there are 14 major Roman sites, forts and museums and countless milecastles and turrets to explore, as well as many great non-Roman places on offer. Explore the stunning landscape of the World Heritage Site on foot, or cycle, at your own ease ‘Let’s Go with the Children’ Guide Books are published by Boomerang Family Ltd.
On Sale Date 23rd March 2009 Price: £3.75 Exclusive Offers from: Boden, Billy Elliott, Wicked, Grease, Fitness First, Fit for Sport, Sea Life Centres, Babyworld, Chiquito Restaurants.
Available from; Morrisons, Waitrose, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Martin McColl, WH Smith and Waterstones.
Planning the family holidays this year could present us all with some exciting challenges. The economic downturn not only makes the working week a little more worrisome but when you do have the chance to take a break, you feel like you still need to save money.
A recent survey suggested that more than half of us will stay in the UK this year and whilst this may not initially seem like the most appealing prospect, for families with children there is a world of adventure and hidden gems to be found on English soil – and a great deal of them are free of charge!
You don’t have to opt for the traditional seaside holiday either. Stay in your local areas of Yorkshire, Durham or Cumbria for example and discover a wealth of beautiful countryside and little known attractions.
There are literally hundreds of ways to be thrifty without compromising on fun! Whether you stay for a week or just for a day you can find exciting activities, whatever the weather and whatever the budget.
The brand new ‘Let’s Go with the Children’ Guide books cover 14 regional areas of England and offer endless ideas on places to go and things to do with the family this summer. Your biggest problem will be deciding where to go first!
Here are a few suggestions on how to nurture your child’s hidden passions or talents, whilst ensuring the whole family has hours of fun for less this summer, whatever the weather and whatever the budget!
Yorkshire, North East & North West - Free Places to Visit...
Hexham Park 01434 652121.
Small but perfectly formed Green Flag award winning park beside stunning Hexham Abbey with play and picnic areas, boarding and BMX facilities.
Newcastle Discovery Museum 0191 232 6789 www.twmuseums.org.uk.
Discover all about life in Newcastle and Tyneside, from maritime history and world changing science and technology through to fashion through the eras and military history. The museum is bursting with interactive displats; the perfect place to learn and have fun.
National Glass Centre, Sunderland 0191 515 5555 www.nationalglasscentre.com.
Take a fascinating tour, see glass artists at work and walk across the glass roof. Children’s workshops during school holidays. The National Glass Centre promotes the art, history and science of glass in a context that is relevant to place, through a programme of exhibitions, new commissions and education that is international in its scope and vision, and fosters meaningful debate and participation between artists, audiences and educators.
Hamsterley Forest 01388 488312 www.forestry.gov.uk/hamsterleyforest.
2000 hectares of mixed woodland lying between the Wear and Tees valleys on the edge of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Hamsterley is a delightful oasis of broadleaved and coniferous woodland, sprawling along the sides of a sheltered valley. With way marked walks, cycle routes and horse riding trails, all levels of fitness and ability are catered for.
Consett to Sunderland Railway Path 0845 113 0065 www.sustrans.org.uk.
Part of the award winning C2C route, this popular traffic free cycle route is 21 miles long using former railway lines with lots of fascinating flora, fauna and public works of art along the way. There is plenty to visit along the route. Between Stanley and Beamish you pass the intriguingly named Hell Hole Wood, managed by the Woodland Trust and part of the Great North Community Forest.
Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesborough 01642 311211 www.captcook-ne.co.uk.
Experience life below the decks and find out about the world famous navigator through interactive displays. It is housed in a purpose-built building close to the granite urn marking the site of Cook’s birthplace cottage in Stewart Park, Marton, and Middlesbrough. The museum tells the story of one of the world’s greatest navigators and mariners through themed display galleries, temporary exhibitions, associated activities and events and a lively education programme.
Wynyard Woodland Park 01740 630011 www.wynyardwoodlandpark.org.uk.
Enjoying a beautiful woodland setting, this 180 acre park has many historical features. Facilities include a visitor centre, Planetarium, observatory, cycle ways, picnic spots, sculpture trail and play area. There is a railway carriage which acts as a classroom, a Virtual Visitor Centre Project and a new sculpture trail.
Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk Take a net and a bucket to hunt for fossils on the rocky shores between Robin Hood’s Bay and Boggle Hole. Children must be supervised. Whether you are on a day trip or a weekly holiday to Robin Hood’s Bay, in a family group, finishing the coast to coast or simply getting away from it all, there is much to indulge in and certainly something for everyone. In addition to simply soaking up the scenery and relaxing in the surroundings, let your taste buds be tickled and your creative side tempted!
Lotherton Hall Estate, Leeds 01132 813259 www.leeds.gov.uk.
Explore the stone circle within the Boundary Trail, wander through one of Europe’s largest walk-through aviaries, admire the red deer or simply run off steam in the delightful grounds. Enjoy a great day out at Lotherton Hall and Estate and explore the fine country home within extensive grounds, including a red deer park, bird garden, nature trails, café and extensive family play area.
Manor Heath Park Jungle Experience and Walled Garden 01422 365631.
The Jungle Experience at Manor Heath Park, Halifax is a tropical oasis packed with fish, quail, terrapin and butterflies as well as a collection of plants from all over the world, where visitors can enjoy the all year round tropical atmosphere. The walled garden has many traditional and modern designs of planting, and the well kept park has a children's play area, picnic tables, mature trees and well kept gardens. A must for all the family!
Cusworth Hall Museum and Park, Doncaster 01302 782342 www.doncaster.gov.uk.
Discover lots of traditional toys in the childhood room and enjoy a picnic in the grounds. Cusworth Hall, Museum and Park re-opened to the public in May 2007, after several years of extensive restoration work.The Hall and its surrounding parkland have been transformed, stunning ceiling paintings in the Italianate Chapel have been revealed and restored, after being hidden under layers of paint for 50 years.The Great Kitchen, Bake House, Still Room and Laundry are also sometimes open to the public, giving a glimpse of what life was like 'below stairs'.
Graves Park Animal Farm, Sheffield 01142 582452 www.gravesparksheffield.info.
Get close to cuddly baby animals, domestic and rare breeds. In the park take the bird and sculpture trail and check out the play area. The farm has three distinct sections, just off the Hemsworth Road Car Park is a farmyard which houses the collections small animals such as Specialist Chickens, Guinea Pigs and Rabbits, the area is tarmac and accessible for disabled people. The farmyard is also home to the main barn where there are often baby animals, including piglets and lambs which is particularly popular with families.
Old Penny Memories Museum, Bridlington 01262 608400.
Old Penny Memories is one of the biggest collection of antique slot machines in England. Visitors to the museum can actually play the slot machines with the exchange of their money into old pennies. Admission is free, so you only pay if you play. Those visitors who are just wanting to look around are welcome to. The collection of machines and memorabilia dates from Edwardian 1920s up to the swinging 60s. You can feel the atmosphere of the era with the seaside organ music playing.
Spurn Lightship, Hull www.hullcc.gov.uk.
See how the crew lived aboard the ship which guided others into Hull’s port. Built in 1927, the 'Spurn' served for almost 50 years as a navigational aid in the treacherous River Humber. Now enjoying a leisurely mooring in Hull's attractive marina, she and her knowledgeable 'crew' are prepared to receive and welcome boarders who wish to explore.
Low Barns Nature Reserve, Durham 01388 488728.
Discover acres of beautiful woods, lakes and meadows including a visitor centre and observatory. Low Barns Nature Reserve is a 50 hectare wetland site with areas of mixed woodland and grassland. The Reserve is situated on an ex-gravel extraction site, which has been managed by Durham Wildlife Trust since operations ended in 1964.Wetland features include three lakes, interconnecting streams, a number of mature ponds, and a wet pasture. The River Wear also flows through the reserve.
Bowlees Picnic Area, Teesdale 0191 383 3594 www.durham.gov.uk.
Charming spot on the River Tees from where you can explore Gibson’s Cave, Summerhill Force and Low Force. There is a Visitor Centre run by Durham Wildlife Trust over the Bowlees Beck. One of the most attractive sections of the Pennine Way is only a 15-minute walk away. This section follows the River Tees midway between Middleton and Cauldron Snout. It can be reached by crossing the Tees on the Wynch Bridge, near Low Force.
