Shahina Gantiwala

4/24/16
EXPL 390
Final Written Reflection
It is alarming to me that my Social Justine Internship is over now. A whole year at
Misericordia feels unreal. From the moment I filled out the application and submitted the paper
for this internship, I felt that it would be crazy if they selected me out of all the people at Loyola
University. Upon hearing about the news that I was selected for an interview, I was excited. I
remember being determined about being placed at Misericordia because I wanted to see the
operations of the services they provided. I am forever grateful for Loyola for having this program
because I have learned so much through experience at Misericordia through the two opposing
roles I have occupied this past year. I do not think that there ever was a moment at Misericordia
where I did not learn something, whether it was as a social service or fitness intern. My
internship site has definitely made me much more aware of the services that are allotted to
individuals deemed to be developmentally disabled and how we all can play a role in integrating
ourselves into their lives, after all, they are human beings as well.
Typing out this final reflection is tough, one because it is difficult to remember all of the
skills I learned in both roles and two because I do not like the fact that such a wonderful
opportunity is ending for me. Nevertheless, I want to first talk about my first role as a social
service intern at Misericordia. As a social service intern, the hours to come in to the internship
were between 8 AM to 4 PM on weekdays only. The time was a conflict but I had about 10-12
hours a week that I could put in on two days. Imagine a room with nothing but cubicles, and the
constant drone of a printer. Stacks of papers were lined up along with files, waiting to be

processed and there were no windows. Just a table, a computer, and your files. The role was
mostly doing paperwork, reviewing, and editing files of residents who, when deemed by a social
service coordinator or worker, needed a file or social review update. These social worker or
social service coordinators would be in charge of various residents that lived in specific area.
They would contact the DSP or direct support professional that would manage the residents of a
house or sub section of a home when updates are needed regarding the social services a resident
is receiving. With information gathered from the DSP, health/medical information is then
gathered from the doctors and hospitals that the patient has been frequenting. Thereafter, the
social worker waits for the information to be gathered and files it into the residents charts and
processes the files as deemed necessary. What I mean by necessary is this, that every year the
residents have a staffing, which is where they meet with their parent of guardian and they discuss
their activities and services and make changes if need be. If a staffing for a resident is coming up,
the social service coordinators themselves begin gathering information on a residents services
and begin making updates on the residents charts themselves. However, there are many residents
all over Misericordias campus, and the files pile up and staffings do get delayed because there
isnt enough man power to get updates for each resident or there isnt really anyone to update the
charts.
This is where I come in. My role as a social service intern was a support for the social
service workers/coordinators to solely update resident files in terms of any social service
updates. The updates were either a social service update or a file review. A social service update
consisted of any changes made in the services a resident received from the last social service
done, which was usually 4-5 years old. The update consisted of gathering medical information
which was available on the nursing floor and delving into medical books (my favorite) and also

reviewing the vast amount of paperwork in the residents file itself for any recent updates. The
file review consisted of reading through each paper in the residents file and noting any changes
at all from the residents medical condition, medicines, social services, behavior, to mental
capacity. The role was a lot of brain work, as it was necessary to keep up to date on each
residents capabilities and the services that were designed to ensure independence to the best of
Misericordias abilities for the residents.
Being a social service intern taught me important skills such as working under a time
limit, gathering information from different sources (books, coordinators), squeezing out details
from large amounts of information, and most importantly how to work with limited human
interaction. Throughout my time as a social service intern, I had only been to two staffings for
residents, of whose file review I completed. I was happy about meeting the residents whose life
I poured over, it was as if I was meeting a celebrity, I knew everything about them! However,
during the process of compiling all the information and making the updates, everyone in the
office was focused on their allotted work, so, there was no human interaction. Nevertheless, I
remember completing almost between 40 to 50 updates. Of those, I think file reviews were my
favorite because you do not focus on just the social services updates that residents received from
the last written update, rather you learn the biography of an individual, as if you know that
person by the time you get to the most recent change in their file. It is quite extraordinary when I
reflect upon what I learned regarding the numerous residents files that I have poured through. I
remember coming across a residents file that was deceased. A file review was necessary so the
case could be closed and another resident who had been on the waiting list could occupy the
space that the individual occupied when alive. I was reading the conditions the resident had that
limited his capacity to move his body and eat without assistance and it tore me apart knowing

