NEWPORT, R.I. – Learning Unlimited participants will share their poetry and artwork when they join their Salve Regina student learning partners in presenting “Poems on Branches” on Thursday, April 26 from 6-8 p.m.
Free and open to the public, the presentation will be given in Bazarsky Lecture Hall, located in O’Hare Academic Center, Ochre Point Avenue. The poetry and artwork is based on the learning Unlimited program’s theme for the year – “Transformation and Personal Growth.”
The Learning Unlimited program is an initiative of Salve Regina’s education department that partners university students and adults in the community with developmental disabilities. Working as teams, the students and their adult learning partners attend weekly classes, library sessions and computer lab activities, enjoying the most modern adaptive technologies. The program is supported by the John E. Fogarty Foundation.
This team approach offers the adult learner a non-threatening, interactive experience that contributes to the development of self-esteem and personal accomplishment, and motivates the students to learn and try new things within the educational setting.
Salve students help their partners learn a variety of life skills. The intention is to assist adults who have disabilities gain confidence by building upon the foundation of what they already know, and using it to further their education. In turn, adult learners enlighten Salve students about the on-going issues facing individuals with disabilities.
Additionally, Learning Unlimited partners carry the message of disability as a civil rights issue beyond the university classroom. Today, students from all departments enjoy the opportunity to engage in a multitude of learning experiences.
“While structural learning takes place, the relationships that form between Learning Unlimited partners are the real key to the program’s success,” said Michele Banks, program coordinator. “These are not just well-minded college students who want to help people who have a disability. These are reading coaches, gymnastics instructors, art enthusiasts, music lovers, aspiring actors and sports fans. As partners spend time learning from each other in an atmosphere of mutual support and respect, disability labels fade and friendships grow.”