Special-needs kids’ smiles light up teacher’s ‘Play Days’

It may be true that the character of the worker is revealed by the tools she selects, but in the case of Lolly Romano — whose tools of trade include bulging bags of bouncing balls and not-so-bouncy beanbags, a fleet of modified trikes and go-carts, storerooms of hand-painted cardboard dinosaurs, and trunkloads of paddles and pulleys and fishing rods and catapults — perhaps it is wiser to focus on the results.

Romano is wrapping up a 31-year career as an adapted physical education resource teacher for the Department of Education. The net sum of her efforts: a million giggles (give or take), hundreds of thousands of hugs and high-fives, and an untold number of special-needs individuals whose lives have exceeded traditional expectations.

"I love it when the parent of a special needs child says, ‘Wow, I never knew he could do that!’" Romano says.

Romano, 62, grew up in Yuma, Ariz., and moved to Hawaii in 1970 to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s in curriculum and instruction.

While at UH, Romano took part in a grant project that focused on improving educational opportunities for disabled students.

Romano carried the experience with her as she served in the Central and Windward Oahu districts and later on Kauai, where she taught elementary PE.

Drawing inspiration from specially designed field days for disabled children, Romano developed a series of "Play Days" to help preschoolers with special needs get a head start in developing physical and social skills.

Using donated cardboard boxes and any other supplies she could get her hands on, Romano designed a series of play stations, each focusing on specific gross and fine motor skills such as grasping, pulling, throwing, catching and pedaling.

The Play Days, which are coordinated with in-class activities at participating schools, have grown into one of the department’s largest and most popular programs, serving some 1,400 children each year at locations around the island.

Romano has also involved the Special Olympics program, creating a bridge for even more opportunities for special-needs students.

"By developing these skills at an early age, the kids have more opportunities to be involved in outside activities," Romano says.

At a recent Play Day at Manoa Elementary School, volunteers crowned Romano the "Pre-School Play Day Queen" in a surprise ceremony that left her choked with emotion.

"It meant a lot to me," Romano says. "Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for the kids."

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Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@staradvertiser.com.