RISE Graduation Set for July 26 – Now a ‘Model Preschool for All Children’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Cameron Gottfried and MarLa Parks, two of the 15 preschoolers graduating from The University of Alabama’s RISE program on July 26, are part of a growing number of non-disabled children who are benefiting from RISE’s inclusive and nationally-acclaimed preschool program.

Former University of Alabama head football coach Gene Stallings will be the featured speaker for the 6:30 p.m. ceremony, scheduled for the Stallings Center on the UA campus.

Cameron, son of Alabama basketball coach Mark Gottfried and his wife Elizabeth, and MarLa, daughter of Sam and Virginia Parks and granddaughter of former UA president Roger Sayers and his wife MarLa, were born without any disabilities. However, the children’s parents chose the RISE program over all other preschool programs in which to place their children.

For nearly 30 years, RISE has been acclaimed nationally for its early intervention for children with disabilities—helping more than 2,000 children prepare for public school classes. But for the past 11 years, UA’s renowned early intervention program has been studying the effects of early integration of disabled youngsters with non-disabled children.

“While our original mission for RISE was to prepare children with disabilities for kindergarten, through this research we have discovered that we’re preparing all children for kindergarten,” said Dr. Martha Cook, director of RISE.

“The program has certainly evolved into a model preschool program for all children,” said Cook.

In 1999, RISE received accreditation from The National Association for the Education of Young Children; a prestigious recognition only achieved by 7 percent of early childhood programs nationwide.

Researchers have been successful in proving their original theory—the influence of peer pressure on these preschoolers with disabilities is as helpful, if not more, than some physical therapies. To be like their peers, children with disabilities dropped their canes and walked, or climbed a playground slide in spite of diplegic cerebral palsy.

However, this same research has yielded a surprising conclusion: the learning curve is two-directional. “We have learned that being a role model doesn’t mean you have to be typically developing,” said Cook. “We have found that the non- disabled children learn a lot from the children with disabilities.

“Integration has created an atmosphere of acceptance and a greater tolerance of individual difference,” she said. “Coming to these mixed classes of able and disabled children eases the special children’s transition to public kindergarten.”

Cook says their research has shown that the lessons learned for kindergarten, outside of the realm of academics, come from the ones most wouldn’t expect—the children with disabilities.

“Some lessons can only be taught by our most challenged children,” Cook noted.

“Self-confidence, self-esteem, empathy, thoughtfulness, social benefits are all critical to successful development of preschoolers,” said Cook. “We have found our non-disabled children learning so much from just observing the courage of our children with disabilities.”

For more information on the graduation ceremony or the RISE program itself, contact RISE director Dr. Martha Cook at 205/348-7931.