Understanding Our Differences is a non-profit organization working in partnership with the Newton Public Schools to provide a unique and creative disability awareness program for all elementary school children. Taught by volunteers, the program promotes inclusion, understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities and individual differences at our schools and in our community.
The curriculum addresses various disabilities and chronic medical conditions and is presented to your children in third, fourth and fifth grades. This year, the third grade focus will be on Deafness & Hard of Hearing in the Fall/Winter and then Blindness & Low Vision in the Spring. The units will be offered as following:
Grade 3: Deafness & Hard of Hearing December 13th 1:00 pm
Blindness & Low Vision March 28th 1:00 pm
Each unit includes an informational PowerPoint presentation, group discussions, a DVD, hands-on activities and an opportunity to hear and ask questions about the experiences of a guest speaker with disabilities.
We invite you to join the team of volunteer parents, who will present the Deafness & Hard of Hearing unit in your child’s classroom. Each unit will require 3 hours of your time: a 1 hour training workshop and 2 hours classroom presentation. Parent participation is the great strength of this program. The training for Deafness & Hard of Hearing is offered at two different times – Tuesday November 27th from 6:45pm to 9:00 pm or Wednesday November 28th from 8:45 am to 11:00 am. Trainings will be held at the Education Center, 100 Walnut St., Newtonville.
We will take care of registration for the training once you have contacted us to say you are interested.
This is a unique opportunity to share time in the classroom with your own child and to get to know other parents and students. You will also be able to encourage friendship with and empathy for people with disabilities in our community.
Thanks Angelique Dittrich, Community Chair and the PTO Board