Education Brings Us Together
Education is the secret ingredient to success: It helps us be independent and bring our community together.
At Gabriel Homes, residents have enrolled at the College of Adaptive Arts, which lets adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities take part in the college experience.
One resident, Sara, has started taking challenging courses so she can tap into her passions. For example, her love of acting is unmatched. She performed in plays and musicals in the past, so she hopes to find the stage again soon through her studies. In her favorite course, film studies, Sara is studying the actors to learn better techniques for the stage.
By watching movies and talking about them scene by scene, I can better appreciate what every actor puts into their character,” Sara says. “It’s not just going up there and doing their lines. I'm noticing the expressions they wear on their faces, the reactions to when somebody tells them bad news.
As for getting more involved in her community, Sara is also taking a course on American Sign Language (ASL). The class starts each week by signing the alphabet.
Sara has enjoyed the course so she can better communicate with the deaf community.
“Education is worth it,” says Sara. “You shouldn’t be ignored because of your condition. Whether I’m on stage or with friends, I want to make sure people feel like they belong.”