Bowes Castle, Durham 0191 269 1200 www.bowes.org.uk/castle.
Explore the vast ruins of this open-access, three-storey, 12th century keep overlooking the River Greta. The present ruins of the castle are fifty-three feet in height, the remains being of the keep, surrounded on two sides by the remains of an original inner moat. There are few remains of the original bailey wall but it is possible to climb up part of the inside of the keep itself.
Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon 01388 777999 www.locomotion.uk.com.
Open-air museum with vehicles and interactive displays to explain the life of Timothy Hackworth and the development of railways. There’s a fun packed programme of special events throughout the year. For a fabulous day out, try their exclusive package culminating in driving a steam engine. There is an Easter Fair for all the family and events through school holidays.
Brimham Rocks, Harrogate 01423 780688 www.brimhamrocks.co.uk.
Take sturdy shoes to explore these spectacular rock formations including the Dancing Bear and Druid’s Writing Desk. Tracker packs available for over 5s. The curious rock formations at Brimham in Nidderdale are scattered over some 50 acres on Brimham Moor and provide a great variety of weird and wonderful shapes. Many of the gritty monstrosities suggest all manner of things, including elephants, hippos, bears, mushrooms and some are said to have associations with druids, Mother Shipton and even the Devil himself.
Whinlatter Forest Park 017687 78469 www.forestry.gov.uk.
Explore the mountain forest on foot or two wheels, orienteering, playground and picnic area. From April to August annually watch the Bassenthwaite Ospreys through the live nest camera or visit the Lake District Osprey Project and see the ospreys from the outdoor viewpoint or visit the exhibition and live video camera at Whinlatter.
Talkin Tarn Country Park, Cumbria 01697 73129 www.visitcumbria.com.
Stroll around this delightful glacial tarn, hire a boat in summer or enjoy the Boathouse Tearoom all year round. The tarn is glacial in origin, being formed about 10000 years ago, and is fed by underground streams. You can sail, windsurf, canoe or hire one of the wooden rowing boats. Fishing is available at the Tarn. There is a small camping and caravan site, and a permanent orienteering course is laid out around the park. The shop hires mountain bikes and there are suggested routes taking you through beautiful countryside. There is a 1.3 mile path round the tarn which is suitable for wheelchairs. The Boathouse Tea Room has superb views of the tarn, and a blazing log fire.
Aira Force Waterfall, Cumbria 01768 482067 www.visitcumbria.com.
A magnificent beauty spot, Aira Force and the Ullswater Valley are home to a large variety of wildlife, including Wordsworth's famous daffodils. Probably the most famous of the Lake District waterfalls, the main force falls 70 feet from below a stone footbridge. Aira Force provides a glimpse of a landscaped Victorian park with dramatic waterfalls, arboretum and rocks scenery.
Low Sizergh Barn, Lake District 015395 60426 www.lowsizerghbarn.co.uk.
There is a farm shop, tea room, craft gallery and farm trail on this organic dairy farm near the Lake District national park. The farm shop is filled with one of the best selections of local and speciality foods in Cumbria, with farm products -- our own organic Kendal cheese, organic eggs and ice cream made from our milk -- taking pride of place. Watch the milking from the gallery between 1.15-3.15pm.
Lancaster Canal Trust 01524 735504 www.lctrust.co.uk.
Run by enthusiasts, experience their narrow boat "Waterwitch" for a trip along the pretty northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal.
Abbott Lodge Jersey Ice Cream, Penrith 01931 712720 www.abbottlodgejerseyicecream.co.uk.
Meet the Jersey cows at this working farm, try the ice cream and work up an appetite in the indoor and outdoor playgrounds. The farm offers a tea room, function room for educational visits and you can watch the calves at their computerised feeding station. Sampling the ice cream is a must!
