Cory Gilden, a doctoral student in human development and family studies (HDFS) at the University of Delaware, holds the belief that many societal issues could be resolved if people worked together to implement solutions.

This summer, she put this idea to the test, implementing a final project in her summer course, Families and Developmental Disabilities (HDFS 270). Her students were asked to collaborate with a community organization of their choosing to develop a project that would have lasting effects for people with disabilities.

The students came from a variety of majors, each providing their own personal slant based on their experiences.

“The students were asked to design projects based on their strengths and what their organizations needed or wanted,” said Gilden. “They came up with ideas that were both inspiring and useful.”

Some examples of projects included:

• Creating a website that helps guide at-risk youth who are newly diagnosed with attention or learning disorders;

• Connecting a student nursing club with an area exercise club for people with disabilities to provide child care; and

• Creating an adaptive physical education program for young children with disabilities at the University’s Early Learning Center.

Shannon Coyle, a psychology major, aspires to be an occupational therapist. She worked at Exceptional Care for Children (ECC), a pediatric nursing facility for medically fragile children.

“The children at ECC have huge hearts, and the staff are inspiringly dedicated to their job, caring for these children. Sadly, there is only 30 percent parent involvement rate,” said Coyle. “I decided to try and connect the University Occupational Therapy Club to volunteer for events, as well as ‘buddy up’ with children who do not have families frequently visiting them.”

Madeline Halkowski, also a psychology major, with minors in disability studies and integrated design, worked with Learning Ally, a nonprofit organization that offers audio books primarily for the blind and dyslexic.

She had a personal interest in her project, having been introduced to Learning Ally when she was diagnosed with dyslexia in high school.

“Creating audio books is expensive and, due to funding cuts, the organization is having difficulty producing the needed materials,” said Halkowski. “My goal was to connect Learning Ally with the University of Delaware to host a Virtual Reading Day on campus. The University has a large multimedia center which we hope to use for recording. Also, I have spoken to several clubs and groups on campus who have expressed a willingness to volunteer to read.”

If the Virtual Reading Day is a success, Learning Ally hopes to bring the idea to other colleges and universities around the country. 

This assignment provided students with a number of unexpected insights, they said.

“I have learned that when you are working with a large organization that is run by mostly volunteers, planning takes time. Sometimes I have to wait weeks for a reply and I know not to get discouraged,” said Halkowski. “Also, because of one of my classmate's projects, I learned about Exceptional Care for Children in Newark and am now volunteering with them once a week.”

Coyle added, “The experience of being at ECC is something that will stick with me throughout my career as an OT. There are tons of organizations for children with cancer or at-risk youth living in the community, but these medically fragile kids do not get the same attention as other childhood philanthropy causes. I am grateful for the opportunity to simply play with them. It provided me with a whole different perspective.”

Initiatives such as these connect students to the "real world" and give them experience that will not only contribute to their resumes, but benefits the community as a whole.

“Due to the tight time frame of the course (five weeks), many of these projects will not come to fruition until later in the year,” said Gilden. “But the students are off to a great start.”