During the week of January 23, students at Stratford Road Elementary School in the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District participated in a "Disabled on the go" obstacle course. Lisa Borgen and Janeane Gronich of Stratford's PTA coordinated the event as part of the school's year-long Character Education Program.

Students had the opportunity to experience firsthand the difficulties some people with disabilities may experience on a daily basis, and to develop an appreciation for the challenges they may face.

"The lack of knowledge and exposure is what causes people to be afraid or uncomfortable when they meet someone with a disability," noted Borgen, the mother of a child at Stratford Road and another with a disability who attends the Children's Learning Center at United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau. "Building awareness and hands-on experiences are the best ways for children to be able to feel comfortable and to relate to people with disabilities."

After an introductory speech delivered by Borgen, students began the obstacle course. First, each student maneuvered a walker around cones (which they were told were toys someone had left on the floor.) Then, the students wrote their first and last names using their opposite writing hand. Following that, students sat in a wheelchair supplied by C7C Healthcare, and manipulated it around a cone. Last, students had the opportunity to bowl while sitting in a wheelchair using a disabled ramp to guide the ball to the pins. A hands-on work station was set up for the students to use the various adaptive devices which students at the Children's Learning Center at UCP of Nassau use to do the same things at their school. Adapted art equipment, eating utensils, communication devices and adapted toys with switches were available for the students to try.

The response from both students and parents was "amazing." Comments included, "This is really cool," "I always wondered what is was like to sit in a wheelchair," and "I didn't realize that children with disabilities were able to do these things." Throughout the program, students had fun while learning about acceptance. Even though people with disabilities may appear different, in many ways, we are all the same, concluded Principal Gail Weinstein. A handout given to the students about how to be a good friend to someone who is disabled summed it up: Showing acceptance means you have an attitude of understanding and appreciation for someone who is different from you. You have respect for them although they are not just like you. Acceptance of others can make our world a better place. At the end of the day, students received a certification that they have learned how to be a special friend to people with special needs.