HEAL Foundation gifts hundreds of iPads to ESE schools

Duval County Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Schools are giving praise to the nonprofit foundation HEAL for their gift Thursday.

As part of their initiative to “enrich autistic lives,” HEAL granted 40 iPads to ESE schools. Over the past few years, they said they have given more than 350 iPads to students in Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Baker counties.

“This is really a technology edge that we now have that we’re really excited about,” Melissa Kramer said.

Kramer is the Founder and Executive Director of Growing Together Behavioral Center, where four of their teachers were granted iPads.

Kramer is also the mother of two young boys with developmental disabilities. She said she is grateful for this gift so her children have a better chance to excel in the classroom.

“We have students who need the hand writing apps that can be used,” Kramer said. “We have students with hearing impairments that can use the communication apps. We have nonverbal students who are going to use the picture exchange, communication.”

“They’re going to be able to do more of their lessons on the iPad, some of their independent work,” Kramer said. “Honestly, from the lowest to the highest academic students here everybody is going to be able to use these.”

Cox Media Group