Fin

Crazy how time flies and this is the final post for the semester. Yikes! Ashley Hildreth did a great job wrapping up how I feel about everything this semester in her toolbox post from last week. She said, "I think helping others will help me love myself and become closer to Christ." That literally sums everything up for me over the course of these last 12 weeks.

This week I have really come to appreciate the lesson of planning and working ahead. Doing so has made the "final" week of the semester seem a lot easier than it usually does. Also, I loved reflecting back over my practicum and relishing in the accomplishments I made in it. Working with those who have special needs is exactly what I want to do with my life and will bless me temporally and eternally.

The last thing I want to add to this blog for future reference is the website I found all about Therapeutic Recreation. It has links for job postings, information regarding the career, and helpful links to help anyone be successful at being a Recreational Therapist. Other than that, great time!

Recreational Therapists Rock!

After going over last weeks posts, I really enjoyed this link shared by Sara Hopkin. As she says, "It had really good ideas on how to encourage schools to have mixed ability gym classes. I think that inclusion is so important and we shouldn’t limit people on what we think their abilities are. We should encourage them to be as good as they allow themselves to be." I couldn't have said it better. A lot of really great information and ideas to keep and have.

What I loved from this week was all the explanations for what a Recreational Therapist is and what they do. Specifically, I liked this video, "Therapeutic Recreation Program - Colorado Springs." It showed some great examples of what a recreational therapist does and showed the short and long term benefits of therapeutic recreation within a community.

Something I found while researching this week about Recreational Therapy was this link on job outlooks and what a career path in rec therapy means. Personally, I think this is a great resource to help others better understand that this is a legitimate career path and that it isn't a career that is going away anytime soon. Though I think anyone can be successful at anything if they are driven and passionate about it, I think this helps give a logical explanation for those that need it. From past experience, I know a lot of people have family members or friends that will question rec therapy as a career choice. So this can help give fire power to those in need.

Remembering All Disabilities

Last week Katelyn Fick posted a list of things that can be forms of art. This was part of her post.

Some of the videos that really stood out from this week for me were the video of the "Wounded Warrior Project" and "Ben Comen - The Cross Country Runner."

I also played around on the wounded warrior project webpage to see what it was all about. There was some really interesting information on there. Personally I have an uncle who suffers from ptsd, so this project and what they stand for is extremely interesting to me. What a great thing to be a part of! It can be easy to lump people into needing help with activities and such based off their outer appearances (or what you can physically see that is "wrong.") But, it is a lot harder to understand and see what is going on mentally with someone. There are a lot of disorders that get overlooked because they aren't seen as anything needing help, like ptsd. This is something I have had to realize through the years and have grown to better understand through interactions with others and family. Something to always remember is there can always be something on the inside we don't initially recognize.

Let's Get Artsy!

To start, I really enjoyed this video shared by Jacob Taylor in last weeks toolbox. It shows a more on outdoor therapy and the benefits it has for everyone. The arts are a lot the same. They are a benefit for everyone and anyone. They are a great way to expand your mind and thinking. A specific video I enjoyed from this weeks studies was the "Disabled Artist" video. This man is an inspiration on overcoming obstacles and making them strengths.

In my own search I was able to find this website that shows the art of tons of individuals with disabilities. It was really neat to see that there is a website that shows the masterpieces of those with disabilities and caters to their needs. There was also a neat video about the studio they provide for a lot of these individuals. Here is the link: http://vimeo.com/104727751.

Outdoor Tricks For Inside My Toolbox

As I was reflecting on everything from last week and looking through some of the other students portfolios I came across this video that Lexi Snow posted. The video specifically talks about networking with a lot of people and still being able to come across as genuine. The video definitely answered the question I had posed in the previous weeks discussion board, so I am grateful to have it here now.

This week I enjoyed learning about all of the different outdoor programs that are designed for those with special needs. Especially the range of special needs that each of the programs is able to accommodate. It's incredible to see all of these programs reaching out to those who may struggle with what others take for granted. Something specific from this week I gained and want to remember was the list of benefits to outdoor recreation. This was a simple list that can also be used to answer simple questions that sometimes seem hard at the moment. Here is that list.

Something I was able to find on my own was a camp called Camp Kostopulos. This camp specializes in catering to and helping those with disabilities and special needs. They get kids outdoors to experience nature and everything around them. It was really neat to learn about and also, now, be able to refer others to. 

Build That Relation Web!

As I was breezing through some of the posts from last week I came across a quote that Benjamin Bisnett posted. It was this, "Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved (by Mattie Stepanek).” That quote ties in so perfectly this week on why networking and having support from all different venues is extremely important. It's the way we can achieve "wonderful things."

There was a video from this weeks lesson that I found to be very educational and pertinent to all of my endeavors in the future. It was a little dry the first time around, if I'm being honest, but the information is incredible!

Some other links that I thought were cool and helpful were this about "10 Tips for Successful Business Networking" and one to help locate support groups for those with autism. 

A helpful little tidbit I learned this week and also from past experience is the benefit of working ahead. I used to be a major procrastinator. Seriously though. I would wait until an hour before something was due to finish it (or even start it....) But, I have learned the benefit of working ahead and giving myself ample amounts of time. This week I have been really sick. But, because I am ahead on my practicum, I'm not falling behind or even worried that I didn't accomplish anything this week. Being ahead means I don't have to worry when things come up that I wasn't planning on. Yay for finally learning this lesson and reaping the rewards now!

