Safety Success at MCBDD
The Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities (MCBDD) hosted its annual Safety Town PLUS program at the Medina County Achievement Center from July 27-30.
Children with developmental disabilities from across Medina County participated in the four-day program, with each day focusing on a specific safety lesson: traffic safety, fire safety, gun safety, bike safety, bus safety and animal safety. Throughout the week, the MCBDD worked with the Medina County Sheriff’s Department, volunteers from the Granger Fire Department, and the staff from the Medina City Schools Transportation Department, along with a variety of other volunteers, to present this unique program.
This year marked the twelfth year the MCBDD has offered this program which has been provided to about 250 students with disabilities in Medina County. The specially designed program is one of only a handful of Safety Towns offered across the nation which cater to children with disabilities. Typical Safety Towns are realistic, child-sized towns designed to provide complete hands-on safety education for children. MCBDD’s program offers all the regular fun “PLUS” the extra help some children with developmental disabilities may need. Designed for children in grades K-1, the program offers activities, games, stories and hands-on demonstrations to encourage learning (in a fun way) how to make good choices during emergencies. “Safety Town PLUS teaches students how to remain safe in a variety of situations which they may face throughout their young and adult lives,” said MCBDD Director of Children’s Services, Tracey Lambdin. “MCBDD is the ideal place to host this program as we are dedicated to helping children with developmental disabilities fully understand the importance of each topic.”
The original idea for Safety Town PLUS came from parents of children who attend the MCBDD’s Windfall School. These parents found other local Safety Towns could become too overwhelming and did not provide a tailored learning environment for their children, many who are on the autism spectrum. MCBDD’s Safety Town PLUS modifies instructions and creates multi-sensory activities to give students the best chances to practice important safety skills. “We are so thrilled to have been able to provide Safety Town PLUS at the MCBDD for so many years,” says Mr Lambdin. “It has been so encouraging to see so many volunteers come together each year to make sure all children have the opportunity to learn how to be safe and how to react in an emergency. It has also allowed our local first responders to learn and get to know how people with disabilities may react in an emergency and how they can better help them. It’s been such a win-win program!”