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Cooke students finding their voices in Northville

posted December 05, 2008
Excerpts from an article by Nathan Menoian, SPECIAL WRITER, from HOMETOWNlife.com

Students at Cooke school have many special needs, but with the help of a local corporation, their voices are being heard.

Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America (MEAA) raises charitable contributions from their employees - donating them to the school to purchase communication equipment for non-verbal students.

Cooke is a secondary school for severely impaired students ages 14 to 26-years old. 160 students are enrolled there. The goal of the school is to prepare them for supportive employment.

Marilynn Bachorik, school principal, described the computerized boxes as augmentative communication devices. Cost varies from $40 and up, into the hundreds of dollars. Some students may need the simpler model, while others may require one offering pictures and more words.

"Cooke students have been recipients of almost $20,000 worth of equipment from MEAA since 2002," Bachorik said. "Given a chance, people like to be generous in a personal way and that is one reason they give to us."

An annual Christmas party is held for students and their families, alumni and family, and staff. MEAA helps share the cost, serves the dinner, and gifts are handed out to students. Other events are held throughout the year as well.

Donna Case, vocational coordinator, explained how MEAA and Cooke first met.

"They were sponsoring Our Lady of Providence for women with disabilities. When that closed in 2002, someone in our department knew about MEAA and that they wanted to continue doing something in this area," Case said.

She was amazed at their willingness to help.

"They asked what they could do for us. I have been in education for 20 years and no one has ever said that to us," Case said. "They want specifically not to hand us money at a distance. They want to interact and know our students"

"We have found a lot of students understand more than we would have known without the devices. They want a say in what's going on in their life, the device makes it possible. And it is pretty profound when you see them using it."

Case shared why such devices are instrumental in helping the students.

"Imagine not being understood when you try to speak. Something as simple as placing an order at a fast food restaurant for most of us takes only a minute, if that. Imagine not having the ability to order in a clear and concise manner," she said.

With the push of some buttons, a digital or synthesized voice is activated.

***

"If they can order lunch at the Food Court in the Mall, Case said, they also learn how to pay for something and get change. They learn to communicate in a way they could not before."

Paul Poe, senior production control at MEAA in Northville, is heavily involved with Cooke and their students. Through Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (www.meaf.org), grants are provided to students with disabilities.

Poe says their goal is to improve the lives of people with disabilities, particularly the young, enabling them to reach their potential and participation in society.

"When you meet the special students at Cooke School, it is not difficult to do what you can for them and their families," Poe said. "The faculty and administration there are fantastic and the smiles you get in return from both students and adults make it all worthwhile. As a volunteer, if you can make a difference by donating just a small amount of your time, you get paid back tenfold with smiles and appreciation."

Read the complete story at: hometownlife.com/article/20081204/NEWS12/812040424/1029

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