My Supports

Some of the emotional supports that I have in my life include my boyfriend and his children. They show me love and affection when I’m down, they laugh with me, and they’re happy for me when something good happens to me. My friends also provide emotional support in that they listen to my issues, share a laugh with me, and are happy when things are good. My parents show their support by demonstrating that they are proud of my accomplishments. Finally, my dogs provide me love no matter what I say or do.

One of the biggest practical supports in my life is my associate teacher. She helps me plan for our classroom, supports decisions that I make, and offers helpful suggestions. Money is a practical support in that it allows me to meet my needs and some of my wants. Technology such as phones and computers support me to communicate with others and get information that I need. My boyfriend and his daughters support me because they help around the house such as getting themselves dressed, helping with dinner, picking up after themselves, etc. I don’t feel that I require much physical support. The only thing I could think of was my car which gives me the freedom to get me where I need and want to go. 

The benefit of these supports is that they help me meet all my needs and wants. If I didn’t have these supports, my life would be extremely difficult. I wouldn’t be able to do my job as effectively as I do now. If I didn’t have money, I wouldn’t have my house or my dogs. If my family and friends weren’t part of my support system, I would not have made it through college, and probably not even through high school. 

If I were blind, my supports would change dramatically. Some of the supports I have in my life would be unnecessary while others would become more necessary. I imagine that my emotional supports would remain the same. However, my practical and physical supports would be very different. I would have to lean much more on my associate teacher for feedback on what the students are doing and I would not be able to complete my observations of the students in the same way. I would have to rely much more on listening to the children. I wouldn’t be able to use computers like I do now and would need more support around the house from my boyfriend and his daughters. I would require the assistance of a Seeing Eye dog in order to maintain the same amount of freedom that I experience now. If I didn’t have these supports, I would not be able to work and therefore would not have the monetary support that I have now.