Program Accessibility

From last week in my classmates portfolios I came across Kiri Shaw's post which contained this website for how to better make recreational programs more accessible. It has a lot of really amazing information that also helped me this week and I'm sure will help me in the future as well. Another website I came across this week in my own web searches was mobility-advisor.com. This website offers a list of activities, organizations, and links to more information on different activities for those in wheelchairs that are offered all over. This is a great resource for me to refer to and to also refer others to.

Being able to offer resources to others in need is a huge help in any professional field. I know while I was working at a recreation facility it was extremely helpful for me to know about other resources outside of where I worked. There would be times I would be asked about swim teams in the area, special olympics programs in the area, or where different programs were held. It not only helped the individual asking the question for me to have an answer, but it also was a positive reflection on the facility in which I was working. A well informed staff is a staff that brings in more costumers.

Lastly, I found this simple list of Principles for Structuring Social Integration in Recreation Activities to be extremely helpful. It was also very pertinent, in retrospect, to my volunteer practicum.

Principles for Structuring Social Integration in Recreation Activities

1. Frequent and consistent opportunities to get acquainted
2. Equal status
3. Mutual goals
4. Cooperation and interdependence
5. Receiving accurate (not stereotyped) information about the person with a disability
6. Fair and tolerant norms

Wheelies and Ramp Tricks

A classmate of mine, Chloe Welsh, posted the talk by Dallin H. Oaks entitled "Good, Better, Best" and said this about it, "This is the....talk that differentiates between good, better, and best decisions that we will have to make in our lives. I really enjoyed this talk because we can relate it to every single decision we make in our lives, recreational or not." Through last weeks lesson and this weeks I have found that this talk, and her words, could not be any more true. There will be many decisions in my future that will have to be made and I will have to decide which option will be "best." This talk is one to keep.

To help make things accessible at a facility, I liked the simplicity of it all found in the readings. 

Can't be much more simple than that.

From my practicum and from my past experiences with those who have disabilities I have found that honesty is the best way to do things. Honesty with yourself and with those you interact with. Trying to dance around a topic doesn't accomplish much.

Also, another thing I want to have access to and be able to quickly refer to is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It was when things started to change for the better for those with disabilities and has changed the way just about everything is built.

PERMA-nent Tricks I'm Keeping

One of my classmates said in their blog last week that, "Despite all of our differences, political, religious, income, we are all more alike than different." I want this to be something I will always remember and retain throughout the rest of my life. Who doesn't need that reminder practically daily?

Something from this weeks lesson that I want to always have with me was the video of Shawn Achor explaining what Positive Psychology is. He does it with such clarity, simplicity, and joy that I couldn't help but love every second of it.

Another part of this weeks lesson I want in my arsenal is the PERMA model itself. It can't get any more clear than it does in the lesson materials.

One thing neat that I learned about myself this week through the lesson was what my character strengths are. This knowledge will help me immensely as I strive to reach out and better myself and others. Using my strengths will be that much easier now that I better understand what they are.

Funny enough, this week I went to town on my practicum and very quickly learned that there is a lot of wiggle room needed. I found that I would have a game plan, but it wouldn't always go how I planned. Back up plans are incredibly important and can help everything run smoothly. Always have a backup plan!

In the past I found that positive thinking was incredibly helpful when working with those who have disabilities. It can be challenging and frustrating at times, so thinking positively helped a lot. What I also learned was that positive thinking is key to helping absolutely everyone to be happy, disability or not. This lesson about the PERMA model and positive psychology taught me so much more about what this all means.

A site that helped me a lot this week was the Positive Psychology page on the University of Pennsylvania website. The part I enjoyed the most of this site was the frequently asked questions page. One part really caught my attention. It was in response to "Is positive psychology just about making people happy?" It said, " Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. According to Seligman (2002), positive psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions." It obviously said more, but that was the part that taught me the most and that I really wanted to remember.

What's In My Magic Hat Now?

Mental disabilities have such a wide spectrum from severe to mild that it can be hard to know how to properly act or talk about them, let alone how to act around someone with one. One disability that has always been curios to me has been Aspergers Syndrome. Thankfully there was a video provided this week that really opened up my eyes to it and what it is exactly. Hopefully this video will not only help myself but others as well as I continue on throughout my life.

There was also a site that I found in my studies recently that has really helped me learn about what one can do to help others who are suffering from a brain injury. This was spurred by an assignment from this week, but the article/website itself is full of amazing information. It is the "Brain Injury Association Of America" site. Check it out! 

There was a quote posted by one of my classmates last week that I feel is completely applicable to this weeks lesson as well. It is by Shannon L. Alder and says, "Never give up on someone with a mental illness. When "I" is replaced by "We", illness becomes wellness." I love this! This is a great way to look at any sort of illness and to make it into something positive. There is always something to be learned from any sort of illness. This quote was posted by Benjamin Bisnett, just as a 'by the way.'

A recurring theme in all of my studies is to treat everyone equally. From my experiences in the past this could not be more accurate. Although disabilities can have a wide range of severity, that concept of treating everyone the same and equally doesn't change. I know that as I worked with people with varying disabilities that all of them had this in common. I taught swimming for years and no matter what was going on in someones life they were all there for the same reason, to learn to swim. So although my methods were different at times, what we were ultimately doing was the same and I strived to treat each swimmer the same. I felt this made all the difference in the world!