Geraldine Delahunt, WigWams

Evan was 2-years 10 months old when he first arrived at Wigwams in 2014. He could not walk unaided and was nonverbal. He has a visual impairment and this condition affects his bilateral frontal cortex. He cannot see anything: no shadows, no vision at all.

Wigwams is a fully inclusive preschool and when I learned what his needs were, I decided I needed to make changes, so he could participate fully. I designed a purpose built sensory garden to support his needs and interests. I wanted to ensure this little child was given every possible opportunity to enjoy his early years in my setting.

Evan had never felt grass before, so initially, he was unsure as he navigated the sensory garden. But he soon became a whizz and nothing fazed him. On the entrance to the garden I placed a minty sensory plant, so he knew we were entering and at the exit was a lavender plant. A yellow hand rail all around the garden gave easy independent access for Evan, supporting his hand over hand movement as he learned to walk, giving him freedom to navigate the entire garden unaided.

At the left there is a friendship bench, where we all sat, read stories and chatted. As he moved down the garden using his hand rail we placed tiny hills for him to climb. At each of these was a sensory or tactile opportunity, like brushes, sponges of different grades, and many other items we could replace easily. These were at his waist level, glued or screwed to the fence. I placed a hill with a slide so his friends could join him, pulling themselves up the grass to the top of the hill and then, with support, slide down into a sandy area. He and all the children loved it. This provided support for balance, their proprioceptive senses and their vestibular system. I observed many children gain confidence in their spatial awareness and balance while playing in this garden.

Evan went on to navigate our larger outdoor spaces with his friends, almost 1/4 acre of uneven terrain, going from space to space sometimes using a dolls buggy to navigate the pathways. This was because he was now confident, empowered and had developed the skills he needed. He left us in 2017. I am super proud of this little man: he knows no boundaries.