Prompts:
- Describe your involvement with this organization.
- Describe what you have gained as a result of this experience.
- Describe positive changes to the community as a result of this experience.
- Describe a person with whom you interacted that made a strong impression on you, either positive of negative.
- Complete the following Sentence: “Because of this service experience, I am _______.”
Organization: TOPS
Location: The Ohio State University Nisonger Center
Position: Volunteer Intern
For my Major Service Project, I have spent the past semester as a volunteer intern through the TOPS program. “TOPS” stands for Transition Options in Postsecondary Settings for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This program is a program designed to offer adults who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities an opportunity to get the “college experience” here at The Ohio State University. Through enrolling in this program, the students are given the opportunity to participate in academic coursework and work experiences, while they can develop independent living skills and engage in campus life. I was a volunteer intern for this program, and received the role of social coach. I chose to apply for the social coach position because it would allow for me to truly get to know the students beyond the confinement of a classroom.
As a result of this experience, I have gained so much. I found happiness in each minute of my volunteering, as there is no way to feel the fulfillment you can maintain through making someone else’s day. I would love to continue to volunteer with the TOPS program, as it was something that I actually looked forward to each and every week. Volunteering with this program was rewarding beyond how it made me feel, as it expanded upon my experience with the special needs population. I am currently a Speech and Hearing Science major with the plan on attending a graduate program and becoming a licensed Speech Language Pathologist, therefore I will be frequently working with special needs populations in my future. Volunteering with the TOPS program has also allowed me to gain experience with older individuals with special needs, as most of my previous experience has been with young children.
In terms of positive changes to the community as a result of this experience, I feel that the primary change had been in the TOPS community specifically, rather than within Ohio State community as a whole. Through weekly socials with the students enrolled in the TOPS program, it provided them with ways to remain involved on campus, as it was somewhat difficult for them to find ways to get involved on their own. I specifically tried to introduce the students in the program to the various events that the Ohio Union Activities Board (OUAB) has to offer. I felt that introducing the students to the OUAB events was particularly helpful because there was no long term commitment involved, and you can pick and choose which events that you could go to at your leisure. A group favorite was the OUAB flicks for free, where on Wednesday nights there would be free movies at the Ohio Union. Before or after the movie we would always go to dinner or grab dessert to reflect on how our weeks were going and ideas for future events.
The part of my volunteering that I enjoyed the most had to be attending the Americans with Disabilities Act Seminar. At this seminar, there were TOPS students and Ohio State students alike discussing the different ways that individuals with disabilities here on campus could be better accommodated and respected. There were also many representatives from The Office of Disability Services there to answer any questions and take note of the requests of the students. Sitting through this seminar allowed for myself to reflect on a lot of the great points that were being discussed. We spoke about the lack of accessibility of many classroom buildings, and the lack of support that the university provides to the Office of Disability Services to help them provide students with disabilities with what they need. Attending this seminar had really encouraged me to get involved beyond my internship, and has motivated me to join more student organizations to try and advocate for the students on campus who have disabilities. The most important thing that I took from this seminar was that we need to work on changing the way that people view disabilities. Society has a whole needs to think less of disabilities as something that inhibits people from doing what is “normal,” and think of those with disabilities as individuals who are just a little bit different. We are all different in our own way and we need to appreciate that, rather than harp on the things that individuals struggle with and instead place a greater emphasis on individuals strengths.
The person who has made the strongest impression on me through my volunteer internship is Mallory Workman. Mallory is the woman who directly oversees the TOPS program, and it is incredible to see what she has made it into today. Since the program is relatively new, there is definitely some room for improvement, but she has provided the program with the resources they need to make strides. Her dedication and commitment to the program is inspiring. Seeing Mallory do her job is an incredible way to see first hand how one individual can make such an impact on peoples lives. The experience that she is giving to the students enrolled in the TOPS program is something that will impact them for the rest of their lives.
Because of this experience, I am motivated to pursue my prospective field of Speech Language Pathology. This will allow myself to continue benefiting the lives of individuals with special needs. As a result of this experience I am also motivated to be more involved in advocating for the special needs population on campus in order to provide them with accommodations that will allow them to be successful in reaching their full potential.