(no subject)
FIRST JOURNAL ENTRY FOR MY INTERNSHIP---
1/19/05 9:15am
I’m going to WCI for the first time today. I’m kind of nervous, but I feel better because Jenna is taking me and I met Cheryl and Judy last night at the Omni Parker House. They were both extremely kind and seem like very understanding people. I can see myself going to them if I had any problems/question/concerns.
Still wondering:
• What am I doing?
• What is everyone like?
• What am I doing????
• How long will I be there today?
• Why do they have 4 sites in Waltham?
• What is at each site?
• How do I write an assessment?
• Am I going to get lost every day going to work? I hardly understand Harvard Square, much less Waltham, where I’ve never even been.
Expectations:
o Friendly faces- they must be good people to do what they do, right?
o Think I am watching all of the workers and writing about how they work with others and how efficiently they work.
I hope I don’t have people who fight me away or don’t like me. I hope they are cooperative. I hope I don’t embarrass myself. I don’t know any sign language, which scares me. I hope they are understanding. I’m a slow learner with that kind of stuff. I hope I’m not the coffee bitch. Or the photocopier. I hope my job is more than paperwork. The events sound like a good time. I hope I can go to some of them.
I’m interning Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Then I’m probably working part time Friday, Saturday, Sunday and maybe Monday night. Hopefully I will have time to breathe and go home to Jersey.
Mental note: I left at 8:45am to get there at 10:30am. That’s an hour and 45 minute trip.
1/19/05 3:18pm “After the First Day”
Jenna and I kind of got turned around on the way to WCI, but not too much. It is very accessible from the Commuter Rail, but everyone is saying that I probably don’t want to take that since it’s expensive and if I took buses I could just pay for the T. So on Monday I have to navigate my way using the bus (kind of scared). Maybe I’ll do a dry run tomorrow.
Today was a good day. I interned from 10:30-3:00 (4.5 hrs). When I got there, a mentally disabled girl- who I later found out was Jerry (Geri? not sure…) pointed me towards Cheryl’s office. I met Jak, who helps the individuals with their jobs. I don’t remember his official title. The “Common Street Site” is one big room (besides the very small, 4-walled and 1 tiny windowed office) where the individuals hang out when they aren’t working. There were only two people there at first, who I didn’t talk to because they were deaf. Cheryl showed me around a little bit (not much to show in one room) and then filled out my Internship Contract. Basically, what I’ll be doing for the semester is helping Cheryl talk one on one with each person to figure out what kind of job he/she wants. I’ll ask questions like what they like to do, hobbies, interests, past jobs that worked or didn’t work, etc. She showed me the assessment papers, which seem pretty straightforward. Cheryl does not have these papers on a disc yet, only photocopies, so she might have me bring my laptop in so I can type everything up for her and save them on a disc.
We went for a drive to the Main Office, where I met Deb and Janet (I think they were Job Coaches for some deaf individuals who worked there doing filing and photocopying tasks) and two office workers who also work with the “deaf folks” as they were called. I also filled out some random WCI paperwork/application (don’t really understand why I did half of that stuff because they should have that info already…whatever). Then we had a lot of time to kill since Judy, Sandra (Cheryl’s boss), etc etc weren’t there. So we went to a hamburger place for lunch called Wild Willy’s. We went there mainly because Cheryl wants to get someone a job there since it’s a new place and they had a “Now Hiring” sign. She explained to me that it’s her job to drive to different potential job sites and get applications and find out if they can hire people with certain disabilities. I think that sometimes she is afraid to say too much to them because of discrimination; but she has to give enough info to employers so that they understand the basics. So she says that she helps people with disabilities find jobs.
I told Cheryl that one of my main concerns/worries was that the only experience/training with mental disabilities was with my Uncle Philip. I have never taken classes about mental retardation, never worked in a job with or about mental disabilities etc. Cheryl basically explained that it truly is hard to learn that kind of stuff in a classroom. Experience is the best way to go. I told her I didn’t want to seem ignorant to other employees of WCIl, but she said that they have worked with these individuals for so long and know all their quirks and habits that they are very comfortable explaining anything I need to know or letting me read the folders. That put me at ease. Then she also said that living with Philip could be more training than other employees might have. Everyone has their own different experiences.
