UCP: Mosaic of Experiences

Our Service Experiences:

Pre-Service Reflections

I think our assignment might be especially challenging because we will be interacting with individuals with mental retardation who may need more assistance or accommodations in ways that other disabled people may not. (It is hard to explain this point without sounding like I am rating the levels of disability, but as for now, it’s the only way I know how to best explain myself). I expect that I will quickly adapt to the environment at UCP and I look forward to spending time and forming relationships with the clients. I want to be able to learn more about the clients as people, rather than as “disabled” individuals, focusing only on their differences, and I hope that this experience will teach and allow me to do so.

Nikki Wyman

Service-Learning Journal Excerpts

I really didn't have any idea what to expect when I first went to UCP. However, Stephanie let me know that all the clients had been diagnosed with mental disabilities and explained certain behaviors of some of the people there. The main people that I worked with during my time at UCP were Junior, Dru, and Mark. I did puzzles with Junior a lot, and computer games and crafts with Dru. Dru was very talkative, and we would talk about what was going on, what they had done that day, and what she was up to that weekend. She was always interested in what was going on with me and always asked me a ton of questions! Mark was always so friendly, and Dru and I helped him to crafts a lot. He loves to look at AutoTrader, pick out his favorite trucks, and then Dru and I would paste them on paper for him. He loved the John Deere trucks! For the most part, I got there around lunch, so I helped all the clients get their lunches opened, chatted with them while they ate, then helped them clean up and got started on some activities. I was able to go in the morning once and dyed Easter eggs with them, which was a nice change.

At first I have to admit I was a bit uncomfortable at UCP mainly because I didn't know anyone and was by myself the first time. I didn't really know what to expect of the clients and wasn't sure if they even wanted me there. However, after spending some time with the clients, I felt a lot more comfortable and quickly learned how to approach, talk to, and deal with most of the clients. I ended up really enjoying my time there. I think that I, and all of us, impacted the clients at UCP just by helping them and opening ourselves up to them as friends. They seemed to really like having me there and wanted to do activities as soon as I got there. I really learned a lot from my experience at UCP, and I think the most important thing that I learned during my time there was how to interact with people who have a disability. I don't think I had much experience in the past and that's why I was so uncomfortable in the beginning. After spending a few hours at UCP, though, I feel confident in my ability to have social interactions with a person with disabilities, something that a lot of people who didn't get this opportunity wouldn't have.

Melissa Paettie

Post-Service Reflections

Maybe so that everyone can get some sort of personal reflection on this Wiki Page we can enter a personal quote or some sort of funny or cool experience that happened while we worked at UCP and then ended it with our name for example: "I learned a lot working with UCP...etc. etc. etc." -S. Paul Lukoskie

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