As far as access and choice, due to their individual conditions, many participants do not have much of either. Speaking for myself, classmates, friends, and acquaintances, most of us can go wherever we want, when we want, and how we want. If we want to drive to Mud Island, we can do that immediately. If we want to take an uber to midtown, we can do that with a press of a button on our phone. Many of the participants I work with do not have any of these opportunities. They are extremely dependent on their families or caregivers, which is disabling in itself. In other words, they do not have the unlimited access and choice that many of us are fortunate enough to have, which is why the Exceptional Foundation is such an important organization. The EFWT gives participants options and choices during the day, such as field trips or different activities. This presentation of choice gives participants a sense of accountability and control in their lives. I have noticed that the participants really take pride in their ability to make their own choices and have control over their daily actives.
Overall, I couldn't be happier with my experience so far. Week one was solely training, but we dove right into camp this last week. It has been so much fun. A typical day includes a morning lesson (one that coincides with the weekly theme, for example "Around the World"), morning stretch/exercise, a field trip (includes blowing, pool, markets, gardens, Shelby County Farm, etc), lunch, camp activities and team building, group projects, arts and crafts, and free time. Also, the participants are SO cool. The Exceptional Foundation has opened this year's summer camp program to children; the participants range from 5 years old to 51 years old. It's amazing to see the interactions between all of the different ages. The variety of conditions, special needs, impairments, and ages combine to create awesome interactions and relationships between the participants. I have gotten close with a couple participants, and I really look forward to getting to know them even better. They make me laugh so hard all day long; one man, who is 51, even proposed to me! I'm really looking forward to this next week, as there are even more participants signed up.
It is really cool that you are getting in the mindset of your service site! Most "normal" people do not think about everything they can do and how the world around them is built to convenience them and not people who are not able. It is shocking that Rhodes does not comply with the regulations, but now that I think about it, it is true. For a college that takes pride in its diversity, it needs to ensure that everyone has equal access to a great education, and disability services should not be a barrier to attending college.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex! I am really curious about your training. Dr. Frederick guest lectured my Intercultural Competence and Knowledge class and most discussed people first and adjective-noun language. How does your organization, Dr. Frederick's class, or personal beliefs influence your interactions with participants when discussing their disability?
ReplyDeleteAlex, I'm so glad to hear about all of the wonderful things you are doing with the Exceptional Foundation! It takes a very kind and patient soul to work with folks with special needs. I'm really impressed that the Exceptional Foundation supports adult social events/camps - my mom, a special education teacher, has explained that many people with learning disabilities are essentially cut off from social activities after leaving the traditional school setting. You mentioned how excited the campers are to take initiative and complete tasks independently. By allowing the participants to take responsibility, you are demonstrating that you believe they are capable of achievement. It's interesting to see the commonalities between your post and Megan's post. Though you two are working with different groups of people, both populations lack access due to wrongful judgement of their capabilities, their socio-economic background, and their family structure. It sounds like the Exceptional Foundation is doing great work to overcome stigmas and allow people with disabilities to thrive. I can't wait to learn more!
ReplyDeleteAlex that is so awesome to see how you and EFWT are able to help mindset and give people with disablities the chance to choose for themselves and control their daily activities. It is so easy to overlook how little changes we can give can have a huge impact on those who are recieving those changes. By simply providing people with disabilities with alternatives to what they have been told they can do, it gives them hope that they can change more in their lives to reflect what they envision. This is such a great organization your working with and I can't wait to hear the different things you gain out of it!
ReplyDeleteAlex, I'm surprised at the large age gap of your participants. I would think it would be difficult with a 45 year age gap, but that's great that it seems to be going well! I'm also interested in Breanna's question, I really hope we have an opportunity to discuss it more this summer.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your observation that the environment can sometimes be the more disabling rather than the disability itself. I feel that the idea that the person needs to conform to the area, rather than the area conforms to people's needs is a huge problem with the way Americans view disability.
Keep up the great work, I look forward to reading more of your posts!