Internship & Independent study

INTERNSHIP

I did my internship at Yonsei Rehabilitation School in Korea summer, 2001. This school is very famous and advanced Special education school in Korea. This internship was one of the wonderful experiences in my life, both academically and personally.

With regard to a personal aspect, I was very emotionally involved in doing internship. As I wrote on the proposal, I was hospitalized in Yonsei Rehabilitation Center during my youth. Thus, the principal, my supervisor has known me since the time when I was at the center. When I saw the students at Yonsei Rehabilitation school, I felt as if I see my childhood. Therefore, I could understand the feeling of students and their parents. And thus, I did work much harder.

Academically, I have experienced an actual field experience. I have learned how to deal with students who have various disabilities. What I did mainly during the internship was communicating and teaching with students, using boardmaker picture board. The school has boardmaker software so that I could make different communication board for each student. I entered each grade classroom in every hour, and taught one or two students in the class. For example, I taught first grade student in first hour. Then I taught second grade students in second hour, etc.

The second most wonderful experience during the intership was presenting overview of Assistive Technology to parents and teachers. This was my first time to present in Korean. I brought many catalog from different Assistive Technology vendors from here, so I have enough stuff to show the audience while presenting. My only complaint was that I could not show them the actual Assistive Technology device. But catalog was much better than nothing. I practiced my presentation to my mom so many times right before night. My actual presentation was very successful.

Presenting in Korean was much much easier for me to present in English. The response from parents were also excellent. They were very shocked when I showed them the advanced Assistive Technology from catalog. They wish that they could try those things. After I finished my presentation, parents ran into me and started to ask several questions to me. When Principal told them that I am married and I have a little boy (at that time, before my daughter was born), they were more shocked. Many of them asked me about my husband. Number one question was, "Does your husband also any kind of disability?". I responded, "no." And many moms asked me, "Does your husband take care of you well enough?" I responded them, "No, I DO take care of my husband." I expected this kind of question, though. Anyway, they told me that I am their good model. I am like their hope.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

While I was doing internship, I interviewed moms for my independent study. Mothers were very kind to participate in interviews. I selected six participants randomly. They were saying that they were happy to participate my interview. I felt very released because I had worried about how I would seek participants. I was very emotional when I was doing interview. When they told me about their children, either they showed their tears or they showed their anxiety. Every mom who I interviewed with, said that they think I am a very good model of their child. At first, they thought that my disability is not a big problem to me. They thought that anybody could overcome such a weak disability (ha!) comparing their child disability. However, they soon realized that I am the one of people with disabilities, when they were talking to me closely in person and saw my spastic movement and sometimes my speech difficulty. And they realize that I have put a lot of effort to overcome my disability.

Final Paper: Perspectives of Korean Parents toward Children with Special Needs and Special Education in Korea

MY MISSION

Through the internship and independent study, I came to know that Korean society should put more effort for disability society in Korea. Mothers think that they are not being helped at all from society or government, when they desperately needed. Since I did internship and independent study, I feel more that I definitely need to do something for individuals with disabilities in Korea. Since I've made connection with students at Yonsei Rehabilitation School, I will have more opportunities to help students there. In fact, the summer 2002, while in Korea, I worked with a little guy from Yonsei Rehabilitation School to help him to use computer and to communicate using AAC. I was very excited to meet and work with him again.

My own experience of disability | Assistive Technology | Presentation | Research | Internship & Independent study

Other professional experience | My own experience with AAC | Curiosity about other's experiences with AAC