Think of how you view your own life.
I will begin with the aspect of the project that I believe can have the longest lasting effect. Employment can be transformative. Think of how you view your own life. We all identity by a certain set of traits; whether it’s family, friends, home, or hobbies, everyone garners some sense of identity by the job they have. It can be a job, or a career, but some sense of who we are is supplied by the activity for which we are compensated.
Often, when one is labeled as “disabled,” their ability to gain employment is limited, or taken outright. This alone can be the basis of a lack of self worth. With this rink however, the ability to change that paradigm for the community arises! The employees of this rink can earn back some of the identity that is so difficult to maintain when certain labels are attached. This effect can be as extensive as desired by the people involved.
As a person who, everyday, finds new ways to achieve tasks that should be unavailable to me, I can assure you that not only is this possible, it should be prioritized.
I can personally vouch for how this can affect a life! I used to trade commodities in New York City, and I loved it. In college I waited tables and worked at the New York Mercantile Exchange. In high school I worked at a hockey shop, and before that, my first job was at a golf course. I’ve had a job that I loved my whole life, until the doctor said those three letters. A. L. S. Since then I have been on the outskirts of the employed, racking my brain for some way to contribute, but always coming up empty handed.
A new perspective.
Then something happened that I’m so grateful for, I don’t know how to repay the kindness. Martin Richardson saw the hunger I had to make a difference, and he refused to dismiss it. He charged me with providing a new perspective on the project he has undertaken. He has not only given me the responsibility of assisting a project that’s unique and humbling, he has given me something so crucial to my personal humanity: an identity, and a voice.
It is my hope that others will be afforded the same chances to enhance their own individualities! It makes a difference!
