April 11, 2017 - 12:49
Working with CCW artists is truly a valuable experience.
I was a little anxious before going to CCW for the very first time. It was my first time working with people with intellectual disabilities and I really don’t know what will I encounter and what to expect. The super warm welcome I had that day at CCW made things much easier than what I thought before I was there. The first thing that I realized at CCW is that I don’t want to treat the CCW artists as “child”. The CCW artists are all adults, some much older than me, and they should be treat as “adults” and they can make their own decisions.
Despite the “easy” start, there were indeed moments that I don’t know how to react or what to do. These moments took place when the discussions touched upon those “sensitive” issues like disability, death, and religion. I’ve always been hesitated before jumping into these discussions with the CCW artists, because first, I don’t want to “fool” them with an answer that I might have given to a child; second, I don’t want them to “fool” myself with some answers that I don’t believe in; and third, I don’t want to rush into any inappropriate language that might lead them into a wrong direction. Luckily there has always been people with more experience working with the CCW artists (Laine or Serena) to start responding to the questions. I think they have done some very good jobs and helped me to think about what will my response be in the future. These moments definitely get me more prepared for future interactions with people with intellectual disabilities.