Myriam’s Kids

Our Chapel Hill friend Simone kvells (speaks with pride) about her niece Myriam’s important work with severely physicially challenged kids. Now that we’ve had a chance to visit the Ilanot School where Myriam is the dedicated computer expert, I understand exactly why Simone is so proud of her accomplishments. For 30 years Myriam has been developing programs and adapting equipment to the individual needs of students with severe physical disabilities so that they can learn, play games and communicate via the computer. Ilanot, one of a handful of public schools around the country specifically for special needs kids, educates and cares for children who cannot be mainstreamed into regular classrooms due to a variety of physical conditions and limitations. A skilled and loving group of 90 staff members and volunteers provide a wide range of educational and supportive services for a diverse student body of 80 Jewish, Muslim and Christian children, ages 5-21, who arrive at school each morning in specially equipped vans from Jerusalem and cities as far away as Ashdod. The attentive and creative teachers, aides, physical and occupational therapists, social worker, psychologist and scores of volunteers work together to insure that each child participates as fully as possible in all of the learning and enrichment activities. Even if a student can only move one finger, Myriam will find a way to enable that child to enjoy playing a computer game with a friend. The motto at the school is definitely “where there is the will, there is a way.” The staff is always looking for new ideas to enhance the environment, through music therapy, art and ceramics projects or building a sensory tunnel (see slideshow) to help the children engage fully with the world and each other. It takes attentive observation (and lots of Velcro and engineering ingenuity) to assess how a child is functioning in the moment and adjust the environment to help that child maximize his or her potential. With 60 pupils grouped in classes of 12 students, each with a unique set of individual challenges, the staff is kept very busy organizing a complex schedule of physical, educational and recreational activities, not to mention the personal care each student may need for hygiene, mobility or nourishment. It speaks volumes for the positive atmosphere at the school that many of the staff members have long-standing tenure. As Myriam shared with us, everyone at Ilanot loves working with the children, their families and each other to solve problems in creative ways. The children’s colorful and expressive artwork lines the halls and even the elevator, showing the joy and pride everyone here feels for their accomplishments.