The Rotary Club of Holland was founded in 1910, and one of their first service projects was to drive children with physical disabilities to the hospital. This continued working with challenged students at the Holland Public Schools and, later, additionally with West Ottawa.
Rebecca Oudbier, Special Education Director for West Ottawa Public Schools, and two associates gave an overview of the resources at WO.
Instruction for special education students is specified by the federal IDEA law and state regulations. Each student must have specialized instruction according to an Individual Education Program (IEP).
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior. There are generally sensory sensitivities (either more or less than the average) and a need for routine. However, each student is unique. In Michigan, 13.51% of students receive services. In the US, 1 in 31 students receives assistance.
West Ottawa measures access, progress, and independence for the students. Being with peers is an important value for social learning. In a structured classroom, the maximum number of students is 8. These classrooms offer predictable schedules, small groups, and therapies such as occupational, physical, speech, and social. These are all evidence-based practices. The Intermediate School District offers services for hearing, visually, and mobility-impaired students. Communications support, such as pictures, speech devices, and visual choice boards are available at many schools throughout the district.
Kath DeVries presented flags from Rotary Clubs in Kenya.
Our Rotary Day of Epic Service efforts have been redirected to support the Kids' Food Basket on May 13th, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, in conjunction with the Holland City Epic Day of Service. There will also be a celebration following the event at the Civic Center, which will be a wonderful opportunity to gather and demonstrate our community commitment.
Please note that there are no longer any community projects scheduled for Saturday, May 16th.
We have 15 spots reserved for this event, and several different activities have been prepared to accommodate various levels of service.
The Rotary Club of Holland was founded in 1910, and one of their first service projects was to drive children with physical disabilities to the hospital. This continued working with challenged students at the Holland Public Schools and, later, additionally with West Ottawa.
Kath DeVries presented flags from Rotary Clubs in Kenya.
