Case Study – Coanil Castro
My name is Taran and during my year out with Project Trust I worked with adults with learning disabilities in Chile. Coanil is a Chilean charity that supports people with disabilities and the Castro project has a children’s home, a home for adults with disabilities and a special education school for people with learning disabilities.
The most rewarding part of my work in Chile had to be in the adult’s home, Millaray. There were 8 adults in the home aged between 32 – 57 and each of them had very specific and different needs so my job there was constantly evolving. Apart from helping with day - to - day tasks in the home such as taking people to the bathroom and getting the residents ready for school, I also worked closely with each individual person doing a range of activities from yoga and dance, to crafts and more educational activities.
For example, one of my residents, Juan, was actually in the hospital when I arrived after a fall left him with brain damage in addition to his already severe learning disability. Part of my role when Juan was re-integrated into the home was to help re-teach him basic everyday skills such as responding to simple commands and questions, using a pen and even how to put his socks on. When he arrived back in the home Juan wouldn’t even register when someone was speaking to him, but by the time I left we would have simple conversations where he could tell me his name and greet me in the morning when I arrived at work. Whilst these milestones seem so small and insignificant to most people it felt amazing to know that I had been able to be a part of his development during my time in the home.
Another of my students, a lady called María was very enthusiastic about crafts and painting, so I tried to use this as part of more educational activities with her. María was also in my afternoon class at school so I would be able to work on things she struggled with outside of the classroom where I could give her more 1 on 1 attention. As part of her maths work and number recognition we made a game together called ‘Where do the rabbits live’ which involved matching rabbits to their hutches according to the dots on their chests. María loved making this game, and she really got a lot out of this individual attention that I was able to give her.
One of the main challenges in working with adults with learning disabilities, is in treating them as adults, and not babying them. Through my work in Chile I met many people who would see my students as children, and treat them as such. Many people could not understand that although they might have a lower mental age, my students were all grown-ups and many were a lot more mature than people originally assumed. It can also be a very frustrating job as each of my students learns differently and memory was a very big problem for all of them. You would teach someone something one week and come back the next week with them having forgotten last week’s lesson entirely. Whilst it could be frustrating and very difficult at times, it was also the most rewarding job I have ever had. I really had a strong connection with all of my students, as I would see them every day from when they got up in the morning to when the school bus took them home at half six in the evening. Being a part of someone’s daily routine is very honouring, and although milestones may not have been obvious at the time, as I reflect on my year in Chile I can truly see the massive differences that I have been able to help create in each of my students.