Beautifully Accessible Kitchen Ideas for Those with Special Needs

 

Being physically disabled can certainly present its share of daily challenges in the struggle for independence, especially in the kitchen. Cooking can be a daunting task. However, with the right game plan anything is possible. Here’s a bit of helpful advice to consider if you plan to create a beautifully accessible kitchen.

 

 

Where to Start

Putting pencil to paper is a wonderful place to start and with a good, reliable, company like Mike’s Country Kitchens & Woodworking, a custom cabinet design company for kitchens and bathrooms, you’ll really be able to bring your ideas to life. They have done beautiful work and their willingness to accommodate their clients is definitely a plus. They have a unique team of designers with years of experience who offer personal consultations where you can bring in their ideas in and work together with a designer to breathe new life into your kitchen designs.

 

 

Counter and Storage Accessibility

This will be the key factor in any kitchen built for someone with disabilities. There are, of course, the standard low work stations and cut away counters which allow a wheelchair to easily pull up to. Don’t be afraid of these designs. There are some great ways to make these styles function well and look beautiful. For instances, instead of just empty space under a cut away counter you could add a rolling cart or island to fit inside the space. This way it will offer addition accessible storage and provide another easy to reach counter top that can be placed and used anywhere in the kitchen. Lower pull-out drawers with a flat surface inside can also add more counter space. Narrow, pull-out, pantry drawers, with accessibility from both sides, offers an easy-to-reach storage system. Another amazing innovation is an overhead cabinet with a small lift motor which lowers the entire cabinet and pushes it forward for extremely easy access of those, high, hard to reach cabinets.

 

 

Safer Appliance Ideas

Nowadays, standard appliances lend themselves to easier accessibility. Something as simple as lowering a microwave or sink can be helpful. But for someone who enjoys actual cooking there are stoves whose doors easily open sideways, like a cabinet door. This will allow for the chef to ride right up to the front of the stove, instead of stretching from the side. Another thing taken for granted might be the ability to look directly at what you’re cooking on a stove top. Those in wheelchairs are much lower and can have a hard time seeing into a pot on the stove. A simple solution for this could be a hung magnified mirror over the stove. Stoves with knobs and setting on the front instead of the back panel is another thing to consider, as someone in a wheelchair will have a difficult time reaching over scolding hot pots and pans.

 

 

A Quick Bite for Inspiration

Building a disability friendly kitchen automatically lends itself to creating an incredibly unique look and layout that most kitchens lack. Houzz.com has gathers some design ideas for accessible kitchens. Let the inspirational juices flow. Alternatively, you can also take a look at local home improvement stores, such as Lowe’s, for other inspiration and cabinetry ideas.

 

With so much at your fingertips the possibilities are simply endless. With the right design team and enough imagination physical limitations will be a thing of past in a beautifully accessible kitchen.

 

Categories: accessible, counter accessibility, special needs, storage accessibility

Peer Advocacy Programs Reduce Bullying of Special Needs Students

Bullying is destructive and hurtful no matter the age of the victim. From young children on the playground to adults in the boardroom, bullying causes low self-esteem, depression, poor performance and a whole host of other issues.

 

When the victim has special needs, the effects can be even more devastating. According to the Interactive Autism Network, more than 60 percent of children on the Autism Spectrum have been bullied at some point. Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are particularly vulnerable to bullying; the behaviors associated with ASD, including poor social interaction skills, repetitive behaviors and emotional outbursts are common targets for bullies who want to establish power over someone else. Children with ASD have experienced everything from teasing and taunting to behaviors designed to trigger an outburst, all for someone else’s amusement.

 

Increased awareness of ASD has gone a long way toward curbing bullying behaviors, but concerned educators and parents realize that there is much more work to be done. One of the most successful means of stopping bullying behavior among young people involves going right to the source: the children themselves.

 

Peer Advocacy In a Nutshell

Educators who work with special needs students have an in-depth understanding of ASD and how best to work with these children. Other students do not have that understanding, but what they do have, in most cases, is an innate sense of right and wrong, as well as a natural propensity for compassion.

