Senior Project Reflections 2013

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.

Honestly I can’t say that this strengthened my relationship or belief in God. But rather, as I said before, it really made me appreciate what I have going for me.

Before January, I barely knew anyone with any sort of disability and as one of the staff explained to me, “it’s amazing how there are really two different worlds: one for the “normal” people and one for those with disabilities. Rarely do you ever see people with cerebral palsy out in public and I would’ve never thought a place like this ever existed. But for the consumers, especially Rachel, this place was a safe haven and escape from reality, the normal people world. They don’t know the good sides of life that I have experienced and instead they seem like they really enjoy the life they are living, a life I would consider extremely boring and repetitive.

I feel like I am a lot more patient. While working there it even felt like I was more patient with the consumers than I am with people without disabilities because they’re putting in total effort just to answer a simple question while others can’t chew with their mouths closed (biggest pet peeve). I’m hoping this patience carries over into everyday life but I have some doubts about that. I would definitely recommend this sit for future seniors, even if they are going to do it by themselves, because the staff is so welcoming and want to make you more and more aware of what the consumers have to suffer through every day of their lives.

Andrew Robinson Senior Project Reflection

For the past month, I worked at a site called St. Louis Arc. Arc is what is called a community integration center for developmentally disabled adults that gives them the chance to be active in the community. We would eat lunch at the site, but otherwise we were out doing something: we would go grocery shopping, go bowling, check out books at the library, wipe tables at local restaurants, etc. I worked with about 25 men and women who ranged in age from 23 to 70 and whose disabilities ranged from mild – where they could communicate and function at a high level – to severe – many of them never talked, and some had seizures or outbursts or complete psychological meltdowns.

I initially chose this site because although I’ve volunteered before, I’d never interacted much with people who have disabilities. Mr. Ehlman suggested this site, and it seemed to be exactly what I wanted – it was really interesting and also challenging because, as I said, it was much different than anything I’d done before.

Still, I’m sure like many seniors, I never would have guessed how much I’d enjoy Project and how many strong relationships I’d form. The people at my site became a part of my life, just like my classmates do when I’m in school. At first, they were attached to me, but by the end it was really me who had grown attached to them.

The person it was especially hard to say goodbye to was this guy named Kevin. On the first morning of Project I was sitting on a couch with Luke Mammen as the clients showed up, not really sure what to do. We felt completely out of place, and in walks Kevin, this guy who’s about 30, who’s got a nice beard, but most distinctively he has this unbelievably contagious smile. As he walks in, he notices Luke and I, and, as he often does when he’s happy, he scrunched up his face and said, “I’m dancin’!” which immediately made me laugh and feel more relaxed. His playful smile and his equally cheerful mood made me laugh countless times over the past month. When I was tired or frustrated, or when someone else was having a violent meltdown, I could always look at Kevin across the room and as soon as we made eye contact he would break into his giddy laugh, which immediately put me back in a good mood.

One thing that struck me was how he and all of the people I worked with found humor and happiness in the simplest things – a smile, a game of catch, a bad joke.

The biggest daily challenge at my site was communication. My conversations with the clients were not what you might call typical conversations. Even Kevin only had about 5 phrases that he ever said. This other guy named Rick couldn’t string together a sentence without mentioning his mom, his doctor, or his fear of going to jail. The conversations were usually disconnected phrases and ongoing misunderstandings, which was sometimes frustrating. Some of them wouldn’t respond or react at all when I talked to them.

However, I think the coolest part of my Project was how we found other ways to communicate. Every morning we would sit in a circle and play catch for about a half hour. Every lunch, I would find someone to make a puzzle or draw a picture with.

Even if we didn’t talk, we were communicating just by being together and doing something together. Smiling, laughing, high fives, and dancing became our language.

One of the most rewarding experiences of Project was a pretty simple one: this guy named Amir arrived in the morning, smiled at me, and extended his hand to me for a handshake, leaving the other workers astounded because he is usually overwhelmingly shy and terrified of physical contact. I formed incredible relationships with all of the people at Arc, and the first thing I did when I got home after the last day was check to find our next day off school, so that I can go back to visit.

SLUH is hectic. In our busyness, we often only have the time and energy to focus on ourselves – my grades, my friends, where I’m going to college, what I’m doing this weekend. Senior Project gave me a chance to take a step back from that mindset, and it made me realize that my world isn’t THE world, that my lifestyle isn’t the only lifestyle. For guys like us, the tendency is to think that our lives are “more normal” or “better,” but I don’t think that’s true. The people I worked with were so happy most of the time; they just see the world differently, and for a month I got the chance to walk in their shoes.

If Senior Project were a course, it would be called AP Men for Others. It’s a chance to learn about and live out what we’ve talked about for three and a half years now: how to give and not to count the cost. Now that Project is over, I hope to continue to do in small ways what I have been doing this past month. I hope to continue to try on everyone’s shoes, to think about other people and their backgrounds, to be patient and understanding with others’ differences, and to enjoy and be thankful for simple things.