I cannot believe I'm almost done with my internship...and college in general. In the past few weeks I have had to start saying goodbye to some of our clients, because we sometimes don't see them for a month between appointments. I have enjoyed the process of observing my clients, reading their files, teaching them, and finally seeing some progress. I have one client who was very nervous about her mobility. She would have to be heavily encouraged before she would cross a driveway or a parking lot in her apartment complex. Now she crosses with confidence. When I first met her, there was always one sidewalk that would confuse her and she would stop and get very disoriented. Now she breezes by it as if it doesn't even exist. On our route to the bus stop, I just stand back and let her go. In our last lesson I did not prompt her once on our walk home from the stop. I've also worked with her on building confidence. She used to always phrase things as a question "this is the bus stop..?". Now she says things with determination "This IS the bus stop". I've also watched her self advocacy develop. During our bus trips she has had to independently ask the drive to announce the stops, assist her in locating her gate at the plaza, and even once informed the driver that the first seats on the left are reserved for people with disabilities.
At F.S.D.B. I was proud of my students when they successfully washed the dishes or wrote a check. I never thought I would feel this proud of an adult. It's a different kind of pride with mobility lessons. This is why I love O&M. What I am able to teach these clients and students can give them back one of the most basic abilities, the freedom to move safely. Whether it be riding the bus, or getting around their home, it's so important to building their confidence and being independent. I feel like when teaching O&M the results are more concrete, and yet can be applied in so many situations and aspects of life.
I love teaching O&M (and I hope I'll get to do a lot of it in my new job in Denver!)
