A Day with Bobbie

Bobbie, who happens to be my grandmother, recently suffered from a back injury. Her back injury has impaired her, causing her to need a walker to get around. Things that she once was able to do have become a difficult task for her and takes quite sometime. Being able to go to the restroom or even to the kitchen have become very tedious obstacles. I don't have a gory, detailed, dramatic story as to what caused her back injury, she is simply aging. This physical disability has prevented my grandmother from partaking in certain activities that she was once able to do.

I feel for her being that I have seen her go from an independent, upbeat, high spirited woman to a dependent, somber woman. She continues to keep a smile on her face, but I know that it upsets her to not be able to do things for herself. Luckily, she has my grandfather who is able to help her with her every move.

When I was presented this assignment, I knew exactly who I would be spending the day with. It all worked out because I was able to spend time with my grandmother and give my grandfather a little time to himself. I decided to take my grandmother to the movies and a dinner. Initially it took me a minute to adjust to having her with me. I am typically always in a rush and I do everything very quickly, from getting into the car and even walking. Having her with me I had to slow down, a lot, but it didn't bother me much. The restaurant that we chose was STRIP sushi bar and the movie that we chose was “This is Where I Leave You”. It was somewhat difficult getting into the restaurant because it was not accessible for handicapped individuals. In addition, the place was slightly crowded which made it harder to get around. I did my best to try and make her feel comfortable to make this a good experience for her. Going into the movie theater was much better for her. There was a handicapped accessible chair for her and she did not have to go up any steps.

I truly enjoyed spending the day with my grandmother. I was able to see what daily obstacles she faces and how she has yet to let that break her spirit. This activity has also made me value my independence and freedom more so than I did before.

Physical Environment

Aaisha K

September 28^th, 2014

HS: 3300

For this assignment I went out with my student who is part of the Kennesaw State Inclusive Learning Academy and Social Growth. Due to confidentiality, we will be refereeing to her as Kim. Kim and I went to Chick Fila for lunch. She have been my student since August 2014. This was our first one on one interaction. Kim does not go out as much because she is a freshmen and don’t have friends. Kim is the youngest of three sisters. She wants to work in media one day. Kim is nineteen years old and suffers from a developmental disability called autism and ADHD.

Kim does not let her disability come between her everyday activities. She is outgoing, loves watching movies, and hanging out with her family. When we arrived at the student center it was not crowded so Kim was very comfortable eating there. She does not like to be around big crowds. There were not that many people there so Kim was happy because she does not feel comfortable being around people. We sat in a corner so we can have some privacy as Kim desired.  When entering the student center we didn't have problem accessing the Chick Fila. After eating, as an activity, we decided to go to the library and reserve a room so we can watch a movie on my laptop. Going to the library and accessing the reserved room was difficult, we didn't know how to reserve the room as it was my first time doing it. Kim didn't know that there were rooms available in the library for students to reserve. She was very excited to learn something new and for us to spend time together. We watched Rio as that is Kim’s favorite movie. Kim often adapts to her environment and blends in with the other students on campus.

After lunch and the movie, walked back to the Inclusive Academy. Kim thanked me for the lunch and wanted me to help her with her new job that she applied for. We spent some time in the student lab, working on an application and also helping her find a place to volunteer. We both enjoyed the time spent together. I enjoyed working on this assignment because it was not something new to me to spend time with someone who have a disability. I spend three out of five days with people who have developmental disabilities. As a human service major I felt that this assignment was degrading people who have disabilities. It was rude to ask a person with a disability to go to a date with me so I can write an assignment on their problems. I am aware of how physical environment can influence behavior and how difficult everyday situations can be for them because I work with people who have disabilities. This is just my opinion about the assignment. Overall I enjoyed doing this assignment as it brought me and my student closer and learned new things about her. She’s able to share her problems with me after spending time with.  Due to confidentiality I cannot post any kind of multimedia.