Tri County Mosaic of Experiences

Samples from Pre-Service Reflections:

-Excerpt from Amanda's: I’m truly at a loss as to what to expect from my forthcoming service-learning experience at the Tri-County Association for the Blind. On one hand, this particular assignment appears as though it would perhaps be easier than the others. For the most part, the average person is more “comfortable” with a person with visual impairment than they are with someone with another form of disability. Blindness does not seem as taboo of a subject as, for instance, schizophrenia or something of the like. Society tends to view people with mental disabilities as being “crazy” and as far from the “normate” as one could possibly stray. People with blindness are not viewed in the same light. However, on the other hand, blindness is not something I have ever had to deal with personally; I don’t even know anyone who is blind. This aspect of the work I’ll be doing with the Association is exciting, because I will be exposed to something that I really don’t know that much about, even as prevalent as blindness is.

-Excerpt from Jackie's: While walking through the organization, it was apparent that some of the people working there were enjoying their job, were joking, and laughing; however there were a few people that seemed as if they were uncomfortable with us there. I hope that it does not become and problem. I understand that some people can be uncomfortable when new people enter a controlled environment; I hope that we do not make these people uncomfortable. It is important to feel comfortable with your environment. There is also one other issue I feel may come up. Because we are only working once a week, I think that it may be harder for some people to open up to us. On our orientation there as one man who was very open and talkative about how he became blind and how he copes now. However I don’t think that most people working will be as open and vocal about their disability.

-Excerpt from Vonna's: Coming into this experience, I thought that our job would be to help blind people with tasks that they had difficulties doing, but after orientation, I shamefully realized that I had underestimated their capabilities, and I now know that my service hours will be more of an opportunity to spend time with them and learn how they experience life.

Excerpts from Service-Learning Journals:

-Excerpt from Rachel's first visit: I am not sure how to relate my first experience at the association with my own life since we weren’t fully given the opportunity to help those that were in need. In that moment, though, I could still look around the production site and realize what lives these people have led. Some of the workers were stationed at the “pen production area” and you could tell that although this was such a humdrum job, they took it seriously and didn’t stop until the clock struck 4:00. Realizing how lucky I am to be a healthy, young woman.

-Excerpt from Alicia's first visit: The woman with whom I spent my two hours working alongside was Linda. Linda is in her early forties and an extremely fun lady to be around. She was born with a condition where the nerves in her eyes are not controlled and thus she could see, but could not control where she was looking. Now, she is completely blind in one eye and can only make out small images from the other. It was interesting how she expressed that having been able to once see and now unable to was probably the most difficult part about being blind, since she has to relearn and readjust to everything in life. As we sat there for two hours I truly enjoyed her company but the task became extremely mundane and under-stimulating, I cannot imagine boxing pens all day along, everyday. I felt extremely sorry for the employees, not simply because they were blind, but because this is the type of work they have been engaging in day after day, most of them for years. Linda was very open about her disability and told me it is extremely hard to find jobs when you are disabled, especially blind. Also, she talked about the low wages they receive and how many of the disabled (and non-disabled) are losing their jobs to people overseas and in Mexico who will work for lower pay. At this point I just wished I could say something encouraging, but the truth is I do not know if that is ever going to change and honestly I wish it would, but it seems the CEOs and people in charge care more about making their billions even if it means people are making five cents an hour and some in our own country are left with out work.

-Excerpt from Lisa's second visit: At one point, Andrew, asked us what our majors were. When Caroline told him that she planned to major in Psychology, and possibly become a psychologist, he responded by saying “oh we would be great patients for you.” I found this to be a very interesting statement, and now that I think about it I find that it relates to the reading by Lennard Davis, “Constructing Normalcy.” Generally, people visit psychologists for a psychological problem, so for Andrew to claim that he would be a good patient reflects the fact that people with disabilities are not “normal.” The idea of what is “normal” has been constructed to create “problems” with those who have disabilities. Andrew cannot see, there is nothing mentally wrong with him, and I think that if he truly believes he needs to see a psychologist, then that is sad.

-Excerpt from Jackie's second visit: For most of our time at Tri County this week Amanda, Alicia and I were working together and not interacting with anyone else. A few people came over and said hi, however that was it. It wasn’t until our last 15 minutes that we were able to have some interaction. Having worked with John before, I knew some things about him. For basically those 15 minutes we talked about music and about his trip he is taking to Texas in two weeks. Whenever John talked about music he always gets very excited and tries to tell you everything he can about it. I think that it is awesome that he loves music that much. He says that he can feel the music and the vibrations that the speakers give off when he listens to it. It really makes me think what my life would be like without having my sights and relaying so much on my other senses.

