Getting back to the topic of persons with disability and an earlier post, TOUCH ONE LIFE DEEPLY, I want now to briefly mention a few concepts that are important to become aware of and more familiar with. The following is only an introduction. Much more information can be found by entering these keywords into Google and other search engines. If I can help in any way, please ask.
INCLUSION
I think the bottom line of inclusion is that everyone is a gift and has gifts to offer others; however, this can only be realized in full when people spend quality time together. This is not to say that we are only pure and beautiful gifts to each other and that there are no challenges involved in spending time with me -- or you -- or anyone else. Most of us are a bit of a mixed bag: very nice here; fairly nice there; something to be desired there.
Inclusion brings people together -- people with disability mixed right there in the midst of things with people without disability. But inclusion doesn't just THROW people together haphazardly, with no thought or planning or strategy or design to help ensure positive experiences for all people involved. Inclusion takes knowledge and time and planning and effort and dedication and practice and learning from mistakes and learning from others and .... Inclusion is (sometimes) very hard work. But the good often seems to well outweigh the bad.
INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE PLAN
Emphasis on INDIVIDUALIZED! This concept is often concerned with the types of paid support and services a person with disability receives. These may be, for example, from a school setting (Individualized Education Plan (IEP)) or from professional service providers, often funded by Medicaid.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it may be easier to lump ideas and people and services together into 1 or 2 large bags, and to give everyone a bit of the same thing from that large and bland portion. But -- BUT! -- when you think about it -- I am not you; you are not me; and we are not him. Everyone is a ONE! A somebody! TO EACH HIS OWN! as they say.
Individualized Service Plan takes into account the real person before us: Who they are; their strengths; their weaknesses; their desires; their needs ... and it figures wise and creative and realistic ways to provide support and services to THAT person on THEIR terms for THEIR best interests. It puts the horse before the cart -- the support and services exist for the person in need; the person in need does not exist for the benefit and ease of the support and services. All in all, a much finer way to do business.
PERSONAL FUTURES PLAN
Similar to Individualized Service Plan, but more expansive -- covers more ground -- covers all of life. They say if you don't know where you're going you probably won't get there. Personal Futures Planning is an organized way to look at A Person and work together with him/her to figure out and to make happen those things that make for a nice life experience FOR THAT PERSON! It considers the whole spectrum -- no stone left unturned: Who am I? What are my likes? What are my dislikes? Where to live? Who to associate with? What to do? When? Where? Why? How?
Dream short term -- the immediate present. Today. Tomorrow. Dream long term -- next year. Five. Ten and more years from now. Personal Futures Planning puts all of this to paper and WORKS diligently to help make dreams become reality.
CIRCLE OF SUPPORT
Unfortunately, a lot of what has been mentioned above IS NOT EASY. Some of it is VERY DIFFICULT to accomplish in reality. If it was easy for a person with disability to have a relatively rich and full life experience, everyone would be immensely happy and fulfilled and I wouldn't be writing this post. But the sad truth is that life for many people with disability leaves A LOT to be desired -- and this IS NOT! inherent in the nature of the disability itself!!!
Sometimes a person with disability requires an array of support and services, and the quality of life experience is directly proportional to the QUALITY of those supports and services. Circle of Support is a personal commitment from a small group of family and friends to MEET TOGETHER ON A REGULAR BASIS with the person with disability, and to talk and figure out and plan how to best ensure that all of the pieces of the difficult puzzle are duly accounted for: "These are the issues of concern until our next meeting. I am responsible for this. I will call him tomorrow evening. You are responsible for that. You will take care of this Monday morning. You will do this by Thursday."
Over time, with a small group of dedicated people working TOGETHER, each accountable to the other and each personally committed to the betterment of life for the person with disability, things will get accomplished and life experience can be improved. Again, there is no substitute for putting in the time, the sweat and the hard work, but there is a real and certain joy in the effort and outcomes shared TOGETHER -- some blazing accomplishments; sometimes frustration, disappointment and perhaps defeat; some still mountains to be climbed.
BRIDGE-BUILDING
Some people are born leaders. They are PEOPLE PEOPLE. They seem to get along with almost everyone and almost everyone gets along with them. People more or less melt in their presence. It's a very nice gift to have ... and it is very rare. But if you can find that person -- a genuine, for real, no holes-barred PEOPLE PERSON -- to become involved on behalf of a person with disability, they can be a key to unlock many doors in the surrounding community of people and activity.
This person can help build bridges, so to speak, for the person with disability into the rich, full life of the neighboring community: playground, scouts, music, gardening, animals, church, sports, work, politics, science, education, theatre, fishing, boating, travel and more .... Their task is to learn the interests of the person with disability and to approach on his/her behalf the people and places in the community that provide those interests. Again, sometimes strategic planning and coordination will be necessary to pull the feat off in as smooth a way as possible, but a foot in the door that is readily accepted and trusted goes a long way toward realization of the goal.
ADVOCACY
It takes a strong person to stand up to the powers that be. It is easy to feel intimidated, or overwhelmed, or out-powered, or out-maneuvered, or out-manned, or just beat down. It would be nice to think that everyone out there is doing what they are supposed to do, in the way they are supposed to do it. It would be nice to think that you just call in the needed supports and services, plan a little here, coordinate a little there, tweak a little here, and things will go smoothingly well on behalf of a person with disability. The sad truth is -- IT JUST DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!
