Rock the Perch
With six rocking perches in hand, Rene, Tori, Abby and I made our way from ADA’s midtown workshop to P226M@ 875, an elementary school downtown. Rene participates in ADA’s Made-to-Learn internship program; Tori accompanies Rene to his internship as his job coach; Abby is completing her Touro College occupational therapy fieldwork assignment; and I coordinate ADA’s Made-to-Learn internship to ensure Rene’s participation.
Rene and Abby work with the fabrication team to refine their skills in cardboard carpentry and adaptive design. After the Rock the Perch volunteer event in November, Rene began learning the advanced skills needed to build rocking perches. As a pre-service occupational therapist, Abby remarked, “I found working with Rene challenged so many aspects of my own learning. Rene is his best advocate. He works hard to achieve his goals by speaking up for himself and clearly communicates what he needs.” In the final stages of fabrication Rene created custom themes and decals for each perch.
We had a preschool in mind but Rene wanted to give the perches to his elementary school. Without hesitation he wrote out the address, phone number and name of his art teacher. Nicole Berger began as the art and movement teacher when Rene was eight years old. She now serves as the school’s site coordinator and was delighted to welcome the rocking perches to the school. She was even more excited that Rene had remembered her and the school.
When we arrived Nicole greeted us with huge smile and a birthday card Rene had handmade for her 27 years ago. Rene introduced himself and the rocking perches to children in four different classrooms. In reflection of our visit Nicole shared, “His visit was so touching and reminded me that the relationships you create with your students make a lasting impression. Their success may not be evident now, but down the road, when you least expect it, you may see the great achievements they have made.”
I get excited, as many visitors do, by ‘things’ we make in our workshop, in this case the 6 rocking perches, but the impact beyond technical mastery of material is the heart of what we do. Building the perches was an important accomplishment for Rene, but his suggestion of the delivery site proved there was an impact beyond the technical skills. He demonstrated to the teachers a profound gratitude and sense of community through his gesture. The perches are the ‘thing’ that will serve as a reminder of believing in capacity and adapting environments for learners to succeed.
Rene has a great knack for memories, dates and numbers. As we were leaving and thanking Nicole, Rene wished her a happy 50th coming up in March. Nicole said “This has been the greatest gift.”
Rock the perch: Change the conversation.
This program is made possible by the collaboration and support of Health Decisions Resources and Quality Services for the Autism Community.
About the Author
Jennifer Hercman started at ADA in November 2015. She enjoys supporting programs where individuals and communities can develop their skills and discover their imaginative abilities. She's delighted to work with Adaptive Design Association where design, access, community, altruism, and education coalesce. She wants to ensure the world knows the mission of ADA, but also its integrity in pursuit of that mission, and the healing energy at ADA, where everyone gives as much as they get and where everyone belongs.