Carpenter Holds First Special Needs Fair

Third grader Benjamin Rabich, 8, said he never imagined what it was like to have dyslexia.

That is, until he tried writing his name on his forehead through a mirror. 

That was one of the games that parents at Carpenter Community Charter School tried on Wednesday afternoon to encourage all children to see what it was like to have special needs.

There was a wheelchair obstacle course, or walking with a walker, or stuffing your mouth with marshmallows and trying to talk, or zippering up a jacket with thick gloves on—all of it has the students try to understand challenges faced by their fellow classmates.

"It's a way to show that everyone learns differently," said Andy Leech, who helped coordinate a week's worth of events at Carpenter called Kindness + Tolerance. "We have had a week's worth of activities."

Actors for Autism performed for some of the grades, Tuesday was "Wear Blue" day to show you are proud to celebrate differences, Thursday had a parent education program with an expert from LAUSD about "Fostering Independence in Your Child—With or Without Special Needs!"

Co-organizer Judy Villa, who has a child in first grade and a Kindergartner coming in next year, set up the wheelchair obstacle course and said, "It's amazing how this helps raise awareness in such a simple way. All the children realize what a challenge it is to move around like this. It also shows that it's nothing to be afraid of or intimidated by. They are in your community."

The Inclusion Teacher for the school, Cherie Browner, said about 10 to 15 percent of the students at the school are identified as having some sort of special need, and programs like this can only help all students. 

"A fair like this helps foster tolerance and celebrate everyone's differences," Browner said.