Celebrating Uniqueness in South Brunswick Schools

While children often hear about various physical and developmental disabilities in school, rarely do they have the opportunity to put a human face on the words they hear so often.

However, thanks to an annual program at Indian Fields Elementary School, a wide range of guest speakers with various disabilities have helped to expose children to the daily struggles and triumphs of those who are unique. For over a decade, Indian Fields has held "Celebrating Uniqueness," a program that allows students to hear stories and ask questions of people with different disabilities.

"In the second grade we do a whole unit on disability awareness, so kids learn about the different physical and learning disabilities that are out there," said Indian Fields second grade teacher Tatjana Policastro. "They learn that there are a lot more similarities we have with people who are disabled than differences. We're all unique in our own special way, so the kids learn that people who are disabled have to do certain things in a different way. They learn that people who can't walk might use a walker or a wheelchair, or people who can't see can still play baseball, but they play in a different way."

The staff at Indian Fields also ties in lessons about understanding and tolerance into the curriculum thorugh the study of books involving characters with disabilities to overcome.

"That's a key component of the curriculum and also is the whole idea behind bringing the speakers in," said Student Assistance Counselor Amy Bertelsen-Robles. "They meet people who have these situations and learn about how people achieve their goals. We all have goals, and we might all do them differently, but that doesn't mean one way is wrong. We all do things differently."

Included in the speakers were a paraplegic individual who still competes in triathalons, and a blind man who is able to play baseball through using a ball that beeps as it's in the air. Other speakers included individuals with diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and cerebral palsy, among others.

Through interaction with the guest speakers, students learn about the similarities they share as the program teaches them to ask respectful questions they otherwise may be too tentative to ask under different circumstances.

"Even though the kids are so young, they have such insightful questions. We hope this helps build tolerance now into the future," said School Psychologist Natalie Brent. "This program is also run at the middle schools and I moderate the speakers there. Each year you can see how it impacts the kids, especially the ones who experience it when they're younger."

Through exercises that demystify people with different disabilities in a classroom for the kids, the students become more comfortable asking questions they may be fearful of in a different setting. The message it provides to the younger kids is also something that stays with them throughout their lives.

"I ran into a student who's now a sophomore in high school, and her mom told me that she still talks about the program from when she was in second grade," Brent said. "It really makes an impact on these kids because not many people have this opportunity."

The organizers of "Celebrating Uniqueness" praised the support they receive for the program from the district leadership, down to school administration and other school staff members.

"We have a speaker with cerebral palsy who is the twin sister of one of our second grade teachers," Policastro said. "For the kids to see twins where one has a disability, yet they are so similar and did the same things growing up, really connected with them. The kids were able to see that they're both the same."

For the guest speakers in the program, the experience is just as powerful, as many of them have continually returned over the years to speak with students and always ask to be brought back for the event.

"It's such a powerful experience for the kids and the speakers, which is why they're eager to give up their time and share their stories each year," Bertelsen-Robles said. "This is a profound and unique opportunity for young people to have open conversations where they learn how to talk and ask questions of someone who is different in a respectful way."