Miner 1

Madeline Miner
EDUC 310 Wasta
November 17, 2014
Community Exploration and Analysis
This semester in EDUC 310, my classmates and I were challenged to take on
a volunteering position within our community that pushed us outside of our
comfort zone. I spent my time at the Arc Op Shop near downtown Harrisonburg
almost every Friday from 9am to 11am. The Arc is a place where adults with
intellectual and developmental disabilities can go in order to get support in living
their lives. When I would go to the Arc on Fridays, there would be a few tasks that I
would do each time, such as carrying pizza boxes and other items out to the bus so
that the clients and employees could drive them to the proper locations. These were
the small, odd-jobs that I did when I would visit the Arc. However, my main purpose
in being there was to simply be with the clients. They love to have visitors and it
was such a rewarding experience to get to know them better and make them feel
cared for and invested in.
When I first signed up for my community service experience, I was not sure
where to go. My friend had told me about the Arc and how the people there were so
kind and good to be around, so I thought to myself Why not? My friend is a social
work major with a minor in special education and non-teaching, so working in that
type of environment is one of her strengths. However, I had never been immersed
in an environment such as the one that she described Arc to be. I did not know what
to expect, really. In my first discussion post, I mentioned how in the past I had
worked mainly with kids and that I had never even worked in special education.
Choosing to go to Arc was very far out of my comfort zone seeing as it was not only
a place that focused on disability service, but also on adults who need this
assistance. Due to the fact that it was a far leap from the types of jobs that I

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normally take, I had no true expectations of what it would be like or what I would be
doing. The only thing I did know was that the people there were very kind and
service-hearted because my friend had volunteered there before for one of her
social work classes. Otherwise, I was going in with no prior thoughts on what Id be
encountering.
Since I went into Arc with no concrete expectations beforehand, I felt like I
was able to go in with a completely open-minded attitude, even if I was a little
nervous about being outside of my comfort zone. I did a couple of different tasks in
the time that I spent at the Arc. Every time that I went, I would help the clients carry
Dominos pizza boxes out to the Arcs bus that were to be delivered to the local
Dominos pizza place. These were pizza boxes that the clients had folded up
themselves as a job in order to make a small salary. Another small job that I would
help with was loading the Arc bus up with random items that were going to be sold
at the next junk/yard sale, for lack of a better word. The clients got so much joy
out of being able to help carry those things out to the bus, and some even were
able to tag along on the bus ride to drop the items off at their proper locations. If
you got to go on the bus, you could be seen as one of the cool clients in the
building. It was funny to see that stereotypical, school-kids dynamic among these
adults. The activity at the Arc that I participated in most and enjoyed the most was
just sitting and talking with the clients. Whenever I walk into the room, they are all
milling about the room. Some of them like to color, others like to make bead
bracelets, and still others like to play computer games. But I believe that their
favorite thing to do was to talk with the staff and volunteers. They absolutely love it
when volunteers come to visit them and they made the most of the time that each
of the volunteers would be present. It was almost difficult at the same time because

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they would all call me over to them at the same time, and since there is only one of
me and many of them it could get stressful at times. However, they never ceased to
want to spend time with the volunteers. I would color with them, make bracelets
with them, or talk with them. One woman is blind and so I would work on braille
flashcards with her. Another woman is deaf so I would practice my American Sign
Language with her. It was never a boring day at the Arc, which made the
adjustment easy.
In adjusting to and finding my place in this experience at the Arc, I was able
to learn a lot about myself and about the different people that I encountered. Some
of the things I learned about myself included that I was able to confirm my love for
working with and serving other people, and that I do enjoy working with those who
have various types of disabilities. It was difficult at first to communicate with the
clients, especially those who had disabilities that affected their speech. Over the
times that I went to Arc, however, I found the unique ways in which each client
communicated and was able to get used to the way they spoke and how they acted
in that group. I also really enjoyed working in an environment that focuses fully on
helping those with disabilities. It was so sweet to get to know them all and see how I
could help them, and then see their gratitude at even the smallest act of help from
a staff or volunteer worker. Given that I did not have many expectations coming into
the experience, I think it is important for me to mention the ways in which the
clients surprised me and helped me, too. They surprised me in their ability to
remember who I am, why I was there, when I had last been there, etc. They also (for
the most part) had this undeniable happiness about them. They would tell me I
love folding pizza boxes and I love to color. These simple statements struck me
so deeply because they are just SO simple. Each client has their own favorite

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activities to do when they go to Arc, and they find so much good in doing small
tasks. These adults want to be a part of everyday society, and any little bit that
helps them do that is golden to them. It was so beautiful and cool to see the pure,
innocent way that they see the world.
In this experience, I was also able to make connections to the work that we
have been doing in class throughout the semester. On page 405-406 in our
textbook, a list is given of the ability/disability continuum. It includes sensory
differences, physical differences, communication differences, cognitive/intellectual
differences, and emotional/behavioral differences. When I went to the Arc for the
first time, I thought of this list because all of the clients at Arc have different
disabilities. It was an interesting environment in which the whole continuum was
represented. I also came to realize that Arc was essentially the same as a transition
plan, mentioned on page 409 in the textbook. It is described as a plan made in
anticipation of a students leaving school and entering the adult world of work and
community living (Cushner 409). At the Arc, the goal is the same. The clients are
brought there so that they can have work and they can learn how to assimilate
themselves into society at a pace of their own. In a binder at the Arc, each client is
listed in the binder with a set of goals for any given time period. Most of those goals
included ways to improve speech and how well they were able to perform tasks. In
this, I was also reminded of the article we read during the week we went through
Chapter 12, The Social Construction of Disability, and I feel like it explained the
reason that we need places like Arc and why that is such a huge gift for these
adults. The article said that disability is also socially constructed by the failure to
give the amount and kind of help they need to participate fully in all major aspects
of life in the society, including making a significant contribution in the form of work

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(Wendell 3). Places like the Arc aim to get rid of this social construct that prevents
those with disabilities from living the life they can and deserve to have.
There is such a stigma place behind those who have disabilities of any kind
because they are considered to be different, but after spending time at the Arc I
realize that more people need to be like the clients. It reminded me a lot of a
classroom because kids have this way of living life that allows them to find joy and
have fun in the simplest of ways. I cannot necessarily use that in my classroom, but
it is something I noticed. However, a few things I could take from this experience
and into the classroom are the importance of getting to know your students on a
more personal level while also staying professional. When I spent time with the
clients, it was obvious that they felt loved and cared for just because I was talking
with them and asking about their life. Not only can I use that in the classroom, but I
can also use that in my everyday life. Being genuine is something that I have
always wanted to practice more, and being in the Arc showed me that its such a
good thing to be genuine. When youre genuine, whether its at Arc, the classroom,
or in the dining hall, people can tell and it can make all the difference to them, even
if it was something small to you. Im extremely thankful that we had this experience
this semester. It definitely changed my perspective and comfort zone limits, and I
know that itll help so much in becoming a better friend, student, citizen, and
teacher.
Works Cited
Cushner, Kenneth. Human Diversity in Education: An Intercultural Approach. 7th ed.
New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2012. Print.
Wendell, Susan. The Social Construction of Disability. (Module on Canvas)