High School
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Use recommended and preferred accommodations for accessing any written materials related to the garden
Develop techniques to access printed material on seed packets or other types of packaging
e.g., Seeing AI or taking an iPhone picture and using voiceover
developing this skill incorporates community-based instruction within an on-campus activity
Generalize to use with menus or cooking instructions located on packages
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Students may have preferred assistive technology
This technology may also be applicable within the community garden
If new compensatory access methods are required, this may mean student will need to learn about new assistive technology
For example, if students need to access small print on a seed packet, they can use the Seeing AI app or the Be My Eyes app.
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Working together in a group with other students either with VI, a different diagnosis, or other typical high school students in a club or class facilitates development of social skills
Continue to learn and develop strategies to learn about and join extra-curricular activities
Develop and maintain friendships
Social skills appropriate for a workplace
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Expose students to a potential hobby that may be carried over into other areas of life
Whether students develop lasting friendships with others who share a similar enjoyment of gardening, enjoyment of outdoors activities in general, or simply the act of nurturing plants, if it brings a meaningful way to relax and find enjoyment it is worthwhile
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OTPs continue to support O&M recommendations and instruction
Students may expand their proficiency by using the garden as a way to practice community-based travel
O&M specialists may teach students how to access the bus line or use a taxi or Uber to obtain garden supplies
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Develop awareness of other senses and of any remaining functional vision
Learn what may be different about using senses outside compared with indoors, where most classes take place
Develop and refine the ability to identify items by touch, smell, or taste
Continue to practice appropriate force grading used for various tasks
for example, carrying a heavy watering can is much different than planting a delicate seedling
without vision, it may be difficult to determine how gentle it is necessary to be with certain tools or plants
tactile learners need to know how to approach novel tasks with correct force grading
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Learn how to budget for, manage, and order garden supplies
Depending on the size and type of garden, students may be able to develop a small farmer’s market
plan, market for, and set up the farmer’s market
developing customer service experience by selling the produce, flowers, or seedlings can carry over to other types of jobs
learn how to interact in a work situation with co-workers, managers, and customers
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ILS skills abound within a community garden
Practice budgeting as the plan for and buy supplies for the garden
Online and community-based shopping can be introduced, including the assistive technology required for access
Complete gardening chores such as:
organization of materials within a storage area
cleaning up after oneself
choosing appropriate clothing
learning how to clean dirt or stains from clothing
Produce can be used in meal preparation tasks including
washing and storing fruits and vegetables,
shelf life of produce
learning to prepare various dishes
Meal preparation includes:
different methods of cutting or dicing produce
following a recipe
safely using kitchen appliances
cleaning up supplies and dishes
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Developing strong self-advocacy skills is one of the most important areas of the ECC to develop
Learn to communicate effectively with other students and supervising teachers to explain how they can be included and what accommodations are needed
Learning to actively problem-solve and work together with other students to complete gardening tasks will help develop divergent learning skills