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Collaboration Between General and Special Education Students

April 19, 2007

On Thursday, April 19, 2007, the Henry Viscardi School presented at the Council for Exceptional Children in Louisville, Kentucky. The CEC is the leading association for the advancement of education for individuals with exceptionalities worldwide. Presenters were Alberto Bursztyn, Director of the Global Institute; Patrice Kuntzler, Executive Director of the Henry Viscardi School and Jeanette Marinese, English teacher. Also presenting was Barbara Sperrazza, English and Dramatic Arts teacher from Walt Whitman High School, in South Huntington, New York.

The CEC presentation addressed how to establish authentic subject content-based collaboration between adolescents with physical/health disabilities and general education peers. Presenters also spoke about and demonstrated the process of taking the art of writing out of the classroom and into the community.

A DVD of “Dear Journal” the play written by students at the Henry Viscardi School and performed by non-disabled theatre arts students at Walt Whitman High School, documented how the play was written and performed. The DVD, filmed by the Smeal Learning Center, also shares behind the scenes social interactions between students from both schools along with student commentary about their experiences.

“Dear Journal” was originally performed for students at the Henry Viscardi School during the day and again for parents in the evening. Additionally, it went “on the road” and was performed at Walt Whitman in the morning for elementary students and again in the afternoon for upper class students. Appreciation letters indicated that this work made an impressive impact on play goers: “The student authors from your school demonstrated great insight, strength of character, and of course, talent when they wrote their play. My students not only enjoyed watching ‘Dear Journal’ but came away from the play with a new and deeper understanding…”. This comment was from an intermediate school teacher in South Huntington.

The conference also afforded HVS educators access to workshops that address issues important to special educators. Some of this information will be shared with the HVS staff on Superintendent’s Conference Day.

The Henry Viscardi School is proud of their young playwrights and proud of the fact that their work has been appreciated by a national conference for special educators (the CEC attracts approximately 5,000 educators to its conferences).

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