Peter Hummel Senior Project Reflection
I chose to do my project at United Cerebral Palsy Heartland and honestly picked that place because Mr. Ehlman recommended it and a bunch of my friends planned on doing it there too. It didn’t quite work out that way. I ended up being the only senior working there and at first I was freaked out because I thought I wasn't going to have anyone to talk to but it turned out that the staff were the nicest people and some of the consumers were capable of holding conversations with. When Mr. Ehlman recommended it to me the only thing I knew about Cerebral Palsy was that my aunt’s sister had it because of a lack of oxygen during birth. I didn’t know if I was going to be working with kids or adults or even the severity of the disability, which was very broad. It ranged from people capable of walking and talking to people in wheelchairs and unable to speak. I’m glad I trusted him. I ended up working with a group of about 11 consumers and worked with each one individually at some point but there was one man, let’s call him Alec, who asked to work with me every day and at the same time I wanted to work with him. His severity wasn’t as bad relatively speaking, I wouldn’t wish this disability on anyone, but he was 63, unable to walk, barely able to speak in complete sentences, and still living with his 90 year old mom, and yet he still had the biggest impact on me throughout the month. The daily routine consisted of each consumer having an objective, such as folding clothes or picking the correct dollar when shown a price, and after the objectives were completed we could play games like Uno or watch informational shows like the cooking channel. Every time Alec completed an objective, or did anything really, and would come up to me and give me a high five. I naturally wanted to teach him how to give knucks. It took some patience to show him what to do and to say “BOOM!” when they hit but once he got the hang of it, there was no going back. He would greet me in the mornings with it, congratulate himself with it, and eventually when I asked him a question of any sorts, he wouldn’t answer it, but rather say “BOOMMMmmm.” He amazed me. He did the same game every day when not working, and that was only sorting food cards. And yet that’s what made him happy. Appreciating the gifts I have really came to me. Other than saying goodbye to them all on Wednesday, the hardest part was definitely when a consumer, we can call her Rachel, asked if she could go home with me. Obviously I couldn’t say yes but I couldn’t find it in my heart to say no because she would always say how boring her house and how all she does is listen to music and talk on the phone with her sister and how she misses her parents in New York. She said she would sleep at the project site if she could. So as I was helping her get her coat on she asked me and all I did was look at my supervisor who also heard her ask, and walk away acting as if I had to go help someone reach something in the middle of the table. In the moment, I didn’t know how to deal with it, and if it happened again I would do the same thing because I still wouldn’t know how to respond to her.