...My Diversity Experience Metropolitan State University Introduction The wheelchair experience was an eye opening experience for me. While I was conducting it, I had some very interesting, embarrassing, exhausting and informative incidents that I can use to my personal and professional advantage in the future. I will provide an analysis of skills demonstrated while conducting the experience along with specific examples to enlighten you on the experience. I have taken into consideration the environmental barriers that I experienced along my four hours often-agonizing journey, and will present a description of architectural and transportation barriers. Social reactions and personal reactions to the wheelchair experience will also be stated. And, I will conclude with professional implications and strategies that will help people without disabilities enhance their attitudes toward people with disabilities in the workplace and in life as general. Situation/Setting/Description Getting oriented with and accustomed to using a wheelchair seemed like it was going to be easy. At the beginning of my experience, I didn't fully understand how challenging using a non-motorized wheelchair would be. I rented a wheelchair from a local medical supply store, that was fairly new, and had only been used once or twice in the past according to the store clerk. Observation/Reflection I tried to imitate a disabled person in a wheelchair as much possible as I could : When I tried to get...
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...“... However as autism is a hidden disability, when I am out dealing with the public things can be really tough. Quite often I get tutted at by cashiers as I fumble about trying to find my wallet. I notice the eye rolling as I take longer than most to pack my shopping, and get accused of being rude when I don’t say thank you to someone for waiting for me so I could go past (I don’t always realize that is what they are doing!). I have been followed in shops by staff and security guards, possibly because I look “shifty” and suspicious, or because at 4’9″ I look like an average 11-14 year old!... One day, queuing up to buy something, I got into a muddle again, dropping everything and getting anxious about holding up the people behind me. The cashier smiled at me and said “Don’t rush darling, you’re OK.” I looked up, smiled and said “thank you.” Much more slowly, and more accurately, I pulled out my purse, paid and packed my shopping away. I was shocked, but this time in a good way! I have noticed other things too. People laughing at me from afar (a common occurrence) who then spot my badge as they get closer will look super embarrassed. I get less passive aggressive “huffing” from fellow shoppers as I make social faux pas left right and center, and less horrified staring as I jump up and down and squeal because I get overexcited. Just generally, less negativity! It is amazing...
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...Walk a Mile in My Shoes My journey with the assistive device was remarkable as well as informative. Even though I have seen a lot of disabled people who are using assistive devices, I never focused my thoughts on them. But I have been always willing to help them. After came to America I realized one thing, people who are disabled, always try to be independent here. But in my home country it is different, I felt like over there disabled people are more dependent. After my experience on wheelchair and crutches I have a new respect and attitude towards disabled people. And now I am more grateful to God for being a healthy individual. I got crutches on 22nd July from Baker College as a part of my “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” project. I started my journey on crutches from my house. I was little shy, so I took my 6 year old daughter with me. We have a club house near to our home where we have a swimming pool. There was a slope walkway to enter the pool area. So I stopped above the ramp and I thought nobody was watching me. But one gentleman from the club house came out and offered help. But I told him that I am okay. It made me aware that people are considering impaired people and most of the time they are willing to help. And found that it is so hard to use crutches on the ramp. But it was not that much hard to move around on even places. From there I went to a park. Over there I tried to use the restroom. I did try both type of doors, manual and power opening doors...
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...Name of Event (thing you did) and location The cross group experience that I took part of was that I used a wheelchair for a day. I went to different places to figure out how it really feels to be in a wheelchair. One of the places I went to on Saturday was grocery shopping inside of Meijer on 28th street. Another place that I went to was the pew campus downtown, and I also decided to try and ride the rapids bus from pew campus to Allendale. Length of time you were there I actually did have to grocery shop while I was at Meijer. I was at Meijer for about two hours. One hour trying to understand and figure out how to shop while in a wheelchair and the other hour actually shopping and experimenting in the store. When I was down at the pew...