Alderley Edge, Cheshire 01625 584412 www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Dramatic wooded hill rising out of the Cheshire plain. Legend says that kind Arthur lies sleeping underground. Explore mysterious trails and seek the wizards well. Alderley Edge is designated an SSSI for its geological interest. It has a long history of copper mining, going back to Bronze Age and Roman times. The mines are open twice a year, organised by the Derbyshire Caving Club. There are views across Cheshire and the Peak District and numerous paths through the oak and beech woodlands, including a link to Hare Hill.
Cheshire Workshops, Buwardsley 01829 770401 www.visitchester.com.
Discover candle making and watch working craftsmen. Lots of activities for children at weekends and school holidays including candle dipping, badge making, card making and pottery painting. Open 10-5pm Delamere Forest Park, Cheshire 01606 882167 Take a picnic and explore this extensive forest. Visitor centre and ranger-led activities throughout the year, with extra events during school holidays. Good network of cycle paths.
Delamere Forest Park is Cheshire's largest area of woodland and is a place for families to let off steam, escape the crowds and find peace in the heart of the forest.
Ainsdale on Sea Beach & Discovery Centre, Southport 0151 9342967.
Explore this extensive, clean beach and the maze-like sand dunes. Hire a free bicycle from the centre or take part in extreme kite activities.. Ainsdale-on-Sea is an ideal starting point for exploring Sefton's Natural Coast. A mile from the village of Ainsdale, it is Southport's main bathing beach with Lifeguards on duty during the summer season.The beach is one of the most popular on the coast and achieves the Seaside Award annually.
Wirral Country Park, Cheshire 0151 327 5145.
From the restored Hadlow Station, walk or cycle along 12 miles of footpaths, with shorter pathways into other areas. Fantastic bird watching, with great views over the Dee Estuary to North Wales. Visitor centre and guided walks. Wirral Country Park is a place of contrasts. Badgers and Foxes hunt the quieter parts, birds nest in the dense hedges or feed on the berries in winter, and you may see up to 10 kinds of butterfly in summer. Head for the 60 feet high, boulder-clay cliffs and look out over the Dee Estuary and you'll smell the tang of mud and salt, feel the sea breeze and get a sense of space quite unlike the enclosed, inland Wirral Way.
Greater Manchester Police Museum 0161 856 3287 www.gmp.police.uk.
Step back into unruly Victorian Manchester, see the wooden pillows in the Victorian cells, plus uniforms and equipment. Learn about forgery and forensic science.
Three Owls Bird Sanctuary & Reserve 01706 642162 www.threeowls.co.uk.
Relying heavily on donations, this sanctuary takes wild distressed birds, rehabilitates them and returns them to the wild. Between 300 and 1600 birds can be seen depending on the season.
Stockport Hat Works 0845 833 0975 www.hatworks.org.uk If you have ever wondered how hats were made, then this is the place for you. View the history of hat making from its origins through to mechanisation in the mills with working machines in action.
National Football Museum, Preston 01772 908442.
Investigate all aspects of the beautiful game including displays and Hall of Fame, Match of the Day Interactive and the Goalstriker Experience. Discover the best football museum in the world. Exciting moments, unforgettable memories, world famous objects, legendary players, 'hands-on' fun for all the family ... best of all it's FREE Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site 01434 332002 www.hadrians-wall.org.
This famous frontier was built by the order of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Along its length are many museums, forts and temples. Follow the national trail, an 84 mile trail from coast to coast with links to 40 short walks. Steeped in history there are 14 major Roman sites, forts and museums and countless milecastles and turrets to explore, as well as many great non-Roman places on offer. Explore the stunning landscape of the World Heritage Site on foot, or cycle, at your own ease ‘Let’s Go with the Children’ Guide Books are published by Boomerang Family Ltd.
On Sale Date 23rd March 2009 Price: £3.75 Exclusive Offers from: Boden, Billy Elliott, Wicked, Grease, Fitness First, Fit for Sport, Sea Life Centres, Babyworld, Chiquito Restaurants.
Available from; Morrisons, Waitrose, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Martin McColl, WH Smith and Waterstones.
31 December 2008
Medford group seeks funds for new play area
MEDFORD - Members of the township's Fort Medford Playground Committee are looking to raise $100,000 to fund a planned handicapped-accessible play area on Gravelly Hollow Road.
