The Rifton chair, which Variety KC purchased recently for the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI), already has become an integral part of our preschool kindergarten program. This chair provides necessary positioning for so many of our children who are blind or visually impaired including those with additional disabilities. We currently are sharing the chair between two children, one who attends the morning sessions four days a week and one in our afternoon session, so it works out perfectly!
One of the children who is currently using the chair is Sarah, a four year old little girl, who was diagnosed with multiple disabilities including cortical visual impairment and cerebral palsy. She is unable to sit unassisted and works hard to keep her head up for classroom activities. Sarah has struggled with seating that would optimize her posture and participation with her friends in class. She was unable to tolerate other seating options for more than 30 minutes at a time and that caused additional problems. With the use of the Rifton Chair, Sarah is able to maintain good posture while engaging in classroom activities including using her iPad to communicate her needs and wants. She’s excited and happy that she has a “big girl chair” to sit and participate in classroom routines with her friends. Her favorite activity is sitting at the classroom table engaging her friends! She wouldn’t have been able to do this if it wasn’t for Variety! You should see the smile on her face! That in itself is thanks enough!
