Week Eight

This week in RTH 252 was our first week in Heather’s section. The first group to present was the Camping group. The first activity station that my group went to was outside and was the “campsite”. In this activity each member of my group had some type of disability while we set up the tent, took down the tent, and rolled up sleeping bags. The types of disabilities that we had were one person was blind, one person had a visual impairment, one person had a hearing impairment, one person could only use their non-dominant hand, and the last person was in a wheelchair. While we set up the tent I was only allowed to use my non-dominant hand, when we took down the tent I had a hearing impairment, and when I rolled up my sleeping bag I was in a wheelchair. The next activity that my group did was “sat around a campfire”. In this activity we started off by playing a game called, “I’m going camping and I’m bringing”. In this game we had to try to figure out what the rule was that the facilitator created on the items that we could or could not bring. The rule ended up being that the item we brought had to start with the last letter of the item that the facilitator said we could bring. Next, we played a game where you drew a card from the center of the circle and read what was on it. Anyone that had ever done that activity or had that characteristic (ex. blue eyes) would try to toss a marshmallow into someone else’s bowl. Each member started off with 10 marshmallows and the goal was to have the least amount at the end of the game.

The third activity that we did was a “survival” activity. In this activity each member was given a certain injury that they acquired while camping, and were to come up with the correct ways of how to care for that injury. We also made a survival kit that would be beneficial to have with us when we go camping. The final activity that we did was we went back outside and did a team bonding activity of starting a fire. After we got our fire started, we were able to roast marshmallows and make s’mores. When all groups were finished, the facilitators debriefed each activity.

This week I learned how camping can be difficult for persons with disabilities. I liked that each of us was given a disability while we did the tent and sleeping bag activity because it allowed me to see what it was like in someone else’s shoes. Sometimes it is hard to understand what someone with a disability goes through unless you are giving the chance to experience it. This activity really put it into perspective for me, which will be beneficial for my professional development because I feel I will be able to better relate to my clients in certain situations. This week I learned that I am beginning to open up more to my classmates. I don’t know if it has to do with the fact that I am more comfortable working in smaller groups, but I definitely have noticed it. This week my way to “strive for excellence” was to give each activity my best effort so that I could get the most from it and walk away with a much better understanding than I had before I participated in the activity.