The New Horizon Special School and the Debut of the MacGyver Kits

As mentioned in the previous post, some families send their children to schools who work specifically with disabilities. The New Horizon Special School is one of these schools. We spent two days visiting with them and interacting with them.

For more information on their facility and pictures check out their website:
The New Horizon Special School Website.

This is a privately owned school that children starting at age 6 come to for the day to learn academics and vocational skills (depending on age). This school works with a physiotherapist (similar to the US, Physical Therapist) from the UK. We spent the first day taking a tour, meeting the children, and observing at the vocational training classes. What was interesting was that the physiotherapist was taking cardboard and making paper machete adaptive seats, positioning benches, and trays for wheelchairs for the children. She had also started a sensory corner in her office for the children with autism to retreat to when needed. It seemed like she was doing a lot for this school.

After our first day, we went back to our hotel and brainstormed ways that the children could be more independent with adaptive gear. We brought with us what we affectionately called, "The MacGyver Kit", which included all kinds of materials that could be used to adapt every day materials (ie. pencils, scissors, grips, long handled sponges, etc). We spent the evening making these different adaptive tools and the next day presented to the teachers what we had made. We also talked with them about ways that they could make similar tools out of materials that were common to Ghana. After this demonstration, we discussed proper body mechanics necessary for safe transfers and some positioning techniques to better help their students. The teachers seemed really receptive to it. I'm not sure what kind of carry through it will have but hopefully something was taken from that day.

Afterwards, we went around to the classrooms and passed out the materials we had made and let the kids try them out. Everything was a big hit. I was starting to feel like an OT.