Visuals to Build Independence

Visuals to Build Independence

As an adult with Down Syndrome, Julia is still learning some literacy skills such as reading and writing. You may be thinking, well how does she read the recipes to bake the cookies for me to buy and enjoy?! That's where I come in! 

Hi! My name is Sarah Dewhurst. I have a Masters Degree in Special Education, focusing on supporting individuals with disabilities to live engaged and fulfilling lives! One of my passions is finding supports and strategies that I can employ that allows individuals to be autonomous in the activities that they enjoy doing. 

At Special P, Julia and I are a dynamic duo who work together to bring you the cookies that you are drooling over. Julia does all the baking, and I create the supports to ensure she is able to do so independently. 

So, what are these supports? One word - VISUALS! For individuals who cannot read fluently, or for individuals who need additional support to understand written content, visuals can help ensure the message is relayed while reducing as many barriers as possible. What this means for Julia at Special P is that she uses visual recipes instead of the traditional written ones. Take a look at how effective this strategy is for our business!

Pretty cool eh? Julia is extremely comfortable reading and using visual recipes, and she uses these to ensure her cookies are perfect for you each and every time you order them!

Visual recipes aren't just great for individuals with disabilities; visual recipes are great for all of us! Have you ever been following a recipe and it tells you to mix until a certain consistency, and you just can't figure out if your definition of the word and the author's definition of the word are the same?! Wouldn't a picture or a video be helpful? Yes, yes it would! Have you ever been baking with your kids and they want to help, but you have to tell them each and every step? Can you kids learn through pictures? Yes, yes they can! Does someone in your life have a cognitive condition such as dementia, and they just can't seem to remember where to put the dishes away from the dishwasher? Wouldn't visuals help here?! Absolutely they would!

The use of visuals such as visual recipes can be life changing and can help individuals to be more autonomous and be active participants in activities they enjoy!

Now that we've shown you how amazing visuals are, try using this visual recipe yourself! Let us know how it goes for you! We bet you're going to be wanting more!

Sarah Dewhurst, M. Ed, ECE

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  • Visuals to Build Independence

    Visuals to Build Independence

    Learn about how Julia achieves independence through the use of visual recipes to bake delicious cookies for you to enjoy!

    Visuals to Build Independence

    Learn about how Julia achieves independence through the use of visual recipes to bake delicious cookies for you to enjoy!