Mr. Siegel's Accomplishments

Everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Those with disabilities are no different they just have a different set then everyone else. I chose this project topic because in 5th and 6th grade I was part of a program called Peer Pals. Once a week during recess I volunteered in a special needs classroom. This work opened my eyes to the world of special needs and Peer Pals is one of the things I miss about elementary school. I realized that I needed to continue helping the special needs community. No solutions presented themselves and then one day the solution stared me in the face from it’s home in the Reston Community Center Program Guide. “Volunteer at the Adapted Aquatics Class,” I had found a solution to my problem.

One organization in particular that has large involvement within the community to help disabled kids is this organization called Miracle League of the Triangle. This organization is country-wide organization that is located in multiple parts of the country. In particular, one location is in Cary, North Carolina. This organization is specifically related to the sport of baseball. This league operates like a real baseball league where there are multiple teams and each team plays against each other. Each player has some sort of disability where it’s a physical disorder or a mental disorder. The good thing about the involvement is that each player is assisted by a person known as a BUDDY where they help the player run the bases and hit the ball. It’s a real bonding moment for both the player and the BUDDY. It shows that the BUDDY really cares for the player and it makes the player feel more appreciated. The mission statement for the league is to create positive life experiences for children and adults with special needs and for their families through baseball. The league also has some core values in which they take and consider in this organization. Some values are that everything that is done should be player-centered and create an accepting, safe, and fun environment. The world sometimes responds in a ways not to accept people with special needs because they think they don’t fit into the society so they simply exclude them from most activities or other involvements in the community. To change this issue, the leagues organizes the baseball games to give kids a chance to participate in the community even if the league is a specific minority group. It gets these kids more involved to have exposure of interesting things in the world. The league gives everyone the opportunity to participate which creates unity among each other. The BUDDY system helps the staff, board, coaches

This event happens once a year and takes place at our high school stadium. Special needs kids come from all around my community to compete in events that best suit their physical or intellectual disabilities. It is truly astounding to see a whole community come together to support these kids. At this past year's Olympics I volunteered as a peer buddy and my responsibilities included walking my buddy, Luke, to his different events and making sure he was having a good time. Luke won first place in the ball throw and second place in the 100 meter dash. I loved seeing how happy he was when he was handed his ribbons and I was so fortunate to have been able to spend the day with

This year through National Honor Society I had the opportunity to participate in a study to better the social skills of autistic youth. Once a week I attended a photography class each week we alternate between taking pictures and editing them. The autistic students come an hour before we do and work on how to interact with people. Through the photography class we interacted with the participates and recorded video conversation over the twelve weeks of the class to establish how they are progressing. The students review their videos and get feedback on their conversational skills. Through this experience I have made many friends and have learned that I love to help people. I have thoroughly enjoyed helping these teenagers learn social skills

As a special needs baseball instructor with Challenger Baseball, I worked closely with children who had mental or physical disabilities. An opportunity such as this challenged me to strengthen my emotional intelligence and recognize the importance of empathy. Halfway through the sessions, I noticed there was an autistic boy whom many of the other volunteers struggled working with as he was known to be recalcitrant and apprehensive. Impelled by his reluctance, I made the intuitive decision to work with the boy and made it my goal to ensure he was having fun. However, ten minutes into our first lesson, the student was hysterical and attempted to return to his mother. Judiciously, I identified key areas that would make him feel more comfortable

Over the past two summers I have been volunteering at a facility called The Griffin Promise. It is an organization that helps Autism kids start and try to start talking, some of the kids that have it is not gifted with the ability to speak. But however if they are not able to speak they are well known for being very smart.

I’ve been a part of Riverside’s 4th district Youth Advisory Council since 2015. This council, overseen by a board of district supervisors, makes it their goal to address public grievances and work towards a more beautiful and safe city. Last year, some members and I worked at an event called Baseball Buddies. At this event, children with special needs are paired with a teenager who would assist his or her “buddy” in a baseball game for several weeks.

My love for teaching students with special needs started when I was a freshman in high school. I was in a program called, Excel, which allowed ninth grade students to easily transition into high school. During this program, I had four teachers who organized and hosted the Special Olympics Missouri at my high school. Since my teachers needed to greet the athletes and supervise the event, the students in Excel, including myself, acted as "buddies" for the athletes. Our job was to cheer each athlete on as well as make sure our assigned buddy got to their event on time.

This paper is a reflection of my volunteering experience with The Arc of Tricitie’s February Sweetheart Dance. The dance was held on February 20, 2017 from 4 P.M. until 9 P.M. Prior to volunteering for this event or taking the practice with persons with special needs class I did not have much experience with the special needs population. The most interaction I had had with the special needs population was in high school, but it was not on a regular basis. Many of my thoughts and feelings were changed after volunteering for the Sweetheart Dance.

