This document summarizes a service learning experience in special education classrooms at Audubon Park Elementary School. Two UCF students, Jillian and Meagan, volunteered for 15 hours over three sessions helping in five Exceptional Education classrooms. They observed lessons and assisted students with worksheets, crafts, and games. The students witnessed a variety of disabilities and learned about evaluating students, maintaining IEPs, and the roles of multidisciplinary teams including speech pathologists. They felt the experience gave them valuable insight into special education careers and how to better understand and support students with disabilities.

1. jferro@knights.ucf.edu
mseayucf@knights.ucf.edu
EEX 4070
11/12/14

2. Audubon Park Elementary School
PreK- 5th
1750 Common Way Road, Orlando, FL

3. Introduction to the
Host Setting
Vision: To be the top producer of
successful students in the nation
Mission: To lead our students to success
with the support and involvement of
families and the community
Demographics: 1,181 students
Typical programs offered: Art, Music, PE,
Computer Lab, and Science. 5 Exceptional
Education classrooms where inclusion is
offered to select students.

4. Engagement Activities
Community to address: Special Education Classrooms
15 hours of service learning in these classrooms; Three 5 hour
sessions
Activities engaged with the ESE students:
Helping with worksheets during independent work time
Participating in story time
Assisting with educational crafts
Games during outside play
Observing teacher-led lessons and stations

5. Participant Demographics
Age range: 6-13 years old
“IDEA requires that schools provide special education services to
eligible students as outline in a student’s IEP. IDEA also provides
requirements to guarantee a free appropriate public education for
students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.”
Exceptionalities witnessed:
ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Auditory Processing, Nonverbal disabilities, Down
Syndrome, Mild to Severe Autism, and Developmental delays

6. Service in Action

7. Perceptions of Differences
Initial thoughts? Nervous! We didn’t know what to expect
being that we were faced with a wide range of disabilities.
Thoughts now? We learned about the positives and
negatives of instructing ESE classroom; for example how
much work goes in to tracking the students’ behavior and
making sure the requirements of their IEPs are being met.
Most impactful experience? How excited the students
were to have us there.

8. Connections to our Course
We are in the course EEX 4070
This experience was very useful for our future studies
because we got to see first hand how special education will
be present in our careers. Jillian (elementary education) and
Meagan (speech pathology).
Three Concepts we better understand:
Evaluating and how important it is in the classroom
Maintaining each student’s IEP
Multidisciplinary team- Speech Pathologist

9. Civic Engagement
Being in a sorority, we already participate/volunteer in community events.
However, after this project, we want to get more involved in organizations
that cater to citizens with disabilities.
Volunteering and civic engagement serve a huge purpose in our society
because it’s so important to have that support from the community,
especially when it comes to those with disabilities because they don’t have
access to all the social interactions like we do.
Serving learning is definitely a method of learning because you’re taking
information from texts and modules and getting to experience them.
Therefore, we would encourage teachers and students to embrace
volunteering because how beneficial it is to see how things play out in a real
classroom setting.

10. Final Thoughts & Reflections
Greater understanding? Actually volunteering with people with
disabilities because ultimately that increases your empathy and
understanding since you’re actively interacting.
Help others become more involved? Post flyers and spread the
word on social media
Teacher role? Being passionate about topics other than academics
because students already look up to them, so they will want to be
more involved.