Caitlin: Be Proud of Your Work
Every Tuesday, a group from Creativity Inc. participates in “coffee club,” a time where the group heads out to a local coffee shop and is encouraged to order their drinks and socialize with baristas and each other in order to increase their social participation, communication, and money management skills. This week, I was fortunate enough to be able to participate. First, let me tell you what I enjoyed the most about coffee club: it gave participants the chance to go out into the community and be integrated with the rest of the people who were at the coffee shop we were in, rather than simply making coffee at the center and being isolated from other “typical” people. Unfortunately, sometimes there are people who do not value the importance of inclusion. I would like to use this blog post to advocate for people with disabilities, because I believe strongly that they are just like any other person and deserve to be treated that way.
During coffee club, we were sitting around a table having fun, laughing, talking to each other about our days, and minding our own business, but an older couple at a table close by seemed to have a problem with that. They were staring at us the whole time, giving us nasty looks, and talking about how they should come over and say something, as if our presence was bothering them. It was sad to see that no matter where you are in the world, people can’t just see a person with a disability as the same as any other “typical” person. Just like that couple, we were out enjoying a coffee in the community we live in. Maybe if that couple spent a day with this group they’d see that they are the sweetest, most kind, fun people to be around. Maybe they would see that people with disabilities still have feelings, and belittling them lowers their self-esteem and confidence, which for many is already low in social situations such as these.
I love working with Creativity Inc. because they are a company full of workers who truly want to be there and genuinely care about each individual. Not only do I get to impact every participant I work with in the day program, I also am impacted by them. Their strength in difficult situations and their ability to look past the people and things that may be looking down upon and hindering them is something we should all admire and learn from. They don’t define themselves by their disability, so why should anyone else?
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Posted by World Endeavors on June 19, 2018
World Endeavors believes that international travel has the power to change lives, broaden horizons, and deepen intercultural understanding. The world is undergoing rapid changes, with societies becoming more interconnected and environmentally aware; at the same time a more challenging global economy inspires in many a need to reach out and make a positive difference while seeking personal growth opportunities. There has never been a better time than now to travel abroad.
