The Doors That Open You Up To Change

There have been a number of doors that have opened for me in my lifetime that have led me to Stretch What Matters. One of the doors that felt the heaviest was one I was required to open before beginning a college internship. I was a senior and before graduating with a degree in Psychology, I was assigned to work with adults with special needs employed with jobs entailing assembly line work (packaging products).

On the first day of my internship, I was sent into a private office with a large television set. The woman responsible for getting me started, told me that all new staff were required to watch a short video prior to working with anyone on site. Easy enough, I thought.

The woman turned on the video and kindly excused herself. She explained that she was short staffed that day and that I should come out when the video was over.

What happened next rattled me to my core. As the video unfolded, I realized it was an informational piece on the deinstitutionalization of individuals with special needs from 1960 to 1980. The long process of shutting down and releasing people from formalized institutions took well over 20 years. In this moment, I witnessed real footage of people confined to spaces unbelievable to me. Everything I viewed felt like a nightmare and my whole body felt sick. I was filled with fear, rage, grief, sadness and despair all at the same moment. The door opened.

The video ended and I felt paralyzed. I remember allowing myself to cry and hoped that the woman in charge would forget about me long enough in order to recover. Thankfully she did.

On the table in front of me was a large binder with a sticky note on top that read, "Liz Williams" (my maiden name). I pulled the binder towards me and opened it up. I quickly discovered that it was a case binder of a young man, employed at the factory. I knew in that moment that he was to be my case study over the next 3-months. The young man was 29 years of age with a diagnosis of autism. This was the first time I would come to know someone with autism. Eric was my first mentor.

In 3-months time, he showed me how to help him work without wearing a helmet (he used to hurt himself when he made a mistake on the assembly line). Instead, we made ourselves a walking path around the outside of the building which he learned to request by giving me a picture of his handsome self walking outside. We mostly walked those first 4-weeks and then, in time, Eric began to balance his work with his relaxing walk schedule.

So here we are in 2015. How are we doing? Those institutions may be gone but the impact of their chains still breathe through the many limitations placed on individuals with special needs.

The inner circuitry of peace is possible . . . you just need to open the door and begin.

Namaste,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Goranson is the President of Stretch What Matters, LLC. Known for her humor, enthusiasm and passion for her work, Elizabeth leads captivating workshops and trainings on yoga and mindfulness for individuals with special needs. Her primary focus is teaching educators and parents to use yoga as a vehicle for healing. The company’s patented visual yoga system is a critical success factor for Stretch What Matters™ program participants.