Out and About on a Friday...

 If you've read this, you know that my class is borderline OBSESSED with community trips. We love going out in the community to all sorts of different places (Kohls, Target, the police station, and library, to name a few...). We practice using our social skills to interact with others, we count our money and exchange it for grocery items, we practice paying a restaurant bill, we follow important signs in the community...we are B-U-S-Y kids!

Can you feel my excitement?!

Last Friday we had the good fortune to be able to take a tour of the local Subway. To prepare for our trip, I sent home lunch order forms for the parents to complete. Back at school, the kids cut out out pictures of their lunch order and glued them to an order form.  We're shooting for INDEPENDENCE for our kiddos, so it's especially important provide them with tools (visual supports, etc.) that will help facilitate the independence that I talk about ALL the time!

The manager used to work as a behavioral therapist and loves when we visit (we took carryout to a local park last Spring, and she gave me her business card for future visits). She gave us a fabulous tour of the back room (sorry, no pictures allowed!) and talked to us about the different jobs the kids might be able to hold when they graduate from high school. There are so many exciting things happening in a restaurant, and we were excited to learn that many of the jobs the kids do at school (breaking down boxes, cleaning, organizing) are skills that can be used to earn a paycheck some day soon!

After we wrapped up the tour, the kids used the picture menus they created to order their meals. The staff was great about giving my students extra time when ordering and paying!

The kids did a nice job placing their orders!

They counted out their money with some help from our staff.

 Everyone made sure to wait for change!

Enjoying a good meal with good company!

This meal was a winner!

One of our absolutely fabulous and supportive parents (who regularly makes our Tuesdays brighter by bringing our classroom assistants cookies and a BIG, old Sprite for yours truly!) was kind enough to buy cookies for the whole class and all of the staff! It made our day and was the perfect complement to a wonderful community trip!

By taking these community-based instruction trips, we are developing skills that will help students become independent adults. We are also building relationships in our community and working to quash stereotypes about people with disabilities. We've been invited back to this Subway in the fall for a very special lunch - we'll learn how to make our own Subway sandwiches!                                                    It was a GREAT Friday!