First is Krassi's turn. He's been having physical therapy twice a week again for a while now, and for the last few months, it's been a teletherapy session. (Yes. Figure that out. It means the therapist tells us what to do and either me or Rose does the actual work!) But this week's first session was by far the best I've seen him do! He was fast and strong and accurate at all of things we tried: getting up onto hands and knees, sitting unsupported while pulling suction cups off the mirror, and then pulling up to standing using the ballet barre. (Yes, we have ballet barres in our basement!)
Look how tall and straight his back is, and how high he's holding up his head! He's even doing a great job using his eyes and not just the sense of touch to see where the suction cups are.
And Bobbi has big news - she had not really an interview, but a "meet and greet" sort of thing at Kwik Trip where she's got a lead on a job as a Food Product Demonstrator! She's been working with someone at a job placement agency, and this looks like it could turn into a great part-time job for her! The job hasn't actually been posted yet, but our person at the agency has some connections, so knew they were thinking about expanding this part of the services they offer, and thought Bobbi would be a good fit for the job because of her interest in food and her great smile and ability to share her opinion freely and frankly and engage with people!
I was so proud of Bobbi and the way she conducted herself. She was much more confident than she was at her "interview" for the position she had last summer. She took the initiative to do the talking instead of waiting for me, and she did a great job of sharing what she knew without sounding like she was talking herself up, all while self-advocating for her needs. This happened mostly with some of the questions she was asking about food-safety things as they relate to her disability (how will I keep my hands clean, because if I wash them in the bathroom at the sink, then I have to touch my wheels to get back where I'm working, and I don't want to give customers food with dirty hands?) When they discussed gloves, she agreed that it was a good idea, but told the store leader that she does need help putting gloves on. She did great - she was friendly, and professional, and herself all at the same time.
Even better, last night I told her I needed to take a few minutes to tell her how very proud I was of her (which is something she's very resistant to), and she let me do so! I think I'm even more proud of her being willing to accept my specific and glowing praise as I was about the thing I was praising her for in the first place! We're excited, and think this could be a great job for her for potentially even the next few years. Fifteen flexible hours a week is enough to be worth it, and yet still gives her enough time for the other things that currently fill her days (therapies, school again, eventually, and her reading and coloring).
No comments:
Post a Comment