Meet A Contributor: Kaitlyn K.
My name is Kaitlyn Kemmet, and I’m from Penfield, NY! I’m an engineering major at Binghamton University and a special education TA when I’m home on breaks and in the summer. Being involved in special education is what sparked the idea for my Contribution Project!
This past spring, I was able to organize an art event for a BOCES program local to my university. This art project was designed to be inclusive of students using mobility aids. When coming up with the idea for my project, my vision was to see these walkers, wheelchairs, and crutches as tools for creative expression. I was inspired by an event I participated in when I was younger, called Swishes and Swirls, where we used basketballs to add texture and designs to paint on a large canvas. In the same way we used basketballs to paint, I thought the event could be modified to be geared toward using wheelchairs, walkers, and footprints to add to the canvas!
I wanted to coordinate an event that was not only inclusive, but intended for handicapped students.
In working with handicapped children at work, I’ve realized how often “inclusive” activities are not made for handicapped children, but rather made to try to accommodate them into the original design. Within my project, I wanted to prioritize making mobility aids something more than a handicap that must be accommodated.
When planning my project, I started by contacting the Swishes and Swirls event coordinator, who gave me a list of materials that was very helpful for envisioning my project in action. Secondly, I started reaching out to special education organizations to partner with and provide the event. I decided to partner with BOCES because the program they provide is so valuable and accessible to families.
On the day of the event, the kids painted a large canvas on the floor using squeeze bottles filled with paint. The painted canvas was covered with a plastic sheet, and the kids could go over it with their wheelchairs, walkers, or feet to add design to the art! The canvas was stamped onto smaller canvases for the students to take home and show off their artwork.
Working on this project was so much fun, and seeing everything come together was the highlight of my semester. It was such a joyful and uplifting day, and I am beyond appreciative for the opportunity to do something extra for my community. The Contribution Project was an amazing experience that allowed me to benefit my community in my own unique and personal way.
Being able to provide a fun, new, and exciting activity for BOCES reminded me of my own students at work and how valuable inclusion is within the special education community. I am currently back at my special education job and working with administrators to replicate my art project for our students! I am so proud of the hard work and planning I put into my project, and it was an immeasurably valuable experience for me, not only as a student but as an active member of my community.
I would encourage anyone with an idea for community service to apply for the Contribution Project!