I am getting a “Behavioral Prevention” training at the end of February. I’ll be learning how to deal with problems or how to restrain if necessary. So that should be very good for me. A very good resume addition. They are also going to CPR certify me for FREE! yay!
After Wild Willy’s we drove around Waltham/Waverly. She showed me the old institution for mentally retarded individuals. It is still in use for about 200 people according to her. I think that’s a lot, but I guess it’s better than what it used to be. Basically, they used to institutionalize retarded people because they didn’t know what else to do with them. Then companies like WCI evolved and got them jobs, taking them out of the institution and putting them in residences/group homes to be more independent. There are still very severely retarded people living at the institution, but I think it’s because it’s medically safer for them than putting them out on their own.
The institution looks like a college campus. Massachusetts is still having controversy over it because of the amount the land is worth. Some want to shut down the whole place, some want to keep it for the beneifit of the people who use it. Afterwards, we went to another site on Main St. This is where the very retarded people are. They walk around, almost aimlessly. It’s very intriguing to wonder what they think of this life. I met a woman (who’s name I can’t remember), Martin, a tall man w/ dark brown hair, who is a Job Coach, and Neil, a heavy set man from the UK with an awesome accent. I also met Jimmy, Larry, Barbara, and some others (Paul?).
We spoke to Neil for about a half hour. Very very nice man. I learned about the restructuring of the company (merging two sites) and why the individuals are wandering around and not working. A lot of them worked at the Marriot, which doesn’t seem to need them right now because of slow business. So right now they can deliver phone books or work at some other place, but them all love Marriot (they get lots of food there) so they are all disappointed.
Neil is trying to find things for them to do but doesn’t want to give them stupid half hour tasks. He wants them to do things that are worth doing, things that are sellable. I offered a couple of suggestions (Nursing home donations, hospital stuff, selling things to stores who can sell them and make some kind profit).
After that, we went back to Commons Street, where I walked to Town Hall and got bus schedules. Then Cheryl and Jak helped me figure out a new route home, and I left, sat at the Commons Café, and now I’m on my way home. Overall, a good day!
1/19/05 9:15am
I’m going to WCI for the first time today. I’m kind of nervous, but I feel better because Jenna is taking me and I met Cheryl and Judy last night at the Omni Parker House. They were both extremely kind and seem like very understanding people. I can see myself going to them if I had any problems/question/concerns.
Still wondering:
• What am I doing?
• What is everyone like?
• What am I doing????
• How long will I be there today?
• Why do they have 4 sites in Waltham?
• What is at each site?
• How do I write an assessment?
• Am I going to get lost every day going to work? I hardly understand Harvard Square, much less Waltham, where I’ve never even been.
Expectations:
o Friendly faces- they must be good people to do what they do, right?
o Think I am watching all of the workers and writing about how they work with others and how efficiently they work.
I hope I don’t have people who fight me away or don’t like me. I hope they are cooperative. I hope I don’t embarrass myself. I don’t know any sign language, which scares me. I hope they are understanding. I’m a slow learner with that kind of stuff. I hope I’m not the coffee bitch. Or the photocopier. I hope my job is more than paperwork. The events sound like a good time. I hope I can go to some of them.
I’m interning Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Then I’m probably working part time Friday, Saturday, Sunday and maybe Monday night. Hopefully I will have time to breathe and go home to Jersey.
Mental note: I left at 8:45am to get there at 10:30am. That’s an hour and 45 minute trip.
1/19/05 3:18pm “After the First Day”
Jenna and I kind of got turned around on the way to WCI, but not too much. It is very accessible from the Commuter Rail, but everyone is saying that I probably don’t want to take that since it’s expensive and if I took buses I could just pay for the T. So on Monday I have to navigate my way using the bus (kind of scared). Maybe I’ll do a dry run tomorrow.
