I had the privilege to spend a day with an important person, in whom I learned a lot from on November 5, 2016. I had the opportunity to spend the day with McKenzie Connor – “Kenzie” for short, an 18-year-old female who was born with an intellectual disability, where part of her brain never developed properly. Kenzie is a graduate from New Ulm Public High School and is currently employed at Enterprise in New Ulm, Minnesota. I took Kenzie to Mall of America for her first time, where we spent the day shopping and doing things Kenzie enjoyed.
Kenzie’s diagnosis wasn’t discovered until she was a few years old and wasn’t meeting developmental goals. Kenzie’s intellectual disability is moderate, where she struggles with learning, social interactions, …show more content…
They generally lived with their families or in a group home situations” (p. 265). People have negative biases that those who are diagnosed with a ‘disability’ are unable to be self-efficient or have a job. Kenzie is a hard-worker who is employed at Enterprise in New Ulm, Minnesota. Enterprise is a private non-profit corporation designed to help support individuals, like Kenzie, achieving their highest level of independence. At work, Kenzie helps sort’s cans and labels them; she is also taught skill acquisition in the vocational and social development and to expand all the individuals who work at Enterprise personal capabilities.
Spending the day with Kenzie will forever impact me as I continue my career in social work. It has opened my eyes to helping clients right to self-determination and doing what is best for them. Kenzie has the right to work; she enjoys it and it is important to keep in mind when working with individuals who are diagnosed with a disability to understand all the options available to them. To be a good social worker it is important in assisting our clients in a variety of ways and promotes the well-being of the …show more content…
The negative attitudes and biases of those who are diagnosed with a ‘disability’, like Kenzie, need to change. Snow (2013a) mentions, “the ‘problem’ of disability is not within the person, but within societal attitudes, and our attitudes shape the world we live in” (p.119). Kenzie is a great example of how heartwarming, loving; hard working and grateful individuals who have a ‘disability’ are about life.
Snow is absolutely correct when she mentions that it is not the person with the disability who has a ‘problem’ but the society we live in. People, like Kenzie, are just as smart if not more loving and caring then ‘normal’ people in society. It starts with people like Snow, Mackelprang and McClain and those of us learning about disability, to educate society so that negative biases of an individual with a disability can be eliminated from society and that they can be treated with respect like the rest of
Kenzie’s diagnosis wasn’t discovered until she was a few years old and wasn’t meeting developmental goals. Kenzie’s intellectual disability is moderate, where she struggles with learning, social interactions, …show more content…
They generally lived with their families or in a group home situations” (p. 265). People have negative biases that those who are diagnosed with a ‘disability’ are unable to be self-efficient or have a job. Kenzie is a hard-worker who is employed at Enterprise in New Ulm, Minnesota. Enterprise is a private non-profit corporation designed to help support individuals, like Kenzie, achieving their highest level of independence. At work, Kenzie helps sort’s cans and labels them; she is also taught skill acquisition in the vocational and social development and to expand all the individuals who work at Enterprise personal capabilities.
Spending the day with Kenzie will forever impact me as I continue my career in social work. It has opened my eyes to helping clients right to self-determination and doing what is best for them. Kenzie has the right to work; she enjoys it and it is important to keep in mind when working with individuals who are diagnosed with a disability to understand all the options available to them. To be a good social worker it is important in assisting our clients in a variety of ways and promotes the well-being of the …show more content…
The negative attitudes and biases of those who are diagnosed with a ‘disability’, like Kenzie, need to change. Snow (2013a) mentions, “the ‘problem’ of disability is not within the person, but within societal attitudes, and our attitudes shape the world we live in” (p.119). Kenzie is a great example of how heartwarming, loving; hard working and grateful individuals who have a ‘disability’ are about life.
Snow is absolutely correct when she mentions that it is not the person with the disability who has a ‘problem’ but the society we live in. People, like Kenzie, are just as smart if not more loving and caring then ‘normal’ people in society. It starts with people like Snow, Mackelprang and McClain and those of us learning about disability, to educate society so that negative biases of an individual with a disability can be eliminated from society and that they can be treated with respect like the rest of