High School

    • 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

    • 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.

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

    • 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

a child putting dirt into a pot with a trowel