After-school orientation and mobility lessons have begun at Blind Middle School! Shanteria, Arabella, Jaliyah, Takiah, and Vivienne went to Hobby Lobby for their craft project items and Chick-Fil-A for dinner. The craft involved them learning an independent living skill -- ironing!
During their daytime Orientation and Mobility/Expanded Core Curriculum lesson, the students researched the Hobby Lobby Website with a tablet using zoom or voiceover to access shirt/sweatshirt options and iron-on applique options. They took note of the item(s) information using a braillewriter, speech-to-text and/or handwriting in case they needed assistance from a Hobby Lobby employee. Everyone stayed under budget as Hobby Lobby was having some unexpected sales! They each located their items, practiced decision-making and interacted with the cashier to conduct their transaction.
They wrapped up their shopping trip by having dinner together at Chick-fil-A, where they each ordered and paid for their meal independently. At the end of their dinner together, they played the infamous after-school O&M game, "High-Low-Grateful", where they each share their "high of the day", "their low of the day" and something in their lives that makes them feel grateful. What they came to realize by sharing this information and being vulnerable in front of their peers is that some of their highs and lows were similar, causing them to relate to each other and empathize with one another.
In their subsequent Orientation and Mobility lesson, they learned the basic functionalities of an iron, the sounds and smells they may experience when ironing, and how to use apps to aid in reading the fine print directions on the iron-on applique packaging. By the end of the lesson, the students were ironing independently! How awesOMe!!!!