A group of 50 educators from Westside Community Schools toured the Munroe-Meyer Institute in November.
The visit was a one of the school district’s “community walks” as part of its WE-SIDE (Welcoming Equity Support Inclusion Dignity Everyone) initiative. The initiative is designed to make everyone in the district — students, staff and visitors — to feel like they belong, said Kami Jessop, director of special services with Westside Community Schools.
“We want to foster ways of supporting the unique needs of all our learners and realize all of the possibilities,” Jessop said.
The tour started with a brief overview of MMI before guests split into groups to experience a sampling of what the institute has to offer.
In the lobby, they met with members of the speech-language pathology team, who had a variety of speech devices on display.
On the second floor, the groups strolled through the Caring for Champions area and the Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab before seeing demonstrations in the virtual reality and physical therapy labs.
In the VR Lab, guests saw examples of games clients play during Hand Arm Bimanual Intensive Training, or HABIT, VR Camp and got a look at a virtual airplane simulator designed to help children learn to cope with sensory issues.
Members of the MMI Physical Therapy Department showed example obstacle courses their clients tackle, as well as a GoBabyGo! car.
The group also got a glimpse of the pool, splash pad and gym from the observation deck before the tour wrapped up.
MMI was built through community support for community members, said Melonie Welsh, director of community engagement at MMI. Hosting community members and community partners is a welcome opportunity.
“Westside is one of many organizations that have partnered with MMI for decades to provide services and programs to students, their families and educators,” Welsh said. “The impact of the collective work is exponential when organizations see and understand each other’s work.”