[HumanSer] Happy accommodations report

[Ericka Nelson]

Everyone please forgive me for posting the same to three different Listserv’s. When blind people have good news it needs to be shared though!

For those who don’t know who I am, I have been volunteering or working in some capacity with seniors most of my career. I recently made the decision I’m going to somehow get my masters degree in aging/health as my focus. I already possess a social work degree with state licensure.

The best way to gain experience is to find a job or volunteer spot that will give you a good taste of what is to come in your chosen field. Well you can Google it, but a fantastic facility in Wisconsin called Agrace does both home visits and has a facility for hospice. The volunteer coordinators have been absolutely marvelous! Last night I had my first training and without asking, she read what wason the   PowerPoint. Today she sent me the whole handbook for tomorrow’s training on inpatient volunteering via Word. Nobody really was daunted about my cane or my vision impairment and she encouraged me to talk about myself when we got to the diversity section last night.

Just wanted you to know that sometimes things work out. No I haven’t started volunteering yet but I have a feeling this will be a good thing. First off, the volunteer application on their website was 1/2% accessible with jaws. And just so you know this is a place that is small enough in the grand scale of things to not do this because they have to but because they want to. So don’t lose heart and know that sometimes even transportation will work out if you pursue things, ask questions and never give up. After all this facility is outside Madison Wisconsin and Agrace itself does not provide or set up rides for people to do the volunteer work or training.

What a happy note for the weekend right? May everyone have a great weekend and never stop pursuing what you want. It’s tough being a trailblazer, but the world won’t change without trailblazers.

Ericka J. Nelson
1750 Fordem Ave. #508
Madison WI 53704
H: 608-665-3170+"
C: 262-434-0817