Living and Learning

Sometimes, I feel that we took on too much when we started this project. Not just in terms of the project, but also in terms of the reality that living with nine other people in such an intimate setting is. We've bonded, we've had disagreements, we've taken care of each other in times of need, we've confided and I've personally learned as much about my roommates as I have about myself. A lot of us came to the Mayfield with very little knowledge about each other and our own preconceived notions - it is for that reason that I feel that living in the Mayfield has helped us more than anything else in embracing the spirit of the people first movement. There's been ups and downs - fortunately, mostly ups - and I can truly call this a "living learning" experience.

With the project, I've been exposed to my own ignorance about the ableism of our society and how far the disabilities awareness movement still has to go. Dr. DaFonte has been phenomenal in teaching us how to use people first language and educating us. I couldn't ask for a better mentor. I think we've reached that stage in our learning process where we are ready to spread what we've learned with the rest of our community. And I am beyond ready to.