Orchard students participated in Joseph Maley Foundation’s Disability Awareness program to build their understanding of disabilities and develop empathy, acceptance, and respect for all. 

 

Pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade students heard from student-led puppeteers—one of whom was current Orchard eighth grader Alexander G. Alums Emrie L. and Alice C. also performed. Puppeteers are trained during summer camp sessions and they become skilled at facilitating puppet shows, and interacting with young students during the question and answer session after each show. Puppets utilize the talents of seventh and eighth graders from schools around Indy, who use child-sized puppets to perform skits on topics related to all of our education programs. Puppets is an example of the Joseph Maley Foundation’s belief in the power of “kids teaching kids”.

 

Fifth and sixth graders saw a panel of high school students from the Indiana School for the Deaf. Seventh and eighth-grade students heard from a local eighth-grade speaker with autism who shared what it is like to live with autism. Our students were very engaged and ask great questions. Speaker panels are exciting and interactive, allowing students to ask questions and learn about disabilities that individuals face within our world today.

 

This was a wonderful opportunity for our Owls!