Anthony Mujica SOWK 301 3/24/2013 Alternative Break Capstone Paper The alternative spring break program has

changed the way I view people with disabilities. When Katie and I chose our trip to work with LIFESPAN, we were not sure what to expect. Neither one of us had experience working with this specific population and we were both nervous about the experience. We did not know how to act around people with disabilities and we had no idea what to expect when working with people with disabilities. We feared we would not be able to help LIFESPAN because of our lack of experience. We talked at length about our concerns during our pre-reflection time in the Cone and Harrison Experiential Learning Model. The training experience offered by the Alternative Break Program helped us overcome our doubts and fears with useful training sessions. Training was extremely beneficial as it helped me learn techniques on how to help facilitate group discussions, something I did not have experience doing. We learned a lot of great information we could use during our trip such as how to help connect our group through group discussions and icebreaker activities. We also enjoyed the opportunity to speak with our specific issue group and talk about how to best design our health related trips so our participants would learn something new and have a new outlook on our specific health issue. The next step in the Cone and Harris Experiential Learning Model was to have our concrete experience leading our alternative break trip. This was a wonderful experience that allowed me to have a greater understanding of people with disabilities. We performed

research before our trip on disabilities so our participants would have a better understanding of disabilities but our research could not prepare us for what our group would experience during the week. We all started the week unsure of how to act towards people with disabilities. The group as a whole had an unspoken stigma against people with disabilities. We were not disrespectful towards people with disabilities but we were uncomfortable around people with disabilities, especially people with mental disabilities. We were not sure how to act or behave around people with disabilities. The first day we visited LIFESPAN we had a meeting at the corporate office with Lori Avery and the CEO of LIFESPAN. They spoke about the impact LIFESPAN has on the community of Charlotte and North Carolina as a whole. I remember Davan, the CEO of LIFESPAN, told us they only wanted an Even playing field with everyone else and that being different is not a deficiency like the general population believes. We saw these principles in practice the whole week working with LIFESPAN through the caring staff and helpful programs for people with disabilities at LIFESPAN. This experience showed me how caring and love can be effective for helping people with disabilities. People with disabilities are regular people who face more challenges than most people. They are capable of love, capable of communicating with each other, and capable of caring for each other. They have hopes and dreams like people without disabilities. They deserve respect and to be treated fairly. They do face challenges most people do not face, but this does not make them any less deserving of a caring and fair environment. LIFESPAN takes this philosophy to heart and makes sure every resident of LIFESPAN receives fair treatment in a caring environment. This a wonderful organization that truly made me appreciate people with disabilities and helped to increase my

knowledge of this social issue. I feel I can take the information I learned from working with LIFESPAN and use it in my future career as a healthcare administrator and in my personal life. This experience also helped me develop my leadership skills. I was the only male on our trip and at times I felt I could not relate as well as Katie did with our group. I saw things differently than most of the group, but by the end of the trip I was able to overcome this obstacle and connect with the group. It was stepping out of my comfort zone, but in the end, I am glad I was able to help lead this trip. It was a wonderful experience and the lessons I learned I will be able to apply in my future career and in my own personal life. One of the most important skills I was able to work on was how to lead a group discussion. I struggled with this skill in the beginning of the trip, but after a few nights of practice I feel I can now effectively lead a group discussion. I had a wonderful time leading and participating in the alternative spring break program at James Madison University. I met a lot of wonderful people who are truly passionate about social issues and want to be a change agent. I had a great time getting to know my participants and my wonderful co-leader. This has been an amazing experience I will not forget and the lessons I have learned about my social issue and myself I can use in my future career and my personal life. This was a great experience and I would love to do it again in the future.