Making New Friendships William O. Nichols, Jr. wnichols@knights.ucf.edu April 10, 2011 EEX 4242

Introduction to the Bishop Grady Villas Mission Statement of Bishop Grady Villas Bishop Grady Villas, an entity of the Diocese of Orlando, provides a loving, caring, Christian residential group home for adults (18 years and older) who are intellectually and developmentally disabled. Professional staff members assist each resident in obtaining his or her potential for personal and spiritual growth and independence. Dignity and respect nurture their personal growth and independence. The residential community sits on eleven acres of Florida’s natural habitat nestled in St. Cloud, Florida. Among stands of trees are six resident homes, a multi-purpose building, administration center, a woodshop, and garden nursery.

Demographics: Bishop Grady Villas is located in St. Cloud, Florida. The population of this community consists of men and women eighteen years of age or older, who are developmentally challenged with a diagnosis of mental retardation. There is no limitations based on race, religion, or national origin but most of the population is Caucasian. At this time there are about forty-eight residence with an equal distribution of men and women. Geographic Demographics: Bishop Grady Villas sits on eleven acres of Florida’s natural habitat nestled in the community of St. Cloud, Florida. Among stands of trees are six resident homes, a multi­purpose building, administrative center, a woodshop, and garden nursery. There are two single story homes with approximately 3100 square feet of living space and four two­-story homes with almost 3,500 square feet of living space. Each home accommodates eight residents.

Bishop Grady Villas is a community that provides a nurturing environment for its residents to develop life skills and engage in activities that build knowledge, accomplishment, self-esteem and independence. Each resident develops life skills by participating in one or more sheltered workshops or through outside employment. The resident’s sports and physical exercise, continuing education, and enrichment courses are arranged through coordination with city and non-profit organizations within the St. Cloud/Kissimmee community.

In the mornings, before it got too hot, we engaged in gardening. The residents are developing work ethic and responsibility while engaging in this activity. Once they learn to plant the vegetables and other plants, they practice the responsibility of taking care of what they have created. While I was there, we pulled weeds, watered the garden and indoor plants, worked on the compost box, and prepared pots and soil for future gardening activities.

One of the afternoons, a volunteer came by and gave a class on animal life. The focus of this class was the Marigold Butterfly. We went outside and together captured two caterpillars and put them in a habitat for observation on how they transition to a Butterfly.

Another afternoon, there was a class on social skill in the workplace. The residents were given advice on proper work etiquette. As a part of this class, they were taught proper conversation skills, forms of gesturing, and proper hygiene for the work place. Some of the residences were already in the work place and others were preparing themselves for the workplace.

During my hours at Bishop Grady Villas, I engaged with about eight to ten developmentally challenged residence, except for lunch time when I engaged with about thirty residences. The types of activities engaged were indoor and outdoor activities. Some of the outdoor activities were gardening and other nature activities. Indoors we attended classes on social skills. During my hours at Bishop Grady Villas, I attended the same classes and also let the residents teach me what they have learned and provided any help that was needed.

When I first chose Bishop Grady Villas for my service learning project, I felt that this facility had a unique concept. I have observed this type of community, at the school age level, but had never seen what has happened when they go into adulthood. Bishop Grady Villas is a place where these individuals can go to continue their education and hopefully acquire more independence in their future.

Before I started my service learning requirement, I was a little nervous. I have not had much experience with this type of community. When I attended high school these individuals were isolated from the rest of the school, so there was no contact or ability to have any engagement with this demographic. I titled this presentation “Making New Friendships.” This title describes my thoughts and feeling about this assignment. I spent a lot of time with one individual that I will call “Joe.” Joe is not his real name; it is a name I will use to protect his identity. Each resident I met was extremely welcoming to me. I spent a lot of time with Joe though. We worked and learned together throughout most of my hours there. During my last few hours there, Joe asked a few times if we were friends. I told him that I that I thought he was nice and a good person and told him I would be glad to have him as a friend. This community is filled with a lot of great people in addition to Joe. I feel they are not a lot different than myself.

My Teachers in Action project was completed for EEX 4242. One topic of my course that I was able to see in action was a less restrictive environment. The students were given the freedom to learn and develop at a pace that was comfortable for them. I also observed that it is true that although these individuals with learning disabilities are slightly mentally handicapped, they can be fully functional members of society. They just need a little extra help and guidance. One of the most important things I observed was the inclusion of these individuals. This was a little different than the way the term inclusion is used in the school system. This inclusion is including them in society as a whole. Whether it be volunteering or working, these individuals are a positive part of society. Because of what I have learned, I do feel that this community should be provided the same opportunities and chances as anyone else.

I.D.E.A.: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines a "child with a disability" as a "child... with mental retardation, hearing impairments, (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance..., orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities. I.D.E.A. provides for these individuals to the ages of eighteen or twenty-one. The residences of Bishop Grady Villas are at a place where the concepts of I.D.E.A can be continued past the ages of eighteen or twenty-one.

I enjoyed my opportunity at this civil engagement and feel that everyone should have this same opportunity. These types of opportunities can provide a sense of social awareness beyond an individual’s small world. Service learning is an effective way to get real-world knowledge beyond what a book or classroom can provide. This experience has given me a more positive outlook on future civil engagements. Civil engagement should be embraced because it adds that real-world learning that cannot be obtained in a classroom. I intend to maintain civil engagement as a part of my future life plans.