“There is nothing like a dream to create a future…” ~Victor Hugo

Meet my friend, Kennedy, a second grader here at LME.  Shown here with her teacher, Christy McAfee, and Donice Arrington, (MISD Occupational Therapist), she is learning to use her new wheel chair tray attachment allowing her to control her own movements now!  Using a special power chair with directional controls marked on her lap tray, she is able to control her mobility without the assistance of an adult.  While practicing today in the hallway for the first time, we visited and she demonstrated her obvious delight with this new freedom.  I especially loved it when she stopped her chair by throwing her arms into the air with flourish and lots of giggling.  🙂

Teaching her left/right turns, sharp building angles, and ways to avoid obstacles (walls, corners, Mrs. Van’s feet) in the hallways requires great patience and practice on her part.  Moving in and out of doorways, navigating crowded areas, and working through the playground areas like Tricycle Town are other challenges she will master as the process becomes more refined.  She will also learn to adjust the chair up and down to meet table heights and to tilt the chair as needed to rest during her busy day.  Eventually, she will use this same device to operate a communication system while she is mobile in all her environments.  We are so proud of Kennedy for actively demonstrating how she just keeps on rollin’ along her educational journey…and we hope you and your learner are rollin’ well too!  🙂  Have a wonderful, restful spring weekend!

Note:  We survived our first week of state assessment this year at LME…many thanks for your continued support and understanding as we completed this monumental task.