The theme of our First PE Lab was "Empathy" and to learn about how it can be a tool for overcoming stigma we did an activity where we made Spectacles Of and For Ourselves. As our prof pulled out the pipe cleaners, I knew what was afoot --we were going to make pipe cleaner glasses for ourselves!! And what fun we had!! =)
After fashioning new spectacles for ourselves, our class was asked to don our frames and stand up at our desks and answer questions. One by one, my classmates were called. Oh how I wanted to answer their questions!
"Cookie or cake?" CAKE of course!!
"Leather or Harris tweed?" Harris tweed, simply because I dislike leather.
"Wind or leaf?" Wind. So I can touch everyone in some way... I mean that in a non-creepy way.
"Ball or racquet?" Ball! I'd get to bounce around and see the world from different angles! I'm ignoring the fact that I'll probably get many bruises in the process.
Looking around at my classmates, I could see that some of us were a little nervous about standing up wearing weird glasses and being put on the spot. For each person that stood up, there was a moment of silence, as he/she (along with the rest of the class) waited for their surprise question. And that moment was pregnant with anticipation and uncertainty. But me? I was excited! When it came to be my turn,"Coffee or tea?" was my question, and I didn't need to think: Tea, of course! (I don't drink coffee. I've never been a fan of its taste.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this lab. It's been a while since I've taken the time to get crafty! I really appreciate the idea of making spectacles of and for ourselves to simulate the feeling of being stigmatized. I see a double meaning behind wearing those spectacles. (Was that a pun?) Individuals who are stigmatized are seen as walking around with their "weird glasses", making spectacles of themselves. But we have to realize that we are each looking at the world behind a different pair of frames. As much as we might be inclined to judge others for the spectacles they make of themselves, we could only be seeing them as such because of our frame of reference. It's easy to forget that we all wear invisible spectacles that are made up of our personal experiences, personalities and beliefs. And as much as we'd like to take them off and not form judgements that promote stigma, I see our personal spectacles as being both invisible and also permanently attached to us. However, they are malleable and adaptable to change. What I mean to say is that we can't ever say that we are not making judgements. The key is to be open minded. I hope my education and experiences in this OT program will result in a nice pair of OT lens, and ultimately help me to create a set of spectacles to see others.
RESOURCE to Think About...
When I saw the topic of our lab, my mind jumped to the Promises to Myself set from earlier this year. The reason being that among the books I have borrowed to read to fulfill my promise, I have also borrowed a book called Empathy by David Howe and thought that it would be a relevant read to mention to my professor for future students. I randomly spotted this book at the library one evening after placement and it's been a great read! This book talks about what empathy is (its origin and definitions), why it matters (social perspectives, effect on communication and client relationships etc.) and the critical issues and research involving empathy (individual differences, development, psychopathy and learning etc.).
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