I have had very little experience working with people with any sort of disability. For one semester in high school I volunteered at a tennis program for teenagers with downs syndrome. My partner, Meg, was nineteen and had been participating in this program for the past three years. I went into the program to fulfill a community service requirement for my high school, but I had no personal interest in the matter, other than I had played tennis the previous semester. By the end of the first week, though, I adored Meg. She was so joyful that I looked forward to seeing her every week. As the semester progressed, I came to see Meg as my tennis partner first, not just as someone with downs syndrome. I hope that by working with Harris Hillman, I will be able to reach this point with others with a disability faster than I did with Meg.
I am a little nervous to work with Harris Hillman because this tennis program has been one of the only times I have worked intimately with anyone with a disability. The goal of our project is to be able to see the person before you see their disability. Before our mayfield can teach others how to do this, we must first learn to do it ourselves. All of us are at different stages of achieving this goal. By working with Harris Hillman, I hope to become more comfortable working with anyone with a severe disability and come to see them as people, not as a diagnosis.
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