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Skyline teacher uses grant to buy unique communication device for her students

Posted at 7:08 PM, Dec 13, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-13 21:08:18-05

MESA, Ariz. — Skyline High School in Mesa is far from State Farm Stadium, but because of a Cardinals touchdown this season, one teacher there was awarded a $500 grant for her classroom.

All thanks to the Touchdown for Teachers program by SRP.

Skyline Teacher Anna Miller using her $500 to buy a communication device for her students, who are severely disabled and non-verbal.

"Everyone deserves a voice, so I wanted to just have more devices so we could have more voices," said Miller.

Her classroom previously had just one communication device that students could press a button on signaling "yes" or "no" and that was loaned to the class by the district.

Now they have one to keep, plus it's more advanced with interchangeable phrases. Even the voice that is spoken from the device is a boy or girl and recorded by an actual Skyline student.

"It's a way for them to participate with in our lessons with social interactions, with other students just with us as a staff, so without that they're not able to have a voice and to be heard," said Miller.

Patty Garcia-Likens with SRP now able to see their Touchdown for Teachers program come full circle.

"It could be a dry erase board it could be books for their students but to even see the impact of something like this, is so exciting."

To learn more about Touchdown for Teachers and to enter if you're an Arizona Teacher, click here.