Speech Of A Speech Language Therapist

1733 Words4 Pages

I am currently a freshman at Oklahoma State University, majoring in communication sciences and disorders. I plan to graduate in May 2019 with my bachelors degree and then pursue a master’s degree and certification in speech-language pathology. With this degree I aspire to work as a speech language therapist in a nursing home. Before working on the service learning project component of this course, I did not have any experience working with people with disabilities. Through the service learning project I had the opportunity to volunteer with two programs that work with adults with disabilities. I volunteered with an adult education class program that provides adults with disabilities Adult Basic Education. The second program was the Faith Class, which is a Sunday school class for adults with disabilities.
Activities
I volunteered in the classroom of adult education classes held at the First United Methodist Church in Stillwater, Oklahoma on two Mondays early in the semester. These classes were comprised of about fifteen adults of all ages with different disabilities. Each volunteer that came to the class was assigned one student to work with. Each time I attended, I worked with a young woman who had an intellectual delay, as well an orthopedic impairment.
At the beginning of each class the students had board work they were to copy down and answer in their notebooks. The board work required the students to write out the whole date and answer a question that correlated with that day’s lesson. I helped my student to complete this assignment by writing out the board work on a piece of paper in front of her as she wrote. This aided her in seeing how the letters were formed, so she could correctly write them in her notebook. The woman...

... middle of paper ...

...individuals in the Faith Class, I learned how to practice the People First Language in my everyday life. I often see many of the members from the class working in the student union. I stop and talk to them, as I would with friends that I have classes. with. I do not see the individuals in the class as people with disabilities that I teach, but I see them as my friends who help me grow stronger in my faith everyday. Even though the service learning project is over, I will continue to volunteer in the Faith Sunday school class every Sunday this semester. I am already dreading going home for summer break, because I want people to see the Faith Class members every Sunday. The service learning project has changed the way I view people with disabilities and think all people should volunteer with people with disabilities to gain more experience with People First Language.

Open Document