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As a teacher and as a parent of a disabled child, I am quite satisfied with what the students learned and how their perspectives on their society have changed because of their brief immersion into the world of the severely disabled. From my point of view, the background research into civil rights and into disability awareness and law which resulted in the writing of the letter to colleges and universities constituted the achievement of at least 80% of our goals. We are still at working on the follow up letter and on the article which will be sent to Teaching Tolerance magazine. We have also, most importantly, identified two strong geographical nodes of interest in our project: one in Indianapolis and one in Richmond, Indiana. This project will unfold over several years via the Power Point and through work of community, university, and other public school students who will continue to spread the word and act as facilitators and resources until a model Move House becomes a reality. Then, we hope, Indiana will become a "pioneer and pathfinder" state for the opening of MOVE Houses at colleges and universities around the nation.

In all fairness, I should note that our project has a tragic undertow. Our inspiration, Ian Hudson (age 19) died unexpectedly in late December, 2002. This project then has become a legacy to Ian's life and spirit rather than a college opportunity for him. We do know that thousands of other students will benefit from these efforts, and that Ian would be proud that his life stimulated something which may "change the world." This senior class also suffered the loss of one of their members, Wes Hall, in March, 2003. Wes was a friend to many in this class, and our field trip to the Rise Center took place within days after his death. Some of the comments below will reflect this sad milieu.

I would like to conclude this section with some students' reflections after they visited the MOVE model site in Indianapolis at a point about 2/3 of the way through their project. This school, the Rise Learning Center, has a full fledged MOVE curriculum for their students ages 5-22. Our visit let students see the kind of equipment and the kind of activity that older students would be able to participate in in a college MOVE House. We hope you will enjoy the students responses and the pictures of their adventure.

"Yesterday's trip made me finally realize what [might] happen in a MOVE House. The boy I worked with, Jacob, had a working mind, as I could see from his facial expressions, but his muscles wouldn't cooperate with his mind. I now see how the whole sit, stand, and walk idea works and why these people need equal chances." DP

"It is probably fairly often that people underestimate how well they can read the actions of people around them, and how much they understand. It would be nice to be able to go there [to Rise] on a regular basis and help out in the different classrooms." JT

"I had mixed feelings going into our field trip yesterday: a part of me wanted to see the kind of kids we are working for, and another part didn't. The part that didn't was afraid of facing what are hopefully now 'demons of the past.' The instinct and desire to turn and walk away from the less abled. I also dreaded walking in and feeling helpless in front of those who needed help. Those fears, for the most part, were quickly overcome...At random, I picked out a non-ambulatory boy, Patrick, and guided him to the nearest basketball goal...Eventually it was time for lunch and I took on the task of feeding Jason his meal... Now that I think about it, I really didn't do a whole lot for them--I'm positive that if I hadn't been there someone else would have helped Patrick play basketball and Jason eat his lunch. If anything, I was the greatest benefactor of the experience--my fear of working with the disabled is slowly slipping away, which, I suppose, was the goal of going in the first place." NM

"I honestly did not know even where we were really going yesterday, let alone what we would be doing. What ended up happening was great, and I felt the trip was entirely worthwhile. Especially after writing the 'sit, stand, walk' essay. The interaction that we had with the kids was really neat... Dwayne was the one I adopted for the two short hours that we were there...Of course everything was a little strange at first, as it took a while to get comfortable with Dewayne and for him to get comfortable with me. However, it was not long before I was attached to his fun character and willing to try everything possible." AS

"When I found out that we were going to visit the Rise Center, I had no idea what to expect. I thought that we would just see lots of kids sitting in wheelchairs, but I was completely wrong. There were kids who are normally bound to sitting all the time who were up walking and playing basketball." HD

"I was surprised by the number of students who could move fairly independently. I also did not realize the variety of equipment used to help the students become mobile." NP