The Medford Township Council committed $175,000 to the project this year. Those funds will be used to buy and install the equipment. More funding is required to install guardrails, fencing and parking spaces for the disabled, said Eowyn West, a member of the playground committee.
The total cost would be $275,000, West said.
The Fort Medford playground, which is in Bob Meyer Park, was closed from February to October because the wooden play equipment didn't meet the state's standards for handicapped accessibility.
The original playground was built in 1995 by community volunteers. Instead of replacing the old wooden structures, the township's Recreation Department decided to have handicapped-accessible equipment installed adjacent to the existing equipment.
The new equipment is expected to be installed in the spring. It will include a rubberized surface made of recycled material that can accommodate wheelchairs and walkers.
"It's multi-generational," West said. "People think 'playground' and immediately think that it's just for kids, but this is going to be something that seniors and adults can enjoy as well. It's also double-wide, so two wheelchairs can pass each other, and people in walkers can use it. It's going to benefit everyone."
Story continues below Advertisement West, who has a 7-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy, said in October that the new playground will allow children with disabilities to play and socialize with other children on the same play equipment.
All public playgrounds in the state are required to comply with playground safety codes administered by the state Department of Community Affairs. Under the codes, playgrounds must be accessible to the handicapped. Those standards include wheelchair ramps to access slides and climbing bars.
The playground committee will install plaques on specific playground components recognizing donors who contribute at least $1,000. It's also selling paver stones, which will be engraved and placed around the playground. They'll cost $150.
"It's nice to go out and be able to read names because it really makes you feel like you're part of something." West said.
The committee has raised at least $6,000. Those interested in donating can visit medfordtownship.com, write to the playground committee at P.O. Box 1103, Medford, NJ 08055 or contact committee chairperson Kyle Koszowski at (856) 988-1552.
The Medford Township Council committed $175,000 to the project this year. Those funds will be used to buy and install the equipment. More funding is required to install guardrails, fencing and parking spaces for the disabled, said Eowyn West, a member of the playground committee.
The total cost would be $275,000, West said.
The Fort Medford playground, which is in Bob Meyer Park, was closed from February to October because the wooden play equipment didn't meet the state's standards for handicapped accessibility.
The original playground was built in 1995 by community volunteers. Instead of replacing the old wooden structures, the township's Recreation Department decided to have handicapped-accessible equipment installed adjacent to the existing equipment.
The new equipment is expected to be installed in the spring. It will include a rubberized surface made of recycled material that can accommodate wheelchairs and walkers.
"It's multi-generational," West said. "People think 'playground' and immediately think that it's just for kids, but this is going to be something that seniors and adults can enjoy as well. It's also double-wide, so two wheelchairs can pass each other, and people in walkers can use it. It's going to benefit everyone."
Story continues below Advertisement West, who has a 7-year-old daughter with cerebral palsy, said in October that the new playground will allow children with disabilities to play and socialize with other children on the same play equipment.
All public playgrounds in the state are required to comply with playground safety codes administered by the state Department of Community Affairs. Under the codes, playgrounds must be accessible to the handicapped. Those standards include wheelchair ramps to access slides and climbing bars.
The playground committee will install plaques on specific playground components recognizing donors who contribute at least $1,000. It's also selling paver stones, which will be engraved and placed around the playground. They'll cost $150.
"It's nice to go out and be able to read names because it really makes you feel like you're part of something." West said.
The committee has raised at least $6,000. Those interested in donating can visit medfordtownship.com, write to the playground committee at P.O. Box 1103, Medford, NJ 08055 or contact committee chairperson Kyle Koszowski at (856) 988-1552.
