Juli the OT Student

The video we watched on empathy and perspective depicted how every person is going through their own battles. These battles could be good or bad, but you cannot judge a book by its cover.   Two examples from the video included a woman that has lumps in her breast and another man that is going to be a new dad. My take away from the video is whenever I have the urge to be impertinent to another person, because I had a bad day, I need to remember that the other person could have had a worse day than me.   Overall, it is important to look at situations through another person’s point of view and not to react out of anger. Instead, we need to be compassionate and realize that we are not the only one having a bad day.

What is universal design? The definition in the TED talk I feel explains it perfectly “it is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for or adaptation or special design” (Nesmith, 2016). I have never heard the term universal design or thought about how much planning goes into everyday environments. An example given in the TED talk is how door knobs are difficult for children or people with arthritis. To solve this problem the sliding door was invited and now no one struggles or feels left out. Universal design can be so simple, but creates a world of difference for everyone!   Honestly, I had never heard of Paralympics. I was amazed at the creativity of accommodations made so that people with disabilities can participate in events. For example, vision impaired athletes were able to compete in cross country skiing, by being led by a guide. I was stunned! I couldn’t imagine flying down a m