Nanik, Joglo Preschool Principal, working with children, 2025
Raleigh Sadlier, an Occupational Therapist in Ann Arbor, MI and Fulbright Specialist , is taking leave April 11-30, 2026 to volunteer her time at Joglo Preschool in Central Java, Indonesia. (The Fulbright Specialist Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State, providing opportunities for U.S. academics and established professionals to engage in short-term, project-based exchanges at institutions across the globe.) Together with the Joglo teachers and parents, Raleigh plans to write a practical guide for including children of varied abilities and needs in activities using Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This practical guide could prove to be very useful for teachers and parents worldwide! Write to Nanik, nanikjoglo26 [at] gmail.com, if you would like to participate in reviewing and commenting on the manuscript.
Nanik and Petrus created Joglo Preschool at Peace Place, open to all children, who came with varied abilities and needs. At the start, four teachers accompanied 35 children ages three to seven using a curriculum they developed based on the Alternatives to Violence Project, Permaculture, and Universal Design for Learning. Joglo has had 180 preschool graduates so far.
Over the past five years Raleigh has met with Joglo Preschool’s five teachers online every two weeks! Raleigh and the teachers discuss ways to integrate supports and adaptations into the school, including activities, use of visual aids, gestures along with language, various ways for students to represent their work, opportunities for movement, and bins of objects with different sensory qualities.
This year, of the forty students at Joglo, twenty-four are special needs, and have conditions such as autism, dyslexia, sensory impairments, Down Syndrome, or being non-verbal. The Universal Design for Learning approach has enriched learning experiences for all the children, while also better meeting the unique needs of each individual child. It has become a demonstration for hospitals, therapists, and other schools and communities.
An attentive, skilled specialist working with teachers and parents can create quality, practical actions that neither would come up with on their own. Joglo Preschool demonstrates that with a little guidance and support ordinary people can carry out high-quality education under challenging conditions.
This practical guide for Universal Design for Learning will be a strong companion resource to the Joglo Preschool classroom culture curriculum. Together, they will provide guidance for quality teacher and parent education at Joglo and a clear foundation for sharing this knowledge and practice with others. While remote professional development has been very helpful, the Joglo teachers look forward to working with Raleigh in-person. $2,000 is needed to make this possible. Donations may be made online or by check earmarked for Joglo Preschool – UDL.
Raleigh Sadlier, Occupational Therapist, working with child and parents, Ann Arbor, 2025.