Katawa Shoujo Forums

Hello everybody,

I have searched a similar thread on the forum before, but I hadn't found it.

I would like to know if some persons here are working, or planning to work in the future, with persons who have a disability.

If some of your are (or plan to be, or were before) in the domain, could you share your experience , the role/function you have, and so on...

For myself, for summarizing my career :

Before, I studied psychology, with the aim, at that time, to work in geriatrics as a psychologist. However, if I succeeded to my Licence (the first University degree in my country, equivalent to the Bachelor in the U.S.), and began a Master (the second University degree in my country... uh, it's the same name in U.S.), as the Master was much more difficult than the Licence, I failed to become a psychologist.

Then, during near one year, I worked in a nursing home (a house for old people who cannot stay alone at home). I already had a little experience in this domain before (as an intern during my studies in one other nursing home, and as a volunteer with persons who have a physical disability), but this was my first real and long-time job.
Persons in nursing home are not all here for the same reasons (even if, of course, their reasons are near all due to aging), but near all of them have disabilities, either physical, either psychical (most of them suffer from dementia such as the Alzheimer's Disease, or from delirium), either both.
Most of the time, I worked at the animation, but sometimes, I also take the time to speak with persons who had problems such as depression, or "just the blues" and I tried to cheer them up, or to reassure persons with confusion problems.
I can say that what I learned in psychology really helped me in fact, as it was not always simple.

But as it was only a limited-time job, and I'm now retaking studies for one year (it's a one year training) with the aim to become a social worker in the domain of disabilities and aging.


Now it's to you.
Don't be shy, I hope we will have discussions of this topic.

I'm currently a senior in high school, but I'm planning on getting my bachelors in Secondary Education (high school teaching), specifically to become a literature teacher. Also, I could definitely see myself working in a school for the physically disabled, so I wouldn't rule out that possibility.

Katawa Shoujo somehow even more inspire me to become doctor. I mean I already want to be that but after played KS, it's like "Hey! If I am a doctor, I can motivate disabled people too. Like renew their will to live." I am actually waiting for the admission test result and hoping for the best.

I work with myself if it counts.

There are some disable student in my university, most of them are (legal) blind or physical challenged.
Also we have a disabled teacher who have to walk with hand stick due to Poliomyelitis, he is quite a good teacher in Linguistics.

Now back to point.

One of my classmate is legal blind, when he attend in class he always use recorder pen for study use, I respect him and thought he were a fighter like Helen Keller.
Until one day we are in same study group for Spanish to Chinese translation paper work, he handle me the paper translated by Google Translator...2 times in a row, and I have to do the double job for him.

Finally it hit my limit I have to warn him for his study attitude...

Problem solved, but I have odd feeling, though I have do nothing wrong but I still feel a bit guilty, maybe I could solve that problem in a smoother way...

One of the my dearest friends has CP and has to walk with a walker.

Him and I make really horible and offensive jokes towards one another (he making black jokes towards me and me cracking cripple jokes towards him.)

Shit, I remember when Katawa Shoujo first came out and I was like "Dude! Finally the ADA make a video game for people like you!"

As for working with disabled people?

Naw, I don't wanna go to hell for craking jokes about them every 10 seconds. No but seriously, I do want a career at being a music teacher and music therapy is a huge growing field. Maybe I might have to work with a disabled person one day in terms of music. Who knows?

My dad's leg was blown off in Vietnam, one of my old girlfriends was covered in burn scars from the neck down, and one of my best friends was born without the the use of her legs.

I also went to school with a guy that had two prosthetic legs and five fingers total. Three on one hand, two on the other.

Oddball wrote:one of my old girlfriends was covered in burn scars from the neck down.

You got lucky.

For me, I work at a place with a large amount of people who are "disabled". I put the word disabled in quotes because I do not see certain things as a disability as for me, that definition means no longer possessing an ability you once had. Losing a limb you once had. Losing the ability of sight/seeing/etc you once had. Those are disabilities. Being born with certain things from the get go, I see as merely challenges we have to overcome. If you are born without the use of something, you learn how to live and thus it is perhaps maybe easier then having to relearn how to do something from losing an ability.

