Education

Bruce Brown Visits Saint Peter’s with Seeing-Eye Dog Faris

bruce brownHow can teachers in the New Jersey education system provide equal opportunities to all children, including students with disabilities, through the implementation of effective learning techniques in the classroom? Dr. Michael Finetti, an assistant professor of education at Saint Peter’s, addresses these concerns in his graduate course, “Assistive Technology – Uses and Applications.” His students are teachers who currently work in the field. The purpose of the class is to implement technology tools and devices in the classroom that allow students with disabilities to work more independently, and with greater ease, and to also optimize learning experiences. In the process of developing teachers with his “think outside the box” approach, Dr. Finetti invited long-time good friend to the University community Bruce Brown to lead a class discussion. Brown shared his unique and inspiring story of having personally navigated through life as a person who is blind. But Brown is a man with a positive attitude. His words resonated with the entire class when he said, “You’ve got to have a sense of humor in life.” Brown immediately put students at ease during the class discussion because of his willingness to answer questions about his situation with the purpose of increasing awareness and offering insight to teachers who desire to work with students who need special education services. He also introduced Dr. Finetti’s students to his seeing-eye dog, Faris. Brown also showed the class braille through a demonstration of an assistive technology device. More specifically, he showed the class a machine that allows him to type in braille. With much thanks, all of Dr. Finetti’s students are extremely grateful for Brown’s appearance in the class as a guest speaker and for his extraordinary and insightful contributions to the Saint Peter’s classroom experience.