 

That’s why some advocates have developed peer advocacy programs specifically designed to give students the tools they need to stop bullying behaviors. Essentially, peer advocacy means that one (or more) students acts on the behalf of another. The action might include telling the bully to stop, reaching out to the victim to offer support or calling a teacher or other adult for help.

 

Experts believe that peer advocacy is so effective because not only are children more likely to see bullying behavior than adults, but there is great power in their influence. A fellow student telling you to stop teasing someone, or advisingthe victim to tell an adult, likely has more impact than an adult offering the same advice. In addition, training kids to identify and respond to bullying behavior helps educate children on what is and is not acceptable and might prevent them from doing or saying things that could be considered bullying themselves.

 

The Basics of Peer Advocacy

An effective peer advocacy program requires more than simply telling children to tell a bully to stop or to notify a teacher when they see bullying. Particularly in the case of special needs students, children may not be able to effectively identify all types of bullying or how to respond appropriately.

 

For those reasons, special needs–focused peer advocacy training should involve:

 

• Explaining what bullying behavior is, and how it affects victims. Children should understand why they intervene, so when they see bullying they will feel more compelled to take action.


• Improving understanding of the group for which they are advocating. For example, children with ASD often have trouble interpreting facial or verbal cues and therefore may misinterpret awell-meaning remark. Again, improving understanding not only helps peers adjust their own behavior, but it also helps them identify a problem. If they know that a classmate begins moving their arms in a certain way when they are upset, and they see that happening on the playground, they will know to investigate and intervene rather than stand idly by.


• Training in the options for intervention. Sometimes children do not act on another’s behalf because they aren’t sure what to do. By outlining the various options for getting help, they will be better equipped to help when need be.

 

Many schools are implementing peer advocacy programs as a part of a larger school-wide anti-bullying or zero-tolerance program. However, because the needs of ADS students are so unique and specific, it’s important for such programs to have specific measures in place to handle bullying cases that involve them. Training and encouraging students to advocate for their peers is a good place to start and will make a significant difference in reducing the amount of bullying overall as well as producing compassionate, kind and responsive individuals.

Categories: advocacy programs, autism spectrum, bullying, bullying behavior, bullying behaviors, Children, improving understanding, nbsp, peer advocacy, special needs

Are Parents of Special Needs Kids Always More Special?

If you have a child with special needs, you might find that people treat you differently. Many people admire parents of children with special needs, as though it takes an extra effort on their part to maintain family wellness. However, for Eliana Tardio, the proud mother of Emir and Ayelen, both with Down syndrome, having a child with special needs doesn’t make a parent any more special.

Eliana notes, ‘Usually people introduce me by saying things like: “she’s a very special mom,” or “this woman is outstanding for the work she’s doing with her kids and her community,” but honestly, I don’t deserve to be thought of as more special for loving my own kids, that’s what every good parent does!’ She explains that love doesn’t see differences; the challenge for parents with special needs children is to learn to see positive stuff where others would only see challenges.

‘Yes, we get challenged in many ways, and if you look at it from the outside, you may be deceived, seeing some sort of superhero fighting for the rights of their kids,’ she says. ‘In reality, the only thing happening, is a regular parent doing his best to learn and cope with a life that was never part of the plan.’ Eliana comments that parents of typical kids can be just as special, adding, ‘The diagnosis of a child doesn’t make anyone more special, but the individual determination to learn from any experience that we must face during our lives is what sets us apart.’

If you’re a parents of children with special needs, you have to spend more time specifically looking out for their wellbeing, as your kids will need extra care and services. When your children’s conditions are severe, you may even have to dedicate your life to them. Eliana notes, ‘It turns out though, it’s not so different when you have a typical child. You may decide on your own accord to give him more or less attention as he doesn’t need you as much as a child with special needs, but when you decide to give that child unconditional love and the best side of you every day, you are also a special parent.’

 

Categories: Child, dedication, doesn, eliana notes, Kids, Parents, special, special needs