The founder, Ms. Chen Ai-Zhu, mentioned the original intention of founding the service organization, Happy Work. Ms. Chen said that, when she and other parents are dining, the parents talk about their worries about their kids. They are worried about their children with mental or physical disabilities, who might not have a normal future as other children. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education has implemented 12 years of compulsory education, ensuring children’s right to receive education until high school. However, after high school, they may not have a normal, wonderful college life as the other kids do. Therefore, to reduce the stress of these parents and children, Ms. Chen founded Happy Work. Happy Work is intended to serve children from 0 to 6 years old who are developmentally delayed, and provide service since they are young.
At the beginning of founding Happy Work, the government’s auxiliary does not help much with the organization. In this case, Ms. Chen and her group go to others to borrow money, founding the first station of Happy Work, Happy Workshop No. 1 Station. The motivation for Ms. Chen and her group want to stay and persist in working on this project is that they think if they give support to these kids constantly, society and the public will notice their effort one day. However, they notice that the public will not actually give them the resources or support they need as much as they expected. Therefore, they know that they need to actually go out and walk on the street to promote themselves. Even though it is the toughest time for the foundation to work, Ms. Chen sticks to its original intention, starting with promotion, marketing to allow Happy Work to be recognized by the community. As everyone learns about Happy Work, more resources come in and more disabilities receive the help they need.
The most difficult part when helping people with disabilities is to know their background stories. When Ms. Chen is interacting with the kids, their behavior or inner emotions might not be seen as easily. They often have extra thoughts in their mind that they will not present very easily. Some might be caused by autism, some might just because they are not used to expressing their feelings. Also, when the organization tries to collaborate with the parents, the parents might not be as willing due to their guilt toward their children. The parents feel guilty for causing their children’s problems, therefore resulting in spoiling their kids. Under this circumstance, when the organization wants the children to try some challenging activities, the parents might not be very collaborative. However, Happy Work still thinks that every child has a lot of potential and possibilities, thus they will work hard on these children’s future!
There are two cases that are the most unforgettable incidents that Ms. Chen has encountered in the Happy Work Association. The first one is a girl. In the beginning, this girl will self-harm or have a lot of negative thoughts. However, after a year of staying in Happy Work, the girl changed from self-harming, anti-social, refusing to work, to be open to social and being friends with others. Ms. Chen learned from this girl that children with disabilities have a lot of emotions and thoughts. They changed from isolating themselves from the surrounding environment to helping the station and finally became able to earn money for their own living. The second special case is that of a boy with hyperactive behavior. He is not very willing to come to Happy Work, but under the insistence of his grandma, he came. Although he refused to collaborate with the volunteer at first, he started to love this place and came to Happy Work regularly. The magical thing that makes this boy willing to come to the station is because the volunteer will often give compliments and positive words to the boy, and those simple compliments will give significant happiness to the boy. He started to express his feelings to the volunteer, and this made Ms. Chen so touched and felt like all her effort was worth it. Many parents also tell Ms. Chen that Le’er really likes to go to Happy Work. Ms. Chen replied that the main goal of Happy Work is to let the Le'er be happy to learn, providing a cheerful environment for the children.
The original motivation of founding Happy Work is to provide a happy environment for the volunteer and Le’er to work. So Happy Work acts as a joyful environment for everyone, without pressure or any forces, Le’er can come whenever they want. The organization will not force the Le’er to come, because they want the Le’er to develop a habit of learning themselves.
Ms. Chen said: “Use understanding replacing stereotyping”. Ms. Chen explains that having empathy toward the disabilities is the most important thing, while the easiest thing for the public to do. Many people have misunderstandings about these children with disabilities, some even express fear toward them. This is because these children have the same appearance as most of the children, but they are mentally different from normal children. They are often more sensitive and nervous, having social anxiety. For instance, children with autism will become very sensitive to the sound of the surroundings, then might result in being irritable and nervous. In this case, the public view them as people who lack manners or are very disrespectful. However, except for their behavior or appearance, barely have anyone sees their difficulties.
Taiwanese society is very willing and active to provide financial support to the disabilities and service organizations, this is good. However, when the public actually faces and interacts with the disabilities, people often react with misunderstanding and prejudice. Society barely understands what is the real side of the disabilities, therefore illustrating these children as aggressive and easily-angered people. However, the emotions of disabled people are typically misunderstood as attacking people, but in reality, they are very kind. Ms. Chen mentions that the social norm that currently exists in Taiwanese society is overreacting about the weaknesses and emotions of the disabilities. It is normal for everyone to have emotions and unstable feelings, however, society accepts and understands their emotions. This is the distinction of treatment between normal citizens and the disabilities. Ms. Chen wants the government and society to treat the disabilities equally, so the disabilities can be accepted and happier.
Most types of disabilities are likely to be overlooked because there is various type of disabilities in Taiwan, including mental disabilities and physical disabilities, but with a small population for each type. However, the government doesn’t have complete auxiliary laws to ensure disabilities can adapt to society. Furthermore, disabilities will be treated maliciously in society. Therefore, Happy Work will provide work opportunities and hobbies courses to support the disabilities and the donated supplies from society to support disabilities’ life.
The founder, Ms. Chen believes mental support, companionship, and empathy are the essential support for disabilities because their mental age is around 3 to 5, which is the age that needs to be cared for with love and passion. Therefore, the organization will talk with them and share their feelings. In the financial support aspect, the volunteers and workers from the Happy Work organization will go to the disabled’ homes, to cook for their food, and clean them up. Furthermore, the organization will consider whether the disabled are low-income residents and whether they need complete financial support. In addition, the Happy Work organization also encourages the disabled to work for their living expenses, including making and selling handmade notebooks. However, the Happy Work organization will provide the marketing channel and materials for them.
Ms. Chen mentioned that the organization doesn’t demand aims and supports from the government because their serving subjects are mainly children or teenagers, if the government involve too much in disabilities’ aim, then it extends issues include government cares the protection for children and child labor, causing the organization can’t help the disabled. Therefore, the organization mainly relies on society’s donations. So, they hope more people can notice their existence, and promote the organization to the world, then more disabilities can receive help from them.
To ensure the disabled receive equal education opportunities and an equal education system, the organization provides dedicated kindergarten courses, dedicated education courses, and resources classes. Different disabilities are assigned to different levels of education depending on their ability. Specifically, a dedicated kindergarten course focuses on the disabled with 3 to 6 years old mental age, a dedicated education course focuses on the disabled with 7 to 8 mental ages, and a resources class is disabilities with 9 to 10 mental ages. The disabled with a mental age around 7 to 10 face issues like bullying and peer pressure. Since they go to school like normal kids. Due to the lack of understanding, those students often look down on them, which is a huge mental breakup and mental collapse for the disabled. Therefore, they hope teenagers from the school will not mock and laugh at the disabled. They hope the students are not biased toward the disabled and are willing to become friends with the disabled.
For the following decades, the Happy Work organization plans for “10 years project” to help and accompany the severe mental disabilities. On the other hand, the organization hopes the disabled can spend 80% of their time (8am to 8pm) by constructing a happy work's branch and department in the urban area, across 17 cities in Taiwan. In this case, most of the disabled in Taiwan can adapt to society by receiving education. After the learning, after the accompaniment, after playing with friends, the disabled still have to return home. Also, they hope the disabled will spend 20% of time a day with their family and get along with their family.
Happy Work Organization believes that their selfless contribution for the disabled, for the society, and for the world can drive the civilians to notice the disabled, notice that they need help to return back to society.
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