As part of our school's community service program,I volunteered at a family with a down syndrome child. For two years, I went to help the Jablons every Thursday right after school.I helped out with a variety of things including homework, bathing the little ones, and physical therapy with Nesanel. Sometimes it seemed as though I was on the giving end, however I was really the receiver. I have learned so much from Nesanel. From his precious smile, his determination, and his love for others. Nesanel loves friends. He doesn't discriminate between people from different backrounds or color. Nesanel is truly special. Working with him and his siblings has given me a new outlook on…
Both Bethany Hamilton and Aimee Mullin had to accept the fact that they weren’t the same as before. Aimee Mullin joined track and field at her school. This is important because she got back out there and didn’t let her disability stop her. Similarly, Bethany Hamilton went back into the water and tried to surf again. This event in her life showed me that you have to keep trying. In conclusion, the girls approached their problems in similar ways.…
I am currently a medical paraprofessional in a preschool class of three and four year olds, both typical and special needs. I see firsthand how children differ to only special needs vs. Typical but typical vs. typical and special needs vs. special needs. No matter who the child they all differ. Not only physical, but intellectually, cognitively, language, problem solving and reasoning.…
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with students of different ethnicities, different socio-economic backgrounds and special education. I have also worked with high school students of various sexual orientations. Working with different people has shaped my identity by becoming aware that we are all different and that is what truly makes society beautiful. It has shaped my self-awareness by connecting me with my true desire in life. That is why I extremely passionate to help children and young adolescents achieve success. My experiences have broadened my understanding of the role in social work in society because I feel one can do so much for others. I have gained enough experience, which allows me to believe that I have the flexibility and adaptability to work with different populations. My previous experience has influenced my understanding of and commitment to social justice because it is sad to witness children with a 30,000-word gap deficit come into my classroom as opposed to children from higher social economic statuses who have a larger array of vocabulary. Then as they get older we see this gap widened regardless of ethnicity based on social economic status and students who are learning English as a second language. I want all children to have the same access to an amazing…
This first chapter introduces you to an area of education that has greatly affected the lives of countless children in positive way. Together we will take a look at the radical change of thought that has taken place, not only in this country, but also in other parts of the world. This, in turn, has influenced our understanding of how we identify children who require special needs. Here you will see the unfolding scenario that greatly affects all of us as we are being introduced to various groups who are directly or indirectly associated with these children. They include parents, educators, legislators, and even our leaders. But in the very central spotlight are the children who are exceptional or…
I was able to visit her in the hospital and we even made a bucket list of what she wants to do with her new mitrofanoff. She is also going to be a future camper at rally! Other training I have had for this roll is being able to lead the girl Bladder Exstrophy talk at the best campout the past 3 years. I answer any questions the girls have and help give advice on anything they need help with along with getting the boys discussion going. I have also been on a trip to Peru without my parents only knowing 2 other girls in my group to begin with for 17 days. This experience of being on my own and taking care of myself in another country helped me grow to know that I am going to be okay on my own. I have learned how to become independent and how to take care of myself and now go to the doctors on my own and even get my prescriptions on my own. At past years of rally I have learned from my counselors how to be confident of who I am and live my life to the fullest not letting my disability hold me back. I am forever grateful for youth rally and would be ecstatic to be able to help in any way I can to make rally the best it can…
In my experience as a support worker I worked with a young lady called Sam who had Down’s syndrome and lived her life through her favourite television programme, Eastenders. We used the characters and the problems they dealt with to explain to Sam the dangers of excessive alcohol and being out in the community by herself late at night, and the fact that not everybody that she will meet walking down the street “is nice”, because Sam had watched people being physically abused and mugged and thought that this was “real life”, it helped us to make her more aware of the dangers life could throw at her.…
