Karen Parnell, the Independent Living Teacher for Mena Middle School, submitted and was awarded a $3,000 grant from the Rural Tech Fund. The grant was written to provide iPads with designated communication programs to identified students enrolled at Louise Durham and Holly Harshman who are non-verbal, but who would greatly benefit from a communication device. The grant was used to purchase nine iPads with protective cases; Mena Public Schools paid for the recommended communication programs for each device. A special thank-you to Assistant Principal Teresa Warner for relaying the grant opportunity to Mrs. Parnell, to Amanda Nash, Jessica Hughes, and Sandra Spencer for multiple proof-readings and suggestions, and the speech pathologists, Laura Spence and Kaitlyn Bunch.
Madison Maddox, currently enrolled in the SPED and ABA Master’s program at the University of Arkansas, along with Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Lorah, secured a grant for multiple Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. These devices were acquired with the aim of assisting Arkansas schools that may require them. Maddox felt compelled to reach out to her hometown of Mena, Arkansas, offering five AAC devices to students in need. The devices were generously donated to Louise Durham Elementary School, where students required communication support. Maddox and her colleague spent time distributing the AAC devices and providing training support to the staff.