I volunteered at a school called Bridgeway academy, where students from K-12 with autism and developmental disability attends. The volunteer’s task was to assist occupational therapists in having a smooth process, such as completing the tasks of printing out teaching materials and cleaning the room and toys after a therapy session.
I was under the impression that occupational therapists only work on the medical aspects of the therapy. However, I realized that occupational therapists accomplish tedious work, such as creating a tool that will be used in a therapy session. It almost reminded me of teachers because of their work and effort used outside the therapy sessions. As I was assigned to create the teaching materials, I was surprised to experience how tedious and time-consuming it is. Occupational therapists constantly write notes about students and prepare for upcoming sessions that they do not have enough time to create activity materials. I hope my help relieved some work off from the therapists.
Interacting with students with disability was truly a new experience. I was startled and nervous at the beginning. Even though I had prior experience volunteering, where I tutored college students with developmental disabilities, interaction with students at Bridgeway academy was filled with surprises. I am unsure if the unexpected behaviors were due to age and, or the degree of the disability; I was consistently shocked and stunned by the students. However, I began to become accustomed as I increased the interaction with students.
I vividly remember hearing the screaming and wailing of students when I walked into the front lobby on the first day of volunteering. If I must be honest, I was frightened by sounds of the students. But, as I spent time at the academy, my ears started to mute the sounds of screaming as it became customary.
I volunteered for four hours on Tuesday and Thursday. Somedays, the occupational therapists would assign me to create teaching material. For example, one day, I was directed to paint rocks that would be used for a school project. I would sit down and silently paint the rocks for entire four hours. On another day, I would be assigned to create materials where I would cut, glue, and laminate the papers most of the volunteering shift. Completing those tasks taught me the other “side” of occupational therapy. I was very focused and more interested in the medical aspect that I dismissed the non-medical aspect of occupational therapy.
I have encountered a student who asked me, “why is your skin weird?” His question stunned me, and I was unable to answer. I was unsure what was the correct response. I was uncertain how I should explain to a young student, possibly in elementary school, that my skin is not “weird.” From my observation, most of the teachers and therapists who work at the academy are White. I assume I was the “odd” to the students as I was one of the few Asians in the academy. The occupational therapist quickly said, “hey, that’s not nice,” to the student. I was glad to see that therapist taught the student that a question regarding skin is something inappropriate. However, I was disappointed that the therapist did not explain that my skin was “not weird.” I was secretly hoping that she would clarify that any skin is not weird so that he would not make the same mistake in the future. This question did not offend me as I knew the student meant no harm. Nonetheless, it led me to reinforce the idea that diversity education is vital in any area of education, including an academic institution like Bridgeway academy, where only students with a developmental disability attend.
I was also frightened by the risks of injuries. I would become scared watching how students handled writing utensils. I viewed and felt the responsibility as a therapist when a student ingested a crayon. My heart sank when he put the crayon in his mouth and refused to take it out. However, the therapist stayed calm, informing me that the crayons used in the academy were not harmful. As an occupational therapist, I would have to remain calm and be ready for unexpected behaviors of students.
Becoming accustomed to the students at Bridgeway academy is significant in my life because my future career is to work with children as an occupational therapist. The experiences I gained from volunteering gave me a fantastic insight into the expectation of the environment and the students. Even though there were many surprising moments, I truly enjoyed meeting every student who was filled with positivity. In addition, I witnessed the tight connections between the therapists and the students. My goal is to have a close relationship with my future clients as I medically and emotionally support them.
