Mississippi school-age children with developmental disabilities soon may have improved access to sports, clubs or other out-of-class activities.

Mississippi State's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability recently launched a pilot project seeking ways to better integrate children with disabilities into school recreational and social activities. A one-year, $23,000 grant from the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities is funding the effort.The first of its kind in Mississippi, Project REACT (Recreation through Extracurricular Activities for Children with Technology) initially is targeting students and educators in the Starkville Public School District.

A memorial to the longtime MSU vice president, the Martin Center is a sophisticated clinical, research and training facility established on the Starkville campus in 1996. Unique in Mississippi, it provides a wide range of services regardless of age or diagnosis.

"Our goal in this project is to help students move from a more restrictive to a less restrictive environment and enable them to become more involved in school and community activities," said Martin Center education specialist Denise S. Perkerson.

"Recreation and leisure have become important parts of an overall educational plan," she added. "That's why we feel it is important to introduce resources that can expand access for students who may not otherwise participate. We hope this can become a statewide model."

Focusing on youngsters with both severe and profound physical and cognitive disabilities, the project will examine the applicability of various assistive technologies-whether as low-tech as picture boards or as high-tech as voice communicators.

Perkerson said the needs and interests of participating students would determine specific experiences. "For instance, a student with a severe communication disorder may be able to join in the school play with the help of an augmentative communication device," she explained.

The pilot project also will include specialized training for selected school personnel and the inauguration of a peer awareness program to encourage greater involvement of students with disabilities in non-class experiences.

While some may only participate on a modified basis, many should be "full participants in the extracurricular activities that so many others take for granted," Perkerson said.