Prep Note 9/21/23

The lunch visit was different than I expected because we didn’t get the chance to ask all of our questions. It took longer than expected to get each question answered, which was not a bad thing because we got some really in-depth answers from our guests. I also didn’t expect the conversation to go as in-depth as it did. At one point we were discussing how the government works and getting down to the roots of society. This visit changed my understanding of the book by showing me that these stories are absolutely real, and there is a real person attached to each story. Reading a book can give you the false assumption that these stories are a work of fiction, that such a thing can never happen in real life. Upon hearing Kelvin and Terence speak though, it felt so much more real in the saddest way. My understanding of the book was also changed because I realized that so much time has passed since the project began and even when it was published. I think Terence mentioned that they’d been involved in this for 16 years or so, since 2007. That’s a long time to be writing and reflecting and sharing their experiences to audiences like us. To know that all this started in this exact city also changed my understanding of the book. It happened not very far from us, and that in itself is surprising to me. I do wish that this talk was longer though because there were so many questions left unanswered, and I felt like I could listen to them talk forever. But I am grateful for what they offered to us regardless because I learned so much from them. I considered things I never would have thought about, like the word “habilitation” as opposed to “rehabilitation.” Upon Googling, I have discovered that “habilitation” refers to the attainment of skills needed for daily functioning that haven’t developed, whereas “rehabilitation” means gaining back these skills that were lost.