Collection of Experiences

Mackenzie Mitchell

Hope College

EDUC 225 - The Exceptional Child

Professor Susan Cherup

September 14, 2017

 Physical Impairments and Other Impairments

Introduction

Before volunteering at Camp Sunshine, I had limited experience interacting with people

who have disabilities. I was somewhat involved in the Special Ed Classroom in my highschool,

and I babysit for one family that has a son with Aspergers, and another family that has a

daughter with Downs Syndrome. However, these were all pretty infrequent interactions, and

there was definitely anxiety surrounding my upcoming Camp Sunshine experience. I was

concerned that I would not say the right words or do the right things when it came to

accompanying my camper who lives with physical and other impairments.

Definition

The Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (updated October 2015)

defines the term physical impairment as a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a

students educational performance. The state went on further to mandate that the determination

of disability shall be based upon a full and individual evaluation by a multidisciplinary

evaluation team, which shall include assessment data from one of the following persons: (a) An

orthopedic surgeon. (b) An internist. (c) A neurologist/psychologist. (d) A pediatrician. (e) A

family physician or any other approved physician, (Michigan Department of Education). In

order to have complete comprehension of a definition- especially one being used to describe a

physical impairment- it is important to connect it to an experience.

Experience & Reaction

This summer, I had the privilege of volunteering at Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine

offers people ages twelve through fifty with mild to moderate cognitive impairments the

opportunity to attend summer camp in a

safe, caring, and inclusive environment

(Camp Sunshine). Each camper is paired

one-on-one with a counselor, with whom

they will spend the rest of their four days

at camp with. My campers name was

Kimberly, but she also loved to be called

Kim and I on Day 1 at Camp Sunshine!

Kim, Kimmy, or DJ Kim for fun. Kim was diagnosed with Dandy-Walker

Syndrome, which is is a congenital brain malformation involving the cerebellum (an area at the

back of the brain that controls movement) and the fluid filled spaces around it. The main

characteristics of Dandy-Walker are an enlarged of the fourth ventricle (a small channel that

allows fluid to flow freely between the upper and lower areas of the brain and spinal cord), a

partial or complete absence of the cerebellar vermis (the area between the two cerebellar

hemispheres), and cyst formation near the internal base of the skull,. Symptoms can include

slow motor development and progressive enlargement of the skull, problems with the nerves that

control the eyes, face and neck, and abnormal breathing patterns. Dandy-Walker Syndrome is

frequently associated with disorders of other areas of the central nervous system including

absence of the corpus callosum and malformations of the heart, face, limbs, fingers and toes
(Alliance). Kim had limited ability in her legs, so primarily relied on a wheelchair to get around.

She was extremely self-sufficient, and really only needed assistance getting dressed, and getting

in and out of the shower. Kim also had a mild speech impediment, but nothing concretely

identifiable, such as a lisp. It was more of a slight mispronunciation or misarticulation of her

words. I was extremely nervous to spend four days at camp with Kim, as I had little to no

experience interacting with people who used wheelchairs. I had no idea if I was going to bother

her, or how much assistance she would need. I was worried that I would not be physically

capable of pushing a wheelchair all day, and I was concerned that my lack of expertise would

take away from her camp experience.

The first day of camp was fun-filled, to say the very least. The campers and counselors

that came to Camp Blodgett that session were smiling from ear to ear when arriving and greeting

one another. Everyone was eager to start off the next four days of camp. I was a little nervous to

jump right into things because I did not know what to expect. Some of Kims counselors in years

prior happened to be my friends, and when I

asked about her, they told me to prepare for a

sassy, stubborn camper who always wants things

to be her way or the highway. Needless to say,

I was a little antsy. When I met Kim for the first

time, she was friendly, but cautious.

Kim on the Bungee- Jumper.

As we warmed up to each other, Kim became much more friendly, conversational, and

cheerful. This did not last long, though. Whenever there was an activity that Kim did not want to
participate in, she did not participate in it. No amount of encouragement or affirmation could

change her mind, and she even had this tricky little move where she would throw on the brakes

of her wheelchair to stop me dead in my tracks. Her withdrawn attitude carried over through

numerous activities, such as the rainbow parachute, indoor bowling, and smores around the fire.

I found myself getting frustrated- both at her for not wanting to participate, and especially at

myself for getting so disappointed that she did not want to participate. These were all activities

that were crowd favorites, and I assumed that Kimmy would want to partake as well, so I

encouraged her to try it out. As a future Child Life Specialist, this is an area I would like to learn

more about. How far do you push a person

with an impairment? What are the signs that

you are asking too much from them?

Luckily for the both of us, we shared a

common love for swimming, and were

equally eager to get into the pool after a hot

day at camp.

Kim, Julie, & Betsy running the St. Patricks Day Relay Race!

