I was a Spanish Education major in college and one of the first Ed classes I took was a class that introduced me to Special Education. During that semester of college I realized I badly needed a good job with medical benefits. During one of my classes a company called Toward Independence Incorporated came to talk to us about working with adults with disabilities. I never considered that as a job and in fact had a pretty verbal conversation with God about NOT wanting to do that. But, I decided that a job that fit in with a college schedule and had benefits was a good thing so I applied.
TII taught me so much about working with individuals with special needs. It was a challenging job at times, but I found that I really did well with the residents I worked with. During that time I bonded strongly with a lady named Nancy. Nancy was about 40. She was full of sarcasm and charm and I loved her to death. We took several vacations together and enjoyed hanging out. She was a challenge...often times SUPER stubburn. Often times is really not accurate....she was ALWAYS stubborn. She had a touch of OCD which is typical for people with Down Syndrome. This is where I first encountered someone who didn't like the feel of certain types of clothes. Now that I think about it, it sounds more like a sensory issue! LOL Anyway, every morning when I went to get her ready for work she would stand in front of the mirror and pull on her moo moo dress neck. She refused to wear any type of underwear. And most of the time she refused to do anything, unless there was a POP in it for her :) I didn't care about all these little traits though, she was my favorite! I worked for awhile in another house with another man named Duane. He was in his 50's at the time. He was so funny and had personality coming out his ears. When he introduced himself he would stick out his hand and say "Duwhitty Walter". You might have heard my fake curse word "piggy". This was something I picked up from Duwhitty. Anyway, Duane didn't know when to stop being silly sometimes and several times with him I found myself in a bear hug that I didn't want to be in. He was pretty rough...but he laughed and smiled the whole time I was screaming my head off for him to let me go. Since working with both Nancy and Duane, I have always had an attachment with people with special needs and especially those with Down Syndrome. I have often said that I would like to adopt a child with DS, but so far that has not happened maybe one day in the future.
I took a break from working with adults with special needs for about 2 years after I moved to Florida. Then in the spring of 2002, I felt lead to seek a job at Florida Baptist Children's Homes . My first year at FBCH was spent working in a Group Home and Adult Day Program with adults with disabilities. As always, I enjoyed this time with the people and learned a lot. The last 3 years I worked at FBCH were spent working with foster children ages 6-17 in the Girls Shelter. This was a whole new experience for me. It was in the girls shelter where I learned more about emotional disorders and learning issues that were not as severe as the adults special needs. I also learned a lot about discipline and how to manage severe behavior problems and also the importance of routine in the life of children. There were several girls I would have loved to bring home with me. I worked at the Children's Home until I began to see the need for my full attention on my boys and the issues that were popping up with them.
As I look back, it amazes me how God's hand was there guiding me through. I remember having very verbal conversations/prayers about working at these jobs. I never thought I could handle working with the adults or with the teens, but in the end they were just what I needed to prepare for my boys.
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