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,, • . DECENTRALIZED COMMUNITY SPECIAL LEARNING CENTERS · FOR TRAINABLE MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN Submitted by: Jean D. Zorn, Consultant Mental Retardation and Special Education Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc . 101 Marietta Street, N. W. Atlanta, Georgia 30303 and ~ Dave Roberts Southern Education Foundation Intern Economic Oppor tuni ty Atlanta, Inc . 101 Marietta Street , N. W. · ·Atlanta, Georgia 30303 ,, June 2, 1969 �GENERAL CONCEPr FOR DECENTRALIZED COMMUNilY SPECIAL LEARNING CENTERS FOR TRAINABLE MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN ·/ The need for speci~l lea~ning programs to meet the needs of physcially a~d mentally· handicapped children ·is a cause of concern for parents and residents in many Economic Opportunity Atlanta Target communities. Many of these children do not meet the criteria for admission to the two programs provided by the Atlanta City Schools. Even those who are eligible to attend public school still have the difficulty _of transportation - lack of economic resources, and need for constant supervision. Enrollment in provate schools in the area present the same problems even when tuition is arranged for through scholarships. Parents are unable to pay the cost of transportation necessary for their children _ to attend school. The concept presented here seeks to point to directions a program might take which would provide a practical learning program on a neighborhood level. Two ideas are basic to this concept (1) The handicapped child is entitled to educational services within his own neighborhood, and (2) any program which offers a meaningful service to both parents and children must be one irr which parents are genuinely involved in its policy-making and administration. Primarily the concept is a developmental process of impacting parents and the handicapped children with the potential of life within the context of the child's given limitations. In operation .this concept might look like several on-going learning settings for parents, children and staff. - , -The ideal setting for such - a program would be a hQuse in the neigh.I borhood rented or purchased, renovated and :fur nisnea - to teach the life styles practicable for the trainable mentally retarded._ However, due t o the economic limitation which exist at present, an apartment in ! �_L _ . -2. .' a public hcusing project or sp 3~ ~ ·n a neighbor~ood church should prove 0 adequate for small neighborhood· projects. "The following proposal was designed with the hope of developing a program which with modification of the number of children, staff and housing facility, could be sponsored ,•b y any Neighborhood Service Center. 11 11 ... " ' .,. ,, �PHILSOPHY of EDUCATION for the MENTALLY RETARDED ' All cb~ldren are entitled to an education with the oppo~tunity to develop to the limits of their individual capacity. In this respect, education for the mentally retarded does not differ from education for any group of children. The goals are the same: to teach the individual to make full use of his capabilities, and to become a useful member of his social group {i.e. all others). In analyzing the concept of social compe tence, self-expression and sel-control are the primary traits of outstanding importance. To be able to express one's ideas in work and in play, to other individuals and to groups, is a necessary requisite for happiness and efficiency. Even more important is the ability to control one's self in accordance with socially accepted standards of behavior. self-control leads to chaos and confusion. Self-expression without With all the need for the child to express himself, it should not be forgotten that unless at the same time he learns self-discipline to control himsel f , he will not have fulfilled his capabilities. If the mentally retarded child is to assume a place in the cormnunity with a measure of self-reliance and self-respect, it becomes necessary for education to provide training for some participation in productive work and to plan teaching procedures and objectives to correspond with his needs, interests, abilities and limitations. This is the basic philosophy underlying any educational planning for the mentally retarded child. The parents of the mentally retarded are also entitled to an education which will enable them to better understand their child. By participating in the program, parents will learn di fferent ways of coping with · the problems that arise in daily living. The parent-child relationship should �. .
