Research Papers
Horticultural Training Program At Durfee Conservatory
By John Tristan and Douglas Airhart
University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA 01003, USA
Published by The Society of Horticultural Therapy and
Rural Training Limited, Frome, Somerset, England.
Growth Point 13, October 1982
Program approved 10 February 1981 by University Human Subject Review Committee, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Content reflects the viewpoints of the authors and not necessarily those of the University or its administrators or the Society of Horticultural Therapy.
Abstract
A horticultural training program at the Durfee Conservatory of the University of Massachusetts has been effective in improving behavioral and prevocational skills of special needs students. These clients, who are unable to attend regular high schools due to intellectual or social impairments, have the opportunity to learn horticultural job skills and to proactive social skills such as taking public transportation and working with age-appropriate peers at the University. Undergraduate Pant and Soil Sciences students have the opportunity to use and teach horticultural skills while supervising work skill training in a structured setting during weekdays.
Special weekly creative activities, which can provide the clients with gifts for friends or relatives, have been particularly effective in motivating clients to acquire new work skills, which must be completed prior to special activities. Thorough client appraisal prior to defining achievement goals is required to provide realistic expectations of progress. A clear analysis and statement of the work task with frequent demonstrations aid in task comprehension. Short, direct, verbal and gestural cues are needed to initiate skill sequences. A structured work routine is essential to instill confidence and avoid confusing the clients. Encouraging experienced clients to assist new clients also builds confidence and pride. Response to the program from clients, parents, supervisors, students and guests of the greenhouse has been favorable.
Horticultural Training Program
Horticultural therapy (6) is a dynamic profession which uses the tasks and activities of horticulture to benefit disabled persons (1). Therapists can provide behavior and job skill training (7) through structured programs to help a client develop an improved self image and to acquire social skills while learning a trade (6).
A horticultural training program (2,3,5) began in February, 1981, at Durfee Conservatory on the University of Massachusetss, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. Established in 1867, the Durfee Conservatory has been a resource for generations of students and the general public. This facility is well suited for such a program, with five attached greenhouses (930 sq.m, 10,000 sq.ft) containing a tropical plant collection of over 800 species, complete with full size papaya, banana, cocoa, orange and coffee trees in fruit, a 37sq.m (40sq.ft) pool spanned by a walking bridge, and a representative array of economic and ornamental plants labeled in display. Several adjacent outdoor plots (75 sq.m, 800 sq.ft) are used in an All-America Display Garden for showcasing annual flower and vegetable varieties which are new to the commercial trade. A selection of culinary and medicinal herbs and flowering perennials are also featured. Classes in Plants and Soil Sciences, Botany and related areas regularly use the plant collection for instructive purposes.
After a voluntary trial period of several school semesters, the horticultural training program was developed in response to interested students in Plant and Soil Sciences and in cooperation with the Hampshire Educational Collaborative (HEC) in Northampton, Massachusetts. The HEC clients attend a prevocational site (presently Feiker School) specifically designed for students with limited ability to perform in a normal high school setting due to moderate intellectual impairment or socialization problems. In the classroom, students receive instructions in functional academics and ‘activities of daily living’ (ADL). Some examples illustrating functional academics are: making change during monetary transactions; recognizing functional signs such as Danger, Crosswalk, Poison, etc.; reading menus and recipes; and telling time. The instruction given in ADL ranges from how to use a washing machine to preparing and serving from simple recipes. Those special needs students who are able to function outside of the Feiker classroom participate on a voluntary basis in various work experiences throughout the community.
Moderately retarded adolescents ranging in age from 16 to 21 are selected for training at Durfee Conservatory (Figure 1). The Durfee program not only incorporates instruction in all phases of greenhouse management and horticultural activities (6), but also exposes the clients to other ADL’s, such as taking public transportation to and from the worksite, familiarization with work routine, and the opportunity to interact with age-appropriate peers who visit the Conservatory. Plant and Soil Sciences undergraduate students enrolled in independent study projects work with staff to provide the supervision and instruction.
The work activities undertaken include both greenhouse and outdoor gardening tasks, relating primarily to the areas of greenhouse management, sanitation (Figure 2), plant propagation (Figure 3), and plant culture (Figure 4). The use of standard garden tools is required, along with any of the following tasks:
- maintaining sanitation in the greenhouse;
- preparing and amending ground beds;
- propagating plants;
- transplanting and repotting specimens;
- mulching;
- watering;
- fertilizing;
- preparing labels and signs;
- identifying and displaying plants;
- controlling weeds;
- and building a yearly compost heap.
