A Day in The Sun At Zippity Zoo!
by Terri
Ricci
Though it has not been a very sunny summer so far, United Cerebral
Palsy (UCP) of Minnesota had another wonderful day for their annual
Zippity Zoo Day on Friday June 17, 2005. Zippity Zoo Day is co-sponsored
by: DynaVox Systems, AbleNet, Prentke Romich and Assistive Technology,
Inc. In the years that they have been doing this the weather has
been great. They have a special order in for sunshine. One year it
was over 110 degrees and only one year they had rain.
For five years UCP of
Minnesota has hosted Zippity Zoo Day at the Como Zoo in St. Paul.
The zoo has gone through a transformation over those years. The
new entrance and visitors’ center has uplifted
this zoo and it shows that this community cares about the environment,
the people of the community and the animals that call the zoo home.
This year over 125 individuals came to Zippity Zoo Day. In attendance
were participants from all over Minnesota and Wisconsin. I interviewed
several people who use assistive communication devices:
• Robert Gregory and Shangwen Batchelder sure were enjoying
themselves in the sun on the way to see the primates (the monkeys).
Bob thought the camera would break if I took his picture. I assured
him that it wouldn’t and the picture with this article is the
proof.
• Rosemary Schaffer
and Jonathon Erspamer were enjoying the Polar Bears and their smiles
sure showed it as they watched one bear prance and the other sleep
in the shade.
• Jen Kozloski and Ann Kobleski traveled from Cloquet, Minnesota
to attend the event this year. They both were happy the sun was shining
and they commented, “It is more crowded this year.”
They discussed the
communication devices they use. Jen has a DynaVox Dynamite system.
Her system is a few years old now and she is waiting for the day
she can upgrade her system. Ann mentioned that every assistive
communication device is like a computer “As soon
as you purchase it, it is obsolete, because of the upgrades being
made every day.” She suggests that they have a trade-in system,
similar to hockey equipment, where you can trade your device in for
a newly upgraded one. Then someone just starting out can purchase
your old one. Sounds like a great idea!
•The Ghylin family, Alvin, David, Abby and Curtis traveled to
the zoo from Lakeville, MN. They originally lived in Maple Grove, MN,
but when the school system was not able to keep up with the technology
David needed in order to learn, they moved to Lakeville so David could
attend the Minnesota State Academy of the Blind in Faribault, MN.
At the Academy, David receives more one-on-one instruction yet
he also has other children to interact with that have a similar range
of abilities. They also have the adaptive technology that he needs
in order to learn. With all the technology they have in place, he
was able to accomplish a lot all by himself: he studied about Latin
America, took a quiz, and passed it!
• Peg Johnson is
a long-time disability activist. She is the founder of Express
Yourself MN, which provides support group and assistive
technology devices to
people in need. Her hope is that there is a better understanding of how to
communicate with people with adaptive devices.
•Nathaniel Johns
was very sleepy when interviewed. While patiently waiting for lunch
in the shade of a great oak, he enjoyed talking with me about his
plans for after the interview. He was going to have his face painted
with a baseball on it.
If you have never attended Zippity Zoo Day or been to the newly
renovated Como Zoo, you might want to think about it. When the weather
is nice, it is one of the best events of the summer!
