“It’s hard to read and write in Braille,” Sophie Thompson stated.
At another station, students put on a button-front shirt with socks placed over their hands, attempting to button the shirt without using fingers and thumbs.
“It’s very, very difficult,” Rob Jewett Johnson said.
It was a sentiment shared by Jamie Ranniger, Michelle Katzung, Zakk Helton and John Spence.
“I learned that others don’t have it so easy,” Jernett Utpadael said while attempting to pick up a single M&M off a plate with only a spoon, using only their thumbs.
“Me too,” Randy Andalt confirmed.
Chancellor Olson struggled to maneuver a wheelchair to get a drink of water from the hall fountain. Others found difficulty tracing the outline of a star using only a double-sided mirror. Yet others discovered hearing single words an obstacle.
“Kids are more sensitive to people with all kinds of disabilities. This program is a great way for kids to learn about disabilities, it allows them to think about it,” said NRHEG fifth-grade teacher Terri Engel.
Hidden disabilities were also addressed, bringing awareness of Attention Deficit Disorder, ADHD, Epilepsy, Autism and Emotional Behavior Disorders; and recently added, bullying.
The Kool Kids presentation is a project of love and hope. It reflects change, celebrating the many ways of being unique, and perhaps, most important, how alike than different we really are, something that can’t be seen. The Kool Kids provide something for the wise soul in every child.
