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Rolando Ruano
Edu 1400
Kit Giddings

Service Learning Reflection

I had the privilege of doing my service learning hours at the Utah Independent Living
Center (UILC). This is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing recourses for
people with disabilities. They have a loan bank where they loan out all kinds of mobility
items and assistive technology for people who have permanent and non-permanent needs.
They also provide many services that allow POWs to live independently.
On the first day of my service learning, I went on an outing to the Peace Gardens in Salt
Lake City. I got to ride with the Clients as they are referred to by the people at the UILC. It
was very fun and interesting experience as I got to maneuver an electric chair for one of the
clients that was not feeling good enough to do it herself. Immediately I felt the love and
sincerity that these PWDs showed towards me. I got to hand out with Sharon, the lady that I
was driving around the park, Miriam another lady with a mental disability, the program
director who is also a PWD. She has a spinal injury that left her in a wheelchair since she was
very young. This outing was eye opening to me since I got to see how difficult it is for
POWs to perform simple tasks. Things that we take for granted, things like driving, eating,
reaching for personal items. Etc.
As I was chatting with Miriam, I realized that she feared the world around her. She could
not go anywhere by herself, she could not make her own decisions, and that she relied on her
caretaker, her sister to help her with her basic survival.
As we got back to the UILC, I learned that at least 51% of the employees at the center
needed to be PWD. The program director is on a wheelchair, and many of the top directors of

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the center are all PWD. I found it awesome that I was taking orders and directions from
PWDs something I had never experienced before but that I found refreshing.
I found that the program directors were very respectful and grateful for my help. I was
doing menial tasks that normally anyone could do such as putting together mobility
equipment, setting up tents, fixing wheelchairs and taking inventory of the loan bank items.
I learned that people there, especially the directors with disabilities were not defined by
their circumstances. I learned that in spite of their physical disabilities, they are willing to
reach out and lend a helping hand to those that are less fortunate than they are. I noticed that
every day they go to work with a purpose, with a goal in mind. They take pride in running
programs that will help other PWD. They teach classes with the purpose of increasing the
independence of each PWD.
Coming from the corporate world, I was impressed with the mission of this center. I
loved the fact that profit and the bottom line was not their main focus. Their main focus was
to educate and find recourses for any PWD that walks in that door, regardless of sex, color,
religion, or disability. I learned to see PWDs in a different light, as my friends, peers, and
bosses. I learned that a disability does not necessarily limit your productivity or your value in
society. I am grateful for the opportunity to work side by side with PWDs they have changed
my perspective on life. I plan on continuing with this type of service, and getting more
involved in the POW community. I believe that I have a lot to offer, and they actually
appreciate what I have been able to provide for them so far. And I love the fact that they
actually appreciate me as a person. Something that is virtually extinct in the corporate world.

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