04 September 2008
Hospital
This is an excerpt of the book called The Emotional Struggle". by Brandon Ryan. Copyright material through Author House publishing. 2007-2008
Brandon Lee Ryan, have been through many of life’s hardest struggles. Born with Cerebral Palsy, the uphill battle started early. September 18, 1984 was the day my mother gave birth to her first and only boy. I breathed my first free breath in a hospital at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan. I was transferred soon after to Saginaw General Hospital. The initial problem that Dr. Chai-Yakarn Soontharotoke encountered was as follows:
“Brandon is three and one half months old according to gestational age. He was born thirty-one weeks gestation, suffering from severe respiratory distress with respiratory failure that required mechanical respiratory support. There was evidence of prenatal hypoxia. During the neonatal course he was found to have evidence of intraventricular hemorrhage with mild-to-moderate dilatation of the ventricle.”
You don’t need to know Latin or even human anatomy to interpret that my health was in question; the words severe, distress, and failure should at least serve as situation clues. Let me translate.
So after turning technical jargon into laymen’s terms, we can conclude that I was born prematurely. And one of the affects was excessive internal bleeding. Not fun stuff. Kimberly Ryan, my mother, was twenty-seven when I was born. She had previously given birth to my sister Jessica. Jessica is now twenty-seven years old and married to her husband Nic.
My mother vowed to be a stay-at-home mom and proceeded to offer daycare to other children as well. My dad served twenty-one years in the United States Air Force and taught Martial Arts in his spare time. His spare time became the foundation for my life, as I’ll explain further in the story.
The affects of Cerebral Palsy drastically limited my range of motion. Growing up my disability made my body very stiff, which resulted in an all out war for whoever was dressing me. The stiffness often made it hard for them to slide my right arm through any form of T-shirt. To counteract my spastic tendencies, I was medicated with Valium. The doctors’ main purpose with the prescription was to relax my body so that everyday activities such as getting dressed would not be as difficult.
Going through kindergarten and grade school was awkward. Not only did I have to deal with other kids my age, as every child does, but there weren’t many kids that looked like me externally. There were probably two other kids around that had various physical aliments worse than mine.
It was easy to be around others who were physically challenged. When we occupied the same space, in those moments, we were on the same level. Our frequencies traveled with equal wavelengths, and seemed to meet in the middle.
I remember being bound to a wheelchair during school hours for part of my childhood. At the start of each school day, we had a regular morning routine. The mornings that everyone loved were, of course, the regular ones. I’d get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and go sit in front of the TV. Most days it was The Power Rangers and I. The bus came around 7:45 AM.
I can’t quite remember my elementary school bus driver’s name, perhaps Debbie. Either way, she would lower down a really nifty lift that always caught my attention as it unfolded. She would press a switch and the lift would slowly lower. As it hit the ground, it made a crunchy, skin crawling sound. The bus was number twelve. This bus also shaped the memories of my childhood.
The wheelchair was larger than I was, perhaps even five times my size. I couldn’t see over it, because the back piece towered over my head. In order for me to see over it, I had to pull myself up. I couldn’t reach the wheels because they were small and too far from my elevated hands. Living in and out of this wheel chair was a blessing and a curse all rolled into one: a blessing because when the time came for everyone to be seated at their desks, I already had mine, and a curse because when recess came, every kid in the class pelted out to the playground while I remained strapped to my chair, watching my classmates enjoy the freedom of running like chickens with their heads cut off. They played soccer, climbed monkey bars, and slid down the slides at full speed. I sat.
Do I seem bitter or even a bit jealous? Indeed I was, not only of their activities, but also their attire. While kids were wearing normal shoes and socks, I was wearing Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFO’s). Each AFO covered my ankle and calf, positioning my foot forward. While they might seem beneficial to the common eye, they weren’t entirely. They often left welts on my feet. The AFO’s were made in such a way that two metal screws were positioned next to my ankle. I remember sitting in class sometimes, just begging the teacher or my assistant to take my braces off for maybe five minutes. But because my doctor said so, I had to wear them, even if that meant intense discomfort.
When school was over, the bus driver delivered to my parents. And first thing, my mom or dad would lift me out of that larger-than-life wheelchair and place me onto the nice comfortable couch in our living room. Then, it was off with my braces, which felt like heaven on foot, as the soothing air wisped over my sweaty hurting feet.
