Chronicle Herald, Nova Scotia, Canada > >Tuesday, November 28, 2006 > > > >Talking crayons developed to help toddlers learn colours and > >spelling > > > >By JOEL JACOBSON > > > >A totally new take on crayons > > > >Caption: Rachel Yorke, 7, is a blind Salmon River Elementary School > >student > >who is using a set of crayons with an attachment that tells her the > >colour > >name > >and helps her spell it. The device, which helps toddlers learn to > >spell, > >creates independency for Rachel. (JOEL JACOBSON) > > > >Blue. Spell it with me. B-L-U-E. > > > >That's a talking crayon, one developed to help toddlers learn > >colours and > >how to spell. > > > >It talks through a battery-operated plastic base in which it is > >inserted. > >The base reads the colour and relates the information. However, > >six-year-old > >Rachel > >Yorke has found another use for the crayon. > > > >Because she is blind, the Grade 1 student at Salmon River > >Elementary School > >is able to 'see' each of the six colours in the package by using > >the base. > > > >They're called Dora i-crayons -- 'i' for interactive, which is > >becoming a > >norm with many of today's children's toys and learning methods. > >Many of the > >tools > >Rachel uses in school and at home have interactive components so > >she can > >sense what she cannot see. > > > >LINK: > >http://tinyurl.com/yfr7ou > > > >She hugs a Winnie the Pooh bear that talks to her, asking questions > >for her > >to answer aloud about his (and her) favourite Pooh characters. > > > >She has learning tools such as colouring pages with raised images > >for her to > >fill in areas with her talking crayons. She learned braille as a > >toddler and > >now has an older machine at home and a sleeker, more modern one at > >school to > >type in Braille, which helps her keep up with her classmates. > > > >But it's the talking crayons that have created the most enjoyment > >for this > >youngster since her grandmother Linda Babineau accidentally found > >them in a > >Truro > >department store a couple of weeks ago. > > > >Candace Yorke picks up the story. 'I was in Halifax at the IWK > >Health Centre > >for an eye checkup with Rachel. My mother took our four-year-old, > >Kaytlen, > >shopping and Kaytie saw the crayons and wanted them.' > > > >She laughs. 'Of course, her grandmother gave in, not knowing they > >talked, > >but just that her granddaughter wanted them. When we realized they > >talked, > >the > >first thought was how perfect they were for Rachel. Now she can > >colour > >without having to ask anyone for help. She has independence when > >colouring.' > > > >Candace says she had attached braille labels to her earlier crayons > >for > >Rachel to identify the colours but this had the advantage of the > >crayons > >talking > >to the little girl. > > > >Candace e-mailed International World of Toys in Montreal, which > >created and > >patented the crayons a year before, expressing her delight with the > >product > >and explaining how Rachel is blind and able to use this wonderful > >new tool > >to help her learn. > > > >'I was overwhelmed to hear from Candace,' says Laurie Verrelli, > >president of > >the company, which has sold more than 300,000 sets of six crayons > >worldwide > >since the launch a year ago. > > > >'When we developed this a year or so ago, our aim was to teach > >toddlers. I > >was so happy to hear Rachel received such pleasure, and > >independence, from > >the > >crayons. We had never thought that far ahead, that the crayons > >would help > >blind children.' > > > >She reacted instantly. The next day, an express van pulled up to > >the Yorke > >house with a parcel for Rachel: Laurie had sent her a few extra > >sets of > >crayons. > > > >'Through Candace, we've started to make contacts with schools to > >provide > >them with crayons,' says Laurie. The Atlantic Provinces Special > >Education > >Authority, > >which provides education and programs for children and teens who > >are deaf, > >deaf and blind, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired, is > >one. > > > >Rachel nibbles on an after-school cookie and drinks some milk as > >she talks > >about her crayons. > > > >'My favourite colour is magenta. I like it. It's a dark colour, but > >I don't > >like black and green. I like most of them though,' she says of the > >package > >that > >contains red, yellow, blue, green, purple and orange crayons. > > > >Rachel was born sighted, but cataracts, which she had from birth, > >weren't > >diagnosed until she was two. By then, she had developed glaucoma > >and other > >eye > >diseases. By four, her vision was gone. She's had various tests and > > > >procedures to try to save some sight, but Candace says all hope for > >that is > >gone now. > > > >'Rachel is doing awesome,' Candace says proudly. 'She has a little > >white > >cane and boogies around the school very easily. The other kids and > >all the > >staff > >are aware of her and are careful not to move things. If they do, > >they let > >Rachel know. They've been wonderful at the school.' > > > >Last summer, Rachel took swimming lessons a couple of times a week, > >attended > >a summer camp at the school and now takes the bus to school each > >day. > > > >'I don't worry about her. They don't treat her any differently at > >school, > >don't baby her. They're protective but push her independence. The > >best part > >of > >her being in regular school is that her peers are learning she is > >no > >different than they are. They're learning to accept people with > >disabilities > >or differences.' > > > >Candace smiles, watching Rachel use her new crayons. > > > >'Rachel is like any other kid. She plays with her sisters (Kaytlen > >and > >seven-year-old Samantha) and fights with them. She reads her books > >and we > >read to > >her. Rachel is so happy, and that makes her father (Trevor) and me > >very > >happy, too.' > > > >Bright Spot appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Be sure to read > >Great Kids > >in The Sunday Herald. > >
To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
