This morning we took a field trip to the alliance for independence. I was not sure what to expect for this trip. All I knew was that we would be taking a tour. One of the first things I noticed was that the age range was pretty spread out among the people. Some were actually elderly. When Ashley, our tour guide was explaining how people got paid and how money and stuff works (I don’t completely understand how all the business and money stuff works) I realized that they don’t get much funding. They need to have fundraisers just to keep the place running. It made me kind of sad because I realized that people with special needs really are kind of pushed off to the side by the government. This was definitely an enlightening trip though! I love that everyone is together. It was like each classroom we went in, they were like a family. There were different group levels. There was the group that was ready to work and take care of themselves, the group just below them who were training to get jobs and the group below them who were learning basic life skills. Most of the people were doing elementary school work when went into the different classrooms. I thought it was great how the teachers allow them to study things that the students are interested in rather than making them learning something that they do not want to. Going on this trip helped me to understand the play better and I also enjoyed it more. This scene where Lucien speaks to the senate in an adult and articulate tone was the most moving for me. I definitely want to see the stage play to get a better feel of the story and dialogue. Thinking about people with special needs always brings me back to John 9 in the Bible.