Author Archives: colli03

This week at Headway was quite a different experience from my last visit. Walking into the lobby, I encountered Heather* who seemed a bit nervous and out of sorts. As we rode the elevator up to the centre, she and I got to know each other by engaging in a bit of small talk. When I asked if there was anything wrong, she confided that she wasn’t feeling well but couldn’t get picked up because she couldn’t remember her ride’s phone number. While we arranged for her to go home by HandyDART, which wouldn’t be for another hour, I realized how little setbacks could easily turn into major problems and knew how frustrated I would have felt in the same situation.

Even though she was feeling sick and under emotional strain, Heather handle it well and took the time to get to know us better while she waited for HandyDART to arrive. She talked more about her life, and showed us some of her sign language skills. Another member, John*, joined in and the two of them happily taught us some simple phrases like “mom + dad”, “no” and “see you later alligator”. Both John and Heather had language deficits, and I could see that they really enjoyed being able to clearly communicate things without using speech. It really sparked an interest for me, and I hope I can learn more sign language in the future. It seems like it would be an incredible skill to possess.

When it was about time for the HandyDART to show up, I really started to notice the inconvenience of having Headway in the upper level of a secluded building (as was pointed out in Ms. Alison Mclean’s presentation). We weren’t able to see the building’s entrance from the windows, so it was really hard to tell when the HandyDart had arrived. Some members had figured out a few tricks to tell if it had come yet, but I still couldn’t help but think that there needed to be a better way to organize transportation for those with disabilities.

When it finally came time for the crafts to start, I noticed that John didn’t join the crafts table, and instead headed into the computer room to knit. He had done the same thing during my last visit, and I decided to find out more about his love for knitting. Spending some one-on-one time with him really opened my eyes to how capable and independent some of the members at Headway are. While I’m sure John had lost some abilities from his accident (which resulted in his language deficit), it was encouraging to see that he hadn’t let his injuries prevent him from doing something he loved. He told me about how he sold his knits through his own label and even let me help knit the scarf he was currently making. Even though my stitches were clearly more messy than his, he encouraged me and taught me a couple of his special techniques.

After the mini knitting session, I went to see how the crafts table was coming along. I was impressed with how innovative the group was; they were decorating mugs with glue and tissue paper, since paint hadn’t worked.

The end results were very cool, and it was nice to see how much effort each member put into their craft. I think that these type of sessions could really act to help the members with their ability to focus on a task and follow it through, whether this is an issue for them or not. And it was really interesting to see how the rehabilitation techniques we have learned in class are useful in real life.

Overall, I had a very enjoyable day at Headway. While it was quite different from my last day there, I really appreciated the chance to spend more individual time with a few of the members. I’ve learned a lot through my interactions with the members there, and hope to go back soon.
*Names have been changed.

Before attending Headway, I thought I had an idea of what my experience would be like. I imagined a large resource centre filled with staff and members busy participating in multiple activities. I expected to immediately join the Walking Club, and help out by following a staff member’s instructions. Instead, I was surprised to see that the atmosphere at Headway was much more relaxed and welcoming than I had pictured.

When I arrived I was greeted by the members, who were busy making themselves lunch and conversing with their friends. I was invited to join them, and after a short introduction I engaged them in conversation and tried to learn more about each member.

The first member I met was very witty, and enjoyed making himself and others laugh. It was clear that he took pride in coming up with these quick remarks and comments. He had a keen interest for the music therapy sessions and explained how each of the instruments worked and what they were supposed to sound like. He declined from going out with the Walking Club, saying that he didn’t want to “waste his time walking around”. I managed to meet up with him again after the walk and was glad to talk with him more.

My second interaction was with a young woman, X. At first she seemed rather reserved but after I showed an interest in talking with her, she really opened up. She shared a lot of her past with me, and showed me a plate she had painted in Art Class. The plate portrayed the dogs she had owned throughout her life. It was clearly a topic that she was passionate about, and we were able to bond over our pets. She seemed pleased with the weekly excursions to Granville Island with the Walking Club, and promised to show me around.

As we set out, I got to know X much better. She opened up about her accident, and told me about her struggles with the medical system and rehabilitation process. For years, she struggled in pain because doctors dismissed her complaints. Finally, she received the surgery she needed and went through an extensive rehab program in order to walk again. She told me how excited she was that she could finally begin work again and to start her first shift at a new job the next day. It was an incredible story to listen to, and I hope to talk with X more the next time I am at the centre.

Throughout the course, we have discussed a range of outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI). I realized that prior to visiting Headway, my notion of what the members would be like was heavily influenced by our discussions in class. I assumed that there would be some apparent physical or cognitive symptom that would help to identify a member as a survivor of TBI. This, however, was not the case with many of the members at Headway.

I read further about public understanding and misconceptions about survivors of TBI in the article by Linden et al. (2010) (one of the course readings from a couple weeks back). I found that I related to many of the findings in the article, especially the responses to the question “how could you tell if someone had a brain injury?”. I realized how much I had initially been looking for “identifiers” amongst the members at Headway, and am glad to say that by the end of the session it barely crossed my mind.

I was quite surprised with how capable and comfortable everyone was, and truly enjoyed the well-established sense of community at Headway. This sense of community allowed for the fun and relaxed atmosphere which was present throughout the duration of the activities. Volunteering at Headway was truly was an eye opening experience, and I look forward to my next volunteer session.