Mobility Matters: Students with Speech and Physical Impairment use Hands Free Support Walkers to Explore, Discover, Learn and Participate in School Activities

This presentation describes an element of the Bridge School program from 2006 to 2015 in which 29 students (22 boys and 7 girls: 3-10 years) participated in self-initiated mobility experiences through the use of hands-free support walkers and thematic activities embedded into the curriculum in ways that contribute to the foundation of learning and development. Students who participated in this program demonstrated a positive increase in peer interaction, engagement, self-initiation, problem solving, physical motor control, and use of the upper extremities. A theoretical framework based on current research and longitudinal observations of students participating in the self-initiated mobility experience will be discussed. A variety of techniques, activities and devices for imbedding self-initiated mobility into curricular activities and environments and a range of considerations used to select a child’s support walker to maximize fit, function and access will be shared through slides and videos.