OTA 1220 OT Modalities Lecture II

Modality 2 lecture

Service learning reflection

For our group's service-learning project, we chose Catholic Community Services. During our

visit, they informed us that one of their biggest needs was teaching refugees how to use the

transit system. In response, we decided to create pamphlets explaining how to use the transit

app. We used videos provided by Catholic Community Services to document the steps and took

screenshots of the video. Then, we translated the information into five different languages,

which was challenging as some of the languages were not easily translatable. Thankfully, we

had external sources to assist us.

After creating the pamphlets, we were informed that we would take the refugees on a training

session to teach them how to use the transit system in real time. None of us had used the

transit system before, so we did a dry run a few days prior. On the day of the training, we were

supposed to have five individuals with us, but only two people and a baby joined us. One of the

students took care of the baby during the session.

It was enjoyable to conduct the training and show the refugees how to use the transit system.

The language barrier made it challenging, as we had to rely heavily on body language, apps,

and therapeutic use of self—all of which we learned about this semester. Learning to work with

individuals who don't understand my language will benefit me in my career, as there will likely

be many instances where I'll need to communicate nonverbally with clients.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with Catholic Community Services and would love the

opportunity to do something like this again.