As a volunteer for the Autism Society of North Carolina, I had responsibilities and obligations not only to my supervisor but to the children I was accountable for. Those children deserved my full attention, respect, and patience: they deserved a person who would treat them with dignity, just as if they were a child without a mental or physical condition. When working with special needs children, two crucial talents one must have are patience, and the ability to look past the disability and see the child for who they are as a person. This is simpler in theory than in practice. My first year working at Camp Sunshine Developmental Day Camp was challenging in the fact that although I tried not to, I always arrived at a feeling of empathy towards the children because of their disease. While it is admirable to empathize with the children, no one, especially people at a disadvantage, desire to be pitied.

I am a very active volunteer in my community. I previously worked with the Special Olympics as a team leader to create podiums for the medal winners. My classmates and I created wheelchair accessible ramps for the disabled. A challenging task for the project was being able to get the material we used to withstand the outside elements. With hard work and determination we were able to get the task done well before the deadline. I enjoy working with disable people because they’re just like everyone else they want to have fun and spend time with friends. I like the joy I can bring them by volunteering my time and efforts. I also volunteer with habitat for humanity to provide underprivileged families with a place to live. My vocational background

Long why she did not try the local Special Olympics working with the school district, as her son could have participated in team sports that way. I learned Alvin ISD’s Special Olympics activities’ is “at least an hour away” and this travel time made it harder for parents to take their children to and from activities. In addition, the program has bias towards middle and high school students and the only sports the district currently sponsor are track, swimming, bowling, and basketball, only one of which is a team sport. “I want my son and others like him, when talking to children without disabilities, to recall somewhat the same experiences when they talk about their childhood, or right now, their weekends”, was Mrs. Long’s explanation as to why she wanted to prioritize team sports for children ages four to fifteen when she first started SCML (Long, Sam). The rest of the staff and the board consist of “dear friends” of Mrs. Long who “understand the special needs community more than” her and “have a better understanding of its financial and legal aspects” are Ms. April Svetlik, VP and Volunteer Coordinator and Ms. Katie Robe-Torres, Administrative Director. According to Mrs. Long, Ms. Svetlik, as an occupational therapist, made the perfect candidate for volunteer coordinator. “Her medical background means she has a better understanding on what to expect from each child in the spectrum of disabilities, and is better able to explain and convey to volunteer ‘buddies’

Education is the foundation of the world; it is necessary to educate people in order to advance as a society. Unfortunately, not all people have access to education, especially those who have disabilities. As someone who was born with a congenital heart condition, I know the struggles of learning inside and outside the classroom while having a disability. When I was a child, the Make-A-Wish foundation granted my family and I a trip to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World, where we relaxed from the stress of surgeries and rehabilitation. While I am unable to repay them for the memorable experiences, my family volunteered during two spring breaks in order to give back to this organization. I assisted in serving meals and helped organize a Halloween

It was an ordinary school day in A.P. Psychology at Columbus High School. There I was, sitting in my ordinary world, completing the same daily routine, school. I had psychology towards the end of the day, so I was mentally and physically exhausted. However, Coach McCoy was my favorite teacher, and she made Psychology very interesting for me. We recently discussed the chapter about disabilities and other impairments a person may face throughout a lifetime. After the lesson, my teacher mentioned a camp she volunteered at during the summer called Camp Abilities, the main goal of which is to aid children with visual impairments. The camp’s motto read as “A Loss of Sight, Never a Loss of Vision.” Columbus State University sponsored the camp each Memorial Day weekend. The camp is open to all children with some sort of visual impairment from the ages of nine to eighteen. Immediately I was intrigued, and had a sudden urge to learn more about the camp itself. I knew instantaneously that I wanted to be involved in such a tremendous organization. I felt as if Coach McCoy’s presentation about Camp Abilities was my call to the adventure of volunteering at the camp. After watching the camp’s promotional video, I yearned to learn more about the different recreational activities offered, such as beep baseball and obstacle courses. Seeing the counselors interact with the campers in the promotion video, I knew Camp Abilities was just for me. I signed up right away, and later I was informed

When I was 5 years old my immediate family moved from Egypt, my hometown, to Canada where my younger cousin was diagnosed with autism. My family (parents, sibling, cousins, uncle/aunt) and I lived together and with the diagnosis our lives changed. After his diagnosis I started to help around the house more and I grew up quicker than most children. After 3 years of getting settled in my parents registered me for a gymnastics summer camp. From the day I started I recognized other individuals who had autism at the camp and always made a habit of being friends with them, and connecting with them. When I was 12 years old I became too old to continue to be a camper and so I volunteered at the camp instead, not only did I help kids who were younger then me my main focus was volunteering with those who had autism and other diagnoses. After one summer I