A Glimpse of Stone Belt's Devotion to Integration

            As one passes through the central automatic sliding glass doors, veers slightly to the right and awaits the opening of the second automatic sliding glass door, the feelings of uneasiness and anxiety, characteristic to a hospital, initially drape over one’s thoughts.  However, upon entering the greeting room of the Stone Belt facility, the enormous 5x6 foot vivid portrait quickly reassures those who enter that this is not a facility designed to mourn diagnoses of illness or to seek medical treatment.  Rather, the meticulously rolled and woven multi-colored fabric and glittering embellishments welcome guests into the Stonebelt community, making one feel comfortable and at ease beneath the joyful portrait.

            Vibrant strips of paper are tightly rolled and twisted into the faces of ten people, some of whom are clients and some of whom are staff members, however, the difference is undistinguishable as all present are merrily interacting.  There are few similarities between any two people.  Each person is of a different race, gender, or age.  However, a blue-eyed man holding a guitar hugs a woman in a lilac cocktail dress and pearl necklace; a young man wearing an argyle sweater in a wheel chair paints accompanied by a tall, brunette, pig-tailed girl; a dark-skinned man waves as he holds a life-preserver, guardedly watching over a young girl playfully splashing in the pool.  The Stone Belt facility is composed of various swatches of fabric, and the cars and buses used to transport the clients are plaid and floral patterned.  The participants bask in the open sunshine outside of the center, emphasizing their active participation in the community, and disproving the notion that Stone Belt is a facility to isolate its clientele.

            The portrait hangs directly in front of the glass doors, and is the first focal point upon entering the welcoming room, surrounded by twelve leather upholstered chairs and a check-in desk directly to the portrait’s right.  While sitting in the welcoming room, one can see the intricate weaving of tightly wound multi-colored paper into the beaming faces of Stone Belt clientele.  The blissful smiles of the patients initially astound an observer that may have misconceived Stone Belt as a support center for clients with physical and mental disabilities.  However, the cheerful clientele and faculty depicted in the picture reinforce that Stonebelt is not a center designed to “cure” its clients, but to recognize and advance the unique contributions each client can make to their own personal lives and the lives of the community.

            The portrait is one of many pieces of artwork displayed throughout the center that are composed and constructed by the clients themselves.  The Arts Exploration program is designed to provide an outlet for self-expression through visual depictions of the individuals with disabilities at Stonebelt.  The staff of Stonebelt feels all people have the ability to contribute to the beauty of our community, and this program enables individuals with disabilities to have the opportunity to share their talents and to promote messages of independence, dignity and community integration.  The program also allows these individuals to have the opportunity to work as professional artists through the sale of their original art works.  Many clients are now locally and regionally recognized, and their works are sought after by enthused collectors.

            The mission statement of Stone Belt clearly asserts that it is “[their] mission, in partnership with the community, to prepare, empower, and support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to fully participate in the life of our community.”  Therefore, Stone Belt recognizes its clients have unique capacities, gifts, and talents, and aim not to cure their disabilities, but to develop their assets by providing access and support in order to offer opportunities for choice and social integration.  It is not a facility designed to isolate its clients from society, but to provide opportunities for rewarding and successful integration into the community through skill development self-advancement.  The portrait in the lobby not only provides a visual depiction of the various enthusiastic clients of Stone Belt, but also serves as a testament to the unique capacities and skills of its clients, who, with the helpful hand of Stone Belt, demonstrate their own competencies and self-sufficiencies to contribute to the greater good of the community.

A Descriptive Analysis of a Western Culture Artifact

                  While the small, rectangular electronic device we refer to as a cellular phone (cell phone for short) is as innately known to us as respiring, there are millions of people around the world who have never seen this western artifact.  To those who have never seen a cell phone before, the object appears to be a handheld, rectangular piece of plastic with a glass window that occasionally produces light.  When the artifact produces light, vibrates, or produces noise, the owner immediately focuses his or her attention on the artifact.  The owner may pick up the rectangle and talk to it, producing the appearance of a person talking to their hand.  On other occasions, the owner may frantically hit the glass window or plastic pad in response to its pleas for attention.  When the owner obliges and focuses his or her attention on the glass window, she or he exits the present and enters an electronic trance where all other commotion, activity, or obligations surrounding the owner are non-exisistant (or merely not sufficiently important enough at the time).

                One may wonder how this rectangle captivates the owner’s attention to this extent, and what this rectangle holds that temporarily disables the owner’s active participation in the present.  If the observer reads articles or studies on it, she will find that this rectangle is responsible for many automobile accidents and deaths.  Several cities and states are banning the usage of this rectangle in automobiles due to its unsafe affects on the user, similar to illegal substances.  If the observer were to ask a typical American family about the device, the elders would not be very knowledgeable about the rectangle, which suggests this is a fairly new artifact to appear within the newer generations.  If one were to ask the middle-aged members of the family about the rectangle, they would respond that they own rectangles, however, do not use them frequently and are not fully knowledgeable about the possible functions of them.  They may also complain about the extensive use and cost of their children’s rectangles.  Upon observation of American youth culture, she would find the rectangle is predominately used by younger generations.  They appear most knowledgeable and savvy with their rectangles, and typically ignore all surrounding activity to appease their rectangles pleas for attention.

               Upon observation of a teenager using their rectangle, the observer would notice that when held to the ear, the rectangle speaks to the owner.  When the owner frantically taps the glass window of the rectangle, he or she produces text, which the owner then “sends” to another rectangle.  There appears to be an invisible circuitry that transcribes, transports, and delivers these messages between rectangles, allowing the user to communicate with others not present at that time.  This invisible, possibly spiritual, circuitry is referred to as a Satellite Network.  The observer may then conclude that the function of this rectangle is to facilitate social interaction between owners who are not geographically close.  The owner uses this rectangle to speak verbally or through text to another who is not present, creating an invisible connection between the owners through social interaction.  The observer can then conclude that the rectangle’s purpose is to establish communication with other rectangle owners who are too far away to communicate in person, satisfying the western culture’s desire for close social interaction despite geospatial differences.  While this rectangle has detrimental affects if abused, such as using while driving or using in inappropriate situations, the overall function of the cell phone is to facilitate relationships, whether the owner is several miles to several countries away from loved ones.