UNIT 20 Disability

藝弊悝汜炾釬

Into Her World

by Heidi Fusco, Mohonasen High School

I threw my hands into the air, fell back on Emily＊s bed, and covered my stressed eyes with the palms of my hands. Suddenly Emily turned out the lights and whispered "night-night" in a small voice as the door closed.

She did it again. Just when I thought that I was the worst teacher in the world, torturing this sweet little girl with incomprehensible questions that she just wouldn＊t answer, she does something to show me that she does see me, she can hear me, and more importantly, she＊s responding to me. Sitting up, I think, "Oh Emily, I could just pick you up, hold you, and never make you work again. But you won＊t let me hold you. That is why we have to do this." Renewed, I was ready to start again.

Emily is a six-year-old with autism. I met her in 1996 through a baby-sitting job. This was the first time I had ever taken care of a person with a disability. Although I was a little afraid, I was excited that I would be able to do this.

Emily＊s autism causes her to learn more slowly than other children. She doesn＊t communicate or respond to the outside world as most children do. It is a rare social and emotional developmental disorder. For Emily, simple tasks, such as focusing on an object or idea, become difficult, aggravating, and sometimes impossible. This makes it very hard for Emily to play a board game with her sister because she doesn＊t understand about rolling dice or moving the pieces.

A year after meeting Emily, her mother offered me another job through an organization called Respite. I would work exclusively with Emily to reinforce her communication and self-motivation skills, and in turn, help to take down the communication barrier. I would accomplish this by being both her friend and teacher: playing with her while prompting her to talk and respond.

I＊ve been doing Respite work with Emily for three years and it has been an incredible experience. Of course there were times when I would talk to her and she would just not respond the way I wanted her to. These instances of frustration are always made up for by the times when she progresses so fast and I just have to hug her. Although I know that with her degree of autism she will never fully overcome her disabilities, it is exhilarating to see how she has improved. I have faith that someday she will be the one asking me the questions. She has learned so much and will learn so much more.

I have learned many things through the incredible experience of working with Emily, including understanding how to think of alternative ways to approach a problem, clearing up a misunderstanding, and gaining a solution. When Emily doesn＊t answer a question I ask, she may not understand what I am asking. If we are looking at a picture of people in a book, I know to ask, "Emily, what do you see?" Instead of "What are they doing?," because she doesn＊t yet understand "doing."

When I first met Emily I didn＊t realize the impact it would have on my life. I play only a small role in her life, because I don＊t see her every day and do not deal with everything her family, who are the true heroes, has to deal with. Yet her role in my life is immense, causing me to look at things very differently. Witnessing someone once labeled "helpless" suddenly "help" herself, I appreciate my whole life a little more. Those instances when this amazing little girl looks right into my eyes and smiles the most beautiful smile, reveals that life is incredible.

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蔬劼吽噪蔬詢撰笢悝