Cypress, CA–Mitsubishi Electric Corp. of Japan, through the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, has donated 16 52-inch high definition televisions to hurricane-ravaged schools that serve children with disabilities along the Gulf Coast. Deliveries to the Pascagoula, Ocean Springs and Long Beach School Districts were made on December 14.
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, whose mission is helping young people with disabilities, contacted school district officials in November. All quickly responded to the offer, noting that the donations will be a significant enhancement to newly reopened classrooms.
“We waited until the districts had a chance to evaluate their situations, and then asked how we could help,” said Rayna Aylward, executive director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation. “Though televisions play an important role in educating students with disabilities, the overwhelming need for basic school supplies and facility repairs made replacing the equipment impossible. Mitsubishi Electric is pleased that we were able to provide these resources.”
District school officials welcome the new televisions.
“We had 19 facilities but are now down to 17 since we totally lost two elementary schools,” said Polly A. Sumrow, director of special education for Pascagoula School District, which is receiving six TVs. “All of our other buildings suffered some type of damage, and 11 had substantial damage. We’ll use the TVs in our special education classrooms, where they will benefit a wide array of students ranging from pre-school age to secondary level. We have 80 special education teachers and about 1,200 students who qualify for special education services, so these TVs will be widely used and appreciated.”
Ocean Springs School District, which is receiving five of the Mitsubishi HDTVs, will use them to deliver content that teaches basic skills in its special education classrooms. In high schools, students working toward their Mississippi Occupational Diploma and those in Life Skills programs, along with middle school Life Skills and Social Skills students, will benefit from the donations. Three classes of three- to five-year olds in the district’s Early Intervention Program, and elementary students with cognitive delays and emotional disabilities, will also use the TVs.
The Long Beach School District will use its five high definitions TVs to support programs for special education students. The district serves more than 400 students with disabilities that include sight and hearing impairment, developmental delays, brain injuries, autism and multiple disabilities.
The HDTVs were delivered to the schools by Hooper’s Stereo & Video of Meridian, Mississippi.
For more information, visit www.mitsubishielectric.com.
