Where do I start? Dr. Keisling's lecture had me in a whirlwind of emotions. In the beginning, I was sad, angry, and just completely disappointed at the treatment of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in the early/mid 1900s. Just to think that people with disabilities were placed into the same categories with criminals is a disgrace. The institutionalizations put in place by governments seemed inhumane to me, regarding the conditions they were in. I could not imagine being separated from society because I am not considered a "normal" individual. I was also very shocked that the government saw people as a burden to the community and told families to leave their child and go have other children. The timeline of information really helped me to see how far we have really come.
I had my first encounter of working with people with special needs in high school. I spent my study hall period in the classroom reading to the students, helping with schoolwork, various household activities, and just spending time with them. I knew that people were unaware when my classmates would ask me, "Why are you in that classroom? What's wrong with him? She's slow! Why are you walking with him?" That is when I realized they needed extra love because there were people who knew nothing and judged them based on things they could not control. My heart grew a special place for people with special needs during this time.
I feel like I am apart of the history with the development of disabilities. I have had the pleasure of being a peer mentor with Mosaic at UTC, which is a program dedicated to students with autism to help them navigate their way through college and life after. About 100 years ago, this program would not have been created nor even thought of. It probably would have been looked at as insane. I also helped campaign for "Spread the Word to End the Word." I have been so much more conscious and aware when people say the R-word, and a lot of my family and friends have joined me in not saying the word. I am ready to see what additional changes are to come in the future years and how I will contribute to them.
