Why Is This Work Needed?

In 2022, Project Playground updated and created accessibility and revamping for 2-3 DPS school playgrounds with a new piece of equipment each year. The plan was implemented in five stages: 1) Education, 2) Supervision & Consultation, 3) Design, 4) Budgeting, and 5) Implementation.

Outcome measures of Project Playground were 

1) access to universal design play spaces

2) amount of social play

3) stigma of mobility differences and adaptive equipment

4) learning during the school day

5) collaboration with parents of children with mobility differences

6)appreciation of value of play across disciplines and

7) solidified relationships between AED in ED and DPS.

In 2023, this program proposed a three-phased organizational development plan to create the position of a Liaison for Equitable, Accessible Disability Systems. The three phases included identifying the grant and hiring a liaison, implementing the liaison position, and transitioning to a permanent DPS-funded position. Each phase has evaluation measures to ensure each facet of disability justice is being met. These include surveys to gauge student participation, assessments of disability justice knowledge amongst staff, and event tracking to gauge community involvement. A detailed phased implementation plan, evaluation tools, resources, and funding sources were provided at the end of the proposal. With this liaison position, AED in ED seeks to create a shift in mindset around disability justice and increase participation for students with disabilities throughout DPS.

In 2024, As AED in ED continues to grow and adapt to the needs of the community, it is important to develop communications and information-sharing resources for inclusive events and programs in Durham, particularly for children and youth with disabilities. This includes making changes to their webpage to better communicate resources and opportunities in the community for children and families in DPS. Ultimately, the purpose of this plan is to equip AED in ED with a framework to increase their visibility and enhance their digital presence online through an updated web page and Events Calendar. To advance AED in ED’s mission of increasing virtual disability Inclusion, we propose the following three-step plan:

Phase 1: Identify resources and gather information in preparation for the AED in ED webpage.

Phase 2: Update the current AED in ED webpage.

Phase 3: Maintain the updated AED in ED webpage and consider alternative information sharing options.

This school year (2024-2025), AED in ED is combining efforts with the Disability Justice Ambassadors project (a WHOLE Schools grant that is supported by DPS Foundation. The Disability Justice Ambassadors (DJA) project is a pilot project that we hope to grow as a bigger, district-wide initiative, to grow understanding and commitment to center Disability Justice principles and practices within DPS. The team will be creating student “About Me and My Needs” resources (possibly books/virtual pages) that they along with their families and school support teams will create to support their needs, advocacy, and access to support needs in transitioning spaces and with different people within the school environment.

The team will be researching and using data to highlight school communities that are most impacted by the systems of oppression and who should be leading our conversations. It is also important to have this information accessible and transparent (in English and Spanish) so families have the information to understand options for EC classroom placements to advocate for/with their students with accurate and updated information.