XLIX

Engineering Design Firm

9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223

Transmittal
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Friday, October 07, 2016

1201 013
Professor Lindsay
Lexey Carswell

From:
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Laurel Shakespeare
Whole Life Concept Project Part 1

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10/7/2016

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Mr. Lindsay and Lexey Carswell

Laurel Shakespeare
October 6, 2016
Whole Life Concept Project Part 1

The purpose of the Whole Life Concept project is to create engineers that are effective because they are
pursuing their passions. This part of the project is meant to help identify what my passion is and what I
can do to apply my passion and impact the world around me.
My passion in life is helping people with disabilities, specifically cognitive disabilities. I love being
around people with disabilities and learning about their specific experience. I cannot say when my passion
for those with cognitive disabilities originated because I have always been surrounded by it, as my older
brother has Down Syndrome. Growing up I knew there was something different about my brother, just in
comparing him to my older sister, but I never, and still do not, view his differences as a negative thing.
However, there are negative circumstances in his life because of his disability. Growing up as a younger
sibling to someone with Down Syndrome I have witnessed a lot of jealousy as I do things that seem like a
natural part of growing up, but that my brother will never be able to do. For example, I received my
drivers license when I was sixteen years old, like most people do. I remember my brother becoming very
upset when I was learning to drive because it was something he has always wanted to do. My parents used
to tell him that he would be able to get his license when he was older. However, when he got older he still
did not have his license and his little sisters did. After seeing this frustration from my brother time after
time about many different issues, I realized that something needed to be done to alleviate any added
stresses to the lives of people with disabilities.
The most evident way that I have cultivated my passion is my work with Special Olympics. Since middle
school I have volunteered with Special Olympics. I was a part of the student committee for my home
countys Special Olympics for the last two years. I also volunteered for a variety of Special Olympics
events including Spring Games, basketball tournaments, and a corn hole tournament. Through Special
Olympics, people with disabilities are able to participate in sports like normal kids and adults do. It
provides for them an escape from the stresses they encounter in their life and makes them feel appreciated
and accomplished. Though a sporting event might seem like a small thing that would have little impact on
a persons life, the smiles on the faces of the participants at Special Olympic events will prove otherwise.
For some people, when they get to stand up on the winners podium and receive a medal for their
performance, it is the only time they are recognized and applauded. I believe that everyone is loved and
should feel loved which is why I so strongly support Special Olympics and why I consider this passion of
mine so important. I am a welcoming person and want the people around me to be happy allowing me to
engage those around me, including people with disabilities, and work to make them feel happy.
My experiences are likely very different from most of the people around me. Growing up with an older
brother with Down Syndrome is not a common occurrence. Even if there are others who are the younger
siblings of people with Down Syndrome, their experiences will likely still not match mine. This is
because of my brothers involvement in Special Olympics from the age of eight. If I had not witnessed the
joy Special Olympics brought my brother, I do not know if I would have cultivated my passion in the
same way. My values are likely different from others because of my faith. I am a Christian and because of
this I believe that God loves and values everyone, no matter their ability level. Due to this belief I try to
make sure everyone feels that love even if they do not recognize it as being from God. These values came
from growing up in a Christian household. My strengths are different from others due to my upbringing
as well. I am very close to my grandmother and have been throughout my childhood. She is the most
welcoming person I have ever met and she has taught me how to be the same way.
Special Olympics is a worldwide organization, yet in many countries people with disabilities lack the
necessities, let alone get to participate in inclusive sporting events. One of the largest issues for people
with disabilities worldwide is the lack of access to the outside world. In developing countries people with
disabilities are much more likely to be poor and live in areas with limited infrastructure than those
without disabilities. In most cases this is due to a certain level of discrimination in these areas as groups

deem people with disabilities outcasts. In many of these places there is very little access to clinics,
schools, and other necessities in regards to health as well as social life. There are many organizations that
help to change this. One such organization is Engineers Without Borders. Recently, Engineers Without
Borders has worked to help construct new roads and foot bridges in Las Pilitas, El Salvador. This
community was previously cut off from the resources available in the main town due to many boulders
and a ravine that were in between the town and their community. Engineers Without Borders worked
alongside the people in the community to create a road that is now fully functional and connects people to
the resources they need.
With this purpose in mind, there are specific goals that I would like to set for myself so that I am able to
use my passion and my skills to make a difference in the world. In three years I would like to join and
volunteer with Engineers Without Borders. This would allow me to get my foot in the door with the
organization so that I could eventually participate in international service projects. No matter how I
volunteer for the organization, I would be able to gain a better understanding of what their mission is and
how they operate. In five years, my goal is to have participated in an international service project relating
to improving the infrastructure of an underdeveloped community. In this I want to be able to build
relationships with those in the community that was helped and work to build relationships with people
with disabilities in the community specifically. Through these relationships I would be able to show
people both with and without disabilities the importance of inclusion and the idea that everyone deserves
to feel valued. By the time I have been out of college for ten years, I would like to continue to work on
projects that benefit developing areas with a focus on helping people with disabilities in these areas gain
access to the things they need. I would like to spread the knowledge of the impact infrastructure has on
the lives of people with disabilities around the world. I do not know if this would mean continuing to
work for Engineers Without Borders or if it would just mean financially supporting international
infrastructure projects.
These goals address the contemporary issue of the developing world. There is a major divide in the world
between the developed and under developed world. Even within certain regions there are divides between
the poor and rich areas. This can be seen in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya and in particular the region of
Kibera. As seen in the nonfiction book by Rye Barcott entitled It Happened on the Way to War, this slum
lacks any sort of infrastructure. It has no paved roads and no waste water treatment system. These goals
also address the issue of the separation of people with disabilities from certain societies. According to the
United Nations, in developing countries 90% of children with disabilities do not attend school. In these
areas they are also more likely to face abuse and less likely to receive police intervention. The attitude
towards people with disabilities in some societies are very negative. Helping these areas develop could
open ways for people with disabilities to go to schools that can accommodate them. Also, if the people
that help to implement the creation of infrastructure in the area encourage the participation of the
community, including people with disabilities, perceptions may begin to be shifted. Another issue that has
to do with the goals I have set for myself is the financial side of providing infrastructure to an area.
According to Barry Eichengreen, areas that have few jobs and little growth struggle to gain the money
needed to provide the infrastructure that would allow people to work and grow. This cycle puts regions at
a stagnant point as they have no money to do anything with. This is why outside organizations are needed
for global infrastructure.
Overall, my passion is to help those who have disabilities. I can make a change in the world by using this
passion as well as the skills and knowledge I acquire through becoming an engineer. My goal is to reach
the developing nations and interact with their population of people with disabilities while also working to
allow his population access to the necessities that infrastructure can provide.
I have neither given nor received any unauthorized help on this assignment, nor witnessed any
violation of the UNC Charlotte Code of Academic Integrity.