Use recommended accommodations to research gardening techniques, types of plants, and supplies required

Create a survey, using recommended accommodations, for other students, teachers, and staff to determine preferred plants for the garden

Explore new AT options for community-based use

• these may include apps such as Seeing AI or Be My Eyes

Explore low- and high-tech options to access gardening activities

• this may include labels for the beds, storage shelves, or supplies

• it may also include strategies to organize materials for ease of access

Student groups can work together to plan the garden layout, types of plants, and planting schedule

Student groups can also organize activities to highlight the community garden by developing marketing, fundraisers, and a school farmer’s market

To access these groups, students with VI must learn how to locate various groups, and determine how to join them

Students develop gardening expertise that can carry over to their home and community-based activities

O&M collaboration in the development of the garden is key to help promote skills practice that may carry over into the community environment

• for example, labeling the beds similarly to a neighborhood street will help students learn how houses are numbered

OTPs should carry over O&M skills by supporting correct cane use, encouraging self-advocacy, and helping to orient students to the garden environment

Identifying the sensory areas in most need of development is important

It may be that, even at this age, a student has not felt or dug in soil, or tasted a variety of fruits or vegetables

On the other hand, students may only need to refine skills that they have been working on since preschool

This is an excellent area for OTPs to assess to provide the maximum benefit of gardening activities

A community garden can facilitate understanding about garden-specific jobs, and also introduce students to the expectations and roles of an employee:

• punctuality

• time management

• materials organization and clean-up

• professional demeanor

• social skills required to engage with co-workers and managers

Introduce these concepts by letting students apply for and carry out a job as a staff member of the community garden

• This experience could take place as part of a class or an extra-curricular activity

Students begin to learn what accommodations they may benefit from having at a job-place, and also how to advocate for them

A wide array of independent living skills can be incorporated into a community garden experience:

• creating a budget for supplies

• shopping for supplies using online or in-person shopping methods

• learning about appropriate clothing for a garden

• cooking skills including assistive technology and environment modifications for the kitchen

• learning about the shelf life of various fruits and vegetables including how to identify spoiled or rotten food

A gardening experience creates the opportunity to advocate for needed environmental or technological accommodations

Students may need to explain the importance of maintaining a specific organizational method for supplies to others

If gardening is a new activity, students will need to problem-solve to determine what accommodations, if any, they may need to complete assigned tasks