“A Dream Come True” for Gengras – The Gengras USJ Spring Festival and the Importance of Inclusion
Written by Vivian Pawloski (Spring 2024)
As a first year special education major, the Gengras center was one of the main factors that contributed to my decision to attend the University of Saint Joseph. However, upon arrival I was disappointed to learn that there weren’t many opportunities for students to work with or interact with the Gengras Center. Something even more disappointing was finding out that some students on campus don’t even know what the Gengras Center is, or that it is a part of USJ. In the spring 2024 semester, I had the privilege of taking Dr. Dube’s FYS II: Destigmatizing Disibility class where we met and worked with the Gengras Center in order to hold and organize the Gengras USJ Spring Festival. The purpose of the event was to build a better connection between the USJ and Gengras students as well as promote inclusion across campus, all while fundraising for a local non profit, Hands on Hartford. At this event, I had the privilege of speaking with Todd Girard, a teacher at Gengras, and one of his students in order to learn more about the Gengras Center, the importance of inclusion, and the Gengras USJ Spring Festival.
Todd Girard has been a teacher at Gengras for about twenty three years and was a TA for two years prior to that. After receiving his teaching certification he spent two years at Granby Memorial middle school before returning to Gengras. Girard is one of the head teachers of the transition program at Gengras, whose goal is to prepare students for life after highschool. While volunteering at the Festival, I was able to speak with Girardand ask him a few questions:
Pawloski: What is the Gengras Center?
Girard: “The Gengras Center is a private special needs school. Students can attend for a range of reasons. If it’s just not working out for them at their other schools they can come to Gengras and take a tour. If it’s a good fit then they are welcome to attend. Students enrolled at Gengras range from ages five to twenty two and come from all over the state of Connecticut and even some parts of Massachusetts. If a student is struggling at their local school, they are allowed to attend Gengras and their town or Board of Education will pay for the tuition.”
Pawloski: What are your thoughts on the connection between the college students and the Gengras students?
Girard: “I would actually like to give a huge shout out to Dr. Dube. I was looking for somebody to help with building a connection for a long time. The event that we are at today [Gengras USJ Spring Festival], is probably the seventh or eighth iteration of it, but it’s only the second time with a connection and the difference is huge. The chance for our students to interact with college students and vice versa is absolutely incredible. Dr. Dube is so easy to work with and our goals/visions are very similar. This is the best thing a teacher can hope for, finding a way to integrate their special needs students with the world around them. Because of the blessing of being on a college campus, it would really be a shame to not utilize it. USJ, Dr. Dube, and everyone else has made it happen. For me it really is a dream come true.”
Pawloski: What impact does inclusion and hosting events like the Gengras USJ Spring Festival have on the Gengras students and how can a non-inclusive environment be harmful to them?
Girard: “The worst part about a non-inclusive environment is that it has a way of telling special needs students that they really don’t fit, that they’re really not a part of the world around them. One of our major missions at Gengras is to deeply instill the worth in our students and let them know that they are very capable, that there is a place in this larger world for them, and that their existence matters. The biggest challenge is plugging that in. When inclusion happens, and when it happens well, that inclusive experience shows them exactly what we are talking about. It takes the theory and it puts it into practice, puts it into real life. That, for any educator, no matter who you are or what you are doing, is the goal. Essentially, the idea is that every student no matter who they are or where they go to school, has a place in this world. Our goal is to instill in the students that they have a place. After being here so long I’ve found that the bigger challenge is to make the world ready for our guys coming in. As far as inclusion, what we [Gengras] get is to feel included, what other folks from the college get is to learn that we exist, we matter, and with some effort we can create bigger end roads. That’s one of the problems with graduating students is that there isn’t always a place for them to go right after, a meaningful place, and that’s what I think the big push for special education in the future should be.”
Pawloski: Is there anything else you would like the USJ campus and students to know?
Girard: “Thanks for coming! We would love to do more. Anything like this is a give and take, it integrates all of us. In fact some of our students, when they come to transition, really want to go to college and this essentially is college, it really closely approximates it making it easier for the parents, and for us. But mostly to the college, thanks for coming out, thanks for doing all this, for including all of us, and letting us know that we are on campus. We would love to integrate more throughout the years to come.”
After speaking with Girard, one of his students kindly volunteered to speak with me and represent the voice of the Gengras student population. The student interviewed has chosen to speak anonymously so out of respect I will not be stating their name, age, or gender. This student was amazing to talk to and was very appreciative to be able to attend the Gengras USJ Spring Festival. The interview went as followed:
Pawloski: What is your favorite part of the Gengras center?
Student: “They are very considerate. They are quite competent in what we need, they know what to do and how to take care of us and help the kids who have more needs than others.”
Pawloski: What is your definition of inclusion?
Student: “Bringing people together in many ways and forms, especially for those who may not be seen as equal right away.”
Pawloski: Do you think that USJ is inclusive enough when it comes to working with the Gengras center?
Student: “I believe that they are doing a great job right now. I just think maybe more inclusion in the future. I’m not sure what that would be specifically but I feel like we could have more inclusion in certain ways.”
Pawloski: What is something that you want to see change or improve when it comes to the college community and the Gengras community?
Student: “I guess more vocal, I don’t know if we could do more environmental things like see each other in different areas of the college instead of just people visiting the Gengras Center. Maybe more things with the athletic center or out here [Flagpole island, where the festival took place].”
Pawloski: How does it make you feel when the college students interact and collaborate on events such as the Gengras USJ Spring Festival with the Gengras Center and its students?
Student: “Personally I like this a lot, but I feel like for other people it’s way more cherishing to have these kinds of events because a lot of people don’t get to experience things like this or have these types of cherishable moments in their life.”
Pawloski: Is there anything you want the students and staff at USJ to know?
Student: “I’m a really good video editor.”
The USJ Gengras Spring Festival was held on April 26th, from 9am-2pm, and activities consisted of face paint, friendship bracelet making, temporary tattoos, yard games, tie dye, and more. There were also snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, and pretzels available to everyone for a dollar each, with all the proceeds going to Gengras and Hands on Hartford. The turnout was incredible; it was the biggest event attendance that the Gengras Center had seen in the seven years of holding this event. USJ students and staff, the Gengras Center, and even a class from the USJ School for Young Children were all in attendance to help build a better connection and raise awareness on the importance of inclusion. This is an event that will hopefully grow in the future and kickstart the bridge between Gengras and USJ. As Girard stated earlier, it is important for everyone to know that they belong and have a place in this world, regardless of their abilities, and this event is the first step in spreading that mindset throughout the community.
Featured Image Provided by Vivian Pawloski
