Inside every small child is a performer just waiting to be released.
At one time or another, we’ve all known a child who wants to take center stage (whether that means an actual stage or the middle of the living room) and put on a show for their friends and family. Some like to sing, other prefer to dance or showcase any number of talents.
Unfortunately for children with disabilities, dancing isn’t always the easiest task to perform. So, what is a parent to do when their child wants to be a ballerina, but his or her movement is limited due to a developmental disability? That’s just the question that the Children’s Therapy Center in New Jersey has sought to answer.
Some people create wheelchair vehicles to improve the lives of children, others teach them to bring out their inner performer.
Over the past nine years, teachers and aid workers at the Children’s Therapy Center have been putting on a ballet recital for the parents of the children they work with. Despite their physical and mental challenges, these children still put on one heck of a show.
Take a look at the performers in the video from Pix11 news.
The Mind Behind the Show
Nearly a decade ago, Lynn Barral, the assistant director at the school, started the program to help children develop their motor skills as well as put on a show that would boost their moral. Now, nine years later, the show still continues to bring in crowds of parents and spectators.
There was hardly any standing room at the most recent performance.
Each child, many who cannot walk, enters the program and is paired with a physical therapy aide who helps them to learn their routine and build strength and fine motor skills. The annual show is the culmination of a years worth of work and strong effort by the children.
The Children’s Therapy Center in New Jersey has been helping children develop their skills for over sixty years. It is programs like these that help children with disabilities learn to develop their motor skills to better their own lives.
At Rollx Vans, we are always looking to bring into the spotlight people who are trying to make the world a better place for anyone who suffers from any physical disability.
Do you know of any other programs like this? Let us know in the comments below.