Students and staff at the MAB-Mackay Centre got a celebrity visit Tuesday from The Bachelor stars Vanessa Grimaldi and Nick Viall.
The couple spent the morning talking about their work in the field of special-needs education.
“I have a special connection here,” Grimaldi said. “This is the place I knew I wanted to become a teacher.”
Before her new-found career as a reality TV star, Grimaldi spent years teaching adults with special needs at the Galileo Adult Education Centre.
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That work lives on through her new foundation No Better You.
The foundation aims to provide resources for schools with inclusive classrooms so that students with special needs have the tools they need to build their self-confidence and learn at their own pace.
Inclusive classrooms also provide better means of acceptance for the neuro-typical students who learn along-side those with special needs.
“I know [the Mackay Centre] has been doing a great job with the students and the program, so I wanted to come check out the school and get some pointers from these specialists here for my foundation,” Grimaldi added.
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No Better You strives to raise awareness and compassion with three main goals:
- Aiming to advance education by providing specialized tools and programs for exceptional learners across Canada.
- Raise awareness and compassion for people living with a physical or neurological impairment.
- Give a voice to students in the special-needs community
Grimaldi stopped by Global News Morning a few weeks ago to discuss her latest ventures.