College of Education News

Larkin's Place seeks to create safe, welcoming environment for all members of Champaign County

September 29, 2009

By Erica Yuenger, Communications Intern

For three years, Amy Armstrong has struggled with finding a place in the community where she and her daughter can feel normal. Her daughter Larkin, 3, was diagnosed with Down syndrome and Lennox-Gaustaut Syndrome, a catastrophic seizure condition for which there is no cure.

"We're dealing with several disabilities with Larkin, it's not just Down syndrome, so I didn't really feel like I fell into any group or network," Armstrong said. "I felt pretty alienated."

What Armstrong needed was a place in the community Larkin could call her own, free from the judgment of others. Now, Armstrong is working with the YMCA, the College of Education and other members of the community to create Larkin's Place, a multi-generational  recreational  and community center open to all members of Champaign County.

Within two years, Armstrong said she hopes to have the facility up and running to accommodate all members of the community - people with and without physical and cognitive disabilities.

Armstrong and the YMCA are working with students in the architecture program to incorporate universal design principles into the construction of the building. This means considering people with all ranges of physical capabilities and making the building accessible to each and every person, Armstrong said.

David Richman, associate professor in special education and member of the Larkin's Place Operational Board, said an advantage to incorporating Larkin's Place into the YMCA is the opportunity for interaction between people with disabilities and those without, as one of the best ways to get rid of stereotypes is through exposure.

He said a long-term goal for the College of Education's involvement in Larkin's Place is to conduct studies of the conditions that foster social interaction between people with disabilities and those without disabilities. The college will also collaborate with the center through practicum training, where future educators will be able to work with the families.

Right now, the primary goal is to create a facility where families dealing with disabilities can feel safe and welcome, Armstrong said. "Larkin's Place is something that will be set up to remove the physical and social barriers that might be in other places," Richman added. "It's going to be so obvious that everybody is welcome."

For more information about the College of Education, contact our Communications Office at 217-244-8335 or email communications@education.illinois.edu