IN THE CLASSROOM:

The sentences were simple and in large print, but the third-graders couldn’t read them. The words were small and basic, but they couldn’t spell them.

That didn’t bother their teacher, Dorothy Hickson; the students were learning a more important lesson.

Last week, Kaiser Elementary School third-graders got first-hand experience in what people with disabilities deal with daily, in recognition of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

At Kaiser, the focus is capability.

Through three work stations, kids tested their abilities to adapt to simple tasks when they are challenged with poor vision, hearing and motor skills.

“I couldn’t imagine working like this,” said Siena Amoroso, as she struggled to bead a necklace with over-sized gardening gloves on her hands, which represented weak motor-skills.

“I bet if they were to eat cereal it would be so hard,” said Sophia Harvey. “You probably couldn’t even hold the spoon.”

“All of us have differences that we can and cannot do,” said Stacy Kredel, deaf and hard of hearing teacher. She asked the class, “What do people have the ability to do?”

The kids responded, “Hear! Walk! See! Touch!”

Seeing was not easy at the vision disability station, where eight kids held books inches from their face, trying to read them through goggles smeared with Vaseline.

“I almost cried after,” said 8-year-old Jennifer Staugaard.

Another student, Kendra Burger, said she was able to adjust. By leaning her head back just enough, she was able to see through the bottom of her goggles and read the story.

At the “unfair spelling test” station, it was a picture of frustration and confusion.

The children listened to a recording of a spelling test on headphones, only the words were given in muffled, soft voices. Some kids simply left their papers blank, unable to decipher what any of the words were.

At a school with 35 kids who are deaf or hard of hearing, including one in Hickson’s class, these lessons can prove invaluable.

“Kids are extremely perceptive and they pick up things about each other really quickly. And I think the sooner they understand, that gives them the power to make good choices when dealing with people,” Kredel said. “I think this is a really good start.”

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].