DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

 

 

 

Who is Claudius?

A baby boy was born approximately one month prematurely on January 5th 1971, his mother decided to give him the name ‘Claudius’ after the fourth Roman emperor hoping that he would do great things.  That was the beginning of my life in the beautiful Caribbean Island of Trinidad and hence my journey to the place and time which I now occupy. It is highly possible that my name association with the emperor with disabilities may have steered my life towards the field of social services and disability studies.

 

Growing up in Trinidad there was not much focus on disabilities.  It is true that there was the blind man, the man with no legs and the ‘crippled’ woman (she actually had cerebral palsy), but these people were just people in the community, no one made a big deal about them or discriminated against them (as far as I can tell). In fact I was pretty good friends with the son of the lady who had C.P.  Even though disabilities were not invisible, it was not a problem in a society where people looked out for each other and considered everyone family.  I really cannot remember any sort of segregation, but one thing for sure the town would not have been considered accessible (like most third world towns were at that time).

 

Thinking back to elementary school, I had friends that were disabled (now that I have more information on disabilities), but it never occurred to me that they were; one friend had a very tiny right arm, this however did not matter to us, we were always amazed at how strong his left arm was and he was considered one of the strongest guys in our class.  Another friend did not seem to be able to learn the work we were taught, but that did not seem to bother anyone in class, the teacher just said that he would probably do better learning a trade.

 

Upon leaving elementary school I entered a parochial high school (high school starts after elementary school in the British education system) where there were no individuals with disabilities (as far as I can tell). Therefore my experience with disabilities at that stage in my life was limited in my social environment.  My time at high school was filled with studying the sciences and playing sport, my goal in life was to become a doctor so I really stayed on top of my sciences. Unfortunately at the end of high school I was not able to start medical school because of competition to fill the few spots in the Medical school and also because my grades were not as high as most other students applying to get into medical school.

 

My path in life deviated slightly and I went to the University of the West Indies to study Natural Sciences. There I still had limited interaction with disabilities, the only experience was with a guy in my chemistry and zoology classes who had a vestigial left arm and was a whiz at playing the electronic bass guitar. Anyway, I graduated with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Natural Sciences with a major in Chemistry and after receiving a message from my mother (who lived in the United States, along with my brothers and sisters) that I should come to the U.S. I decided that I will try to realize my dream of becoming a medical doctor once more.

 

After getting to the U.S. my plans to go to medical school got short circuited by some financial woes.  As things go I had to get a job, this is where I got the real introduction to disabilities. I took a job with an agency that provided services for developmentally disabled individuals and planned to leave at the end of six months hoping that things would be better with my family and I would then be able to continue on the path to medical school.  That however would not be the case.  I became so engrossed with the individuals that I served and the field of developmental disability as a whole that I continued on, moving up in the various agencies where I worked as I learnt more and more.

 

Now it is fifteen years later and I am the supervising coordinator for several programs in my current agency that provide services for individuals who live at home with their families.  With this experience I decided to complete my Master’s Degree in Disability Studies (I still have dreams of becoming a medical doctor) so that I can help with the advocacy for disabilities issues and the teaching of the public so that current social ideations can be changed.

 

Behind The Scene.

 

When I am not in school I am either working or spending time with my loving wife and daughter. Honestly I would like to spend more time with them, but my job takes up a very large portion of my time. I do not have much of a social life, but I do enjoy being able to devote some time towards bonding with my daughter whom I think will benefit in the future from the time I spend with her now. It is my hope that the things she is learning for me will help her be someone who see people as people and not as labels.

 

My job has taught me a lot and I am proud to be with my current agency, Independence Residences, Inc. for almost 12 years. I have incorporated the things I have learnt from working with disabled individuals and their families into my Master’s program and put my new found knowledge from the Master’s program  to good use on the job and while advocating for disabled individuals.

 

Even though it seems that I am always working or spending time with my family, I do have some hobbies that I had to temporarily put on hold while I complete this Disability Studies program. These include auto repair and tinkering with electronics especially computers and cell phones. Once time becomes more available, I hope to pursue these hobbies at leisure.

 


How I got into this program?

 

 After working in the field of Developmental Disabilities for close to 11 plus years and having lots of practical and hands-on experience, it dawned upon me that I really did not have any formal educational or theoretical background in disability. I heard about the disability studies program through my mentor Dr. Albert Pfadt, who suggested that it might be the best way to go to formalize my education in disability. Not only did I want to get a formal degree, but I also wanted to broaden my knowledge on disability and disability advocacy.

 

When I reviewed this MA in Disability Studies Program, it seem like it was designed especially for me. There was no other option, I had to get into that program and so said so done. I was not disappointed. It was a bit more intense that I expected, but it has been very beneficial to me and the people I work with and for. I will and do recommend this MA in Disability Studies to anyone who is willing to learn more about disabilities and is willing to join the fight for disability rights and advocacy.

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.