Recently I was able to spend time with individuals with special needs at a center that works with adults. When I was first preparing to visit for the first time I was a little nervous, I knew that there were ways in which I could do my best to interact with them but I was still cautious since I hadn't had many actual experiences with those that had severe needs. When I arrived I was first very pleasantly surprised that the place seemed nice and welcoming. The ladies in charge were friendly and sweet and more than that is that they spoke with the individuals (who had special needs) as if they were best friends. She would joke with them, see how they were doing and scold them in a teasing manner. If I hadn't known who she was talking to I almost would have thought that she was talking with a co-worker. I loved this. I thought it was amazing. I also noticed how remarkably high functioning most of them were, some had more difficulties but many of them really were quite high functioning. I first went with a group that was going out to the "community" to teach them useful skills. We then proceeded to go to the dollar tree, it was really cool to be involved in talking to them about how much everything cost, to see the amount they would get for each item and to have them compare items to see their content. I was truthfully blown away. The girl I talked to asked me about my life, was excited for me that I was married, and wanted to know about my major. It was really enjoyable and I was extremely impressed. I thought it was wonderful to simply spend time with them. We then were helping the guy to pick up an item that he wanted. What I loved is that the helper didn't make the decision for him. She would tell him options and help him remember what he had bought before but she made him make the decision himself. This inspired me. I thought it was wonderful that they really were learning skills necessary to do well in society. She even told me to not try to sway him and not to pick for him. I greatly admired this. After that we were driving back and he would mainly repeat what we said but he responded appropriately which was impressive. He then said he had a job!! The helper then explained to me that most of them have jobs and they would earn a little bit of money that they could use at the store to learn about money management but also to enjoy things such as plays. We later used puzzles at the center. It really stood out to me how even this man confined to a wheelchair who couldn't communicate and had difficulty moving was excelling at a puzzle. I also was with 2 people using a puzzle and they found more pieces than I could. I loved this experience. I returned multiple times and it kept surprising me how they really were being taught to be independent. I thought this was a good lesson and was remarkable to me because they showed that they believed in the person and their abilities and they didn't let a disability define them. I also experienced being near them as they participated in a play (quite effectively) and in church (including commenting and being reflective).
Ultimately what I learned from these powerful experiences was that we should always make sure to encourage people to achieve new goals, and to believe that they can. Many times people judge those with disabilities and don't believe they can achieve great things but they can. We simply need to give them the opportunity. This will affect my expectations in the future and also will help me to always give people a chance.
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