“They were very excited,” said Jim Donahue, a vocational coordinator for P-STEP and an advisor for the new club. “Their eyes lit up.”
About 20 students with disabilities have joined Plainfield’s Aktion Club, a branch of the Kiwanis organization and the only service club for adults with disabilities.
Students in District 202’s P-STEP, or Post Secondary Transition and Education Program, are between 18 and 21 years old and take part in community-based employment as well as instruction to give them all the necessary supports until just before their 22nd birthday.
Holly Weigel, Plainfield Academy’s special education administrator, explained why it is important for students with disabilities to take part in the Aktion Club.
“It’s rare for those with developmental disabilities to belong to a club,” Weigel said. “The socialization is huge. Traditionally, developmental disabled people get stuck at home. They haven’t had many opportunities for leadership.”
People with disabilities also want to be treated like everyone else, connect with their community and give back, and the Aktion Club allows them to do so.
The club, which is sponsored by the Plainfield, Naperville Evening, Romeoville-Bolingbrook and Aurora Golden K Kiwanis clubs, is a service-based organization, operating similar to the Key Clubs found in all four of District 202’s high schools.
“We give these young folks a chance to be a leader,” said Fred Jacobs, Kiwanis lieutenant governor for the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District. “We want to give them that feeling that we get, the feeling to give back to the community. We hope the community looks at these members for their abilities, not their disabilities.”
Already, the group has elected officers and started to brainstorm fundraising ideas, research various charitable groups to support and plan social events with other Aktion Clubs in the area.
The group will also determine how to spend its time on service projects.
In addition to raising funds, many Aktion Club members volunteer their time and services, such as helping at nursing homes or animal shelters, Jacobs said.
Donahue said the young adults are excited to take part in the club, and the club will provide them with a sense of belonging, pride and accomplishment while they learn about leadership and responsibility.
Another goal is to develop independence, Weigel said.
“Independence is highly desired,” she said. “You can disable people by holding back their independence.
“Mom and dad want their children to have the same type of life that non-disabled children have. They want them to work and to belong to a community.”
# http://plainfield.patch.com/articles/aktion-club-helps-district-202-students-with-disabilities
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