teachers in action halloween bash

Teachers in Action Halloween Bash 2010 : 

Teachers in Action Halloween Bash 2010 Bailey Scott Bailey@knights.ucf.edu November 20, 2010 EEX 4070

UCP of Central Florida : 

UCP of Central Florida The United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida Hosted the second annual Halloween Bash Their Mission: We are the experts for children with special needs. By providing the best support, education and therapy, we offer hope to everyone touched by a disability. Who they Serve: kids with all types of special needs, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, speech delays, developmental delays, and vision and hearing impairments. With locations ranging from Downtown Orlando, Pine Hills, Kissimmee, Lake Mary, and Winter Garden, UCP provides “one stop shopping” to more than 2,400 children who receive all the services they need in one place

A Brief History about UCP of Central Florida : 

A Brief History about UCP of Central Florida Started over 50 years ago with a house remolding on Colonial Drive. In 1980 Jack Holloway helped the program expand. In 1999 the program continued to expand and with the communities funding, UCP built and furnish a 20,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art children's center. Today, UCP is the expert for children with special needs. UCP provides a comprehensive SET of services -Support, Education and Therapy -- for more than 2,300 children up to age 21.

Halloween Bash : 

Halloween Bash Who was invited? Anyone! This party was specifically designed for children of all ages and abilities The event was held at Loch Haven Park in Downtown Orlando How I was involved: I was in constant communication with volunteers and leaders of this project through the web course in order to organize this event. I participated in the Halloween Bash by organizing pizza donations for the event. Along with help from another volunteer, we called restaurants and arranged for donations and deliveries. I helped set up the event by decorating and organizing game stations, food, and candy At the bash I painted faces for the entire duration of the event. After the event I helped clean up and organize the remaining decorations.

Guests of the Event : 

Guests of the Event Our event was open to the public, so ages ranged from babies to the elderly. Additionally, ethnic backgrounds, linguistic heritages, and exceptionalities also varied. According to I.D.E.A. the people we helped are considered disabled because Their disability includes: autism, deaf/blind, deafness, hearing impaired, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, serious emotional disturbance, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment including blindness, and other health impairment a student must have a disability that adversely affects her or his educational performance and must need special education in order to receive an appropriate education

Halloween Bash! : 

Halloween Bash!

Halloween Bash! : 

Halloween Bash!

Reflections : 

Reflections At first I was very anxious, being a face painter at the event, to touch and be in such close contact with people with disabilities. After witnessing first hand how enthusiastic and happy people with disabilities are I no longer feel anxious about being in close quarters with them- they are just like everyone else! A specific moment that had a big impact on me was when a little boy wanted his face painted like Spiderman, being no artist I did my best and when I showed him the mirror his expression was priceless. I could tell from the huge smile and on his face and the hug he gave me that he loved it.

Connections : 

Connections I can definitely understand ADHD better because of this experience. Certain children could not sit still while I was painting their face- anyone who walked by would become a distraction. I learned how to maintain their still attention in many short moments as opposed to one long sit down. I’ve also learned how crucial it is to be in contact with parents of children with disabilities. Finally, I discovered first hand how difficult it can be to understand children who have communication disorders. By paying close attention to what message the child is trying to get across and using context clues, I was better able to understand what the child was trying to say. EEX 4070

Civic Engagement : 

Civic Engagement Considering that participation in a TIA event was mandatory for my class I do not believe we participated in ‘volunteerism’, but I can better understand how being actively involved in a community benefits many people. I think it is very important to be involved in a community especially one that serves the disabled. Disabled people are often over looked because some people believe that they do not understand the help that they are providing, but nothing could be further from the truth. I could sense the gratitude and appreciation from all guests at the event. I believe that service learning is a crucial element of learning to be a teacher. It provides first hand experiences that one cannot learn from a book. It allows us to be actively involved with students and the teaching process, and I would absolutely recommend all teachers and students embrace this hands on learning style.

Final Thoughts : 

Final Thoughts Through this exciting experience I have gained an even stronger appreciation for those who teach students with disabilities. I no longer am ‘scared’ of people with disabilities because I have learned that above all, they are just like any other human being. This was an amazing experience and I had such a fun time. I had no idea how much I would enjoy participating in this event. Though I doubt I made any lasting impressions on any of my face painted guests, the impact they left on me is priceless. I learned so much in such a short amount of time with these children, and I am so appreciative and thankful I was able to provide joy for them.

Thank you! : 

Thank you! I just wanted to take this slide and say a special thank you to Shawn Eigenbrode, UCP, and Loch Haven Park for organizing this amazing event and allowing me to be a part of it. After my original TIA plan had fallen through Shawn accepted me into their Halloween Bash group as a late comer and now I am so thankful that I was a part of this wonderful event. It has truly changed my outlook on people with disabilities and I will forever remember what I have learned through this program and event. Thank you!