-Excerpt from Caroline's second visit: When we arrived at the Tri-County Association for the Blind, I was nervous because I did not know what to expect. The previous week I did not get a chance to really interact with the blind workers, and was hoping to get a chance to this week. When Diane told us that we would be working in the production area I was glad, however our first task was putting labels on envelopes and we were segregated from the other workers. I got a chance to interact with the workers when we were packaging cookies. It was awkward at first because the three people Lisa and I were working with all had headphones on and were listening to music or books on tape, so we could not have a conversation. When the supervisor came out to make an announcement, they took off their headphones and this gave me a change to ask the woman I was sitting next to what kind of music she was listening to. We talked about all different kinds of music, her children, what she likes to do on the weekends, etc. The next hour and a half flew by because we were all talking and getting to know one another. One thing that really struck me while I was working there was when one of the women came up to me and said, “How would you like to do this all day, everyday?” This question really caught me off guard, and I did not know how to respond. It was clear that in her asking the question, she did not want to be there. I tiptoed around the answer because I did not know how to respond.

Samples from Post-Service Reflections:

-Excerpt from Amanda's Post Reflection: Every time we were actually able to interact with the workers, I can honestly say that I believe that there was a reciprocal relationship between us. Not only were the workers helping us understand their condition and life better, but also we were able to act as an outlet for them to talk about their blindness. It is amazing how open they were all willing to be, and how much they were able to share in such a short amount of time. Because they understood that we were not there to judge them, the workers were able to talk about a lot of the things that bothered them about their current condition. Aside from the fact that many were never able to live their lives like “normal” people do (or at least how they believe that normal people do), I found that the biggest source of discomfort for them was that they were not treated as equals. One woman told me that she liked us because she didn’t feel as though we were “thinking mean things” about her and the other workers. We were able to become close to them and listen to them, even if only for a couple hours, while we helped them with their work for the day.

-Excerpt from Charlotte's Post Reflection: There is an endless list of the problems the visually impaired face in a “normative” society. Their impairments prohibit them from participating in many of society’s standards for a normal life. Something as simple as watching television or reading the newspaper is a frustrating, if not impossible task for members of this community. Employment, too, creates a difficult situation for the visually impaired. Requiring special computers with audio programs and Braille printers, the visually impaired are not ideal employees both productively and economically. The Tri-County Association for the Blind helps to overcome these obstacles for the visually impaired. Hearing aides and audio programs are provided to the community. Also, by employing those with the impairments, the Association allows them to fully function within the working world. Throughout the semester we have been discussing the presence of the impaired within a “normal” society. In Motherless Brooklyn, Lionel, was labeled as “freakshow” because his Tourettes differentiated him from others. In Fat, the fat man is described only as such—society is only concerned with his physical appearance, thus stripping him of his humanity. Through my experiences at the Tri-County Association for the Blind, I have learned that the visually impaired, too, are restricted in society, as their physical impairment overwhelms their identity.

-Excerpt from Vonna's Post Reflection: The TriCounty Association provides a setting where people who are blind can work and interact with those who are and are not visually impaired. It has both a fundamental and social aspect because it is somewhere people who have disabilities can work and somewhere they can go to play bingo. The times that I have been there, the atmosphere has been very relaxed and conducive both to forming relationships with co-workers and getting their jobs done. From what I have witnessed, the people who work there truly enjoy their jobs because they provide the employees with a source of income and they promote interaction and relationships among everyone at the Association.

-Excerpt from Rachel's Post Reflection: People like John with various impairments face many problems in “normative” society. Many individuals believe that those who are disabled are inherently stupid, incompetent, and useless. Obviously, this is a false perception of those who suffer from impairments such as blindness, deafness, and mental retardation. Every day people with impairments have to get up and face a world full of cynical people who are more likely to write them off as hopeless rather than accept them into “normative” society. The Tri-County Association for the Blind gives people with impairments a job and hope for a better and successful life. Employing the disabled, the association opens its doors to those who would normally be shunned from the world of employment that someone without a disability would be accustomed to. Every day life for people who suffer from various impairments is ten times harder than someone who is walking around with a mere cough or cold. Life is a struggle every second, minute, and hour of every day for people who are stricken with impairments. Tri-County does its best to make the workplace more tolerable and welcoming for those with impairments.

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