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Joanne Johnson

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An Intern with CONNECT:  My experiences and reflections
By Joanne Johnson

When I decided to apply for a position as an intern with the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition’s CONNECT Project, I was a bit nervous.  The main reason for this is that I was not exactly sure what I would be doing or what I would have the opportunity to learn while working with CONNECT.  I thought that perhaps I would be copying and filing, or even doing data entry and answering the telephone.  The job description mentioned a “willingness to travel,” so I guessed I might have to commute to a distant office to perform these duties.  Though I was not expecting much, I am never one to turn down an opportunity, so I applied and was interviewed for the summer position of working with CONNECT.

 When I found out that I had actually received a position with this organization, I was excited, but still anxious.  I drove to the two-day orientation with some trepidation since I still had little idea of what I was getting myself into.  I was in for a pleasant surprise.

In attendance at this orientation were two of the project supervisors, the other four interns, and myself.  When I arrived, I discovered one of the most interesting aspects of our group.  Everybody there had a disability.  Some were visible, some were invisible, but just the same, nobody looked at me strangely for using a cane or tripping over my own two feet.  I also felt that this was one rare time where I was not immediately judged because of my disability.

 During orientation, the activities were not boring or pointless, but gave me insight into the habitual leadership styles, unconscious feelings, and even some of the prejudices of those in our group.  I must admit that I was dismayed to realize that I, too, had prejudices that I was not aware of, and I resolved to stop making assumptions and judging others based on stereotypes.  Also during orientation, the group discussed disability history, the structure of our organization, and, most importantly, what exactly we would be doing and how we would get it done.

Much to my surprise, copying and data entry were nowhere to be found.  Instead, we would be visiting colleges and universities across the state to tell them about the CONNECT Project, an effort to establish a college and university network so that students with disabilities could work together to create change and build a wider disability community.  Some of this involved paperwork and data, but the most exciting part of this job is that the interns would be setting up their own meetings and working largely autonomously in their regions. 

At first, telephone conversations with schools were stilted and awkward, but gradually the discussions became comfortable and talking about CONNECT felt natural.  Also, the meetings were difficult to set up at first, but with time, those came together as well.  One major thing that I learned by completing this internship is that persistence pays off.  Perhaps a person won’t talk to someone on his or her first or second call, but the third time can truly be the charm.

Other important skills that were improved as a result of this internship were time-management skills, communication skills, and especially the ability to speak with or present to the public.  I also strongly feel that my knowledge of disability history and culture has increased tenfold, and that I can much better empathize and understand those who have disabilities that are unlike mine.  Like I suspected at the orientation, many of my preconceived notions and stereotypes about what it is like to have certain types of disabilities have been corrected.  I now know that no textbook can teach a person about what it is truly like to have any disability, and that many disabilities have fuzzier lines than the medical community would like to think. 

The internship with CONNECT involved a range of learning experiences and had its difficult and amazing moments.  There were times I would call people for weeks and get no response; I also received less than enthusiastic responses from several overworked staff at different schools. Eventually, however, things fell into place and I felt the excitement and accomplishment of having meetings with schools and making an impact on their programs for students with disabilities.  I even had one school that started talking about restarting their student disability group because I had reminded them that such things were important.  Furthermore, when I wrote reports and reviewed how many schools the other interns and I had visited, I realized that we had met with more schools and made more connections than I ever thought was possible.

I have as a changed person through learning more about the disability culture and how life is different, and similar, for those who have different disabilities.  I am consciously aware of some judgments and stereotypes I have towards others, and I constantly work to change that because I want to truly accept people the way that they are.  I have been exposed to people who share my feelings about disabilities and those who do not and never will.  I have discovered that it is not a horrible occurrence when people do not share my views, but the result of many different people living and working together.  Like any experience in life, this internship has had its high and lows, frustrations and joys.  Most of all, I have learned about others and myself while doing something that may truly make an impact in the years to come.

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