SENDING A MESSAGE TO HARRISBURG . . . HMS director Diane Gallagher visits with State Representative James Roebuck (center) and Herman Axelrod of Green Tree School in Philadelphia at a legislative reception in Harrisburg hosted by the Alliance of Approved Private Schools. The Alliance shared information about the critical services that they provide for children throughout the state who have severe disabilities.

Director’s Message

By Diane Gallagher, Ph.D.

With spring, comes promise of the activities and events that balmier weather permits and growing excitement about Something Magical’s 20th anniversary performance. As we embrace spring’s brighter days, however, we also share sober concerns about HMS’ state budget allocation for the coming fiscal year. Governor Rendell’s proposed budget calls for zero increase for Approved Private Schools.

The Alliance of Approved Private Schools nevertheless welcomes this new administration. We look forward to a cooperative relationship with Vicki Phillips, Secretary of Education designee, and are optimistic about increased interest in our services after the most pressing fiscal problems are addressed.

With many new players in Harrisburg, the Alliance has taken the opportunity to inform key individuals about the critical services we provide for children with severe disabilities throughout the state. We have broadcast our message--meeting with representatives of the Bureau of Special Education in Harrisburg, talking with individual legislators and hosting a well-attended legislative reception.

Despite the state’s severe financial constraints, we seek to be part of the process of developing creative funding strategies to help Alliance schools through a difficult fiscal period. During this past year, we were given more opportunities to provide input than previously and we expect to continue to be at the table.

The Alliance is not alone in seeking the administration’s attention. We work hand-in-hand with area public school districts that depend on our services. Alliance representatives meet regularly with the School District of Philadelphia and keep lines of communication open with other sending school districts about their special education students who need our programs. Approaching Harrisburg as partners benefits all of our students.

This is also a critical time for parents to raise your voices. Please write or visit your legislators to let them know that you have a child in an Approved Private School and describe your experiences. Your input can make a difference. Working together, families and schools can send a stronger message to Harrisburg.

BREAKING DOWN FENCES. . . Former HMS student Jonathan (left) expresses his friendship with his GFS partner during a 1993 performance of The Other Side of the Fence. First performed in 1984, the show will be reprised this May for Something Magical’s 20th anniversary year. Sruly (right) shares a happy moment with his GFS partner, Ian during a recent rehearsal.

Something magical is happening--twenty years of magic weaving through HMS and Germantown Friends School, strengthening the fabric of friendship and understanding that binds the two groups.

The annual musical performance that pairs students from both schools in a joyous celebration of one another’s similarities and differences--is celebrating its 20th anniversary year. Students are now in rehearsal for The Other Side of the Fence, reprising the original show performed 20 years ago.

In 1983, events at each school converged to bring this project to fruition. At HMS, Phyllis Dupuis, special programs coordinator and a former GFS parent, was seeking ways for students to interact more frequently with their non-disabled peers. At GFS, Teresa Maebori’s third/fourth grade class had viewed an improvised skit that made fun of children with disabilities. Deeply disturbed, she talked with her students and suggested an opportunity to get to know some children with disabilities. Ms. Dupuis’ enthusiastic determination brought Ms. Maebori’s class to HMS.

Initial visits between the children were pleasant, but little meaningful interaction took place. Andrea Green Feigenbaum, former HMS music therapist, had an inspiration. "The words ‘the other side of the fence’ popped into my head at a staff meeting," she says. "I went home and started writing." She believed that a musical show partnering students from each school might provide a vehicle for the children to connect.

Her efforts were immediately successful. Students were engaged and responsive. Staff were equally enthusiastic and supportive. Christina Coia, then a classroom teacher, now HMS assistant director, says "It was a project we believed in."

Ms. Feigenbaum wrote the show with many parts to feature every child and found ways for every performer to express himself. Audiences for that first performance were overwhelmed. Tears were plentiful. Everyone sensed the emotional connections between the children on stage.

Ms. Feigenbaum says, "The music had a lot to do with it. On an emotional level, all the children felt it. . .I use my songs as metaphors to help engage the kids in their own situation and relationship to their partners. When they sing ‘Take the Fence Away,’ hopefully they connect to the fact that they are taking down some defenses and removing those barriers."

