Miss Mississippi Vivian O’Neal champions inclusive education at Caring Hands pediatric daycare visit

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Miss Mississippi, Vivian O’Neal, took a moment to tour Caring Hands on Wisconsin Avenue on Monday. Caring Hands stands out as a unique pediatric daycare, catering specifically to children with disabilities and complex medical needs, an area often not addressed by traditional daycare centers. Here, children aged 0 to 20 receive skilled nursing care, while Elite Performance and Rehab provides essential physical, occupational, and speech therapy within the familiar surroundings of their daycare.

Vivian O’Neal with children at Caring Hands pediatric daycare (Photo by David Day)

O’Neal, with her Masters in Education, has always been an advocate for inclusive education. In 2019, she initiated a non-profit organization, CapABLE, aimed at equipping educators with the necessary tools to be more inclusive of students with disabilities. Her platform, aptly named “Capable”, offers disability inclusion resources targeted at educators, spanning programs for elementary to middle school students. There’s also a plan in the pipeline for a disability inclusion seminar tailored for college students.

Miss Mississippi visits Caring Hands in Vicksburg (Photo by David Day)

Speaking passionately about her mission, O’Neal stated, “I saw education as the best path forward on how to bridge that gap and really teach student inclusion.”

Mississippi, through champions like O’Neal, is taking significant strides in inclusive education, ensuring that every child, regardless of their abilities, is given the opportunity to thrive.

Miss Mississippi visits Caring Hands in Vicksburg (Photo by David Day)