Day 2: Familiar Unknown

I'm not sure if today was harder, or easier. The managers were back from training so the center was a bit more organized than yesterday. Classes here are different than in a general education classroom.
 First-we're all adults.
Second-no one is restricted to sitting down and being quiet during instruction.
Third-the relationship between teacher and student/client seems more like a peer relationship.

Today, the class started out by asking me questions about myself to build social, communication and cognitive skills. With some clients it was hard to understand what they were trying to ask and I had to get a lot of help from the teacher. This is hard. I want to be able to talk to them on my own, to be able to engage without being confused. Part of the center's intervention is to have the clients repeat back each word to work on enunciation. Ex: Client wants to go look out the window. I have him repeat back "I. Want. To. Look. Out. Window." This is harder than just restating because it takes more time and the client may become frustrated.

We also played "Get to know you" bingo, much like what eager freshmen and bored upper-class-men play during an LDS young-single adult opening social. We got up and asked each other different questions and then if that attribute discribed them (likes to fish, loves eating chocolate) then they write their name in the square. I was surprised that some couldn't actually write letters and I didn't know if I should help them write letters or just let them be. Hopefully that's something I'll learn more about. How much do I push them and what do I leave for later? What I did learn is that it's important to just be myself and joke around like I normally do (sans sarcasm) and to build relationships like I would otherwise.

Elder M. Russell Ballard included the idea in his talk "Doctrine of Inclusion," that as humans, we ALL have the same needs. We have spirits that are struggling to gain control of our mortal bodies. We're all trying to find ways to express ourselves in ways that mean something to others. We want to love and connect with others; to belong.

How can we express ourselves when we don't have control over our bodies; when our minds wont collaborate with our bodies and our spirits? How do we facilitate expression in others?

Day 1: Unfamiliar Territory

"Is man, kind? Are we good? Go see. Look thru their windows so you can understand their views. Sit at their tables so you can share their tastes.  Sleep in their beds so you may know their dreams. Go see, and find out just how kind  the hes and shes of this man kind are."

I heard this quote from an Airbnb commercial and fell in love. I was bitten with the travel bug early on in life and I've spent a lot of time discovering new people and new cultures. They bring a new way of thinking, doing, and being; and I'm obsessed with learning about them.

However, I am initially reserved around new people. I stand awkward, with my arms folded, never making eye contact. Today was no different. For my SPED 310 class, we're assigned to volunteer at the Development Workshop, Inc for five hours this semester and it was nothing like what I expected. The atmosphere was super relaxed; most were bantering back and forth, and laughing. They have jobs and other responsibilities in the community. They have likes and dislikes. But I still struggled to connect.The hardest part about today was how uncomfortable I felt. For some reason I don't know how to interact with people who have disabilities. Is it naivety, ignorance, arrogance, or something else?

I'm reminded of how the Savior loved without qualification. He loved and advocated for the sinner, the lame, and the lost. He knew how to be a friend and a confidant. It's sappy, but if I keep Christ as a reference then I'll be better equipped to leave the ninety and nine and make a difference to the one.

How do we find confidence to love the unknown?