Older students at HMS reminisce warmly about the shows. "The people were nice," says Travis. "I’m sad because I’m not in it anymore. I miss the songs." Fin enjoyed her friends from GFS and boasts that "I never forgot my part in my song." Howard adds, "I miss my GFS friends." For graduate Rodawn, The Other Side of the Fence was her favorite show and she especially enjoyed acting with the other students.

Over the years, Ms. Feigenbaum wrote seven other shows, all based on the themes of tolerance for one another’s differences, being true to oneself and celebrating the power of friendship. "Something Magical," one of her songs, became the name of the project.

Ms. Feigenbaum, Ms. Coia and others involved believe so strongly in the power of Something Magical and in the songs’ messages for young people, that they have reached out to share the project on a broader level. They have made presentations at several conferences. WHYY Public Television produced a documentary in 1987, with an accompanying teacher’s guide for classroom use. Ms. Feigenbaum has successfully produced shows with the Philadelphia school system and with other groups, including migrant workers’ children in California. She says, "I’ve always felt every time I’ve done a show with kids that something magical happened."

Each show gives students a chance to participate in a creative process from which friendships and new understandings emerge. Initial awkwardness fades quickly as children work together on props, scenery and costumes in addition to learning their lines. Nonverbal communication can be as powerful as words.

Twenty years have brought changes. Many more staff and creative arts therapists are involved. HMS students have more severe disabilities that require adjustments in expectations. At the same time, power wheelchairs and electronic communication devices give some youngsters greater opportunity to dance, sing and recite lines. Ms. Coia says, "HMS students may not be able to do all the physical activities. . .but when we think about the emotional connections they can make, and the process, the project remains valuable."

For Ms. Feigenbaum, the challenge is to consider individual needs while creating a show that’s ready for the stage. She says, "I’m constantly adapting, sometimes until the last minute, but slowly forming a structure that works for everyone."

Plans are underway for Something Magical’s 20th anniversary year. A reunion performance of The Other Side of the Fence is scheduled for Saturday, May 31, with a reception following the show. Additional performances will be held on June 3 and 5. We encourage readers to visit the Something Magical website for details and reminiscences at www.somethingmagical.org.

In May, when the children sing "Good friends should stick together. . . good friends should be there for you," 20 years of sweet memories, hard work and special connections will be wafting in the air. Something magical will touch your heart!

READING WITH NEW FRIENDS . . Andrew enjoys the attentions of Pat Croce, former President of the Philadelphia 76ers, who visited HMS in February as a guest reader. Following a story, Mr. Croce spent time chatting with students and responding to their many questions about his life.

HMS is a busy place. Students participate daily in a stimulating array of education and therapy programs. They also enjoy a host of special activities--some scheduled well ahead, others spur of the moment. Some utilize outside resources. Others are homegrown events. Often, staff members grasp the fleeting moment to capture an important life experience.

Over the past two months, the entire student body enjoyed lively activities and celebrations such as Valentine’s Day fortune telling, games and a dance. Student volunteers from Drexel University and University of the Sciences of Philadelphia made crafts with the children and Drexel hosted a handful of HMS sports enthusiasts at university basketball games. HMS also spoofed the popular "American Idol" television show with an in-school idol contest.

Students prepared for their annual Science Fair, a popular event in which each classroom develops a presentation to share with fellow students. Among this year’s projects, students observed a working milk cow that "produced" regular, soy or rice milk. They discovered the phases of the moon, investigated the mysteries of bees, watched candles being made and marveled at the ways in which ordinary materials can be turned into neat "stuff."

SNACK TIME. . .Students Fin (left) and Sarah, with assistance from teacher Nannette Velayos, take a shift in their classroom’s "Snack Shack" to sell fruit, muffins, beverages and other popular items. The daily sale is part of a prevocational program that gives students practice in making change and communicating with others.

When an aquarium was donated to HMS this year, recreation therapy staff turned this unexpected gift into a mini learning unit with a group of teens. Students accepted responsibility for seeking permission to put the aquarium on display in the public reception area. They learned about some differences in fresh water or marine environments and decided whether to choose fresh- or salt-water fish. The demonstration of an aeration device convinced them that fish need oxygen to survive. And they visited an aquarium supply store to choose fish and decorative elements for their project.

