For the past few years, ARC-Matson has conducted sensitivity training entitled “Walk in My Shoes.” It is for current staff and new hires. I’ve been a part of the team of trainers for the past year and take great pride in the training.
The first part of the day discusses the history of care of people with disabilities. It discusses different ideologies of care, including institutional care, medical modeling, and person centered planning. New hires practice exercises concerning traditional stereotypes and stigmas associated with the population we serve. We encourage open discussion concerning how differently people with disabilities have been and still are treated.
Late in the morning, a documentary made in the 1970’s about Belchertown State School is presented in context of the Ricci class action suit, which resulted in the downsizing of institution and the placement of people into their communities. Some of the images and words detailing past care and routines of the school are horrific and graphic. Oftentimes people need to look away from the screen. The film we show is of poor quality, mostly because of age. The sound quality is poor, the styles of dress are extremely outdated. Many people taking the training were not even born when the documentary was produced, so the video may seem similar to a history book, not relevant to today’s issues.
In the afternoon, my friend Alice F. comes to training. She is an individual currently enrolled in ARC’s Elder Services Program, where I am the site manager. She is a very talkative, grandmotherly type, typically dressed in pink. As she enters the area, many people say hello by name, for she is quite well known. She sits at the table and tells everyone of how she came to live in Belchertown State School. She recalls her life before moving there and the circumstances which led to her becoming a resident. She tells stories of the treatment she received, the work she did, and the different “rewards” she would sometimes get. She seems to enjoy answering questions and does her best to answer them. Her stay varies by length, depending on how much she feels like sharing or how many questions staff have. Nearly every talk ends with Alice sharing a few songs with everyone, for she always has a few to spare.
As great as I believe Sensitivity Training to be, to me the best part is when Alice comes to share. She brings discussion of the seemingly archaic past into perspective because participants meet someone who lived it. Old films and decades’ old court cases become real life when the lady in pink sings us a song.