The kindness club is a 100% accessible, barrier free organization created in the Fall of 2022 by a now alum of the University of Mississippi School of Education. So often in K-12 environments, students with disabilities are accepted into clubs but are not included in the activities or community engagement projects. They are put in a position of being a passive recipient of service instead of being given the opportunity to take an active role in serving others. The kindness club has two purposes based off of this. First, to create activities and events within the SOE that enable future teachers to develop empathy and understanding of students with disabilities. And second, to encourage, uplift, and empower undergraduate students to create accessible clubs in their future schools. At the heart of it, we want to build community and share more about how to care for others! Along with hosting biweekly meetings for members, the Kindness Club had various campus and community outreach projects.
For bus driver appreciation day, student teachers used provided materials for their classes to give their bus driver a hand written note. For women’s history month, the Kindness Club highlighted female faculty and staff, by posting flyers around Guyton Hall. For Autism Acceptance Day, members organized a sensory experience, filled with finger painting, sensory bins, and other engaging materials. While playing, participants learned about the differences in sensory needs many individuals with Autism experience. For mental health awareness month, students in the SOE enjoyed popsicles, rock painting, and sensory bottle making. In honor of disability awareness month, the Kindness Club hosted a family panel made up of SOE factually and staff, open to the public, where family members of individuals with disabilities met to talk about stereotypes, misconceptions about disabilities, and the need for more accessibility.
