It was informative and helpful to look at mental handicaps from three different perspectives: the play The Boys Next Door, the essay by Dr. Fettke, and the visit to the Alliance for Independence. All three definitely supplemented each other.
I think the biggest way that reading the play prepared me for visiting AFI was getting me in the mindset of thinking about these mentally disabled people. Although my brother has disabilities, it does not fully prepare me for dealing with other people who have similar limitations. I have become so used to him as an individual that I often don't consciously recognize his handicap--it's just him. So reading the play and the essay got me thinking about this. I was able to go into the trip to AFI with a mindset of loving and appreciating these people for who they are. Thinking this way was especially influenced by Dr. Fettke's discussion on the imago dei and realizing value and worth in all humans simply for the fact that we are God's prized creation.
The Boys Next Door reminded me how capable some mentally challenged people, many the ability to have jobs in the community like the characters Arnold and Norman do. This awesome reality is the first thing I noticed that visiting AFI informed me about the play. I wish I could remember his name, but at AFI I met the guy who works at the Lakeland Center helping with food prep for events. He told me he's going to be a chef. He has a job and aspirations just like almost everybody else does. He seemed like one of the more capable and developed clients at AFI, and I was not surprised at his success. He's probably a fun person to work with, too.
Something that tends to be characteristic about mentally challenged people is repetition. I know many handicapped people need to repeat things many times to learn them, whether in school, work, chores, etc. They also repeat conversations. One guy at AFI told us a few times about his girlfriend of six months, each time as genuinely as the first. And each time she grinned shyly and happily as if he'd never told us before. It's cute because I don't think they actually forgot we already knew. However, it was still important and didn't matter if it'd been said.
The whole idea of relationships among the mentally handicapped is something I don't know much about. Reading the play "prepared" me for this possibility, and it was really cool to see couples at AFI. I love it because it helps us see that their basic desires and dreams are the same as ours. Going back to reading the play after meeting those couples at AFI gave me a personal reference and helped me better picture how the budding relationship between Sheila and Norman might really look.
One other thing I wanted to mention is the serious issue of government funding. We read about it in the play when Lucien prepares for and stands before the senate, but I didn't realize all the implications of that at the time. At AFI we talked a good amount about funding and cuts, and it puts things in perspective when you learn that funding covers only $27 of the about $70 it takes to run the alliance per client each day, and that will soon probably be lowered to around $21. It's sad because this means less services can be provided when less money is coming through. Although Lucien's fictional case allowed him the opportunity to protest, but the clients at AFI can't control how much the state of Florida grants them.
And on a final note . . . I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and interact with people having different disabilities because it is so important that we (especially as Christians) care for those who society often overlooks. It's part of life, however frustrating or complicated it may be at times. I'm thankful for the reminder of how valuable each life is to God.
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