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-2- improve when the parent is relieved of the constant supervision of a mentally retarded . child. The a tti.tude of a parent toward his child might change if ·he understands that mental retardation can occur in • j any family, and that the mentally retarded can learn some things which will benefit him, particularly in the area of self-care. Representatives o_f the National Association for Retarded Children, The Georgia Association for Retarded Children, and the Atlanta Association for Retarded Children have all expressed an interest in and a desire to work with all parents who wish to avail themselves of their respective services. Organizations such as these should be the primary source of support for parents. . Membership fees are modest and the security derived from belonging to a large group with similar problems and interests is highly satisfactory. ifo . • ,, �PLAN OF ACTION . ( ' I. Identification .. Families -having a retarded member in need of community services can be identified by the Neighborhood Aides in their regular contact with target area families. identification. The McBee System record should also provide this A community survey under the supervision of University personnel is still another method of identification. Information should include name of family, name., ...age ...and sex of child; previous community services (if any) received by child, i.e., medical and/or psychological evaluations, Grady Hospital ID number, local Health Center_reco~d and ,,,--· -,..-· . . neighborhood or e ommunity program attended if any, b~ chi~~Parental attitude toward child should also be obtained (do parents feel child can be helped; what kinds of services do their children need,etc.) II. Pre s enta tion to CNAC (a) Scope of problem. (b) Plans for parent discussion group. (c) Progress r e ports should be made to the CNAC on a continuing bas is. Initial discussion should be h eld with parents covering the following areas: .. . Through (a) Problems involved in obta i ning service s for menta lly retarded ch i ldren . (b) Corrnnm,ity serv ices ava i lable f or the mentally retarded . (c) Program s t r ue t ure f or parents.--- weekly meetings with res ource persons , parents c an l earn many of the facts regarding mental retardation and may, i n t urn, b ecome resource persons themselves to their friends ~nd neighbors. , Knowl edge o f facts can go a long way toward dissipating myths and :supers tit ions s4rrounding the mentally handicapped~ �-2- III. Project Structure . ,, . A poss·ible structure for administering a project such as the one proposed could be an incorporated group of citizens seeking funds and acting ·, as the grantee. This group would consist of perhaps fou~ residents of the target cormnunity being served, three or four resource experts in the fields of health, special education, and social services, and four parents elected by the parents themselves to represent them on an annual basis. Legal assistance in establishing necessary agency status should be sought from the Legal Aid Society office in the target connnunity. An alterna tive to this arrangement could be with EOA acting as the grantee with a Board of Advisors composed of the above mentioned persons. One adult resident of the target area should be chosen by th e parents to direct the activities of the program. This person should enroll in the Child Growth and Development course taught at Atlanta Area Tech. This is a ten week course in the physical, menta l, emotional and social growth and development of normal children. Registration fee is $5.00; class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 3:30 P.M. After completing this course, a two-week observation at a local facility for trainable mentally retarded children will prove most profitable. A neighborhood learning center will provide excellent training opportuni ties f or Neighborhood Youth Corps workers. Three such persons should ~c provided for each group of fifteen children and each enrolled in the Child Growth & Deve lopment course offered at Atlanta Area Tech. ,· The staff members and NYC trai nees could serve as resources to the parents in helping them to better und erstand their own childs 1 problems, behavior, and possibilities for development. I Together parents and staff �-3·/ .,,- could plan learning activities in self-care skills for the children. The children should be grouped according to their particular needs and capabilities. Staff and parents could also seek to understand better how to help the child ~t home so as to utilize more fully the attention received in the learning activities which take place at the center. These learning activities would be directed toward any and all kinds of areas the child needs (e.g. self-care skills, recreation, social interaction, academic work, imaginal education). Underlying the program would always ,be. the idea that both child and parent could see themselves as significant human beings for whom possibilities are open to play a meaningful part in the life of their neighborhood, community and the world • . .. . ' ., �An Example in - Program Account Form ~ I. RJRPO~E Ao To provide educational services for trainable mentally retarded children · and their parents in their own neighborhood for an eleven-month period. B. Objectives 1. To provide a facility in which moderately retarded children and their parents may receive assistance in developing ways of coping _qa:t:h daily living problems. 2. To provide for the training and education of each child to the maximum of his potential for health, ..educational, emotional and social growth and development. 3. To provide continous evaluation of progess made by each child in each --a:rea of development. 4o To aid parents in understanding the problems which arise from having a mentally retarded child in the family through group meetings and home visits which offer counseling and guidance, and referral services. 5. To aid parents in developing positive attitudes toward health care and utilizing health services available to them. 6. To maintain continous contact with parents and assist them in putting into practice those things le~rned through group
meetings. 7. To develop a system of record keeping which will accurately reflect progress made by child and parents. ! �· Page - 2 II. PROGRM1 A. Children 1·. This program will serve fifteen (15) moderately retarded children between the ages of six (6) and twent y-one (21) years who are not pres ently receiving educationa l services from any source. 2. The program will operate from nine (9:00) A. M. to two (2:00) P. M. five days a week, Monday through Friday. 3. Children will be group ed accordi ng to age and educationa l needs. 4. Core content of the program.. will be center ed around behavior modificat i on which will ena ble the child to r elate pos i tive ly to his family, peer group, neighborhood and connnunity. 5. Recrea tion and learning tasks will be provided to develop s e lf- awa r ene ss, s e lf-contr o l and s e l f -c are . 6. Basic academic instruction will be o.ffered to children possessing the necessary intellectual potential to benefit. ·7. Spe c ial h ea lth problems of ind i vidua l children will be r ef e r red t o the appropr i a t e agency . B. Par ents 1. Organize parent workshops to meet on a regular basis to de sign a pr ogram f or themselve s . •
