San Francisco has long called adventurers, artists, and escapists to its beautiful hills and streets. When my college offered the opportunity to spend a semester here and gain some work experience, I jumped at the chance, ready to face the big city. There was no way I could have foreseen the impact it would have on my life and my perceptions of the people around me.
I joined The Arc SF as an intern in January 2016 and my experience continues to amaze me in new ways everyday. The clients are such incredible people, each with their own passions and stories to tell. I work with several of them in classes and creative writing sessions, and the highlight of my week has become sitting down with each of them to learn about their lives, their struggles, plans and dreams. My own ideas of what disability is and the limits it can impose have been shattered repeatedly by the drive and intelligence shown by the clients here at The Arc.
After working here a mere two months, I hardly notice the disability. It has been overwhelmed by the very human reality that they are people, more like me than I had originally thought. Had I continued to let their disabilities define them, I would never have come to befriend Mira the writer, Clinton the traveler, or Shaun the comic artist. I may never have known Joyanne the bowling champion, Miyuki the chef, or Clifford the entertainer. My world is more diverse and colourful, and I am grateful to say, this is only the beginning.
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| A tutoring and creative writing session in progress. |
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