Students at the Bendigo Special Development School will now be able to learn with more ease thanks to $30,000 new equipment.
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The donation from Niagara Therapy includes a life-sized train and bulldozer, three hand-held toys, and three mats which are all infused with pads that vibrate.
The vibration is a key part of cycloid therapy, which Bendigo Special Development School Principal Kirshy McAinch said was integral to the students' development.
"It is an evidence-backed practice for supporting circulation, removing toxins in the blood, and increasing blood flow," she said.
"All of that is interrupted in our students because, for some students, their disability reduces their ability to move."
The Bendigo Special Development School works with 122 students who all have moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.
Some of the students also have conditions like cerebral palsy, autism, down syndrome or rare degenerative conditions.
"When you are completely impaired in your ability to communicate, to move, when you don't have control of those aspects, the smallest gains are life changing," Ms McAinch said.
"People can only learn when they are in an emotional and physiological learning zone. This equipment assists students who have difficulty in self regulating and it assists students to get into that zone."
Each year, Niagara Therapy donates one of these Fairyland Centres to a school around the country. The Bendigo Special Development School is the 18th centre to receive one.
"It is really something that was beyond the capacity of the school," Ms McAinch said. "I must admit I didn't believe the email telling us we were chosen.
"When I got the email, I thought it was a scam."
The new equipment was of no cost to the school, after the Kangaroo Flat Rotary Club donated $3500 and the Uncle Bobs Bendigo Branch provided $1500 to assist with the costs of shipping the equipment from Brisbane.
The donations also paid for two technicians to fly down from Queensland to set up the new equipment.
"It is not something that we would ever be able to do," she said. "We had one mat and one handheld device for the last 12 years.
"So the fact of what we have now is extraordinary."
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