People First, Always – Celebrating Our Team
Not long ago, we had the chance to visit with Deon Brown, our Support & Compliance Manager, who recently returned from Kenya, where she volunteered with Travel & Give to support children in need of speech therapy and education. Deon, a former school-based speech-language pathologist with 18 years of experience, truly embodies the spirit of People First, Always. Her dedication to helping others is evident both in her role at Specialized and in the countless hours she spends volunteering to create meaningful change. Keep reading to hear Deon’s heartfelt and detailed account of her amazing journey.
Tell us how you became a part of this adventure with Travel & Give.
I work with the Travel & Give organization which provides therapeutic services for people with disabilities in underdeveloped communities like Haiti, Kenya and Jamaica. Travel and Give organizes an annual trip to Kenya to evaluate the program’s progress and conduct assessments. This year, they also hosted their inaugural Disability Support and Wellness Conference, where I had the honor of presenting. This was also my first experience traveling with the organization.
My current role with Travel & Give includes overseeing the speech and language program and providing supervision to the therapy aide who works directly with the students at the host site. My work includes mentoring and training on therapeutic techniques and strategies, conducting screening and assessments, progress monitoring, and preparing lesson plans and materials to use in the sessions.
Tell us about the school in Kenya.
The Almasi school has an amazing group of teachers and staff who work very hard with very limited resources. It is a small private school that takes an inclusive approach to providing an education for children with disabilities, which is difficult to find in Kenya due to stigmas around disabilities. This means that many children may be kept at home, due to perceived judgment from their communities. For many children, this is the first time to receive any type of services.
They make this all happen in a tiny building that appears to be a 3-story house made into a school with additional structures and very small classrooms to accommodate the different grade levels. Books were limited or nonexistent. We brought books with us to help develop literacy-based interventions for students. Unlike our schools in the U.S., there were no playgrounds or big grassy fields with areas to run and play. It made me reflect on how much we have here in this country and how much we take for granted. You see, in Kenya, services for children with disabilities are a luxury as they are limited and often expensive for parents. The families we met were genuinely thankful to the founder that this school exists because they will accept their children.
Tell us about the curriculum and the teachers.
The teachers are amazing, given their limitations–you know, given limited supplies, limited classroom support such as paraprofessionals, limited technology, and given the fact that many of the children were significantly behind when they entered school. That was also shocking to me, yet I was amazed at their commitment to the students there. A special education department with personnel available to do testing and provide services does not exist; that too is a luxury we have here. And although they have a special education teacher, one is simply not enough for the need that exists. Kenya does have laws around disabilities, but accountability is severely lacking, leaving many parents on their own to support their children.
What about the children and the people you met?
The children, with their smiling faces, are still imprinted on my brain. I can still see the smiles, happy kids playing, jumping around, giving high fives, and taking your hand as an invitation to play or walk with them. Standing proudly, all in their gray uniforms, and so happy! The people as a whole were amazing–so inviting and welcoming. It felt like a place I was returning to as opposed to a first-time visitor. Like I was coming home. I felt as though I was a part of their community.
What did you take away from this trip?
As a speech language pathologist, the experience was very cool and humbling. It makes me appreciate everything as well as the value of my own skill set in making a difference. Working with the therapy aide alone made me a better clinician. No longer was my expertise enough to meet the needs at hand. Although the academic language was English, many of the children spoke Swahili and it was important to differentiate between what was a true disability and what was simply a language difference. Targets for therapy had to be fully thought out. For example, what animals should be targeted for the children? Cultural and social norms had to be considered, no longer could I think in terms of American norms. It meant that I had to acknowledge what I didn’t know and rely on the therapy aide and parents to get a full understanding of the child. In these situations, the family unit was even more important. Family members may not be the “communication experts,” but they know their children and their cultural norms. Understanding cultural differences can also help explain a lot. We must always be a student of life—even as a so-called “expert,” never stop asking questions. Give respect, be humble and don’t assume.
In Nairobi alone, there appeared to be less than 50 speech language therapists. The needs are unimaginable. The visit was also bittersweet because you can’t have the level of impact you want to have when the issues and needs are so great, but it’s definitely in me to try! This trip was a trip of a lifetime with memories I will treasure forever.
How will your experience shape your approach to assessments and therapy?
This experience confirmed the importance of taking a child-centered approach to therapy that combines culture, language, dialectal difference, and community as part of it. It is important to affirm every child and understand what we know, and be open to understanding what we don’t, as even our own demographics change here in the states. If our goal is to help kids communicate, then it has to be centered around their ability to communicate with the folks in their communities as part of that work; it can’t simply be academic or generalization becomes challenging.
At Specialized, we celebrate the incredible contributions of our team members and the positive impact they make in the lives of others. We believe that everyone has the power to make a difference—whether by giving their time, sharing their skills, or offering financial support. Together, we’re grateful for the opportunity to touch the lives of children and families in our communities, and even around the world!
To learn more about the amazing work Travel & Give does to improve the lives of people living with disabilities around the world, visit them online.
