A very shy 11-year-old Jolynn, was diagnosed with intellectual disability and required physical assistance in feeding, toileting and even in taking out her shoes and socks when she first joined AWWA Special Student Care Centre (SSCC). Her teachers faced the challenge of engaging her during class – she kept mostly to herself and didn’t want to socialise with her friends, always choosing to sit on her own and flipping through story books.

With the constant support from her teachers, Jolynn has made leaps of improvement over the time she has been in AWWA SSCC. AWWA SSCC is an after-school care empowering students like Jolynn to live independently – training them to carry out activities of daily living (ADL) and equipping them with social skills so that they are able to participate in social settings – at home, in school and in the community. While their children are cared for after school, caregivers of children with special needs are able to stay in the workforce to support the family.

Jolynn has grown into cheery, sociable and independent young girl. She greets her classmates, teachers and volunteers with her signature smile! She is constantly laughing and loves to be with her friends. She is also now able to eat independently and also remove her own shoes and socks. Her teachers at AWWA SSCC are so proud of her!