Dublin Teacher Campaigns To Customize Special Needs Classroom

DUBLIN, CA — A John Green Elementary School teacher is fundraising to make learning easier and more comfortable for her 15-student class of third- to fifth-graders with special needs.

Personalized seating options — such as stools, or chairs with movement or texture in the seat cushions — can go a long way when it comes to helping students with different sensory and processing needs focus in class and on their schoolwork, said teacher Andrea Ortuno. Trying a new seat can give a student a new perspective and help students with attention issues.

"They might be little (differences) for other people, but for them, it's something big," she said. "It makes a huge difference.

Ortuno hopes to make her students excited to come to class. They're a group with diverse learning styles, she said, and she wants to set them up for success.

She currently keeps a wobble stool in the classroom and students look forward to using it, Ortuno said.

Ortuno is seeking $1,260 for another wobble chair, a couch, floor seats, stools and more, according to her page on online fundraising site Donors Choose.

Donating is "a way to show love and compassion for people in our community and help them thrive with the tools they need," she said.

Donate to Ortuno's fundraiser here.