My background and experience with the special needs population

Camp SMILE is a summer camp for the mentally and physically disabled children and adults. It is here that I knew that special education was my passion and purpose. I have volunteered as a counselor here for 6 consecutive years, and plan on returning this summer. At Camp SMILE, campers participate in outdoor activities and sports, swimming, horseback riding, arts and crafts, cooking activities, and for the first time this summer there will be a handicap accessible ropes course available. All activities accommodate to each campers abilities and needs. As for the counselors, each volunteer is expected to complete a CPR course and attend a counselor training period before campers arrive. Each counselor is assigned one or two campers, and their safety and experience is the counselor's responsibility. Camp SMILE is the most special place in the world to me because here I realized an innate sameness in all individuals....everyone needs love and attention, and EVERYONE can learn.

For those interested in learning more about Camp SMILE, visit: Campsmilemobile.

Another job that I feel I really learned from was my job as a personal care assistant for a young man with multiple disabilities for nearly seven months. My responsibilities included bathing and clothing him, transporting him to school in the mornings, conducting his exercises with him, feeding, reading and other educational activities and games, taking him on field trips, and moving him from one place to another (i.e. his bath chair, wheelchair, the couch for changing, the floor for his range and motion exercises, his bed, and sometimes in and out of a pool). As you can probably tell, he was quadriplegic. This was caused by extensive brain damage induced by a lack of oxygen from a drowning accident when he was two years old. He was also nonverbal and required a feeding tube. I learned from this experience proper positioning for those that are wheelchair bound, certain techniques used by physical therapist for those with tight muscles and limited range of motion, and about brain damage as a disability. The most important thing I learned from this job was that I can work hard! By challenging my body (he wasn't a small guy!), trying new ways to engage and educate people with disabilities, and working at odd times of the day, I know that I can handle physical and mental challenges.

These experiences along with an incomplete education in Special Education have inspired and encouraged me in my choice of becoming an early-childhood special educator. I look forward to completing my bachelor's degree in the next two years and continuing my education and acquiring a master's degree while beginning my career as a teacher. I am confident that my past experiences will prove to very helpful in the future.