A small group of 7-day resident students hooked on dance performed for the second year at the Painted Bride Art Center in a collaborative program with fusion2, training company of Dancefusion, a local modern dance troupe. "Through Your Eyes," choreographed by HMS dance movement therapist Martha Hess, incorporated the students’ poetry and artwork as part of an ongoing project initiated by Gwendolyn Bye, Dancefusion’s artistic director, to raise community awareness of the creativity and beauty in children whose lives are impacted by illness or disabilities. HMS’ performers, thrilled with their roles, gave up weeks of weekend time to rehearse.

These activities represent only a sampling of the busy pace at HMS in recent weeks. Behind each success are generous staff who invest themselves and, often their personal time, to provide special opportunities for students to develop skills, explore their environment, discover new interests and express their individuality, all while having a grand time.

  If you’re an internet shopper, please visit www.schoolpop.com, a website where you can shop at your convenience while earning funds for HMS School.  

Mindy Olimpi, student services coordinator, led a workshop on the Something Magical project at a conference on "The Arts and the Special Needs Child" sponsored by the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership. She presented together with Andrea Green Feigenbaum, who writes and directs the musicals performed each year, and Teresa Maebori, the Germantown Friends School teacher whose class partners with HMS for the shows.

Staff and students at HMS School note with deep sadness the passing of their friend, Alexa Rae Bortz, who died December 24, 2002 at the age of 12.

Alexa was the daughter of Pia Oliver and Randy Bortz and loving sister of brothers Eric, Dante and Teo. She attended HMS as a student of the Lower Pottsgrove School District.

A memorial service in Alexa’s honor, led by Reverend William McKean, was held at the school on January 15. The HMS family sang, reminisced and heard poetry about Alexa. Although enrolled at HMS for only four months, Alexa made her mark. Linda Table, Alexa’s LSA, wrote these lines as part of a longer poem:

Your joyous, angelic face
Warmed our hearts
Touched our spirits
Soothed our thoughts

All of us dream about the day when we can just "get up and go" to visit new places. We aspire to a day when the daily challenges of wheelchairs, time and money are no longer barriers to seeing the world. Just the thought of attempting to plan a family vacation with a disabled traveler leaves most of us discouraged.

It has been our family's vision to ensure that our son Nick has the opportunity to visit and experience new people, places and things along with his twin brother and younger sister. We discovered that our whole family can be enriched once we determined how to best include our wheelchair traveler.

After defining our timetable and budget, the next step was "where to go?" Careful planning ensured that our vacation was a success and that everyone returned home feeling rejuvenated.

For example, Washington, DC proved to be extremely accessible and a quick drive for spring break. We secured a private wheelchair tour of the US Capital by contacting our US Senator, who arranged our tour (202-224-4048). Disney World is certainly a mecca for the wheelchair traveler but, surprisingly, does not offer handicapped bathrooms. We were, however, encouraged by Disney's effort to provide a Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities (407-824-4321). Lastly, Jamaica also proved a great destination. We contacted our hotel directly. They offered us a "meet and greet" service ensuring a contact person on site at the hotel to assist with any of our unique needs.

Perhaps the greatest persistent challenge to including our wheelchair traveler is the airlines. The bulkhead seat is the best but cannot be used if it is located in the exit row. We've learned that airline personnel can arrange seating at their discretion and have had the best success when we've contacted the airline directly and arrived early. Unfortunately, we've had both positive and negative experiences with airline personnel. We secured a free copy of the Air Carrier Access Act, which offers details on the legal rights of persons with disabilities (1-888-860-7244).

Other great resources are the Moss Rehab website (www.mossresourcenet.org), which provided us a list of travel agents here in the Delaware Valley who specialize in handicapped travel. We also found that www.Amazon.com has an extensive book list for the handicapped traveler. Try Fodor's Great American Vacations for the Traveler with Disabilities.

Lastly, we've experienced some great hospitality and warm receptions. Our travel experiences have proven to be a great turning point to help us overcome our trials of everyday life. As a family, we've concluded that some of our smallest steps have been our greatest achievements.

HMS Photo Gallery

WHAT DOES YOUR FUTURE HOLD? . . Darius finds out what the cards say about his future from the fortune teller who made an appearance during HMS’ Valentine’s Day festivities.

BOWLING ANYONE? . . Recreation therapy staff schedule regular outings to area bowling alleys where adaptive equipment enables HMS students to aim for a strike and to enjoy an activity that they can pursue with their families. Student Travis looks pleased with his efforts as recreation therapist Charlie Harris (left) and LSA Terrance Marshall cheer him on.

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