I look beyond the disability, and look at the person and their potential to achieve much in their life if given the support/tools or encouragement.
I have worked with people with disabilities for over 15 years, its extremely rewarding, and I love the people and the job, especially when a person finds a part time job, is able to prepare a meal with little or no help, gain an education and so much more. Sometimes all I have done is given them the tools/encouragement etc to achieve any number of things, they would like to do.
What I especially love is their genuine gratitude, a thank you (for those who can communicate), a smile or a hug and you know they mean it.
Recently there has been a push for carers to have some have sort of qualifications and or experience, in the last 5 years carers must have full police check, to ensure the aged & disabled are not taken advantage of, or abused.
The wages are not great, but the more qualifications & experience one has the higher their pay, (I’m paid the highest rate), I will never become rich doing this work lol. But I love my work, and job satisfaction means more to me, than a crappy job which pays good wages.
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I am a speech-language pathologist. I love my profession, have been working with children with disabilities for over 25 yrs. I first became interested in linguistics and psychology, and then – in psycholinguistics, and that led into speech pathology. I love the feeling of helping, of never being able to cause harm (unlike a physician), of solving intellectual puzzles (diagnostics, designing treatment) – and pride in accomplishments of my students as well as my own.
But… I am very happy that my own 3 children are very accomplished, academically gifted and healthy. I am always intrigued by why people CHOOSE to adopt children with significant disabilities – God bless them! But I would not make htis choice myself
It can’t really be explained, but if you start to work with them they become a big part of your life. They are the happiest people to be around and their innocence draws you in.
At the end of the day it feels good to know you have helped someone less fortunate then you. You learn so much from them and you learn alot about yourself.
Alot of people say they wouldn’t be able to do it because they feel like crying when they are around them but they’re very happy people and you don’t really need to pitty them. You have to have patience though.
The truth? It is unskilled, entry level employment that is always is need of people. This is because most of the people are underpaid, overworked, there is little opportunity for advancement. So if you can’t find work – there is almost always work in this area.
There are some who do it because they are compassionate and enjoy the work and usually extremely skilled at it, but they are rare.
Because the results are in the pudding.
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You see improvements in the person especially children.
Even if it is slow you just have to look back after a year and you see how far they have come.
My first thought was –love. It was that way with me. They have so much to give, learn, and the chance to succeed in life. I really enjoyed it. I think empathy is needed too.
I think that the main motivation for me is seeing an individual grow and reach their potential (and beyond). I like that the most.