Haley- UCP- Day One

Today was our first day volunteering at the United Cerebral Palsy foundation.   They placed us LINC Point, which is adult program for adults with disabilities.  The seven of us were split up into different classrooms and for the first half of the day, I was working in room 1.  Room one consisted of about ten adults who were very severe.  The majority of them were in wheelchairs and could not talk.  The only way they are able to talk is through a computer device, which was attached to their chair.  This electronic is what allows them to communicate, express their feelings, and survive in society.  When I first walked into room 1, I was really nervous because I was not sure how to act around them.  I have had a lot of experience with people with special needs, however I have not had much, or any experience with such severe people who could not talk or move.  The aid eased me through it and it was awkward at first because I had to wait a while in between my conversations with them for them to type in, or eye-motion what they wanted to say.  It became more and more comfortable throughout the day.  There were two guys who really stood out to me and I connected to.  Their names were Anthony and Quantez Williams.  Anthony was one of the few who had mobility.  He did have a device though.  He wanted to be with me at all times.  He was really fast at using his device so we had good conversations.  He was so funny.  I showed him how to “pound it” and we even made a secret handshake.  Quantez Williams is one of the funniest people I have ever met.  He has cerebral palsy and has no mobility whatsoever.  However, he does not need a device to communicate but he does have a big speech impediment.  He repeated himself over and over and he was really hard to understand but he sure did not care.  He talked my ear off.  He kept telling me “I like anything.”  Every few minutes he would say that.  He was so happy and definitely brightened my day.  He kept telling jokes and he laughed constantly.  When it was time for all the adults to get picked up, their names would be announced over the loud speaker to dismiss them when their guardian was there, and Quantez really wanted to leave, so he kept saying “Quantez Williams to the classroom.”  He was joking around to see if I would let him go.  I loved him and I cannot wait to work with him on Friday! This was a great experience.  It made me realize how lucky I am .  But I did notice that the most severe were the happiest and most positive which made me feel really good.  

The second half of the day, I worked with the Occupational Therapists and I helped individuals paint a Spring picture to give to a local restaurant in Birmingham that is going to hang them up and put them up for sale.  It was very interesting to see how they had to incorporate special tools to take part and adapt to the tasks.  It was a lot of fun and I loved being a part of hat.