Miss-Delectable
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Star-Telegram.com: | 03/14/2008 | Blind, deaf can play these Easter games
Tiffany Coffer is a bright 8-year-old. She's smart and outgoing and loves holidays, said her mother, Melissa Coffer.
Tiffany is blind and deaf. Her stomach problems, heart problems and tracheotomy tube make it difficult to participate in seasonal festivities like Christmas carnivals or Halloween parties, her mother said.
But Easter is a holiday Tiffany has looked forward to for four years thanks to the beeping Easter egg hunt her grandmother Becky Perry and other current and former AT&T employees help organize.
"There are a couple of kids she sees every year and she looks forward to seeing them," Melissa Coffer said. "She likes it because she can actually play the games set up for her."
In its fifth year, The Special Bunnies Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday will be free and geared toward special-needs children and their siblings, Perry said. With the help of more than 50 volunteers with AT&T's Pioneers volunteer program, many of the games have been modified to accommodate the needs of certain children, with such items as oversize basketballs and hoops. The kids "actually feel like they are accomplishing something," Melissa Coffer said. "It boosts their self-esteem when they are actually accomplishing not just trying and failing."
The event will also feature a firetruck and ambulance for the children to explore, face painting, pictures with the Easter bunny, a clown, snow cones and popcorn.
Officials say the number of participants has grown by word of mouth. This year they expect more than 100 kids.
"It was extremely cold last year, and we thought the turnout would be bad, but parents brought their kids anyway," said Tonyua LaBerge, president of the Fort Worth Pioneer Council. "Even though they are blind or have special needs, their smiles are just amazing."
Tiffany Coffer is a bright 8-year-old. She's smart and outgoing and loves holidays, said her mother, Melissa Coffer.
Tiffany is blind and deaf. Her stomach problems, heart problems and tracheotomy tube make it difficult to participate in seasonal festivities like Christmas carnivals or Halloween parties, her mother said.
But Easter is a holiday Tiffany has looked forward to for four years thanks to the beeping Easter egg hunt her grandmother Becky Perry and other current and former AT&T employees help organize.
"There are a couple of kids she sees every year and she looks forward to seeing them," Melissa Coffer said. "She likes it because she can actually play the games set up for her."
In its fifth year, The Special Bunnies Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday will be free and geared toward special-needs children and their siblings, Perry said. With the help of more than 50 volunteers with AT&T's Pioneers volunteer program, many of the games have been modified to accommodate the needs of certain children, with such items as oversize basketballs and hoops. The kids "actually feel like they are accomplishing something," Melissa Coffer said. "It boosts their self-esteem when they are actually accomplishing not just trying and failing."
The event will also feature a firetruck and ambulance for the children to explore, face painting, pictures with the Easter bunny, a clown, snow cones and popcorn.
Officials say the number of participants has grown by word of mouth. This year they expect more than 100 kids.
"It was extremely cold last year, and we thought the turnout would be bad, but parents brought their kids anyway," said Tonyua LaBerge, president of the Fort Worth Pioneer Council. "Even though they are blind or have special needs, their smiles are just amazing."