Weekly activities other than regular work tasks are also used to stimulate creative processes and as motivating remuneration. These activities include making flower arrangements, corsages, terraria, dish gardens, flower boxes, wreaths, pine cone decorations, bird feeders, bonsai and plant propagation. The scheduling of these activities is used to stimulate the completion of the weekly work sequence and especially to provide an incentive if the material is to be given to the clients to take home for themselves, friends, or relatives. Praising these individual creative efforts boosted work morale substantially.
A complete profile summary sheet of each client is provided to the Durfee staff once he is accepted into the program. This pertinent information includes an assessment of learning and physically disabilities, personal interest, work experience, family background and general comments. It has been found essential to review this material thoroughly beforehand in order to approach and evaluate adequately the needs of each client on an individual basis. During an initial adjustment period of indeterminate length (usually 3-4 weeks), job compatibility, adjustment, and strengths and weaknesses in ability are carefully monitored. A general plan or goal of achievement level defined by specific work duties is then devised for each client. In this way, a more realistic expectation of work progress is achieved by the client and the greenhouse staff.
A solid structural format for the work process (4,7) is provided. A timetable of the activities of each day, with scheduled days and working hours, is assigned to each client. Time slips are signed daily for a token payment scheme arranged with co-operating clients’ parents. This immediately reinforces a good working effort just as it is completed and fixes in a client’s mind the receipt of a monetary reward for a job well done. One rest break is allowed during the work period, with permission being required to leave the work area at all other times. Progress of a work routine is checked with a base time schedule allotted for each task (3). Individual comparisons vary, depending on the level of client disability and work experience.
A clear statement of a work task in defined steps is essential to these clients. Frequent demonstrations (modeling) and graduated guidance (4) while working side by side are the most effective aids in task acquisition and comprehension. Verbal instructions are kept short, direct, and are repeated as needed to teach a skill. All prompts are faded gradually with intermittent reinforcement contingent upon successful effort. Supervision on a 1:1 basis is preferred for optimum results. Steps should be taken to eliminate confusion and insecurity and provide a solid base for the client to undertake a task with certainty.
Adhering to a planned daily schedule adds a feeling of security to the work routine. Development of this aspect of any training program is essential, for without it, confidence and independence will be delayed and a reluctance to master any skills or job related responsibilities could result. Knowledge of a client’s personal history is important, especially if expectations of a client did not foster growth. Being generous with social reinforcement helps to develop desired qualities.
Encouraging an experienced client to instruct or assist another new to a task has also been shown to build self-reliance and pride.The benefits of the program have been two-sided. University students have received an educational field experience in horticultural training and exposure to the vicissitudes of a new career option. The opportunity to work with special needs students, to teach them a trade which may one day lead to sheltered or competitive employment, provides beneficial training and scholastic credit that is rewarding and well-earned. The personal daily contacts of 1:1 supervision bring the practice of vocational training, personal management and horticulture directly into their lives in a way no classroom could.
For clients, new skills have been acquired to improve their own lives. Reinforced in a positive way, they learn new tasks and a sense of job responsibility to bolster their growing self-reliance (6). Marked improvement in client ability, from near total dependence to a degree of autonomy, was noted. For them, an improved degree of self-sufficiency in adult society is a worthy achievement.
The first year of the Durfee Conservatory program was personally rewarding to all participants, whether directly or indirectly involved. Much practical experience was gained by the supervisors while evaluating student techniques, planning activities and completing work assignments. The response of the clients, their parents, the students and of our many visitors, has been favorable. Interest in horticultural therapy has also grown steadily as students consider this new career option. In all, the future looks bright for continuing success in a meaningful and valued endeavor, bringing people and plants together at the Durfee Conservatory Horticultural Training Program.
References Cited
- Airhart, D.L., D. Cronin. 1981. Gardening ideas for physically handicapped individuals. HortScience 16 (3) :461.
- Daubert, J.R., E.A. Rothert. 1981. Horticultural therapy for the mentally retarded. Chicago Horticultural Society, Box 400, Glencoe, IL 60022.
- Hudak, J.L., Jr., D. Malloy. 1980. The Melwood manual. 5606 Dower House Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20870.
- Popovich, D. 1981. Effective education and behavioral programming for severely and profoundly handicapped students. Paul H. Brookes, Baltimore.
- Relf, P.D. 1980 The establishment of horticultural training centers for the mentally retarded. NCTRH, Box 1144, Manhattan, KS 66502.
- Thoday, P.R. 1978. Therapy through horticultur. British Association of Advanced Science, annual meeting 4-8 Sept. University of Bath, England.
- Thoday, P.R. 1979. Horticulture for the handicapped. Seminar Proceedings, The Spastics Society, Thorngrove House, Gillingham, Dorset, England.