2. Provide instruction to parents to h e l p t hem in understanding the nature of mental retardation and the special needs of their children . �Page - 3 3. .,, Introduce the concept of behavior modification and emphasize the benefits which can be derived from its use by both the child and his family. ·, 4. · Provide instruction in home management, fa~ily planning, · hygiene and nutrition. 5. Referral to other agencies for unmet needs in health, welfare, vocational counseling and education. 6. Group recreational activities planned by parents and volunteers. 7. Involve parents in planning learning tasks for children to carry out goals of their program. III. PARTICIPANTS A. Children will be recruited through the EOA Center staff, welfare workers, public health nurses, and school counselors. B. IV. Criteria for Selection 1. Child must not be currently enrolled in an educational program. 2. Child must be ambulatory. RESIDENT PARTICIPATION A. CNAC general advisory board will work with the Center subcommittees on education and health. B. -• Parent Workshop group will seek to involve CNAC members and members o .F the two sub-committees in setting general goals and objectives for the program . ~ ,I c. Involve parents in developing specific educational , recre ational and social learning tasks . �Page - 4 V. COORDINATION A. ,,.- O~her agencies involved ,J n P program such as this will include State and County Depar t,-.r-n b~ of Family and Children Services, State and County Departments of Public Health, Georgia State Department of Education - Special Education Division of Vocational Rehabilita tion . and local school systems. B. Funding Funds and services will be requested from the following community organizations: C. 1. Civic Organizat ioll.s -,,:;C ivitans (local), Lions Clubs, Masons, Kiwanis and Jaycees 2. Church Groups - Christian Counicl of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. 3. EOA - Neighborhood Youth Corps trainees, bookkeeping s ervices, tius drivers, transportation supervisots and Social Services. 4. USDA - Commodities, supplementary funds for snacks and hot lunches. 5. "Start Now Atlanta" - Volunteers to work witl;i children, siblings and par ents in r ecreation and family counseling (preferably gradua t e studen t s from local institutional departments of Education, Pschology, Physical Education, Sociology and Social Work). ·This program will focus on parent-child relationships, education for daily living, and home situations. : VI. 1. Parent-child group meeting at least once a week. 2. Par ents to at t end da ily cl asses as volunteer worker s and as observers. 3. Counseling for child's .sibli!lgs to promote better understanding on the ir part of the MR relative. ~ ,, -- - - - - - - - - - - EVALUATION A. Chil dren coul d be evaluated by parents regarding changes in beh avior . B. Staff could evaluate child ' 's progress ' in rel ation t o h is peer group. t ·· �Page - 5 C. ,, Volunteers could assess child's progress in recreation and social ir.::eraction and offer suggestions for ::i.dditional appropriate actvities. . The Program should help the child to become aware of himself as a worthwhile individual., develop academic skills to the best of his ability, become socially acceptable, develop the mechanical and intellectual skills necessary to function in society and help him develop his ability to participate constructively in society. The Program should also increase the effectiveness of intrafamily relationships and add to the general family stability. VII. IMPLEMENTATION A. Facility May be located in a house, an apartment in a low-cost housing project, a day care center, the educational facilities of a neighborhood church or public school. It should not be difficult to provide space for a small group of from twelve (12) to fifteen (15) children in any of the target area neighborhoods of Atlanta. Acco- modations should conform as closely as possible with required standards of the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services in to insure maximum health and comfort of children. B. Staff All of the staff will be recruited from the target area in which the students resides. • All staff members who work directly with the
children will either have had fonnal course work in Child Care or be currently enrolled in such a program. The cost of the program to funding agencies will vary depending upon the value of volunteer work done and salaries finan~ed from other sources. �Page - 6 .. Staffing Cos ts Salary 1 Older Adult---·-- - --- -- --- -- - - - -- - - --- -- - --- -- -- -$3, 328 3 NYC Trainees------------------------------------ 7,488 1 Bus and Driver---~------------------------------ 4,280 1 Cook-------------------------------------------- 1 820 ' Space Rental-------------~------------------------ varied Utilities------------------------------------~---170 Transportation Maintenance-----------------------900 Social Security & Workmen Compensation----------277 TOTAL---------$18,263 Salaries for the NYC trainees are paid by the United States Department of Labor. Driving of the bus and supervision of the children en route to and from school could be services donated by parents, Parents could also volunteer to prepare and serve one hot meal each dayo If Rrogram is lo~ cated in a low-cost public housing authorlty the Atlanta Housing Authority could be asked to provide space on a one · dollar per year basis. With NYC salaries and volunteer service costs deducted from the total budget, a small neighborhood program for mentally retarded children coµld be operated at a cost of approximately $5,675 per year. According to figures supplied-by the Georgia Department of Public Health, the cost of caring for the mentally retarded in other programs around the state are as follows: . Cost per retardate per year Program Residential (Gracewood) -----------------------------$3,183 Special Education (EMR) ----------------------------615 Special Educatio~ (TMR) ----------------------------- 1,000 All Other Corrnnunity' Programs -----------------------1,000 ~
With a new approach effectively utilizing the services of parents, volunteers and Neighborhood Service Centers personnel not usually considered suitable for this t y pe of employment, the cost per retardate per year would be approx i ma tely $378. Even if some of the services should have to be purchased from �Page - 7 \. parents or other targ~t area residents, the cost per child per year I should stiJ.i be less than · the cost of maintaini:ig one educable mentally retarded child in a public school special education class. Equipment and Supplies Some of these materials will be provided by the Neighb;rhood Service Center. It is expected that most of the additional needed supplies will be made and furnished by parents. Purchase of necessary materials will be financed through miscellaneous costs and funds raising endeavors of the parent group for the Parent Fund. D. Food, Paper Products, Cleaning Supplies 1. Surplus connnodities 2. USDA supplementary foods f~nds 3. Parents Fund ..
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