Personal Narrative: My Passion To Work With Individuals With Disability

“Work to view my autism as a different ability rather than a disability. Look past what you may see as limitations and see the gifts autism has given me…Be my advocate, be my friend, and we’ll see just how far we can go” –Ellen Botbohm, author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew.

A lot of people don’t realize the challenges of living with a child who has been diagnose with Autism can be. It is a twenty-four-hour seven day a week job no vacation, no sick time and no pay. From the time the child is diagnosed it is a constant worry especially if the parents don’t know much about the condition. It starts with continuous Doctor visits, social services, and therapy sessions, just to figure out how serious the condition may be and what level of the disability the child has and this is only this beginning. Next, to find the tools the child needs to overcome the disability, like learning development and cognitive process, social skills, comprehension capabilities, and many more depending on the severity of autism.

Originally, I was drawn to speech pathology after my sister’s diagnosis of Autism at the age of three. Watching Diane struggle with language development and acquisition while other children seemed to grasp these skills naturally is what initially sparked my interest in helping families like my own. At the start of my junior year, I set out to obtain experiences working with different populations. Toward the latter half of junior year, I became involved as a clerical volunteer at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center. By senior year, I was balancing a full course load alongside three volunteer experiences. In addition to Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, I divided my time between tutoring at a neighboring elementary school in the Twin Rivers School District and serving as an intern at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). During my undergraduate experience, I welcomed the opportunity to work with students that struggled with literacy, language, and pragmatic skills. After graduation, it was my goal to obtain additional experience in the field as a speech-language pathology assistant.

My life's journey is aspiring to further my education to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) as well as acquiring the credentials for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Upon achieving a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, I plan to apply my skills in a rehabilitation setting focusing on individuals with disabilities. My goal is to make an impact in the lives of many families and to empower these individuals to strive to their fullest potential. Furthermore, I find it gratifying helping individuals reach their goals and most importantly their dreams. I am currently working with the community and volunteering with the Autism Services Clinic at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Assisting children with special needs has been an exceptional

I had the opportunity to complete a seven-week internship within the Toronto Adult Neurodevelopmental Services Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). During my time at CAMH, I had the chance to shadow multiple Developmental Service Workers to provide support for clients ages 16 and above diagnosed with Developmental Disability (DD) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presenting with mental health concerns or severe challenging behaviour problems. I also had the opportunity to work with over 10 different clients and their families to develop and implement comprehensive support plans. Overall, the time I spent at CAMH was filled with multiple instances that coincide with almost all the Learning Outcomes outlined in

A few months ago I worked as an attendant to a 12-year-old boy with autism. I would go to his house and help out his family with anything that had to do with him. Some of the things that I would do were pick him up from school, prepare food him, and help him complete daily tasks. He did not speak at all, so it was really hard for me at first, but as the weeks went by I learned his facial expressions, his chart, and his sign language. Although it was difficult to work with him, I would like to continue working with special needs kids but in another setting.

In ninth grade, my mother suggested that I volunteer with peers at my high school who are special needs. She thought it would be good for me to meet other people my age who have their unique struggles in school, much like myself. I protested originally, but little did I know I would love volunteering with my peers, regardless of their disability. During this time, I signed up to volunteer with a local organization called Buddy Ball. At Buddy Ball, I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities ages five through twenty-one baseball. When I volunteered with my peers, I mainly saw high schoolers with severe autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbances, whereas with Buddy Ball most of the participants had severe autism, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, epilepsy, or a multiple of disabilities. Both of these experiences allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of special

The Human Service area that I am most interested in is Family and Child Services. After I graduate, I will be going to the nursing field so I feel that Family and Child Services is related to nursing. I instantly asked my roommate if she know anyone because she is currently going to school to become a Speech Pathologist and she works with children that have disabilities. I had the opportunity to interview Ariel Rogan, who is the Manager of Autism Behavioral Technicians, at Centria healthcare. She oversees five Autism Behavioral Technicians that conducts applied behavioral analysis therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder. She also interact with the clients from time to time. Children with autism are usually integrated with children that have typically development, which results in a high level of bullying amongst the children with this disability. I believe this organization is special because it help children with disabilities cope and improve with developments.

My passion for Human Services began while traveling in Asia, Mexico, and through different communities in our country. The most important lesson I learned whether overseas or here in the USA is compassion. Compassion and understanding for what is needed. Compassion for underprivileged people, the elderly, and most importantly the children. The one thing that has stayed constant with me since I started traveling with my family is that people need help.

In addition to working as a Residential Direct Support Professional, I am a senior at Queens College, majoring in Psychology. Currently exploring new opportunities, my objective is to further my career in an organization that offers the opportunity to assist those with developmental disadvantages. My desire is to bring about a difference in someone’s life, to aid and support them in their decision-making and daily life skills, and to facilitate changes in the community on their behalf so they can live meaningful lives.

For my disability interview, I plan to interview a woman named Brittney Nicole (if no one else has chosen her), who was born with cerebral palsy. Brittney is a 21 year woman who is a college student at Penn State University and is very open to her disability. She posted many blogs on themighty.com based on her disability and how she has overcame hard times throughout her life especially in college. She has indicated various times through her blogs, how technology has assisted her and has made her life easier. For example, Brittney has relied on her IPhone as a phone, computer, and wallet to decrease the load that she carries each day. She said that the use of a computer is necessary for college students, but due to the weight of laptops, Brittney

CBS’s mission is to assist individuals with developmental disabilities and autism with the least intrusive methodology to live and work in the least restrictive environment and maximize their potential as constructive members of society. They are based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), one to one direct instruction, consultation to parents and school staff, and individual and group workshop trainings. Each child has an individualized program according to the specific needs of the child and family.

As someone who works with individuals with autism and other disabilities, it is disheartening seeing the mistreatment that they must endure in all aspects of their lives. The stereotypes and stigmas that surround these individuals are often incorrect and misguided. There are plenty of individuals with disabilities that are capable of living productive lives and it is important for them to be included in

There are many things that can help me make the most of my learning. I am afraid to ask questions because I don't ask the right questions or sometimes I do ask a lot of questions. It would be nice if you ask me after class to see if I have any questions or see if I understand it. I’ve been in special ed all of my life for math and english, realizing that i'm in this class means I didn’t understand enough to be in a normal classroom. I can read really fast but also I have a hard time comprehending the materials that I read. I'm terrible at writing papers since in special ed you don’t really write papers, so I struggle with it and having a hard time learning it. I get frustrated a lot when I don't understand the material, I hate making mistakes

In reviewing the required videos and reading on low incidence, there were a large range of how it affected individuals are processed by individuals without disabilities, these videos demonstrates what it is like to try to be normal with a disability. The first video called, Autistic Basketball Player,” presented an enlighten outcome, that people should not assume that individual with disability are not able to contribute to a job or sport. Jason Mcelwain’s a young man with Autism that id given to chase an individual with a disability self-worth is just as valuable as the rest of the team when it come to sport. The second video called, “Breaking Barriers of Autism: The power of Kindness and friendship present how individuals with disabilities are able to leap bounties id one person will acknowledge them. In his lecture he was able to present insight on how lonely it is on another side of the disability spectrum.