A special needs assistant volunteer at the El Parvulario School in Quito would be working with students age 5 to 30 who have learning disabilities and/or Down Syndrome.
A special needs volunteering placement may require working with people with various types of health conditions, including individuals who are deaf, blind or autistic.
A special needs volunteer may have a variety of different roles, including: working in childcare, as a music or dance teacher or as a sports instructor etc.
A special needs volunteer at one of these placements would have the opportunity to provide the care and attention that these special needs people require and deserve.
As an Education Assistant for the Hearing Impaired, volunteers would be working with children between kindergarten and junior high school, helping them with their studies particularly in their English language education. Besides working with the students, volunteers may also be asked to assist with fundraising endeavours and administration duties like filing, taking inventory of supplies and collecting data for sponsors.
As a Special Needs Assistant, volunteers would be working with students with cognitive development difficulties (autism, intellectual disabilities, attention deficit disorder) from the age of five to adulthood, depending on the placement. A volunteer’s responsibilities would differ for each placement but in most cases, they would be assisting staff with teaching, supervising and the overall care of the students.
As a Special Needs Education Assistant, volunteers would be working with children with cognitive development difficulties (autism, intellectual disabilities, attention deficit disorder), to help them develop important life skills. A volunteer’s responsibilities would differ at each placement. Volunteers may be asked to assist in seminars educating the parents of autistic children, as well as do some administrative work.