Throughout this past week I have gotten to work with an amazing group of people, both the CALUE group and those at each of the events. I felt that the most impactful event was working with Youth Rebuilding New Orleans (YRNO). Originally, I thought YRNO was just an organization that quickly rebuilt houses that did not have much to them, for someone to live in. However, after getting a chance to walk through one of their completed houses and seeing how much work they were putting into the house, it far exceeded my expectations. I was glad that we had a chance to interact with the members of YRNO that were there. It was great to be able to talk to them and hear their stories. I also enjoyed being able to help work on a house and know that I was helping give back to the community, even if it was only a small part.
I felt that the most impactful tour we went on was the Whitney Plantation tour. The Whitney Plantation tour is the only tour that portrays life on the plantation from the slave’s point of view. Our tour guide, Ali, did a great job of relating the hardships that slaves faced then to society today. He did not sugar coat anything and told us how it was in the time of slavery. It was truly an eye opening experience especially with seeing all the memorials and reading the stories from slaves that had lived on the plantation. I would strongly recommend that if you are ever around New Orleans, that you go and take this tour.
Today we worked with Arc of Greater New Orleans. Arc of Greater New Orleans employs people with intellectual disabilities giving them a chance to live to their fullest potential. They also work with the community to advocate for the inclusion and acceptance of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was great working with the organization because it showed that those with disabilities are no different than anyone else and do not have to be treated like they are a special group of people. I got the chance to see one of the volunteers that works there, LeRoy, interact with some of the employees. He treated them just like any other human being – with respect, and appreciating the work they were doing. It was great to see this kind of interaction. Working there also opened my eyes and showed me that people with disabilities are just as capable as those without and that they are just as important as anyone else.
– Aaron Perkins