Parenting Outside The Lines

Parenting the Special Family From Diagnosis to Real Life

  • Home
  • Special Needs Parenting
  • Diagnosis
  • Global Disability Parenting
  • The Book
  • Resources
  • About Me

What I Wish I Knew When I Was A Grad Student At University of Chicago, And What I Wish I Could Teach Students Now

March 18, 2016 By Patricia O'Machel Leave a Comment

University of Chicago SSA Graduation Day

University of Chicago SSA Graduation Day

I clearly remember every feeling I had when I started Graduate School at University of Chicago (School of Social Service Administration). Mostly a very strong feeling that everyone around me was smarter, had a clearer path, and a better foundation than I did.

I was nervous about being “enough” for the the caliber of people I was now sitting next to on a daily basis. I remember my third draft of my first assignment, in almost hysterical tears, which was literally to write a memo to the director of the Department of Human Services.

I matured, and I learned, and I loved everything about my experience over time at U of C. I am very proud to be a graduate of a school of it’s level, and they must have thought I belonged because they let me in and let me stay.

Reflecting now on the things that I learned over those years, I am so thankful for the education I received in Social Work, both the administrative work and the clinical. Who knew that ten years after graduating from U of C, I would begin my journey as a special needs parent.

My days are filled with social work philosophies and best practices, and their use in my current life is invaluable.

I fill out copious forms for support of my daughter, to help secure the equipment she cannot live without, to modify our home, to fund and find her therapies. Doctors visits, therapy visits, surgeries – all have a social work component. But my perspective as a parent is so much different than it was as a student.

 

University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration (SSA)

University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration (SSA)

 

As a student everything I learned applied to concepts and people I would never know. It all made clear sense to me what should be done or what could be done in a given situation. I followed the administrative track at U of C because I loved the focus on quantifiable results and on business practices to social work. I learned in my semesters doing grant review and applying principals of business to what I considered to be the clinical and non-measurable goals like “to empower a community.” I wanted to define the “how” to these goals and the “how do we know it works” to goals about empowerment or growth.

I wish I could go back to the School of Social Service Administration and talk to the students about a parent’s perspective of social services as a special needs Mom. As a Mom I work at making sure my daughter has access to the world, whether that be through durable medical equipment, education, accessible places, or social emotional development.

It is not as clear cut as just following principals and best practices. There are emotions to consider at diagnosis, there are oceans to cross in education and knowing and advocating for what is best for your child. There is exhaustion and fear and financial concerns, there is planning for the future. There are medical records to access, and bureaucracy and red tape to wade through. There are siblings to consider, and making sure their needs are equally met in a family situation. It is not the way it always looks on paper. Case reviews and clinical diagnosis, and a satisfying treatment approach that has a happy ending. It never really has an ending. It never seems to let up or get easier. It is a constant stream of advocacy and outreach, and an endless demand of strength both physically and emotionally.

I thankfully, feel well qualified to handle what life has given me. And found a sense of peace and confidence in what I have been able to do. But I constantly think of those who do not have the SSA graduate education I have been lucky enough to have received. Those who do not have the knowledge or the language or the background to know how the systems work, or how to wade through paperwork and forms and grant applications. All of them take time and a base level understanding, and many parents of special needs children do not have either.

We, as social workers, need to often walk in our client’s shoes for awhile to fully know what help to give. We need to be able to see social work from the true perspective of those who need our services.

I would love to share what I now know, with those who are just starting out in social service.  To show them the view from my own life and to let them see what my shoes feel like on a daily basis.  I think having that perspective could be an invaluable resource as they go on to advocate and plan for those with disabilities in their professional lives.  And maybe like me, in their personal lives someday.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: being a Mom, disability awareness, disability parenting, parenting, Special Needs Parent, special needs parenting Tagged With: SSA, University of Chicago

« Wheelchairs In The Snow
Irreverent Disability »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Hi, and thanks for stopping by and joining me in this crazy, interesting life of parenting a special child.
Days may be long, but never boring - and I look forward to all of the amazing things that this kind of life, living outside the lines, will bring. More…

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

Enter your email address to subscribe and receive new posts in your inbox!

Top Posts

  • Elearning Virtual disAbility Awareness
    Elearning Virtual disAbility Awareness
  • Our New Normal - Elearning
    Our New Normal - Elearning
  • The Myth of the Superhero Mom
    The Myth of the Superhero Mom
  • Sharing Stories of Parenting the Special Needs Child Around the World
    Sharing Stories of Parenting the Special Needs Child Around the World
  • Please stop learning at my daughter's expense
    Please stop learning at my daughter's expense
  • I Want My Kids to Think I Matter
    I Want My Kids to Think I Matter

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Enter your email address to subscribe and receive new posts by email.

Copyright © 2023 Parenting Outside the Lines· Built on Genesis Framework · by Beyond Blog Design using WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...