Sorry, went off topic. Playing KS again after a long time due to some more neck issues I am having. Some may know, but end of October 2011, I had neck surgery on 3 or 4 of my vertebrae levels due to a slowly degenerative thing which compressed the spinal cord. Certain things were fixed, but am having even more issues with other neck/shoulder related things.


But, to get back on topic, the place I work in as a client of the organization is known as Lincoln Training Center. They cater to those who society labels as having "disabilities". Granted, some may be more developmental/involving the mind, though some also are physical in nature.

It is interesting to note that my experience in those who are "disabled" we (myself included) no matter how old we get, we seem to retain some part of a childlike mentality/innocence.

There are some who I work with where you'd think they were far younger like maybe Jr high/high school ages, but find out they may be in their 40s or 50s or later.

We do a lot of stuff involving things like inflating footballs/soccer balls/basketballs and put them inside those cardboard box things when you see them in stores. Other things involved such as those Don Fransisco Coffee Displays, as in assembling the displays and filling the coffee cans inside them for being packaged and shipped out. There are other cardboard related things we do. It all depends on the various contracts Lincoln would get.

The stuff with my neck could perhaps be considered a true "disability" due to the intense pain it causes and at times forces me to sleep the pain away due to the doctors not yet knowing what is wrong. And the fact I have to severely limit things I used to be able to do. There are times I wonder how things would be like if perhaps I knew of this stuff and I was in the school in the KS world, curious how I would react and interact in such a setting.

Then again, my mind always dwells on alternate realms of existance, imagining various scenarios and other stuff. I think many times I am a bit too hard on myself or like, set my goals too high or get upset too much on myself. My friends say I am too hard on myself. But I guess I think like "If I can't do it, how can I expect others to do so." Kinda like trying to take my own advise before dishing it out. I do admit it is frustrating that I may have to work only 3 days as it seems I have not yet been able to even do 4 days of work, let alone 5.

I am glad that this place I work is so understanding of my situation.

As I tell others, if you wish to ask questions or whatnot, please feel free to message me. I am always willing to talk/chat and share with others. I just got to the part on Hanako's path where Hisao shows Hanako his Scar. Reminded me of the one I have which goes from the base of my skull down to the top of my shoulder blades near that "Bump" of bone near the top of shoulderblades area.

Anywho, I hope I did not go off topic a bit there. >_<

My current career path will have me working with differently-abled persons in high school settings. I want to eventually take that career path and let it lead me to a role as a guidance counselor, as I was helped by a few very influential counselors through rough times in my life and I want to give back to just such kids in that point in their lives.

Learning sign language, surprisingly the grammar fits well with how I talk/think

inquisitivenegro wrote:Learning sign language, surprisingly the grammar fits well with how I talk/think

I've also started this. I'm finding it a real challenge for my left hand (old injury) but I am liking the idea of being able to just stop running my mouth and signing to someone when I wish to keep people in (or out...) of the loop.

I work at a huge shipping hub that has about 5000 employees, the second biggest in the US. There are alot of people employed that are disabled but the most common you see are hearing disabled.

My work group does not have any hearing disabled in it, but another group that i have to work and communicate with does have a few people. I them signing to other people, even non hearing disabled workers that i talk to, meaning they must have taught them some stuff which is cool. Since i only interact for a few seconds with them, i usually give a thumbs up, or nod my head yes or no, or they usually point to what they need to get done.

It would be cool to learn to sign to them though, but still don't think i would use it enough in my job with what i do.

Axelownz wrote:I work at a huge shipping hub that has about 5000 employees, the second biggest in the US. There are alot of people employed that are disabled but the most common you see are hearing disabled.

My work group does not have any hearing disabled in it, but another group that i have to work and communicate with does have a few people. I them signing to other people, even non hearing disabled workers that i talk to, meaning they must have taught them some stuff which is cool. Since i only interact for a few seconds with them, i usually give a thumbs up, or nod my head yes or no, or they usually point to what they need to get done.

It would be cool to learn to sign to them though, but still don't think i would use it enough in my job with what i do.

Languages are always good learning for the brain. your 80 year old self will thank you for warding of dementia and Alzheimer's now by learning sign language