|
NEWS for
IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Universal Design for Learning Award
DUPAGE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Release date:
May 23, 2007
DCM Contact: Lynne Jele, Marketing & Membership
Phone: (630) 637-8000 ext. 2600
ljele@dupagechildrensmuseum.org
DuPage Children's Museum Receives 2007 Award in
Pictured: Henry
Schulson, Chair of the ACM Diversity in Action Committee;
How do you provide a colorful,
award-winning learning environment designed around play, which children enjoy
with each other and the important adults in their lives? The answer lies within DuPage Children's
Museum (DCM) in
In this 20th
Anniversary year (an imagination celebration of the importance of play for the
Museum), DCM maintains its core beliefs
of respect for all children and their ability to learn, the power
of play as a basis for constructing knowledge and the importance of the
child-adult learning partnership. In
this spirit, DCM just received a national $15,000 Universal Design for Learning Award from VSA arts and the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), for its support of exhibits and initiatives that
demonstrate learning standards for inclusive practice.
The 2007 Universal Design for Learning Awards identifies
model programs in children’s museums that demonstrate learning standards for
inclusive practice and provides technical assistance to the selected museums to
refine and document their practices for dissemination at other children’s
museums. The award is supported by VSA
arts. “It is essential for all
families to feel welcome to explore the arts and the world around them.
Universal Design makes this happen by helping families of children with
disabilities access exhibits and programs,” said President of VSA arts
Soula Antoniou. “We are
proud to support these exemplary practices in children’s museums.”
“Parents of
children with disabilities want what all parents want – the opportunity for
their child to play and learn,” said ACM Executive Director Janet Rice Elman.
“Children’s museums are one of the best places that children can play, learn
and grow alongside their peers and families.”
DCM Executive Director
DuPage
Children's Museum has consistently reached out to provide an accessible,
inclusive and welcoming environment for all children, from its inception through
the present. “Everything we do is
infused with our respect for children’s abilities and our commitment to accessibility
and inclusion for all children and families,” said
Many
occupational or recreational therapists currently bring children with a wide
range of disabilities to DCM individually and in groups, recognizing the value
of the Museum as a therapy site for their clients. Field trips for severely disabled children
are arranged so specially trained staff and volunteers are available to support
a fun experience as well as work on specific skills.
In 1992, DCM
launched the Community Access Network (CAN) Initiative to address a wide range
of challenges to attendance to guarantee that all area families would have full
access to the Museum’s exhibits and programs.
“The CAN Initiative now includes formal partnerships with 50 social
service agencies, through 75 different programs for families living in poverty,
recent immigrants, plus children with physical and other disabilities, children
living in residential treatment programs and those who have been designated as
at risk of abuse or neglect.
Additionally, almost 8000 CAN family visits to DCM annually are free of
charge,” comments Sara Kahlenberg, DCM CAN Coordinator.
In 2002, through
the CAN Initiative, DCM was able to begin offering the Third Thursday program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
and is working to expand this program in 2007/8 to better serve children with a
range of disabilities during all open hours and through all programming. A recent summative report by an outside
research specialist, Dr. Lorrie Beaumont, indicated that DuPage Children's
Museum is “making a significant impact on families with children who have
special needs.”
It is clear that
the universal design features at DCM and the Museum’s willingness to work fully
and collaboratively with its community partners have created a very special
environment for growth and learning, giving the phrase “open the door to
learning fun” a much deeper meaning!
UNIVERSAL
DESIGN FOR LEARNING:
Established
in 2005, the Universal Design for Learning Award is open to nonprofit
children’s museums in the
Universal Design has its roots in
architecture and urban planning. Ramps, automatic doors, and curb cuts were
created to provide access to people with physical disabilities and actually
ease access for everyone. Think of the last time you pushed a stroller or pulled
luggage, and the broader value of ramps is instantly apparent. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) embraces
the concept of improved access for everyone and applies it to curriculum
materials and teaching methods. UDL concepts have built-in accommodations,
meaning that add-on technology is less often needed to translate the material
into a mode that enables learning.
VSA
arts:
VSA arts is
an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean
Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn
through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators,
parents and artists with resources and the tools to support arts programming in
schools and communities, showcases the accomplishments of artists with
disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with
disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts
programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60
countries around the world.
VSA arts is
the creator of Start with the Arts©, a comprehensive early childhood
learning resource for classrooms that encourages the development of literacy
and school readiness skills; Express Diversity!©, a program of
instructional materials for increasing disability awareness through the arts;
and the VSA arts Institute, professional development training for
teachers, teaching artists and arts administrators offering arts based teaching
strategies to include students with disabilities. VSA arts is an
affiliate of the
ASSOCIATION
OF CHILDREN'S MUSEUMS (ACM):
ACM is a professional
service organization for children’s museums around the world. ACM’s mission is
to build the capacity of children’s museums to serve as town squares where play
inspires creativity and lifelong learning. Founded in 1962 as a support group for
directors of children’s museums in the
For more than 100 years,
children’s museums have succeeded in their mission of stimulating curiosity and
motivating learning in young children. The museums complement efforts in
schools, childcare centers, and homes, enriching the lives and education of
children and families. Currently, children’s museums represent the fastest
growing cultural institution in the
DUPAGE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM:
DuPage Children’s Museum, a
top Chicagoland cultural attraction, is a not-for-profit organization
celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2007—an imagination celebration
of the importance of play, as envisioned by our founders.
On any given day, about 1000
visitors come through the Big Red Door of DuPage Children’s Museum and engage
in three floors of open-ended activities. It is a playful, fun environment
where children and the important adults in their lives learn and play together
in thoughtfully planned “neighborhoods” designed to promote skill development
in math, science and the arts.
Thank you for all you
do! The Museum depends on donations and
sponsorships for over 40% of its budget. Your support helps make a difference
in the lives of thousands of children!
Location:
Phone: 630-637-8000
Hours*
Monday: 9 am - 1 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9 am
- 5 pm
Thursday: 9 am - 8 pm
Sunday: 12 - 5 pm
*Call for special seasonal hours.
General Admission: $7.50 per
person, ages one through 59.
$6.50
per person, ages 60 and over.
Admission
is never charged to shop the Explorer Store.
Free Parking. Wheelchair
Accessible. Quick walk from
Annual Memberships: Several types
of memberships and gift memberships are available. Please visit http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org
or call 630-637-8000 for more information.
#end#