A collaboration between Tyler ISD’s Career and Technology Center and Wayne D. Boshears Center for Exceptional Programs will make a difference for students with cognitive, physical and other disabilities.
Since mid-January, students at the career tech center have been working on several projects that will assist Boshears students with their daily activities.
Items include 3D alphabetical numbers and animal shapes to support reading lessons, puzzle shapes to support mathematical lessons, adapted trays to support functional skills such as grabbing lunch trays, tactile boxes for science lessons that will help with grabbing items, arm stylus to assist with technology devices and a signature stencil to sign their names.
Sam Bezce, career and technology construction and engineering teacher, said the partnership originally started last year with a simple request from Boshears for 3D printing of handheld items to improve communication for students with speech problems.
He said due to last year’s successful project, Boshears returned with more requests and presented ideas of objects that will support education lessons, functional skills, technology skills and writing.
“They asked if we could come up with one or all and we just took it on and I decided to let the groups choose what they wanted to build,” Bezce said.
A total of 41 seniors and juniors have been involved in the project and 10 groups were formed that divided the projects among the mixture of Tyler Legacy and Tyler High School students who attend CTC and are enrolled in the engineering classroom.
Tyler High School juniors Saul Araujo and Dayra Banda are in the group responsible for creating the stylus to assist with technology devices and said the process has been a challenge.
“It was very hard printing the model, a stylus needs electricity to conduct and touch,” said Banda. She said it took some trial and error until the product was successful.
Araujo said it was all worth it because the products will help other students.
“We’re doing our part to help them reach a better education, it feels good,” Araujo said.
Bezce said the process has also helped his students learn.
“They have learned the process from start to finish and have gotten a meaningful goal for their products. A lot of time we come up with products for them to do and learn but this is more significant because it’s going for a great cause,” he said.
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