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For my Cultural Plunge, I participated with Project Excell (Extending College Education for Lifelong Learning). This is a group that meets on campus, in the union, every Saturday morning from 9:00-11:00 AM. Each participant has a developmental disability and they come from various places around Manhattan. Project Excell offers around 4 different classes for the participants to choose from, which range from dancing/theatre to the history of Nigeria. After completing a “session,” the participants go through a graduation ceremony and then begin a different type of class for the next few weeks. I joined this group as a student ambassador, who assists the classroom teachers while building relationships with and tending to the needs of the participants. I decided to focus my plunge on adults with mental and physical disabilities, because I had no prior experience with this group. Coming from an able-bodied family where no one has significant handicaps, I was generally shielded from people with disabilities. Over the years, I grew to associate dangerous stigmas with these people, even though they have no control over their circumstance. The …show more content…
I had always heard people talk about people they knew with disabilities as “the sweetest people you will ever meet,” but that phrase meant nothing to me until I met this group. I honestly could never have imagined the impact that they would have on my life. The next time that I went back after my first session, I had participants say things like, “You came back! Hi!” or “Look, it’s Megan! Megan everybody!” As an introvert, it is sometimes difficult for me to approach new people and immediately build relationships with them. This group of people has absolutely no issues waving at strangers to making friends effortlessly. They made me feel appreciated and loved having only been with them for one session, and this feeling grows each time I
Patricia Bauer was a former Washington post reporter and one of the founders of the UCLA, a school for young adults with intellectual disabilities, although she gains most of her knowledge on the topic from raising a daughter with Down Syndrome. This article was originally published in The Washington Post, one of the most circulates newspapers in America. When this article came out in August of 2008, two major things were happening concerning mental disabled people. The first was a movie that came out
Every culture have different beliefs. I went to a Catholic church for my cultural plunge project, and it was a new experience for me because it was my first time going to a church. The reason I picked Catholics as my focal group was because that I have heard that many people call themselves Christians, and a few identify themselves as Catholics. However, I thought these two focal groups are the same according to what I learned from my History textbook. I hoping I can use this cultural plunge activity to find out some more about Catholic.
“Using Disability Studies Theory to Change Disability Services: A Case Study in Student Activism” outlines Syracuse University struggles with disability-related topics. Some of the university’s students formed a committee called Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee to be the voice for the disabled students. The article follows their journey in struggles with implementing handicap-accessible areas and study material for a student that was blind (Cory, White, & Stuckey, 2010). This article reminds me of a close friend from my old neighborhood. He got into a really bad car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. After the accident some friends and I helped his parent modify their home to accommodate for his wheelchair. When tragic accidents like that help it really makes you put thing into perspective.
Though trying new food and rooming with strangers seems like an insignificant aspect of almost every child’s life, it was not for mine. The experience went beyond just showing me other cultures existed; it made me want to dedicate a part of my life to helping preserve the diversity that exists among us. Since that trip almost six years ago now, I have volunteered a little over 100 hours of my time on weekends to helping set up and run culture exchange programs. Most of these programs take place near Valdosta State University, a college near where I live, and in these programs, I have the opportunity to meet and talk to people from around the world. The programs have helped me grow a greater sense of cultural appreciation by constantly reminding me that the world is full of different points of view. The basic ideals I learned on the trip to D.C. have helped to understand that there is more to the world than I can possibly know. That makes it essential for me to keep an open mind when facing new
I was always the person to shy away from a disabled person because I didn’t know how to handle it. I always thought if I avoided them I wouldn’t have to face the truth, which is I was very uncomfortable with disabled people. However, since our discussions in class, reading the book, and going to the event my views on the disabled have changed drastically since then. I learned that people with disabilities can do the same things, if not more, that a person without disabilities can do. I realized that I need to treat people with disabilities just like any other person, like an equal. People shouldn’t be ostracized for something that they cannot control. Everyone should treat disabled individuals with respect, dignity, and concern. This is why from now on I will not shy away from a disabled person I will welcome them with open arms because they are no different than
Most afflicted adults were stored away in the back rooms of houses, and children with mental disabilities were given up into adoption or aborted. In addition, Hahn reiterates that legislative polices have pronounced people with disabilities as unfit for society, unable to be hired to do work. People with disabilities are in no way “unemployed” because they can not do work. Hahn’s article, “Disability and the Urban Environment: A Perspective on Los Angeles,” which was published in 1986 is outdated, and the thoughts should be reconsidered. In the Disability and Discrimination Act of 1995 and 2005, it lays out policies that ban employers from discriminating against disabled people, when hiring (The Disability and Discrimination Act). It aims to ensure equal opportunity and a level of fairness in the workplace. Since 1986, the social structure of society has adapted and evolved over time. Nondisabled people are more liberal, and they are accepting; however, there still remains a level of discrimination. Even though they are more aware of the inequalities that exist today, people look down on the disabled population. As a society we need to make drastic improvements, in terms of attitudes. Disability should be viewed in a positive light: instead of a burden, disabled people should be part of the community. Disabled people should not have to deal with the social stigma of being different; it is part of what makes them stronger and more will
Although society’s view of people with disabilities has evolved over time, becoming more accepting, there is still many barriers that exist for people with disabilities, especially those with mental illness. The book “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka tells a story about a traveling salesman turned vermin overnight, depicting his thoughts and state of his new life. The book is a brilliant look inside the mind of someone struggling with a mental illness. It exploits their general loss of enjoyment, resistance to seek help, and isolation from others. In particular, one group of people, struggling with mental illness, is rarely spoken about, and those people being physicians. The very people meant to keep society healthy cannot even find help
...beld person as equal and for society to take responsibility for their ignorance and become more open minded and accepting of those who may have less functioning ability or mental awareness of what is going on around themselves. Only recently has the (dis)Abeld community been given the spotlight through television shows such as Bones, or House, Or CSI have those with disabilities been given a platform to push over society’s negative stereotypes of ignorance and shown how despite limitations, those with limitations can indeed live happy and healthy lives. Despite much of the stigma that still exists towards those who are (dis)Abled, much success has been made and continues to be made because of the selfless determination of a select few who are determined not to be restrained by society’s ignorance and to make a difference in the world around them and for others.
