Al Proo is the executive director of Happy Hands Early Education Center for the Deaf in Tulsa, Oklahoma.The staff must be committed to a vertical relationship with the Lord in order to spiritual life of our school.
► How do you consistently promote the spiritual life of your school?
Our prayer is that when families walk through our doors, they will feel the presence, the hope, and the love of Jesus. In order for that to happen, we have to continually submit ourselves as instruments of Christ. Staff meetings begin with a time of devotion and prayer. Parent conferences include prayer time. Class times are built around teaching the children about the love of Christ. The staff must be committed to a vertical relationship with the Lord in order to promote the spiritual life of our school.
To the community we always present ourselves as a Christian school first, but we never turn away special needs children regardless of their beliefs or their ability to pay tuition.
► What do you think should be the response of the Christian community to educating special needs children?
Statistics have shown that 90 percent of couples with a special needs child will experience marriage difficulties or divorce (ABC 7 On Your Side Health Team 2001). The Christian community needs to be ministering to these families, and the best way to reach them is through their special needs child. Most Sunday church programs are not equipped to deal with the needs of a special needs child. Therefore, the family often stops attending church. If the Christian community does not step in and become involved in educating the special needs child and meeting the needs of the family, we risk losing them altogether.
► Why is it important to include the family when educating special needs children?
The family unit was created by God to be the primary source for emotional and spiritual harmony in the family. The parents are a child’s first and most influential teacher. Yet when a special needs child enters the picture, many parents go through a grieving process that prevents them from becoming appropriately involved in the education of that child. Often the grieving process gets stuck in stages of denial or blame. This affects the whole family. These become hurting families that need intervention. The parents and other family members must experience healing in order to provide for the special needs child and to give equal time and attention to siblings who may be going through difficulties as well. As Christians we are best able to share the healing love of Christ.
► What is most challenging about serving a special needs population?
In a private Christian school setting, probably one of the most challenging things is securing funding to meet all the educational needs of a special needs child. Parents experience this challenge as well because they are faced with many extra doctor visits, special equipment needs, special therapies, and specially trained caregivers. The next challenge is locating appropriately trained staff who are Christian.
► What has been the most successful development activity Happy Hands has employed?
The most successful development activity occurred when we were awarded a significant grant to develop strategic plans for the next 30 years. We were offered and received a Planning and Technical Assistance Grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. This $70,700 investment gave us the opportunity to develop comprehensive organizational, fund-raising, technology, and facility plans on the basis of a thorough assessment of community needs and support potential.
Reference
ABC 7 On Your Side Health Team. 2001. Fragile X Syndrome (December 11).(No longer available)
Director Interview 6.2