Brandon Lee Ryan, have been through many of life’s hardest struggles. Born with Cerebral Palsy, the uphill battle started early. September 18, 1984 was the day my mother gave birth to her first and only boy. I breathed my first free breath in a hospital at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan. I was transferred soon after to Saginaw General Hospital. The initial problem that Dr. Chai-Yakarn Soontharotoke encountered was as follows:
“Brandon is three and one half months old according to gestational age. He was born thirty-one weeks gestation, suffering from severe respiratory distress with respiratory failure that required mechanical respiratory support. There was evidence of prenatal hypoxia. During the neonatal course he was found to have evidence of intraventricular hemorrhage with mild-to-moderate dilatation of the ventricle.”
You don’t need to know Latin or even human anatomy to interpret that my health was in question; the words severe, distress, and failure should at least serve as situation clues. Let me translate.
So after turning technical jargon into laymen’s terms, we can conclude that I was born prematurely. And one of the affects was excessive internal bleeding. Not fun stuff. Kimberly Ryan, my mother, was twenty-seven when I was born. She had previously given birth to my sister Jessica. Jessica is now twenty-seven years old and married to her husband Nic.
My mother vowed to be a stay-at-home mom and proceeded to offer daycare to other children as well. My dad served twenty-one years in the United States Air Force and taught Martial Arts in his spare time. His spare time became the foundation for my life, as I’ll explain further in the story.
The affects of Cerebral Palsy drastically limited my range of motion. Growing up my disability made my body very stiff, which resulted in an all out war for whoever was dressing me. The stiffness often made it hard for them to slide my right arm through any form of T-shirt. To counteract my spastic tendencies, I was medicated with Valium. The doctors’ main purpose with the prescription was to relax my body so that everyday activities such as getting dressed would not be as difficult.
Going through kindergarten and grade school was awkward. Not only did I have to deal with other kids my age, as every child does, but there weren’t many kids that looked like me externally. There were probably two other kids around that had various physical aliments worse than mine.
It was easy to be around others who were physically challenged. When we occupied the same space, in those moments, we were on the same level. Our frequencies traveled with equal wavelengths, and seemed to meet in the middle.
I remember being bound to a wheelchair during school hours for part of my childhood. At the start of each school day, we had a regular morning routine. The mornings that everyone loved were, of course, the regular ones. I’d get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and go sit in front of the TV. Most days it was The Power Rangers and I. The bus came around 7:45 AM.
I can’t quite remember my elementary school bus driver’s name, perhaps Debbie. Either way, she would lower down a really nifty lift that always caught my attention as it unfolded. She would press a switch and the lift would slowly lower. As it hit the ground, it made a crunchy, skin crawling sound. The bus was number twelve. This bus also shaped the memories of my childhood.
The wheelchair was larger than I was, perhaps even five times my size. I couldn’t see over it, because the back piece towered over my head. In order for me to see over it, I had to pull myself up. I couldn’t reach the wheels because they were small and too far from my elevated hands. Living in and out of this wheel chair was a blessing and a curse all rolled into one: a blessing because when the time came for everyone to be seated at their desks, I already had mine, and a curse because when recess came, every kid in the class pelted out to the playground while I remained strapped to my chair, watching my classmates enjoy the freedom of running like chickens with their heads cut off. They played soccer, climbed monkey bars, and slid down the slides at full speed. I sat.
Do I seem bitter or even a bit jealous? Indeed I was, not only of their activities, but also their attire. While kids were wearing normal shoes and socks, I was wearing Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFO’s). Each AFO covered my ankle and calf, positioning my foot forward. While they might seem beneficial to the common eye, they weren’t entirely. They often left welts on my feet. The AFO’s were made in such a way that two metal screws were positioned next to my ankle. I remember sitting in class sometimes, just begging the teacher or my assistant to take my braces off for maybe five minutes. But because my doctor said so, I had to wear them, even if that meant intense discomfort.
When school was over, the bus driver delivered to my parents. And first thing, my mom or dad would lift me out of that larger-than-life wheelchair and place me onto the nice comfortable couch in our living room. Then, it was off with my braces, which felt like heaven on foot, as the soothing air wisped over my sweaty hurting feet.
