Beautiful Appliances, Beautiful Impact

One of the Elizabeth Lee Black School's most groundbreaking initiatives is an adaptive kitchen, a fully accessible culinary learning space, filled almost exclusively with small appliances from theBeautiful® by Drewline.

While these appliances were formulated by Drew Barrymore to fit the ergonomic needs of a woman, they also feature adaptations that accommodate the student's varying abilities.

"Many of these appliances yield a large topple free base, allowing students to pull on them without moving the appliance or injuring themselves. All touchpoints are highlighted in gold, guiding them to learn appliance safety," said Cindy Priester, Barber National Institute director of children and youth. "The appliances are easy to use with simple instruction aiding student's comprehension. And the ergonomic handles fit comfortably in the student's hand regardless of their fine motor skills."

This forward-thinking space opened earlier this year with funding from the Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust and proceeds from Barber National Institute's 2024 Ladies Only Luncheon. The space is designed to equip students with critical life skills such as safe food handling, proper hygiene, and hands-on cooking techniques.

"It's not just a kitchen - it's a gateway to independence, confidence, and community inclusion. Imagine students learning to sort kitchen utensils, master basic appliances, and prepare nutritious meals -all while cultivating a lifelong curiosity and love of cooking," said Cindy. "The learning curriculum was implemented with the goal of transitioning skills to home. The first sessions begin with foundation skills not limited to- filling a cup of water to drink, identifying items in the kitchen, and proper hygiene techniques. These skills eventually grew into preparing simple meals. Over the last school year, the success of students in the kitchen has been incredible- and we have found this to be one of our most successful programs to date."

Bring this Story to National Attention:

You can help us bring this story to national attention! We know that social media has the power to reach people who care- including celebrity Drew Barrymore. We're asking for readers to join us in tagging@DrewBarrymore, @DrewBarrymoreShow, and using the hashtags like #BeautifulImpactand #DrewBarrymoreShowwhen sharing this article or posting about the adapted kitchen. Every comment, like, and share increases the chance that Drew and her producers will see how much this story matters.

Together we can shine a national spotlight on the incredible Elizabeth Lee Black School students and the "BEAUTIFUL" kitchen that's changing lives.

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