My Supports

     Within our daily lives, we all need support of some kind. Some of us require technological supports, such as the use of our electronic devices for telling time, keeping schedules, and staying organized. Others require visual support, such as through the use of glasses or contacts. Other people need the use of assistive devices for physical support, such as walkers, chairs that lift us to stand, wheelchairs, or canes. Like many others, I have supports that extend across many different domains. I am supported by others throughout my day, both at home and at work. I also provide support for others within these environments, in a partnership or collegial manner.
     For example, I rely on the emotional support of my husband and extended family to carry me through difficult days, when things just seem too difficult, too overwhelming, or too many. My family helps me calm down, prioritize, and tackle any task that needs to be done. I am supported daily by my husband helping me around the house, getting the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and just about every other household chore done that is necessary to keep the household going. He even makes lunches! There would be no way I could do everything I need to do without such support.  I would not be able to work full time, complete my school work satisfactorily (to my satisfaction or our professor's), and fulfill my other obligations without him. Thanks honey!!! I rely on the support of my colleagues at work when faced with a challenging situation involving my students. We collaborate on how to best meet the needs of our students when one of us is stuck (and sometimes frustrated). Without the support network of colleagues at school, I would have made many mistakes providing my students with the best possible education. Sometimes the perspective of another person, one who does not work with the students day to day, is the best one because it encourages you to think outside the box, to look at the situation differently, which leads to more creative and sometimes more effective solutions. I would definitely not be so successful in my career as a teacher without my colleagues. I am not talking about status as a teacher, title, or anything else other than providing students with the best possible learning experiences. I measure my success by how I am doing as a teacher, meeting their needs. I have definitely benefitted from the knowledge and expertise of many different professionals along the way, and without them I would not have the knowledge, skills, or attitude necessary to meet their needs. Thank you to all of my colleagues who have offered knowledge, skill trainings, ideas, or support to me throughout my career.

For my current course, I need to choose a challenge to hypothetically face, and to brainstorm the supports necessary to be successful to overcome or manage it.

For this exercise, my challenge would be to use a wheelchair and have difficulty communicating verbally. Within my daily environment, I would need to live and work (or attend school) in an environment that is relatively easy to navigate with my wheelchair. This means that it would be free of obstacles, with space between the furniture for easy turning. Furthermore, I would need to find a system of communication that worked for me, whether it was some kind of visual communication board, assistive technology(such as computer, iPad, or eye gaze system), sign language, or any other means necessary to complete my daily tasks. I would need the emotional support of my family and friends to encourage me to keep going when things get tough, to always do my best no matter what, and to believe in me. Without these supports, my physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs would not be met. Physically, because I would not be able to navigate my environment, I would be unable to be independent, something we all strive for. Socially and emotionally, my needs would not be met because I would have no way of communicating them, and people would have no way of knowing what I need or want. Cognitively, my needs would not be met because often, when someone can't speak, people assume that you are mentally disabled as well, and avoid trying to communicate. Life would be very difficult, and would probably lead to feelings of isolation, frustration, anger, depression and possibly even illness if I fell ill and could not communicate my need to see a physician.

As I end today, think about all the supports you have in your life. Who couldn't you live without? Go thank them. And do it often. What couldn't you live without? Now think of how you would do things without that object. Remember this the next time you encounter someone with a disability. How would you like to be treated?  How can you help that child or person be the best person he or she can be? What can we all do to make each other's lives a little bit easier? Now go do it!