Met Hannah Taylor for First Time

Today I was finally able to meet Hannah and her grandmother. Her little brother, Adrian, was there too. We met at the CASA office around 4:30pm after I got off work. My first impression was that she was nice. She was being nice to her brother because they were in the conference room with me. She's a pretty girl with blond hair and blue eyes. She's kind of skinny and was quiet; she seemed nervous and weary (her file had mentioned she'd already had a few CASAs before me). Her brother is mixed half Caucasian and half Native American with light eyes, dark hair, and dark skin. Hannah's grandmother was elderly and in a wheelchair. We talked about the fact that they were from Mississippi and how they'd come here because of Hurricane Katrina. I told them that I was from the South too and that sparked a long conversation between me and her grandmother about what we missed and all that stuff. We ended the meeting with me promising to visit Hannah at her foster home the following week.

Bids

I had to get three bids from three different hearing places. The bids would show what each of these places would offer. I got my bids from Provo Hospital, Wasatch Hearing, and Edison Stanford Hearing Center. Out of the three Edison Stanford Hearing Center was the best. They offered me some top notch hearing aids, three year supply of batteries, three year warranty, and a Bluetooth and remote control that would go with the hearing aids. I liked the doctor; he was nice and I liked the office and where it was located so when I sent the bids back to Heidi I specified that I'd like to work with Edison Stanford. She hasn't gotten back with me yet so I will give it another week or two before I email her again.

In other news, I didn't get to meet Hannah yesterday. Her grandmother's car broke down but no one told me so I ended up going to the CASA office downtown (in Provo) anyway. Since I was there they let me read Hannah's file. As I read it I was tempted to tell them I didn't want to work on the case. Hannah had been put into foster care by her grandmother because she was unruly. Before she went to foster care she would throw fits and scream and hit her brother or run away. Her grandmother couldn't handle it. She feared for Hannah's safety and the safety of herself and Hannah's brother. The file talked about how Hannah was manipulative and other things that were not flattering. Basically she was a handful.

When I'd been going through my training I imagined what kind of case I'd be put on. I always imagined a case of the child had been neglected or abused and was working toward reconciliation. The child would be sweet and nice and she (I knew it would be a girl, I'd requested to work with a girl) hadn't been put into foster care by her family. I actually never even thought of that possibility. The first case they were assigning me to was one with a difficult child who liked to manipulate grown folks and pit them against one another. I sat back after reading that and contemplated if I should take the case. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle her. I'm not one to back down from a challenge and I had to believe that Dee, McKay, and Leah wouldn't put me on a case they didn't think I could handle. Just because Hannah wasn't what I thought she'd be didn't mean I shouldn't work her case. Maybe I'd be the adult she took to, who know but she needed someone in her corner after the life she'd had. She wasn't acting out for no reason. I gave the file back to Dee and she told me she'd email me to let me know when we could set up another meeting.

Finally... A Case

Dee emailed me today to let me know that she had a case for me. I would be working with a 11 year old girl named Hannah Taylor and I was to meet her on the 22nd. I would meet her and her grandmother at the CASA office then. I was nervous about getting on this case but I was always nervous when it came to new things. I just hoped the child liked me.

First Appointment with Voc Rehab Counselor

I had my first meeting with Heidi Immell today. I learned that she is deaf. That was surprising but it was good. She hadn't been born deaf so she knew what it was like to slowly lose your hearing and how difficult it can be to try to communicate. During the meeting she asked me what I did for work and to explain my situation. I did and by the end she felt she could help me given that I did another hearing test at Intermountain Healthcare Hearing and Balance Center in Provo. She told me to schedule another appointment which I did for December 7.