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...Case Study: Student with Special Needs Case Study: Student with Special Needs Precious D. Jacobs Grand Canyon University EDA 555 Legal Issues in Education October 10, 2012 “Live life to the fullest as you do not know what tomorrow will bring.” This cliché is one that is used as a way to encourage someone to achieve and do all that he or she may want to do today as they may not have the same capabilities or abilities to do them at a later date. Last year my current school enrolled a student name Zac that many did not know at the time was diagnosed and living with Multiple Sclerosis. Although he walked on the tips of his toes, it was not alarming to any faculty or staff member that taught or held a vested interest in him. However, as the school year drew to a close, Zac began to miss several consecutive days from school and eventually was being transported to and from his classes in a wheelchair. When school year commenced, Zac continued to require the use of the wheelchair as a means to be mobile. As school began for the current school term, Zac returned in the wheelchair. Over the summer months, Zac’s Multiple Sclerosis (MS) had worsened which has left him totally dependent on the wheelchair for mobility. Although in the previous year Zac had several teachers, paraprofessionals, the nurse as well as other staff members assisting him with learning maneuver the chair, due to budget cuts, several positions were cut. At which point, a plan had...
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... SPINAL CORD INJURY CASE STUDY 2 Abstract This spinal cord injury case is about my 50 year old brother named Kevin that fell off our mother’s roof and fractured his vertebra at the T5-T9 level. He is now a paraplegic that has come to live with my family. What is his functional level to this day? What are the capabilities and functional limitations for someone with this paralysis? These are some of questions that will be addressed in this study. A person with a spinal cord injury needs some assistive devices to enable them to be somewhat mobile. A wheelchair and a new device called a Tech RMD were purchased to make daily tasks less challenging. The rented home he will be living in needs some modifications made to the exterior and interior, to accommodate a person with this paralysis. We will be looking at every room that he will be living in and make changes to them based upon the observation and measurements taken at the on-site visit from a physical therapist....
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...A unique wheelchair company is raising funds to donate wheelchairs to Haiti. Whirlwind Wheelchair International specializes in building wheelchairs designed for use in developing nations. These chairs are rugged, and able to stand up to challenging terrain such as rocky, sandy, muddy, or debris-strewn roads - the type of many of the roads in Haiti since this month's massive earthquake. Whirlwind Wheelchair International, a program of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, was formed in San Francisco in 1989 by Peter Pfaelzer, a professor at San Francisco State University and Ralf Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss, an engineer and wheelchair designer, was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. His inspiration for designing wheelchairs arose from his...
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...My time spent at the Campus School has flown by. This clinical experience has been so informative and transformative for me. I have been able to gain so much knowledge, insight, and most importantly, build relationships during my time at the Campus School. When I first arrived at the Campus School I was a little taken back. I was informed that it was a pediatric population that was pretty severe. Other than that, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I arrived and found a population that was medically complex, had a lot of equipment needs, and had large care teams to help support the students and their families. All of the students have developmental delays, are non-verbal and various levels of cognition. I was nervous to start working with this population, but I was excited for the challenge....
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...and the community as a whole. . According to the World Health Organization, a disability is…“any restriction or lack (resulting from any impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.”(WHO.com) People with disabilities are discriminated at although some may not be intentional needless to say a disabled person just wants to be accepted for who they are. The propose business deals with the children who are disabled who have to sit and watch their friends pay on the playgrounds or even at the local arcades. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (www.archives.gov) The right to play is recognized as a human right in UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Define your business, products or services, and customers by developing a mission statement. Ensure that you are differentiating your product or service. Create a vision for this organization that clearly demonstrates your decision on what you want your business to become in the future. Just Kids adventure land is a place where children with and without disabilities can interact with children of the own age and with their siblings. Just Kids is a fully equipped play center with adaptions made to the equipment so that children with disabilities can also participate. An example is...