"One other thing, you had to talk to them without them responding to you. My person, Jenny, didn't say one word, her biggest response was touching my face, working to hold my hand, and trying to smile." SH

"I never realized exactly how difficult and frustrating it would be not to be able to function solely on my own...All of the kids we met yesterday were amazing. The trip brought a new perspective into my mind about the importance of a MOVE House. Until yesterday, my thoughts of the project were vague and I was still a little confused. Kelsey, I think showed me this new perspective." RR

"I had no idea that this experience was going to be so "moving" :)... When we arrived at the school and entered the gymnasium, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I was suddenly surrounded by helplessness... Then it was lunch time.... an hour of one of the hardest feeding ventures I have ever engaged in. I tilted her head back with every bite It was a struggle for her to consume in an hour the amount of food I eat in a matter of seconds. About an hour, 8 ounces of food, and 200 napkins later, I felt proud. I brushed Shelby's teeth and regretfully departed. Although I gained a great amount from working with this wide-eyed girl, it also helped me to realize how difficult it is to work with these kinds of kids for half a day...which allowed me to respect the people that go through this every day. " EW

"The Rise Learning Center was a new experience for all of us. Of course, we've seen some kids with physical and mental handicaps at our public schools, but never to the extent that we saw at Rise. However, this place was not like a depressing institution. The workers and teachers were positive, upbeat, loud, and happy. The kids there had smiles on their faces despite their lack of mobility. They were all quite an inspiration." AM

"Being able to help these children and be their guide for a day allowed me to see how strong-willed and determined many of these children are. I hung out with Kiki for the hours we were there. She is completely blind and only has the use of her left hand, but the ladies there say she is the best walker in the school. She was able to find her spoon and feed herself with me only tapping her elbow to let her know her spoon was full. She is so intelligent even though she [has to use] her Pacer to get around." MW

"I got asked this morning in the office if I had enjoyed the trip. Then Mrs. Dawson asked if it had been depressing. My response was 'no' and after some thought, I realized it was kind of uplifting....I realized that these people that we were with could be more severely disabled than they were. Some of them could walk on their own and many could walk in the MOVE equipment. They had obviously made progress. That was what I found uplifting about the whole thing....I guess what was most uplifting was that these people will have had their lives changed by people who love them enough to work with them." AB

"Not until a small child was placed on my lap and I was forced to interact...at that moment my fears eased, I relaxed, and after holding Cody, a young boy who was paralyzed from the waist down, and in a few minutes, I began to relax and have fun." RR

"Going to the Rise Learning Center was a very good experience for me. Seeing how a MOVE House can originate from that was a better understanding of the purpose of MOVE House at a college. Being able to take part in the Center helped create a better idea of what is needed for these kids... Visiting with all the kids and the helpers at the school has given me a greater appreciation for the capabilities that I have. The only thing that I would request, if I become disabled, is that I have a cool chariot and a toy that has a radio build in, just like Justin." JK

"I'm not sure what I expected to find, to see, or to do at Rise yesterday, but it wasn't to spend my morning pulling a girl who couldn't talk around the gym or to sit by a girl who couldn't hear while she ate lunch. I did have fun, though, as odd as it may sound....To get her [Rachel] to eat I had to point at her food. She was absolutely hilarious! She would give me high-fives and would laugh at my funny faces. I will admit, though, that I had a tough time watching her eat...." KY

"One of the teachers told Sarah and me that 'Nikki must really like you two because I haven't seen her smile this much in a long time.' I can't even express how that one comment made my heart leap. AR

"I'll have to admit that I wasn't feeling up to visiting the children at the Rise Learning Center. I was upset about other things and didn't want to worry about another. But when we walked into the gym and saw all of the kids, I was happy to be there.... It was such a blessing to know that I made a difference in a day of one child...Nikki gave me a totally new perspective yesterday. She was all I could think about last night. I kept telling everyone about her and couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. I want to go back very soon!" SB

Reflections