A Visit with the New Charity of the Year

Last week I spent a few hours at Penrickton Center for Blind Children. It was an enlightening and inspiring few hours! The Center is amazing - from the learning modalities to the color to the staff and children, it was certainly a lot to take in. Below are some pictures from my visit and I hope that you can gain a feel for what this Center does for children, their families and their futures!

Penrickton serves children that are blind that also have one additional disability - whether it is physical, neurological or maybe both. Some students come in and work for just a few hours, others take advantage of the overnight/residential program, staying anywhere from 1 night to multiple nights. The children are in an environment that fosters independence. They have staff available to assist them when and where needed, but the goal of the program is to teach these children how to function in the world as independently as possible. Most visitors to the Center are surprised by the creative colors and images all over the building, especially in the overnight rooms. While most children at the Center cannot see these colors, their families can and they appreciate that instead of sleeping in a boring white box of a room, their child can find warmth and comfort in a room that is by far the most creative kid's room I have ever seen. Here are some pictures of some of the rooms. The first one, with color splattered everywhere, is trimmed in handprints and is the first room Penrickton ever made for children to stay overnight in! The other two pictures show the Harley Davidson Room and the Under the Sea Room!

Color is everywhere at Penrickton, even surrounding the bathtubs!!

When you first walk into the large, spacious bathroom, there is a sink, some toothbrushes hanging up for the kids, and two large bathtubs. A lot of thought went into building these rooms - from water jets that help relax and stimulate the kids muscles to a few inches of space under the tub that allows extra room for the staff person to stand that much closer to the tub.

It's the little things that make life easier!

The backyard at Penrickton Center was full of both familiar and unique playthings. From teeter-totters to wobble boards, the structures around the play area were there for a reason. Whether they help the students feel movement, gain an understanding of the world around them, feel for textures or go sledding, each and every structure can be used for both learning and fun. The equipment and landscaping has all been donated by people, foundations and companies.

Back inside, the main room is where children learn, play, eat, relax and explore. It is full of interesting objects, creative designs and therapeutic modalities. From tables that help a staff member reach all the children at once to a climbing appartus that helps children learn movement, balance and coordination, to a slew of other items that look fun to play with but offer worlds of learning for these children.

This is Krishanth! He is about three years old and is from Holt, Michigan. Krshanth had some bleeding in his brain that resulted in a seizure disorder and cerebral palsy. His blindness is a result of having a detached retina and bleeding in the eye. He also has a condition that makes it easy for him to bruise. Krishanth is a very happy young boy who loves explore toys by tapping them on his head and mouth, getting a feel for an items texture, sound, weight, temperature, etc... He is learning to sit up independently, and using the track system in the main room (see picture, right), can stand by himself and then kick and move his feet to get around the playroom. Click here to see a picture of Krishanth in his "Little Room" (described below).

I also had the opportunity to meet Ayanna, a young girl about 5 years of age. When I was visiting, Ayanna was in a "Little Room". Each child has their own Little Room ceiling. These "ceilings" are a clear board with various objects hanging down inside the room. As Ayanna sat there with objects hanging within reach, she would use her face, fingers and feet to explore the room. She nudged a rubber ball with her noses, tapped at another object with her chin and had a little button by her foot that when pressed, would say "Hi Ayanna!" Ayanna was diagnosed with epilepsy, or seizures, at five months of age. Then at ten months, it was discovered that she was cortically blind and had developmental delays. Ayanna can sit up on here own but cannot walk independently, only using the ceiling track. During dance and movement therapy, Ayanna can strum a harp with her feet!

There was so much to see at the Center - I took more pictures to share and I hope you will check back on our website for more information on Penrickton Center, our 2008-2009 Charity of the Year!

See all the pictures from my Penrickton visit...