A Day In the Life of a Disability

Tuesday November 18,2008 I was altered from being the traditional Shane who could run up and down stairs, carry tons of groceries in the house at once and who loved to watch television for fun.  A program that I attended hosted by an on campus student organization called T.E.A.M. (Tomorrows Educators for the Advancement of Multiculturalism) placed non-disabled participants in a disabled state. In order to emulate Autism, I placed thick gloves on my hands and attempted to right and play with a basketball. The difficulty of this task helped to sympathize and understand some of the difficulties these people face with regarding fine motor skills.  I was also placed in a wheelchair and assigned to do multiple tasks including picking up things off the floor, maneuvering through hallways and doors and attempt to play a sport. This was not easy! Another task I had was to walk across a line and follow walking directions while blind folded in order to emulate blindness. Finally, I had to wear weights on my arms and legs while walking and playing sports. This highlighted the struggles of students with spina bifida and muscular dystrophy. Overall, this was a phenomenal program. It helped me to physically to better understand some of the struggles of people with physical disabilities. I would recommend this type of program to others in order to create awareness.