Different Levels of Abilities

by Daris Reno Blickman, M.S.L.C.

Every morning, I do what most of us do, I go to work (after my friend the Coffee Cup pays me a visit, we would not want Daris drooling during the meetings, would we?).

Some days I dress up, to walk in the business world, other days I am in jeans and the oldest tee shirt I own, knee deep in dishes, window cleaners, even beer bottles for they need to be broken and discarded, sometimes I am rolling silverware, folding pizza boxes. Many days, I am dressed up and knocking on doors to find jobs for clients,

Really, what job would consist of such things, why would anyone want to take a job where everyday, you are at different place, learning new jobs, some fun and many tiring for the day becomes long,

I would, well in all honesty, I did not know that I would until a couple of years ago. My expertise is in PR/Networking, Fundraising for non profits, Event Planning. Why in the world would I want to learn how to fold a pizza box and why is that job even necessary, this is the question that many have asked me daily,

Let me tell you why,

A couple of years ago, my school district approached me, asked if I could help the high school students find jobs, they needed someone with Pr/Networking experience to help within the communities. Perfect job for me, Boy I was happy, put on my dancing shoes and off I went to check it out,

Imagine my surprise when I went to see my students, all with disabilities, from severe disabilities, not able to speak, move, or lift any item over one pound, that’s right, They needed a job. Others were autistic, down syndrome, some did not have any social skills, some had disorders plus medical problems such a cancer, seizures and one could not remember anything taught to him after five minutes, due to a brain trauma at birth, at risk youth who lived on the street, no one cared about them, so why should they care about themselves?

Talk about a challenge, of course I took it, I am educated somewhat in this area of disabilities also. I was very excited to have the opportunity to teach my students many things, Wrong Again,

For it was I that was taught more then I taught, here are the beautiful lessons that I learned along my journey.

First question, Why do we have a word such as Disabilities in the first place? Just put the Dis in any word that pertains to these individuals and negativity abounds everywhere,

I learned that there is not disabilities, but as individuals, we have Different levels of abilities within all of us, there are many talents to be discovered, hidden gems of knowledge that are well needed by the communities,

It was interesting to go out into our communities and try in my best PR voice explain why Johnny would do so well as an employee of their company, remember we cannot speak about what they cannot do because of physical and mentally limitations,

I had to create jobs many times and show the owners why this was needed, Then I had to bring in Johnny for the interview and many times pray that they would see his golden light shining through, for I did!

Which brings me back to the lessons, Joy, what joy they had when they realized that they had value to others, that someone believed they could do a job, and even pay them for doing this job, how many times I have seen these wonderful individuals do for free what others get paid to do, how unfair of this to still happen,

Love, what love they had for the other employees, the friendships, the bonding, and how they were included in the everyday conversations, how they were missed if they were ill and could not work that day,

Independence, a new meaning for the old word that we take for granted, I remember the day one of my students figured out what a paycheck meant, he could buy the stuffed animal that his sister had wanted, the happiness, he went and thanked the boss many times for the job, we could barely get him out of the store, Now he had memory problems and rarely remembered that he got a paycheck, still not many dry eyes every two weeks when they handed it to him, for we started all over again,

Which brings me to another lesson, Giving, for many gave their checks to the mothers, so that milk could be bought that week, there was little money in the family, or they took their checks and bought themselves a candy bar and spent the rest on others. I remember the first gift I received from one of my clients, I cried like a baby,

Which brings me to the last lesson for the day, To Be Humble, I thank the Creator for the greatest lesson taught to me. I humbled myself, for to teach any student a job, I had to learn it myself, thus, washing windows, throwing away beer bottles, cleaning bathrooms, taking in carts at stores, washing dishes, dusting the entire restaurant, hanging up clothes and being a greeter, just saying hello and goodbye to those entering/leaving the stores,

Now I have recently moved on to working with adults with different levels of abilities (Get it!). Many of my students still come through my office looking for jobs for they have left the high school and once again, I am blessed all over,

So next time you see someone that has different abilities then you, smile and remind yourself that they have lessons to teach all of us, They have value to give as well, we should thank the Great One for the gifts he has given to each of us, especially the ones with different levels of abilities, for if you think about it, we are one of them, our own abilities are just as different in their eyes,

Thank you Great One, may you continue to bless me with such lessons so that my spirit will grow and I shall stay true to my path.?

END.

? About the Author: Ms. Daris Reno Blicknan, M.S.L.C., is a  Certified LIFE Coach and Master SPIRIT LIFE Coach. Daris is currently working with several Non Profits in the areas of disabilities, at risk teens and domestic violence issues. Daris is also a member of the Cherokee’s of Alabama and is involved with Public Relations work for the tribe. You can contact the author through our corporate email: rhema-int@shaw.ca.