Living in the United States as one of the most divers’ countries in the world has made me to recognize the importance of increasing my cultural self-awareness. As Sammers-Flanagan, Sammer-Flanagan in the book, Clinical Interviewing (2014) stated: “The ability to understand how your own thoughts and feelings are influenced by your cultural heritage helps you understand how culture has influenced others. Hopefully, understanding other perspectives will help you avoid imposing your cultural values on your clients.”(p. 367). Increasing cultural knowledge and competence, developing counseling skills, conceptualizing individual and systematic case and recognizing my strengths and growth were the most important area that I have tried to improve them in the Clinical skills’ class.
For this cultural plunge assignment, I attended the Choma Food Festival hosted by the African Student Association here on campus under the Office of Multicultural Affairs. This event interested me because I have always been fascinated with the African culture, as in wanted to know more about it, but I was not able to fully discover what all it entailed. I feel as the African Culture is part of my heritage that I am most unfamiliar with. African culture is very different from the American culture, so even though I am African American, there is so much to learn about the aspect of African culture alone. People of African descent have a rich culture and I am glad that I attended the event, because it was like discovering a portion of my ancestral background that I wasn’t aware of.
Although society’s view of people with disabilities has evolved over time, becoming more accepting, there is still many barriers that exist for people with disabilities, especially those with mental illness. The book “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka tells a story about a traveling salesman turned vermin overnight in which it analyzing the state of his new life. The book is a wonderful look inside the mind of someone struggling with a mental illness. It exploits their resistance to seek help, the isolation from others, and general loss of enjoyment. Many people who have mental illnesses struggle on a daily basis both internally and against the stigma set by society. In particular, one group of people, struggling with mental illness, is rarely
All my life I have been in the midst of culture, from helping my mom cook our dinner of Jollof rice to holding a fundraiser event past dawn to aid in the building of primary schools in Nigeria. As a result, I am grateful for my family because, from them I have cultivated my early interest in culture. One thing I am especially proud of is that I initiated a cultural awareness club at my school to create a more inclusive and thus safer environment for my peers with a cultural background. Each month I write out an agenda for the culture that is being highlighted; our monthly meetings include a speaker or performer and some snack that relates to the culture. For example, in November we celebrated Native American heritage and had Quinoa. We invited
In the essay “Disability,” Nancy Mairs discusses the lack of media attention for the disabled, writing: “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anyone’s life.” An ordinary person has very little exposure to the disabled, and therefore can only draw conclusions from what is seen in the media. As soon as people can picture the disabled as regular people with a debilitating condition, they can begin to respect them and see to their needs without it seeming like an afterthought or a burden. As Mairs wrote: “The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time.” Looking at the issue from this angle, it is easy to see that many disabled people were ordinary people prior to some sort of accident. Mairs develops this po...
The event that I choose was the Global Voices because I wanted to hear from people from different countries. There were people from the Congo, Mexico, Canada, and the Bahamas. The Congo seems to be known as a third world county in poverty and hardships. In fact it has the most exports in metal materials; most commonly, the metal used in our very own smart phones. You can also go snowboarding or skiing in Congo. Mexico is always look down upon as a very poor dirty country that is full of drugs and rapists. In fact Mexico is a very beautiful country with waterfalls, mountains, islands, and beaches. You can also snowboard and ski in Mexico. It has very sophisticated and modern capital. Many pyramids and ancient empires. Canada is seems to be known for bacon, hockey, and those ranger in red outfits. Canada is actually much more than that.
The more independent individuals answered that they thought more highly of themselves and the less independent individuals had a low self-esteem and thought less of themselves. ¾ of the guys from age 30-40 answered that they feel comfortable around people very accurate. I noticed that the females that participated in the questionnaire answered mostly all the questions the same and that they did not feel as highly about themselves as the males that participated did. I believe that after reviewing the questionnaires that my hypothesis is correct. That everyone, disabilities or not, believe that adults with disabilities have a higher risk of being abused then those who do not have disabilities. . One of my individuals stated “People look at me all the time and ask me why I come to FAME, at the ARC, it’s for people with disabilities?” But what they don’t understand that not everyone with disabilities have visible disabilities. Brad has something called a “hidden disability” called memorization autism. He remembers in high school people always called him “four-eyes” and “retard” for being in special classes that focused on him. Brad has been a victim of abuse with the disabled adults and he said even now at 54 he experiences it daily in everyday life. Another one of my individuals, Keri, 21, stated yes “adults with disabilities are