17 August 2008
Kid Connection ready for action
After months of planning and construction, the Shelbyville Parks and Recreation Department and the Blue River Community Foundation are ready to open the Kid Connection playground in Kennedy Park.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. on Wednesday will mark the official opening, and the public is invited to see what the new play area has to offer.
Although all the children in the community will be able to use the new recreation area, this playground was planned specifically to meet the needs of disabled children. Children and adults confined to wheelchairs - or simply those with mobility limitations - were virtually barred from most of the playgrounds in Shelbyville because it was too difficult to get to the play equipment, and much of the equipment was geared only to children without disabilities.
Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony is open to anyone who chooses to attend, but invitations have been sent to Shares Inc., Especially Kidz and the Blue River Special Education Cooperative so as many people with disabilities as possible will hear about the new playground and attend the celebration.
As executive director of the Blue River Community Foundation, Susan Furgeson's attention was caught in February 2007 when she heard about a $160,000 grant through the Kellogg Foundation to provide funds for improving access for people with disabilities to the city's parks systems. The BRCF needed to partner with a recreation provider before pursuing the grant, and the director of Shelbyville Parks and Recreation, Karen Martin, was excited about the idea from the beginning.
In October 2007, Furgeson was notified that Shelbyville had received the grant - then the hard work really began.
Everyone plays
Furgeson and Martin began working on a design for the playground that would focus on activities that disabled children and adults could enjoy, but the Kellogg Foundation quickly told them that the park must utilize "universal design."
"This was a learning process for all of us," Furgeson said. "We were thinking only about a playground for disabled children, but the Kellogg Foundation wanted a playground where kids of all ability levels could play together side-by-side."
Knowing that the concept of universal design was difficult for its grantees to understand, the Kellogg Foundation put them in touch with experts in the field. Jennifer Skulsky, a consultant with the National Center on Accessibility in Bloomington, met with the committee of community partners working on the playground design and explained how the area could appeal to all children.
Modifying the plans for the playground to include activities for children of all ability levels increased the cost of the project to $174,366, but Furgeson said it was worth it to make the playground practical for all children and adults, not just disabled ones.
She noted that sometimes disabled adults want the option of taking their children or grandchildren to the park, and Kid Connection will make that possible.
Soft landings
Some of the parks use pea gravel or mulch around the play equipment and leading up to it, but these surfaces made it very difficult to run a wheelchair. The surface under and around the Kid Connection equipment is called poured-in-place, and it is a soft rubber and urethane component that is mixed and applied on-site.
Made out of recycled tires, the surface at Kennedy Park Kid Connection is tinted green and even looks like grass from a distance. Wheelchairs can move across it easily, and if children or adults fall on the springy surface, the impact is considerably softened compared to asphalt or concrete.
The brightly colored playground equipment is guaranteed to pull the attention of children and adults of all abilities, and cement sidewalks lead from the paved parking lot so that access is guaranteed. The two towers at Kid Connection can be reached by a ramp or stairs, and most of the equipment could be enjoyed by children of any ability.
The Sway Fun swing, for example, is large enough to accommodate several wheelchairs, but children without disabilities also can sit on benches and appreciate the swinging motion.
There are even several large puzzles written in Braille that people with limited eyesight can read, but children without vision problems can read them also.
Getting the grant
To receive the $160,000, the Kellogg Foundation required grantees to come up with a match of $125,000 with $50,000 placed into an endowment fund to provide funds for future accessibility upgrades to the city's parks. The Shelbyville Parks Department committed $30,000 to the project and Shares Inc. and its subsidiary, WAP Inc., donated $15,000 each. The Shelbyville Rotary Club gave $8,000, the Beaty/C-Tech Fund, which is held at the BRCF, awarded the Kid Connection a $2,500 grant, and Makuta Technics gave $1,000. The BRCF donated donated $35,000 for a 1:2 match, which meant that for every $2 donated, the foundation donated an additional $1 up to the total $35,000.
Furgeson said on Thursday that only $15,000 more is needed to complete the match that Kellogg requires. She said that if businesses, organizations or individuals want to make a donation, they should contact her at the foundation at (317) 392-7955 or brf@blueriverfoundation.com or Martin at (317) 392-5128.
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