MOVE

Traveling, observing, hoping

What would bring a poor orphanage supervisor from China and a first-year preschool teacher from Redding, CA, to the triple-digit weather of Bakersfield, California, in June? The answer is MOVE -- a four-letter acronym for Mobility Opportunities Via Education -- a nonprofit organization that offers hope for children and adults with severe disabilities. MOVE International, headquartered in Bakersfield, held its annual training, June 21-24 at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office. Caregivers, trainers, teachers and occupational therapists from far away China, as well as Canada, New Zealand, Panama and the United Kingdom made the journey. "Why does MOVE attract so many people from so far," asked MOVE trainer Keith Whinnery, who travels each year from West Palm Beach, Florida, to teach the curriculum. "Parents of severely disabled children constantly hear what their children cannot do from people that do testing. MOVE welcomes parents by asking, 'what would you like your child to do?' And then, we set up a plan to try to make that happen. That gives them hope." More
Posted: 6/26/06; 11:02:08 AM | Permalink(#)


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