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...A Beacon of Hope I have felt a heightened sense of dedication to my obligations as I grow older. By allowing myself to learn and grow, I continue to increase the value of my experience and evolve as an individual. Gradually, I began to seek out the opportunities to be of service to individuals less fortunate than myself. My sense of sympathy also became stronger when I come into contact with people struggling with health or personal hardships. I have discovered that I can help more people by joining a nonprofit organization--- Build On. My initial impression of Build On was simply a place for community services and I just wanted to gain more service hours for my college resume. However, my perspectives have changed dramatically after a significant...
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...contract on July 14, 2017 but didn't show up to do the work. Dear Honorable Solicitor General Loggins, I appreciate your telephone call today, Friday April 13, 2018, to explain why my case or the court's case against John L. Long is only a Misdemeanor and not a Felony. I couldn't be more disappointed and insulted the officials that reviewed the documents I submitted believes my lost is only the $1,500.00 he stole by check when I've gone to great lengths investing time and money to provide clearly beyond a shadow of a doubt that John L. Long did commit this crime. This additional expense to me would...
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...Kurt Fearnley “There were tears streaming down my face, but I drove myself on, screaming “Who are you? Each time the answer that kept bouncing around in my mind was “I am someone who will never stop, someone who will never give up”. On the 23rd of March 1981 one of Australia’s most inspiring and exhilarating athletes was born. That highly entertaining sportsman is known as Kurt Fearnley. Good morning members of The Australian Historical Council. This morning I stand in front of you all to give my nomination and justification on why I believe the person I have chosen deserves to be included in your documentary of Australian Heroes. But first what is a hero? A hero is a person who is esteemed for displaying enormous courage and outstanding achievements....
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...I’d have my driver’s license by now. Truth is, I’m terrified of the idea of driving. This fear traces it’s roots to years ago, when I witnessed a horrible accident. I was about four or five when it happened, but I still remember it vividly. My family was at my aunt Susan’s house. Her house was the very last house on the left at a dead end. It was a simple two story house with tan siding, driveway paved with those colorful pebbles, two car garage. My grandpa had just bought my aunt a Suburban, it was blue I believe. My grandpa’s old red ‘89 Silverado was pulled into the street so my aunt could pull her new Suburban in the garage. When my grandpa went to pull his pick-up back...
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...not being able to live the way I was used to would scare me to death. I am prone to depression already in my life. Being confined to a wheel chair would probably devastate me. Not being able to walk on the beach, or through the woods anymore is something I would miss dearly. 2. Change of Identity I would have a problem with who I am now. I am no longer the person that was up and running every day. I think it would take me a long time to get used to being a disabled person who needs help on a daily basis. Identity crisis would be something I would need therapy to help me with. 3. Fear The third issue that I would need to deal with is fear. Knowing I will never walk again. How will I get places? Will my friends treat me the same or will they feel sorry for me not want to hang out anymore. How will I afford all the care I might need? Will I be able to work again? So many things would run through my head I definitely would need help sorting them all out without losing my mind or maybe even contemplating suicide. Explain how your views on intimacy, usefulness, and security will change for you to make the necessary adjustments for living with the disability. My views would probably change drastically if I became disabled by being confined to a wheelchair. I do not think I could be intimate with anyone because I would not feel like the same person that I was before my disability. I would be self-conscious even more than I am now. It would be a long time and a lot of counseling...
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...The Impact I remember the pain the most. Shattered glass and shards of metal surrounded me. Looking back on that day, I remind myself that nothing is guaranteed in life. I did not always see life as a gift, but I now realize that I am blessed to be alive. Just like an average sixteen-year-old, I loved driving; the sense of freedom and power I felt when behind the wheel invigorated me. It was just another sunny day in July when I drove home from my grandparents’ house. Remembering everything I learned, I exited the interstate carefully. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a gray car speeding toward me incessantly. At this point, time was almost nonexistent and as the car became closer, darkness engulfed me. I woke up in my car, surrounded by a plethora...
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