A Touch Of Understanding

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OVERVIEW

A Touch of Understanding’s award-winning character-building disability-awareness workshop educates a new generation of students to understand the challenges associated with disabilities and to accept and respect all individuals. The program serves elementary – high school students, teachers, staff and administrators in local schools and adjoining areas. A Touch of Understanding is beneficial to all students. It might be misunderstood that this program benefits only students with disabilities. Although students with disabilities definitely benefit, the disability-awareness workshop has a much wider impact on all students and the school community. This is not a typical school-wide assembly. In an average-size school, it is geared towards one grade level at a time. In the first 20 years of its existence, this disability-awareness education program has benefited over 100,000 children in the Greater Sacramento area. Their 2nd-12th grade experiential workshops supports a variety of learning styles by providing a hands-on experience to understanding disabilities. They guide students through activities in which they build life skills that enable them to understand and relate to people with disabilities. As a result, teachers, parents and students observe an increase in respectful interactions and friendships as well as a reduction of isolation and bullying in the school environment and community. The specific focus is to help children understand the challenges brought on by a variety of disabilities. This exposure increases their understanding and comfort level with others who have disabilities. It also serves as an anti-bullying program, increasing respect in classrooms and on school campuses.This three hour workshop involves a speaker portion and a hands-on activity station portion.

The Activity Portion – The message of the program is introduced by a facilitator, followed by (1) a video featuring individuals with disabilities involved in various sports and everyday activities, and (2) a discussion of things which are easy or difficult for each of us. Students then spend their time at activity stations. In the Mobility Station, they use wheelchairs and handle a variety of braces and artificial limbs. In the Vision Station, they use white mobility canes and write in Braille. In the Invisible Disability Station, they do a mirror-writing exercise to understand the experience of having a learning disability and use audio recording to help understand some of the challenges of autism. The lessons of the program are summarized by sharing true stories about experiences with people with disabilities.

The Speaker Portion – Participants meet with ATOU’s volunteers who have disabilities, who describe their lives, their challenges, and how they achieve their goals. Students have ninety minutes to interact with these volunteers, get to know them personally, and ask questions, some of which might be inappropriate in other settings.

Student Package: Includes interactive project ideas, fun and interesting facts, engaging pre and post field trip activities and student field trip participation.

Educator Package: Includes educational resources, interactive project ideas, trip organization, direct experiential opportunities to help better connect the experience with your students, and complimentary chaperone access.

Important Info

• AGE/GRADE REQUIREMENTS: K-12 
• CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY: Tickets for field trips will remain on sale until sold out or at the cut off date listed on the event, whichever comes first. Changes to your order can be made only while the field trip is open. Once a field trip closes, we are unable to offer refunds. 
• CHAPERONE POLICY: An adult chaperone is required to accompany student(s) on a field trip regardless of the student(s)' age or grade level(s).
• FOOD/DRINK RESTRICTIONS: 
• MEETING INSTRUCTIONS: 
• PARKING INSTRUCTIONS: 
• SICK POLICY: To ensure the health and safety of all attendees, please do not attend a field trip if you or your student(s) is ill or showing possible signs of illness.
• RELEASE OF LIABILTY: When registering, make sure to read and understand the Release of Liabiliy Policy before submitting your order

Charter Coupon Code: CHARTER