Life lessons. (A Place to Share).

Last summer, while serving as a Counselor in Training for Camp Airy in Thurmont, Maryland, we took a trip to Hershey Park. This was Camp Airy's way of saying "thanks" to the CITs for all our hard work with the younger campers. Little did I realize that this outing was going to lead to a series of events, later referred to as the "wheelchair incident," which would result in some important real life lessons.

After waiting in several lines for each amusement park ride, my friend Josh and I observed one of our counselors with a sprained ankle being allowed to move to the front of a line because he was in a wheelchair. We then had the "brilliant" idea of renting a wheelchair for the afternoon. As Josh and I took turns playing the injured, we were amazed how accommodating people could be. We were able to get away with this stunt to enter several rides before our counselor observed our actions and encouraged us to return the wheelchair. We did so immediately and thought that was the end of it.

Little did we know that was just the beginning. Later that night, after we returned to Camp Airy, the camp's executive director summoned Josh and me to his office. The director, ordinarily an understanding man, was very upset by our actions. We sat before him and were asked to explain our inappropriate behavior, Of course, there was no excuse for what we had done. We had been unfair to those who waited their turn in line, but why did our misbehavior warrant such anger? I quickly realized that the issue was not about "butting" into line but about using a wheelchair.

We learned that our director had a close relative who was in a wheelchair. Wheelchairs, we were informed, were not recreational toys for those people who depend on them to function in life. To help us gain a better understanding of this, arrangements had been made for us to spend the next three days "volunteering" at a nearby summer camp for people with both physical and mental disabilities.

At this point. I felt very embarrassed and accepted my punishment gratefully as a way to redeem myself in the eyes of the camp director. I felt that this was a fair and worthwhile punishment. I had always enjoyed helping others, so I looked forward to this new experience of working at Camp Greentop.

When we arrived at Camp Greentop, the director greeted us very kindly and assigned us to work for a few of his counselors. The campers had a variety of physical and mental disabilities. At first I was nervous that I would say or do the wrong thing and upset or hurt the feelings of a camper. Gradually I became more comfortable after observing the Greentop counselors and conversing with several of the campers. I was impressed how the campers treated one another with respect and appreciated the counselors for their assistance.

I was also concerned that while moving a camper I would inadvertently cause him or her physical harm. Special care did have to be taken with the physical needs of campers, and I was able to learn the needed skills. I had to clean bathrooms and scrub bunks, but these tasks were not so odious because I knew why they were important -- the high standards of cleanliness were necessary because the campers are highly susceptible to infections. I also did not mind the cleaning because it was interspersed with other activities that involved contact with campers.

I learned that being disabled means that simple day-to-day tasks are more difficult to accomplish -- they take more time and greater effort. Some tasks require the help of others thus limiting feelings of independence. The beauty of this camp was that the specially planned activities and modified facilities allowed the campers to participate in normal camp activities.

Pointing to words on a word bank card, a camper slowly explained, "I always say that I have cerebral palsy but that cerebral palsy does not have me." This camper had earned a degree in the natural sciences from a prestigious university. He was able to achieve great things despite his disability. I thought about some of the students in my own high school who come and go to class in their wheelchairs. Now, I can appreciate more what they must have to do to succeed academically. I have learned that how we achieve things in life is just as important and noteworthy as the actual achievements.

This experience has taught me to be careful about, what I say and do and to think about others' perceptions. It has also made me realize how fortunate I am in so many ways. As one counselor pointed out, "We are all just one accident away from becoming disabled."

Matthew Mindel is eighteen years old and recently graduated from Dulaney High School in Cockeysville, Maryland. He began attending Camp Airy in Thurmont, Maryland, when he was eight years old and, after serving as a CIT and CA, just completed his first year as a staff counselor. This essay was written as part of his college application to the University of Maryland's Scholars-Public Leadership Program. He was accepted and will be attending in the fall.