CHILDREN LEARN HOW DISABLED DO THINGS.Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer Gathered in a corner of the activity room at the Horizon Hills Parenting Center, Troy Niedrich and his preschool buddies learned their first words
First Words is a Canadian hip hop group, consisting of Halifax beatmaker Jorun, DJ STV and emcees Sean One & Above. in sign language. Moving his forefinger forefinger /fore·fin·ger/ (-fing-ger) index finger; the second finger, counting the thumb as first. fore·fin·ger n. See index finger. and thumb together, 3-year-old Troy learned to say ``bird.'' Moving the same fingers near his mouth, as if indicating whiskers See metal whiskers. , the boy learned the sign for ``cat.'' ``This is only Troy's first year of school. For him to be exposed to this already is great,'' said Julie Niedrich, Troy's mother, who helped this week with the school's ability awareness program. Founded 12 years ago as the Conejo Valley's alternative public preschool and parent education center, Horizon Hills now serves more than 250 families a year. The campus also houses preschool classes for the Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both Southeastern Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It was discovered in 1542 by Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, and eventually became part of the Rancho El Conejo land grant by school district's special education program and Ventura County's severely disabled program. Horizon Hills teachers organized this week's sessions to expose more than 200 youngsters to disabilities that affect the hearing, sight and mobility of millions of people nationwide. ``We want to help foster understanding and acceptance of people with special needs in our children from as early an age as possible,'' said Mimi McGilvray, a special education teacher at Horizon Hills. With more than 70 special education students on campus, McGilvray said the kids already understand that some of their peers are disabled and have special needs. ``These kids see special education students all the time,'' McGilvray said. ``This is our way of letting the kids see what it's like to be in someone else's shoes.'' At the mobility learning station, 4-year-old Mason Sullivan strapped himself into a wheelchair and slowly made his way down a walkway toward a row of cones that indicated the finishing line. ``I'm strong. I went through the cones and didn't knock them down,'' he said, before trying out a miniature walker on loan from a neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. public school. Teachers organized the first awareness program two years ago. The school skipped last year, but organizers said they hope to make it an annual program. ``Children are curious about everything. And they are curious about people with disabilities - people in wheelchairs, people who need more help walking,'' said Robbi Baim, an Oak Park resident and adult parenting teacher at the school for 14 years. ``I got involved in this because I have a vision problem, and I want the public to be a little more aware of disabilities and the people affected by them,'' she said. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--2) (Color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour CONEJO only) Preschool teacher A Preschool Teacher is a type of early childhood educator who instructs children from infancy to age 5, which stands as the youngest stretch of early childhood education. Early Childhood Education teachers need to span the continum of children from birth to age 8. Cheryl DeLong, above, shows children how to do sign language Wednesday at Horizon Hills Parenting Center. Colby Milham, 4, left, tries to use a wheelchair as part of Horizon Hills' ability awareness program. (3) (Color in CONEJO only) (Ran in SIMI SIMI Sea Ice Mechanics Initiative SIMI Search for Intelligent Monkeys on the Internet SIMI Students Islamic Movement in India SIMI Society of Irish Motor Industry SIMI Smallholder Irrigation Markets Initiative and CONEJO only)Hollie Bean, 2, above, wears vision-limiting glasses as part of Horizon Hills' ability awareness program. Michael Owen
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