For example, Naty Rico is a physically disabled Latina woman with ableism. She talks about how she was able to overcome structural barriers which favored able-body people. Her story is very interesting and I give her a lot of credit. After watching her video, I do see things differently that I did not see before and how able-body people usually do not see or are unaware of the struggles and challenges ableism people have to face and go through each day. Usually, people are unsociable who have these sort of disabilities. This is certainly not the case with Naty, who wants to educate her community and others of the challenges she faced with her physical disabilities. I also did realize until now that pity and paternalism are common with people who have ableism. Based on what I have mentioned, this is why people with ableism have constant challenges and impacts facing them daily who are…
I have been a volunteer with the local Special Olympics program for a little over a year now, and it has truly been one of the best experiences. I love being able to support and motivate the athletes to do their best and to just have fun being active. Special Olympics has also lead me to other opportunities I would not have known about before volunteering. For example, I recently applied to help volunteer at the Miss Amazing program in Sioux Falls coming up in a couple of months. Spread the Word to End the Word was also a local program I was able to be a part of thanks to Special Olympics.…
F.A.R.M Cafe was the catalyst for my topic, and Bobby inspired me to think about the injustice that people with intellectual disabilities face. My first time there was in September, and I had a preconceived idea that it would similar to a soup kitchen, and I would be feeding homeless people. F.A.R.M Cafe stands from Feed All Regardless of Means, so I thought many homeless people would be there for a free meal. However, I was completely wrong with F.A.R.M Cafe you pay what you can, and if you can not either you work for an hour, or take a token in which someone has already paid for. Many of the workers are volunteers and a few get paid. An interesting characteristic about that cafe is that, much of their food is locally grown. My first day there, I was scheduled for a two hour shift. I was nervous, the only thing I could think about was if I was going to fit in. I knew no one, I had never severed food before, nor washed dishes in a restaurant kitchen. So, I just knew I was going to mess up, and make a fool of myself. I was wrong. Once I walked over the threshold, I was welcomed with open arms. The first person I met was Bobby. He ran up to me, and…
When I was a National Honor Society Member at my High School, we were able to work with a program called VIP Soccer in which volunteers played with and taught special needs children the game of soccer. It was actually my favorite event within our organization especially when we got to see how happy each child was and the smiles on their parents’ faces when they saw that their son or daughter was having fun. Eventually, I was so inspired by this movement that I actually started a similar program but at my local golf club. How I got this started was actually by meeting the owner of the golf club, and the parents of my teammates on my school golf team. After a couple of months of planning and talking to more interested volunteers, I was finally…
My senior year I thought I’d learned who all my best friends were, but I was wrong. Senior year I was given the most amazing opportunity and in turn I met one of the most important people in my life. The person who altered my outlook on the education system. This young man's name was Adam, he never failed to make me smile, even on my worst days. Adam was a 17 year old who had severe down syndrome. He was so in tune with himself. He was able to find what truly made him…
My freshman year in high school, I decided to join Best Buddies. Best Buddies is a program where a high school student is paired with another student, who has an intellectual and developmental disability, in a one-to-one friendship. During my first year, I learned Best Buddies is not simply a club but a family. My second year of being a part of Best Buddies I began truly noticing a change in myself. Sophomore year I was paired with a girl one year younger than me named Carrie. She and I have become best friends and have now been buddies for the past three years. As I interacted with Carrie these past years, I began to realize disabilities do not hold people back, but that we hold ourselves back. Despite Carrie’s misfortune, she wears a smile…
When I was released from the hospital, I endured severe migraines, amnesia, and depression for several months. I needed a treatment that would make me feel better, so I decided that teaching other people how to overcome tragedy would be the best medicine. Proudly, I spend my time mentoring children who struggle with the same challenge that I have learned to overcome: realizing that a disability is not a limitation. I coach a running team that provides sports programming for special needs children, and I serve as the founder of a club that works with a preschool that enriches the lives of autistic…
When I volunteered with Disability Resources & Education Services (DRES), I had the privilege of being apart of the rehab and training process of individuals with disabilities along with wheelchair athletes. DRES became a second…