Today was a good day. I interned from 10:30-3:00 (4.5 hrs). When I got there, a mentally disabled girl- who I later found out was Jerry (Geri? not sure…) pointed me towards Cheryl’s office. I met Jak, who helps the individuals with their jobs. I don’t remember his official title. The “Common Street Site” is one big room (besides the very small, 4-walled and 1 tiny windowed office) where the individuals hang out when they aren’t working. There were only two people there at first, who I didn’t talk to because they were deaf. Cheryl showed me around a little bit (not much to show in one room) and then filled out my Internship Contract. Basically, what I’ll be doing for the semester is helping Cheryl talk one on one with each person to figure out what kind of job he/she wants. I’ll ask questions like what they like to do, hobbies, interests, past jobs that worked or didn’t work, etc. She showed me the assessment papers, which seem pretty straightforward. Cheryl does not have these papers on a disc yet, only photocopies, so she might have me bring my laptop in so I can type everything up for her and save them on a disc.
We went for a drive to the Main Office, where I met Deb and Janet (I think they were Job Coaches for some deaf individuals who worked there doing filing and photocopying tasks) and two office workers who also work with the “deaf folks” as they were called. I also filled out some random WCI paperwork/application (don’t really understand why I did half of that stuff because they should have that info already…whatever). Then we had a lot of time to kill since Judy, Sandra (Cheryl’s boss), etc etc weren’t there. So we went to a hamburger place for lunch called Wild Willy’s. We went there mainly because Cheryl wants to get someone a job there since it’s a new place and they had a “Now Hiring” sign. She explained to me that it’s her job to drive to different potential job sites and get applications and find out if they can hire people with certain disabilities. I think that sometimes she is afraid to say too much to them because of discrimination; but she has to give enough info to employers so that they understand the basics. So she says that she helps people with disabilities find jobs.
I told Cheryl that one of my main concerns/worries was that the only experience/training with mental disabilities was with my Uncle Philip. I have never taken classes about mental retardation, never worked in a job with or about mental disabilities etc. Cheryl basically explained that it truly is hard to learn that kind of stuff in a classroom. Experience is the best way to go. I told her I didn’t want to seem ignorant to other employees of WCIl, but she said that they have worked with these individuals for so long and know all their quirks and habits that they are very comfortable explaining anything I need to know or letting me read the folders. That put me at ease. Then she also said that living with Philip could be more training than other employees might have. Everyone has their own different experiences.
I am getting a “Behavioral Prevention” training at the end of February. I’ll be learning how to deal with problems or how to restrain if necessary. So that should be very good for me. A very good resume addition. They are also going to CPR certify me for FREE! yay!
After Wild Willy’s we drove around Waltham/Waverly. She showed me the old institution for mentally retarded individuals. It is still in use for about 200 people according to her. I think that’s a lot, but I guess it’s better than what it used to be. Basically, they used to institutionalize retarded people because they didn’t know what else to do with them. Then companies like WCI evolved and got them jobs, taking them out of the institution and putting them in residences/group homes to be more independent. There are still very severely retarded people living at the institution, but I think it’s because it’s medically safer for them than putting them out on their own.
The institution looks like a college campus. Massachusetts is still having controversy over it because of the amount the land is worth. Some want to shut down the whole place, some want to keep it for the beneifit of the people who use it. Afterwards, we went to another site on Main St. This is where the very retarded people are. They walk around, almost aimlessly. It’s very intriguing to wonder what they think of this life. I met a woman (who’s name I can’t remember), Martin, a tall man w/ dark brown hair, who is a Job Coach, and Neil, a heavy set man from the UK with an awesome accent. I also met Jimmy, Larry, Barbara, and some others (Paul?).
We spoke to Neil for about a half hour. Very very nice man. I learned about the restructuring of the company (merging two sites) and why the individuals are wandering around and not working. A lot of them worked at the Marriot, which doesn’t seem to need them right now because of slow business. So right now they can deliver phone books or work at some other place, but them all love Marriot (they get lots of food there) so they are all disappointed.
Neil is trying to find things for them to do but doesn’t want to give them stupid half hour tasks. He wants them to do things that are worth doing, things that are sellable. I offered a couple of suggestions (Nursing home donations, hospital stuff, selling things to stores who can sell them and make some kind profit).
After that, we went back to Commons Street, where I walked to Town Hall and got bus schedules. Then Cheryl and Jak helped me figure out a new route home, and I left, sat at the Commons Café, and now I’m on my way home. Overall, a good day!