Far and Wide Trek for Developmental Disabilities: Last Week of Comforts of Home

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Last Week of Comforts of Home

Getting very excited to be on the road everyday for hours on end. I can't wait to feel like I have no other place to be but moving forward. The forward progress will be like no other when not looking back and knowing that I will do everything in my power to finish this journey. For me the only word that could describe this experience for me would be epic.

I get butterflies thinking of the problems that I will experience and the beautiful scenery that will surround me. I'm excited that I will get to share with so many people the motivation that drives me to complete this trip. I'm hoping that I will be able to maybe open some peoples eyes to the world of social services. When sharing my experiences I'm hoping that it is actually that, that we can "share" the stories. This way I will get to learn so much from the people I will get to meet. It's all a really a big trade off that I can only see positives in the interactions with people that I will get to meet on the way.

However, one thing that I will have a little difficulty with when I leave home is coping without home. I'm not going to lie I have spent a lot of time working my behind off trying to get things going and staying in good shape. While doing so I have enjoyed the comforts of home. My parents looking out for me and really accommodating everything that I need. I can't say enough about how well that has gone. So, instead of being self-sufficient I have been taken care of. It's gonna be a little bit of a shock to get back on the road. The biggest enemy and deterrent to overcome on this trip will be the feeling of loneliness.

Everyday it gets closer I get more prepared and to be mentally tough in every situation. I hope that you can follow this journey and stay involved and make it just as special for the amazing people I'm represtenting as it is for me.

Till Next Time;
Matthew Bursey

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A little about Matthew

All my life, a life spent with a younger sister who has Down syndrome, I believed that inclusion was the way of the future, that she would graduate and become a part of the community, that she was someone who could contribute just like anyone else. I have learned that the idea, and the words around it, is still in vogue. It’s the practice that’s wanting. Since her graduation, she takes part in a day program where the only *normal* people are her supervisors. She has become invisible again, part of a protected ghetto for people with disabilities, safe from others and them safe from her.
Much of my early life was trying to educate my peers about my sister’s disability and, being a kid, sometimes landing in the occasional fight. (Certainly true with my sister, who has always been outspoken!)
It saddens me to see that we continue to isolate people with mental disabilities because we don’t understand or are uncomfortable with what we see as unbridgeable differences. I believe that we can make a positive difference in how people view each other if we make an effort to encourage understanding through education.
Having worked with organizations and institutions dedicated to helping individuals with special needs, I have firsthand knowledge of how little society as a whole understands the challenges people with mental disabilities face on a daily basis. From my work with adults and children in Hamilton, I have learned a great deal about special needs. I also learned how a few people work incredibly hard to make a few underfunded programs work as well as they do. This past fifteen months I have spent teaching in South Korea. During this time, I did considerable research into the types of support that individuals with special needs receive and how it can be improved with relatively simple steps.
From my previous experience and from my research, the idea of the Far and Wide Bike Trek was born. It seems a logical next step, a way to raise awareness and funds for people with mental challenges. My hope is that I can connect with associations and individuals along the way in an effort to get some recognition for people in communities across the land. It helps that athletics, especially cycling, is something I love and it’s an honour to do something for others that they may not be able to do for themselves. This also would enable me to meet with community leaders and charity organizations across the continent to discuss the problems people with special needs face, and to share ideas. With only negligible help on the part of the community, many of these individuals’ lives can be made infinitely more manageable.
In addition, by using a bicycle, I’m also achieving other goals. Not only is the bicycle an excellent and neglected form of transportation, it’s environmentally friendly and a great form of exercise. I think the messages that we need to care for our environment and we need to take care of our bodies through exercise are important ones as well.
Finally, outside of monetary concerns and environmental awareness, I am genuinely interested in bringing to the attention of people everywhere how capable, frequently astonishing, and incredibly special people with mental challenges are. Although there are a handful of programs (such as the Special Olympics) with this goal, I feel as if the Far and Wide Bike Trek can truly drive the point home. Please be a part of my dream. Thank you for your time.

Far and Wide Trek for Developmental Disabilities

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Last Week of Comforts of Home

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