It is more than IQ

Finally I'm here

After one year

Since my OT friends had their practical here

with the many stories I heard

I've wanted to be here to witness myself.

This is an coincidence

I couldn't arrange a suitable date to The Learning Connection

The pioneering special school for children with disabilty---and they have speech and OT attached

and from nowhere this place pop out

Not my ideal place for the assignment,

but still I'm there

Simply because I actually plan to visit both place in the name of one assignment :P

OMG, I saw photo of my fellow friends online

Ok la, they actually have a website for their course---The Helping Hand

with this nice verse---I am the disabled child

So this is IQ 70+, where they house more than 20 residents with intellectual disability----or IQ less than 70

As the name implied, they believe that IQ does not define all

Because all these people, they might not know how to recite ABC, 123

but they treat everyone with the same warm and sincere heart, with the same welcoming gesture

And soon, I discover my part of the story in this place.

It was really a pity,

not to mention all those kids with various form of difficulties 

but the adults, people with similar age with you, people older than you

It is too easy to imagine, if you were them

and suddenly you know why Ignorance is Bliss

Sometimes it is better to know nothing and smile with pure innocence

than struggling hard to break the wall

There is no rehabilitation services provided there but we see a dire need

For a new center, they were well-managed and received substantial public support

People sending in expensive books and toys

but after taking photo and swarming around 

People don't really know what to do, and the staff as well

It is no fun playing with them because they don't know how to play these toys

It was such a waste

because TOYS ARE EXPENSIVE!

and they need HELP, A LOT OF HELP in various aspect

Those who can't move well

Those with psychology issue

Those with neurological impairment...the shaking hand

Most of them have no language or the minimal simple speech

I could say, they need a lot of therapySSSSSS, of different kind.

But what could we say more?

For a small private-funded center, 

it is challenging enough to gather fund to cover all the basic expenses

The staff are having a hard time managing all the residents

What do you expect more when they could take good care of them?

And many thanks to Mr.C who was willing to entertain us though he is busy

He provide many insights for us

On establishment and management of the center

I could see he is really concern of the residents, when he helped them shave and tell their story with affection

and about volunteering

All these one off and come and go volunteer---only if it could be regular

Just like us

It takes more than the IQ

You need time and heart

Pour everything in and ask for nothing

As time goes, the fruit of your effort will ripen,

slowly, slowly, slowly

Hopefully