Picture
a teenager in the bustling social atmosphere of high school, an atmosphere
where she could join teams, be involved with clubs and, essentially, make
friends. But there is one slight hitch: This teen is handicapped and cannot
speak. She can communicate by signing and writing, but her lack of verbal
communication discourages her peers from approaching her.
Once,
this could have been a situation at Santa Ynez Valley Union High School,
brought about by a lack of understanding between handicapped students and those
in mainstream classes. But that is no longer the case.
Jennifer
Connolly is the teacher of SYVUHS’s Severely Handicapped Special Day Class, and
three years ago she formed the Buddy Club.
The
Buddy Club at the high school helps foster friendships between special needs
students and mainstream students.
The
club assists the students to form friendships outside of the Special Day
classroom.
This
also allows special students to see familiar faces in the halls. The SDC
students take a lot of pride in having a friendship. It is amazing to see the
joy that can be brought by simple acts of inclusion.
Each severely disabled student is paired with
a “buddy” who comes to have lunch with him or her once a week.
Buddy
pairs might play UNO, go to a pep rally, play basketball, take a walk, do an
art project or just sit and talk.
The
Buddy Club gives buddy pairs an opportunity to discuss school events, and
allows SDC students to gain appropriate social skills and learn life skills in
a peer setting.
Equally
as important, by working with their “buddies,” mainstream students learn that
the more they give, the more they get back.