Rachel's story

August 22, 2007

Dolls are opening a whole new world for 6-1/2 year-old Rachel. And that's important for a little girl with intellectual disabilities.

Rachel attends the Teach and Play program offered by Community Living London and funded by United Way. "One of her favourite things is the doll centre," says her mom Shona. There, Rachel can "role-play" new situations and build up her language skills, which are currently at a level that makes her difficult to understand.

Shona says Teach and Play is the right fit for Rachel, who has been attending for four years. "Although there are other programs out there funded by the government, her needs didn't fit into what the program was. She would become over-stimulated or she didn't fit with the program structure."

At Teach and Play, which operates out of the Boys' and Girls' Club, Rachel doesn't face the pressure to perform like other children, Shona says. And if her behaviour escalates, the other parents take it in stride because their own children have similar challenges.

On the other hand, Shona adds, the program facilitator has expectations of appropriate behaviour of participants like Rachel. "She's challenged to be her best," says Shona, who is able to see during the program how Rachel acts around other people.

Teach and Play offers a wide range of activities for children up to the age of 16. It has games and toys that start with basic fun and grow to include activities related to the school curriculum for older children. Some toys are adapted for kids who also have physical disabilities.

"For Rachel, it's a safe environment," her mom says. "It's provided her with an opportunity to try toys and activities we either wouldn't have at home or to try them with other people."