Bilingual breakthrough: WMU double major completes high-impact special education internship in Costa Rica
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—From the lush rain forests of the Manuel Antonio National Park, to navigating narrow aisles of the Heredia street markets, and an once in a lifetime internship working with special needs individuals, Dhani James's study abroad trip to Costa Rica was unforgettable.
A double major in Spanish and special education, James recently returned from a semester-long study abroad in Costa Rica through Western Michigan University's Haenicke Institute for Global Education. The program provided an immersive experience in Spanish language, expanding her linguistic proficiency and abilities working with different populations.
"It was a really big undertaking to be in a new environment, using my second language, and working with a different population that I had never worked with during my internship at IPED (Instituto de Perfeccionamiento en Educación y Desarrollo)," says James.
A specialized center for special needs adults with structured activities during the day, IPED also has a Spanish language immersion program for students interested in education, like James. Adults at the center range in disabilities like autism, down syndrome, physical handicaps and speech impairments.
"They focus a lot on the adults' mobility and motor skills, which is a big difference from my previous internship experience with children who are learning to tie their shoes and reading," says James. "They (adults) already know how to do some of those things, but still needed help with some of the art activities and being able to cook."
One of James' favorite moments from the internship was re-engaging an adult that distanced himself from group activities and being able to get him to rejoin.
"He didn't want to participate, he just wanted to sit outside on the bench, and not be in the room and do all of our activities. It took a lot of trial and error talking to him, getting him to come back into the room, but I was able to get him to sit down and complete an entire activity, start to finish, all on my own," explains James, "Once we started doing it, he understood the activity and he got excited."
"It was cool to be trusted by the participants in the center, but also the staff and therapists who were there. They would give me directions or instructions how to do something, and I would be able to just do it which was really special."
Returning back to the United States, James is excited to go back to elementary school classrooms as she continues participating in Experience-Driven Learning at Western Michigan University. Although there will be a significant age-gap from working with adults back to children, she intends to implement the same skills she learned in Costa Rica.
"It is all about them believing and knowing they are capable, regardless of disability," says James. "From my experiences in Costa Rica, I'm going to make sure things are adapted for each person's needs so they can participate and be successful."
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