Special Education Classes and the Museum-Coast to Coast

In thinking about my first post for the blog, I immediately thought of an audience that we don't often think of when we think about school groups, a special education classroom that addresses the needs of students with multiple and severe handicaps. At the school I taught at last year, one of my favorite groups to sub for was the K-2 MD (multiple disabilities) unit. This small group of students has a huge amount of personality and an eagerness to learn that makes teaching them a joy. The teacher, Marcy*, agreed to talk with me about the way she approaches planning and executing field trips with her very unique group of students.

Shannon: Thanks for agreeing to talk to me about your class. Can you tell me a little bit about them?
Marcy: My group is a relatively big one this year as MD rooms go. I have eight students with disabilities ranging from severe autism spectrum disorders to Down Syndrome and genetic disorders that severely hinder physical and cognitive growth. Many of my students also have behaviors that draw attention to us and can be heightened by a new environment.
Shannon: So obviously, when you take them on a trip, you have a lot of things to consider. What are the most important things to you when choosing a field trip location?
Marcy: When choosing a field trip I make sure that its a safe environment that is willing to tolerate the different behavior of my students. I like to make sure that there will be opportunities to interact with same-age peers as a practice time for social skills. I also need a place that has a lot of things to do so the students engaged the entire time. I don't like down time.
Shannon: Are there any types of places that are out of the question?
Marcy: Oh yea there are. Last year I had to ask Benjamin's* parents to go to Deer Park (an outdoor park in Northeast Ohio with a petting zoo, lake and areas to feed fish and ducks). I know you aready know this, but Benjamin tends to run off and he loves to climb things. I was terrified that he was going to climb a fence and fall into a fish pond. I've never had to jump into a lake for a student, and I didn't want to start that day. Big, open outdoor places and spaces where there are multiple exits really make me nervous. I always have my aides with me and often a parent or two, but it only takes one second for a child to wander off or bolt for the door. Just one exit and entry point makes me sure that the kids won't try to fly the coop. I know museums are your field, but I would say they would be the toughest place to go. My students would not be quiet and it would be hard for them not to touch. They are also kind of complicated when it comes to layout, and I could just see Marcus* (a student that locked himself in the bathroom stall during my first subbing experience with them) running to hide in some dark corner.
Shannon: So, are there places you have been that were really successful?
Marcy: There are two that stick out to me. The first is Skedaddles, an indoor playground with bouncy castles and other fun equipment. The kids got the chance to interact with their peers and do so in a safe and somewhat familiar environment. The second is really obvious, but it is the dance the local YMCA sponsors for MD kids all over the county. They love getting dressed up and going and it gives us a chance to talk about social behaviors that are appropriate at special occasions like dances which translate to things like parties or weddings in their real lives.

*names have been changed

After talking with Marcy, I was a little sad that museums were almost automatically off of her list of great field trips. I decided to look for museums that have many or all of the qualities she mentioned made a good field trip. Though there aren't many, I want to highlight two, one on the east coast and one on the west, that do a great job of accommodating very specialized classes like Marcy's.

Pretend City Children's Museum-Irvine, California
Pretend City is a new Children's Museum in California that emphasizes learning through pretend play. They offer a host of accommodations for classes of special needs children. Just some of the highlights of their accomodations are staff trained in the support of all learners, special name badges for nonverbal children so staff can help more efficiently, and special needs specific items for special cases. These items include calming items like sunglasses, hats, headphones and weighted shoulder pads for students with sensory difficulties and special exhibition pieces made for motor skill and movement development. Their website is linked at the bottom of the page.

Port Discovery Children's Museum-Baltimore, Maryland
Located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Port Discovery stresses its universal design principles and award winning special needs programs. They have partnered with several local groups to help promote their programs and especially to help underprivileged families that have special needs children. Their most successful adaptations are "Discovery Days", on which the museum is closed to the public and only hosts children with special needs and their caretakers. The museum itself adapts on Discovery Days by dimming the lights and sounds and only allowing about 300 visitors in the museum to maximize comfort. Discovery Days happen four days a year, two in spring and two in fall, with one dedicated exclusively to children with autism.

Pretend City
Port Discovery