MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) is a research-based program shown to improve functional mobility skills and empower children and adults with severe physical disabilities to better direct their own lives.
Four school sites within the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) Special Education Programs have been designated as Model Sites for the MOVE International Program and Curriculum for students with significant physical disabilities. SCOE is the first MOVE Model Site to be established in Northern California. As a MOVE Model Site, SCOE will implement the program throughout the county and serve as a demonstration and training site for this internationally acclaimed model.
"We at SCOE are proud that four of our sites have been chosen as Model Sites to assist students with significant disabilities," said Sacramento County Deputy Superintendent of Schools Marty Cavanaugh. "MOVE was born out of a need to improve the quality of life for people with severe disabilities. The program is doing that and more."
The designated sites are Dry Creek Elementary in the Rio Linda Union School District, Northview Head Start in the North Sacramento School District, and Prairie Elementary School and Florence Markofer Elementary School in the Elk Grove Unified School District.
In recognition of this designation the SCOE Special Education Program for Students with Severe Disabilities hosted a MOVE Program Carnival and Faire on October 1.
The event featured carnival games for the students as well as demonstrations of the MOVE equipment which allows students with profound disabilities to learn mobility skills. There were activities and games for families and children of all abilities, and visitors had the opportunity to see the SCOE MOVE Program in action.
The MOVE Curriculum for Children was founded and created in the 1980s by Linda Bidabe, a special education teacher for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools in Bakersfield, California, to respond to a growing concern that students with severe, multiple and profound disabilities in the public schools were not learning critical mobility skills needed to benefit fully from their educational programs.
Ms. Bidabe, Kern County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Larry Reider, and MOVE International Executive Director David Schreuder presented a Model Site identification plaque to Marty Cavanaugh and Dry Creek Principal Sharon Holstege. Students, families, teachers and other community members participated in the faire and dedication ceremony.
MOVE International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities. The program is currently used in more than 25 countries, and the MOVE Curriculum is translated into 13 languages.
Additional information about SCOE's MOVE program is available online or by calling (916) 566-2052.