In September 2018, Franciscan College Gormanston opened its brand new ASD unit, Teach Proinsias. This fantastic new facility includes two large classrooms, a sensory room, a kitchen and in-house toilets. Students in Teach Proinsias have access to mainstream classes but are also offered many additional educational experiences.
Lessons offered in Teach Proinsias include Communication and Literacy, Personal Care, Living in the Community, Numeracy and Preparation for Work. Teach Proinsias is also home to weekly culinary lessons. When public health guidelines allow students are brought shopping in the school mini-bus to buy fresh ingredients, before returning to school to cook meals of their choice. Our school mini-bus has proven to be an invaluable asset and has facilitated many outings including trips to the beach, train station, cinema, bowling alley, as well as sites of historical interest such as Ardgillan Castle and Mellifont Abbey. In the spirit of St. Francis the school grounds also offer plenty of opportunities for our students to connect with the environment and learn about their surroundings.
Today we reflect upon the multiple and varied challenges that very often come with neurodivergence. We celebrate different thinkers and uniqueness, but we also see the heartbreak and struggle of unkindness.
Today, and everyday, we ask for your kindness.
We all experience the world differently.
Do not stare, judge or pity.
Ask yourself, can you change how you think, so that you better understand humans?
Understanding and being understood changes all our lives for the better.
@neurodiversityireland
#bekind #sweetdisposition #worldaitismday