LWSRA Celebrates Disability Awareness Month at L-Way Schools

March is disability awareness month and Lincolnway Special Recreation Association is teaming up with Lincoln-Way High School District 210 to set up day long P.E. Takeover’s at each of its four schools. Students will get first hand experience participating in adapted sports during their normal gym class time.

The goal of these events is to broadened student’s perspectives of what living with a disability is like while also having fun. Each Lincoln-Way student will go through stations of different adaptive sports that include sit volleyball, wheelchair basketball, goal ball, and disability awareness training.

Goal ball is for the visually impaired where students in teams of three attempt to roll a ball with loud bells across the other team’s goal line while blindfolded. They will also get disability awareness training from paralympic athletes and LWSRA staff, who will share experiences and answer any questions from students in the hope of building a better understanding.

“This is important because it gives students an opportunity to know what it feels like to have a disability and play sports,” states Keith Wallace, Superintendent at LWSRA, “We do these events hoping to find that one kid with a disability who has not been exposed to adaptive sports.”

P.E. Takeovers start on March 7 at L-W West and then move over to L-W North on March 14. LWSRA will then visit Central on March 21 and finish at East on March 26th. All four events will culminate in a Wheelchair Basketball Game of Lincoln - Way students and staff against the LWSRA Rolling Falcons on March 29th at L - W East. This is a open community event and tickets will be on sale at the door.

Buffalo Wild Wings in Frankfort has also pledged 15 percent of diner’s checks during disability awareness month if they bring in a flyer which can be found here: http://www.lwsra.org/funding/fundraisers/dine_in.asp. LWSRA is also reaching out during disability awareness month to their associated park districts; Mokena, Frankfort, New Lenox, Manhattan, and Peotone, in short seminars on how they can best service individuals with special needs in their area.

More information on LWSRA’s disability awareness can be found at http://www.lwsra.org/disabilityawareness.asp. LWSRA is now available for disability awareness events for all corporate gatherings and school assemblies by calling (815) 464 - 2811. LWSRA has served the special needs community for over 35 years and is building its own recreation center at Heather Glen Park in New Lenox.

• Mar. 7, 2012   - P.E. Take Over - Lincoln-Way West High School - New Lenox, IL
• Mar. 14, 2012 - P.E. Take Over - Lincoln-Way North High School - Frankfort, IL
• Mar. 21, 2012 - P.E. Take Over - Lincoln-Way Central High School - New Lenox, IL
• Mar. 26, 2012 - P.E. Take Over - Lincoln-Way East High School - Frankfort, IL
• Mar. 29, 2012 - Wheelchair Basketball Game - Lincoln-Way East High School - Frankfort, IL