Once the KOB Epilepsy Program got off the ground, it was an enormous success. We got many calls from school systems throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island requesting performances. Unfortunately, we did not have the woman power to cover all of these requests. . . . This situation, however, reminded me that part of the unique experience of doing the Schweitzer Fellows Program is in learning how to create healthy boundaries for our energy and ideas. At this point I needed to change my perspective on my project, focusing less on what I couldn't accomplish and more on what we had succeeded in doing.
Care involves creating supportive networks in the school systems and throughout the community.
It involves addressing stereotypes and labels and creating dialogue around the topic of disabilities. The most rewarding part of my Schweitzer project has been doing performances for school children. I never expected to learn so much from students considerably younger than myself. Their questions were insightful, sensitive, and often times very clever, sending me back to my text books to look up an answer. The more successful performances opened discussion and created dialogue between the student with epilepsy, their classmates, and their teachers.