that because of the condition that he was born in, he was suffering through the services that were
tailored for him. There were proper food services and activity services for the resident, but
because of the medical conditions he faced, he could not follow through on the services and was
repeatedly hospitalized until he was laid to rest. Reading such a file as that got to me and
renewed my resolve in the position I occupied because I was becoming stagnant in my role since
everyday seemed routine and monotonous. Thereafter, I was able to continue with the social
service position with a new perspective of making a difference as I had set out to do when
applying for the Social Justice Internship program.
Surprisingly, upon returning to school in January 2016, I was told that the coordinators
noticed that I did not like my social service position, that I was making too many mistakes, and
that there is an opportunity to be in the fitness center. I was shocked by the coordinators noticing
I was bored, I was shocked that they were able to make such an assessment of me when they
barely saw me, however, I did not deny the truth, I was. I did not like the fact that I could not
interact with residents and learn behaviors so I could directly interact with them. The other
comment that I was making too many mistakes with the updates was even more surprising
because I was never told by any of the coordinators of my errors, although I did email the
coordinators that assigned the work for me saying that I am open to any edits and changes I make
because I am an intern here to learn. Nevertheless, I was happy upon the opening at the fitness
center, after all, my major is Exercise Science, and I thought, this would be perfect since I do
need resident interaction to uphold my vision for justice for individuals deemed as disabled.
I was excited and frightened simultaneously of the fitness internship because I did not
know how I would react working with residents; I have had no experience with interaction, what
was I going to do? These anxious thoughts crammed my head as I remember meeting one of my

bosses, Rita, in early January of 2016. My anxiety dissipated, when I realized that the residents
that were in the fitness center that day were calm and in tune with their exercise routine. The
residents were more into fitness than I was, it was an amazing site to see! I saw residents write
down the distance, calories burned, and the minutes they completed on the machine they were
using at that time. The other aspect of the fitness internship that I liked right away was that the
fitness center has its own staff and there were no cubicles! It was casual clothing with the
Misericordia fitness shirts and IDs so that residents could come up to you and interact with you,
just as human beings too. I knew I was going to love this new position!
After the initial meeting at the fitness center, I met the main boss, Mary-Ann, who
scheduled my hours and introduced me to other staff members. From there, I was thrown to the
wolves. There were no written or given directions about how to operate the fitness center, how to
manage the maladaptive behavior of the residents, or what the fitness plan for each resident was.
So, I basically shadowed staff at Misericordia for two weeks straight to find out which residents
belonged to which house, the exercise charts for their workouts, how to manage behaviors, how
to contact houses or homes in regards to if a resident would be coming in that day, etc. There
were many things that I picked up, especially being assertive because some residents will con
you to get out of exercising. It took me about two months to learn the residents names,
behaviors, favorite exercise routines, and ways to motivate an individual for the days that I was
present at Misericordia. There are many residents that I do not know because I only went on
specific days. One aspect of the internship that I truly enjoyed was picking the residents up from
their respective houses for fitness activities. The escorting that I provided along with other staff
was a nice break from being in a building all day and it also made the residents feel as if they
were leaving to escape their house, a place where they have been all day or all night. Another

aspect of the internship that I thoroughly enjoyed was going to the residents homes for fitness
activities. For example, there was a snow storm in the end of February and the beginning of
March. I was scheduled to work that day and so were two other staff members. Because of the
crazy weather, our boss decided that we should continue with our fitness activities but at the
residents homes, instead of bringing them to the fitness center, a walk that would leave them
fatally sick. So, my staff and I complied, brought some resistance bands, arms weights, and a
yoga DVD to residents homes for the rest of the day until the weather was manageable. That
moment of adapting to a situation taught me that fitness is definitely something one can do
anywhere and it reinforced the belief that fitness is for everybody, not just athletes.
As a fitness intern, I have learned so much that I cannot seem to find all the words that I
had found as a social service intern. I have learned how to be flexible, adapt, modify, manage,
control, assert, guide, motivate, work as a team and work as a leader as a fitness intern at
Misericordia. Interacting with residents was my goal when I applied for the Social Justice
Internship and I was happy that I was given the chance to show my vision of social justice as a
fitness intern at Misericordia. The residents did have a hard time pronouncing my name, but they
never once made me feel that I was not a part of Misericordia. The residents trusted that you
would help them when they needed assistance and they were eager to see a new face wanting to
know them. There were a variety of residents with varying cognitive levels that would be
escorted to and from the fitness center, and each and every one of the residents would happily
comply with the fitness programs that were in place for them (by Rita). In fact, guiding residents
through their exercise was another highlight of my fitness internship experience.
I am amazed at how much an individual that is labeled as disabled can teach you. From
their likes to dislikes to ways to communicate and motivate in being a good human being. My

experience at Misericordia is unique because of the polar opposite roles I occupied as a social
service intern to a fitness intern. I learned how to find important details with limited human
interaction to seeing the big picture and being completely social! I observed and participated in
the social services process, saw what services residents at Misericordia were participating in and
enjoyed, and how the fitness and aquatics center was a mode of rehabilitation for residents with
varying ailments and abilities. I could not ask for a better Social Justice Internship experience
because it enabled me to live out my passion for understanding and supporting individuals who
are differently abled. I have heard that Misericordia will only have adults at the facility as
funding for children was cut by the state, however, I hope that the quality of the services
continues and more places such as Misericordia continue with the mission and vision of enabling
individuals with developmental disabilities live their lives as independent as possible. I plan on
continuing my social justice work in the field of healthcare and know that without this
experience, I would not have such a strong resolve to fight for the rights of people who are
differently abled, because they too are human beings.