I helped Kim change into her swimsuit, slathered on sunscreen from head to toe, and

grabbed our towels. Just as we were about to head out the door, Kim reminded me that she

needed her swim belt. I dug through her bag, and even dumped everything out, but could not find

it! I felt so defeated. We decided to head to the pool anyway and play things by ear. After almost

an hour of gentle coaxing from myself and many other Camp Sunshine campers and counselors,
Kim had her entire lower body off of the ladder and into the pool. Within twenty minutes, she

was lounging on an inner tube in the deep end, and I teared up over how proud I was of her.

Implementing encouragement and signs of congratulations is something that I hope to introduce

to my patients someday. It had a tremendously positive effect on both myself and on Kim, and it

made for an overall better environment. After lots of big bear hugs from Kimmy, I was still

shocked at how brave she was in the pool not too much earlier. I could not imagine how scary it

was for her to get into the pool without her swim belt there as a security blanket. Doing

something that courageous was extremely impressive to me, especially when she had to trust me

to respect her physical impairment and to hold her up in the pool. That hour or two in the pool

emphasized the fact that anyone, no matter if they are disabled or not, can accomplish whatever

they set their mind to.

After that, we had dinner together. Before each meal, campers and counselors gathered

outside on the porch, but Kim quickly taught me

that its much easier for her if she finds a table

and passes on the porch gathering. There were

three other girls in our cabin who used

wheelchairs to help them get around, and we

started calling ourselves the Wheelchair Squad.

The Wheelchair Squad- Betsy & Mackenzie G,

Kimmy & myself, and Julie & Kelsey

Our squad followed Kims lead, and the eight of us would enjoy some downtime

together at our table before the chaos of mealtime began.

Impact

Throughout the rest of the weekend at camp, we made many of these helpful discoveries

that made the four days easier on Kimmy. As a Child Life Specialist, I think that it is important

to learn what makes the life of the patient with the impairment easier and assist them as much as

is needed. Watching the campers and counselors interact with each other was both

heart-warming and eye-opening. Many people- myself included- will often talk down to people

with impairments as if they were little children. However, Camp Sunshine reminded me that they

are still people, too. Just because someone might have a cognitive, physical, or other impairment

does not mean that they do not deserve just as much respect as anybody else. As someone going

into a helping profession, I believe that my experience at Camp Sunshine will enable me to

expand my knowledge about a diverse range of patients. My experience taught me a lot about

how to treat and help people with all kinds of impairments. I learned about physical impairments

from my Kim, but I also learned about so many different impairments from the other campers.

Assistive Technology

There are numerous forms of assistive technology that can be used to help ease the life of

people living with Dandy-Walker Syndrome, or with any physical or other impairments. Some of

these aids seem simple or pointless, but can have a really big impact on the life of the person

with the impairment.

For example, simply serving food out of a bowl, and with a

spoon, rather than on a plate with a fork, made eating so much easier

Using a bowl and spoon to eat is

an example of assistive
technology.
for Kim. She did not possess the fine motor skills necessary to successfully stab her food with a

fork, and benefitted greatly from being able to use the sides of the bowl to nudge her food onto

her spoon.

Two other pieces of technology that could assist a person with a physical impairment

could be a powered wheelchair or walking aids. People living with a physical or other

impairments, like Dandy Walker Syndrome, may require assistance with their ability to move

and need to use powered mobility. However, many are able to walk with an aid or push

themselves in a wheelchair (Alliance). Kim was able to use

her arm muscles to push herself around in her wheelchair,

but strongly preferred to be pushed by someone else, as

self-mobilizing became very tiring very quickly. Many

people who have Dandy Walker Syndrome do have the

ability to walk, but with a little assistance.

This is an example of a walking aid as

assistive technology.

Devices like walkers or crutches can assist people with physical impairments by

improving their balance and stability. They can also help improve their confidence in walking. It

is important to keep in mind that the best piece of assistive technology is the one that meets the

individuals needs (Alliance). As a Child Life Specialist, and depending on the age of the child

with an impairment, recommending wagons as a fun alternative to a walker or a wheelchair in

certain situations would be an easy way to break up the monotony of daily aid use and

dependence, or to give the child a break from the physicality associated with the aid(s).
 Works Cited

Camp Sunshine. (2014). What is Camp Sunshine? Retrieved September 14, 2017, from

http://campsunshine.info/

Dandy-Walker Alliance (2009, August). Education. Retrieved September 14, 2017, from

http://dandy-walker.org/survey-results/

Elquist, M., & Demchak, M. (2009, November). Fact Sheet - Dandy Walker Syndrome.

Retrieved September 14, 2017, from

https://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/cdesped/download/pdf/dbdandy

walkersyndrome.pdf

Michigan Department of Education. "Administrative Rules for Special Education: Early

Intervention (0-2 Years), Early Childhood Special Education (3-5 Years), School Age

(K-21)." PsycEXTRA Dataset (n.d.): n. pag. Michigan Administrative Rules for Special

Education(MARSE). Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education,

Oct. 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2017 from

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/MARSE_Supplemented_with_IDEA_Regs_3

79598_7.pdf