Description of the Video
The video Invisible Disabilities: Seeing Others with Compassion is about a lady named Valerie Kosson who narrates her life experiences as a person with a disability. According to Ms. Kosson, she is among the many children who were born underweight and prematurely, conditions which bled through her entire life as she suffered other challenges such as short-term memory and inability to feel the passing of time. She takes the audience back, narrating that her twin sister died at birth while she survived after a successful heart surgery (TEDx Talks, 2019). As a result of the disabilities above, she faced a hard time interacting with her peers at school and felt lonely.
Fortunately, she meets Chloe and Mr. McGarvey while at school. The duo not only showed her compassion but also understood her condition. Ms. Kosson challenges the audience to try and understand people born prematurely as they insidiously suffer from a wide range of challenges, including social anxiety disorders, learning disabilities, and mental exhaustion. Therefore, a breakdown of how the band teacher and social workers, in general, can play a significant role in helping this vulnerable cohort forms the basis of this paper.
Impact of Compassion from the Band Teacher
The band teacher, who Kosson identifies as Mr. McGarvey, played an essential role in helping the former understand herself and explore her abilities. Ms. Kosson narrates how the teacher made her feel she had a place in the world by supporting her interest in playing marimba. She describes him as patient and kind, as she later understood when she got instructions wrongly and corrected her without judgment (TEDx Talks, 2019). According to Kosson, Mr. McGarvey’s compassion made her pursue music more enthusiastically, making her not only win several solo competitions but also use music to express herself and connect with others.
Importance of Seeing Others with Compassion
Compassionately perceiving everyone in society is critical, especially for social workers and others, as it promotes a more empathic and understanding culture. According to Kosson, a person suffering from an invisible impairment can face considerable challenges that are not easily noticeable to society. Therefore, by addressing these individuals compassionately, social workers can foster an impartial and friendly environment where the former can freely express themselves and explore their innate potential.
Reference
TEDx Talks. (2019). Invisible disabilities: Seeing others with compassion | Valerie Kosson [Video]. YouTube. Web.
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