As we look ahead to hopeful news about vaccinations for Covid-19 and the gradual return to a more normal work and school life, we would like to keep you updated about Understanding Our Differences’ current activities.
At a time when so many parents worry about the urgent need for understanding, inclusion and connection, UOD has launched a full schedule of disability awareness presentations to third, fourth, and fifth grade students in all 15 public elementary schools in Newton, MA, plus the Distance Learning Academy. UOD staff members are delivering unit presentations virtually in a Zoom webinar format, with guest speakers for each unit.
Although we can’t see and hear the students in the webinar format used in Newton, we love seeing their questions and comments, which they type into the Q&A box. Nothing speaks more about the ways students connect with our guest speakers with disabilities than comments like: You’re so cool; You’re really talented; and We like the same things!
Our first Zoom webinar presentation was Blindness and Low Vision, for third graders at Cabot Elementary School. One third grade teacher let us know that “the students loved the presentation this morning. The guest speaker was phenomenal.”
Lexington Public Schools has completed three virtual unit presentations with UOD’s assistance across all 6 elementary schools in their district. We will work with them to present an additional three units district-wide in the spring.
And the Curley School K-8 School in the Boston Public Schools presented our Deafness and Hard of Hearing unit just this week! They used a Zoom meeting format, so we could see some of the students, who were really engaged and curious.
