Environment Task Force Newsletter
Ohio State University Extension
Summer, 1997, v1 #2

Adapted Hands-on Environmental Education-Focusing on Ability

Donna J. Maruschak, Lake County 4-H Program Assistant

The challenge of providing a meaningful environmental program is increased when individuals have diverse special needs. The "Helping Hands" 4-H club of Lake County is adapting programs to accommodate both the learning and physical needs of youths with disabilities.

Projects that include a butterfly garden, dried flower cutting garden, interactive nature trail, bluebird houses and bat boxes focus on appreciation and respect for the environment and on sensory awareness. Adaptations for these projects have been made to suite the ability of the children, not the disability. Examples include gardening tools that were altered to accommodate children in wheel chairs, trail markers in braille, recorded lessons for the sight impaired and written lessons for hearing impaired children.

In addition to creating first hand experiences with their local environment, the children strengthened motor and communication skills, cooperative learning abilities, and developed beneficial partnerships with volunteer and community members.

The following are strategies that we use for creating an environment that promotes physical, mental, emotional and social growth for our children:

• The children's interests are the starting point for the project. We permit the ideas to come from the children.

• This is not a time for rigid routines or complicated lessons. Activities are stopped while the interest is high, and we are flexible and open toward the children's signals and ideas.

• We consider the children's developmental levels and specific handicapping conditions. Projects that are too difficult are avoided. The strength, endurance and sensory perception that the children have is always kept in mind.

• The children have choices throughout the project. Their experiences and accomplishments provide feelings of self-worth and importance.

• The children are accepted first as individuals who have the same needs, desires and problems as other youth.

• It is important to know the specifics of the disability. We help the children to help themselves, being aware of real limitations and imaginary limitations created by fear and embarrassment.
• We believe in the worth of all children, are quick to praise, and perhaps most of all We Have Fun!

With over 4 million special education students in our public schools, this audience cannot be ignored if we want to have environmental programs reflect the diversity of our communities.