We're dealing here with people. People with all sorts of ideas and concepts and beliefs and ways of being. People with their own issues and lives and families and interests. People oftentimes with full slates. People with a lot of interest, or some interest, or perhaps no interest at all in trying to get it right. We're dealing here with systems and bureaucracies and rules and regulations and funding streams and this-is-the-way-it's-always-been-so-we-can't-do-it-that-way syndrome.
An advocate is a bulldog. Sometimes a sweet and kind bulldog if that will get the job done; sometimes a ferocious bulldog if it seems that is the tack to take. An advocate has a rather clear notion of the person with disability, values him/her as a PERSON OF VALUE, and will go to bat on their behalf to help make happen what is supposed to happen. An advocate could be a parent, a family member, a friend or a neighbor. An advocate stands up and calls it like it is -- trying to get it right on behalf of the person in need of a strong and sometimes unrelenting voice.
Sincerely,
FJS
INCLUSION
I think the bottom line of inclusion is that everyone is a gift and has gifts to offer others; however, this can only be realized in full when people spend quality time together. This is not to say that we are only pure and beautiful gifts to each other and that there are no challenges involved in spending time with me -- or you -- or anyone else. Most of us are a bit of a mixed bag: very nice here; fairly nice there; something to be desired there.
Inclusion brings people together -- people with disability mixed right there in the midst of things with people without disability. But inclusion doesn't just THROW people together haphazardly, with no thought or planning or strategy or design to help ensure positive experiences for all people involved. Inclusion takes knowledge and time and planning and effort and dedication and practice and learning from mistakes and learning from others and .... Inclusion is (sometimes) very hard work. But the good often seems to well outweigh the bad.
INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE PLAN
Emphasis on INDIVIDUALIZED! This concept is often concerned with the types of paid support and services a person with disability receives. These may be, for example, from a school setting (Individualized Education Plan (IEP)) or from professional service providers, often funded by Medicaid.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it may be easier to lump ideas and people and services together into 1 or 2 large bags, and to give everyone a bit of the same thing from that large and bland portion. But -- BUT! -- when you think about it -- I am not you; you are not me; and we are not him. Everyone is a ONE! A somebody! TO EACH HIS OWN! as they say.
Individualized Service Plan takes into account the real person before us: Who they are; their strengths; their weaknesses; their desires; their needs ... and it figures wise and creative and realistic ways to provide support and services to THAT person on THEIR terms for THEIR best interests. It puts the horse before the cart -- the support and services exist for the person in need; the person in need does not exist for the benefit and ease of the support and services. All in all, a much finer way to do business.
PERSONAL FUTURES PLAN
Similar to Individualized Service Plan, but more expansive -- covers more ground -- covers all of life. They say if you don't know where you're going you probably won't get there. Personal Futures Planning is an organized way to look at A Person and work together with him/her to figure out and to make happen those things that make for a nice life experience FOR THAT PERSON! It considers the whole spectrum -- no stone left unturned: Who am I? What are my likes? What are my dislikes? Where to live? Who to associate with? What to do? When? Where? Why? How?
Dream short term -- the immediate present. Today. Tomorrow. Dream long term -- next year. Five. Ten and more years from now. Personal Futures Planning puts all of this to paper and WORKS diligently to help make dreams become reality.
CIRCLE OF SUPPORT
Unfortunately, a lot of what has been mentioned above IS NOT EASY. Some of it is VERY DIFFICULT to accomplish in reality. If it was easy for a person with disability to have a relatively rich and full life experience, everyone would be immensely happy and fulfilled and I wouldn't be writing this post. But the sad truth is that life for many people with disability leaves A LOT to be desired -- and this IS NOT! inherent in the nature of the disability itself!!!
Sometimes a person with disability requires an array of support and services, and the quality of life experience is directly proportional to the QUALITY of those supports and services. Circle of Support is a personal commitment from a small group of family and friends to MEET TOGETHER ON A REGULAR BASIS with the person with disability, and to talk and figure out and plan how to best ensure that all of the pieces of the difficult puzzle are duly accounted for: "These are the issues of concern until our next meeting. I am responsible for this. I will call him tomorrow evening. You are responsible for that. You will take care of this Monday morning. You will do this by Thursday."
Over time, with a small group of dedicated people working TOGETHER, each accountable to the other and each personally committed to the betterment of life for the person with disability, things will get accomplished and life experience can be improved. Again, there is no substitute for putting in the time, the sweat and the hard work, but there is a real and certain joy in the effort and outcomes shared TOGETHER -- some blazing accomplishments; sometimes frustration, disappointment and perhaps defeat; some still mountains to be climbed.
BRIDGE-BUILDING
Some people are born leaders. They are PEOPLE PEOPLE. They seem to get along with almost everyone and almost everyone gets along with them. People more or less melt in their presence. It's a very nice gift to have ... and it is very rare. But if you can find that person -- a genuine, for real, no holes-barred PEOPLE PERSON -- to become involved on behalf of a person with disability, they can be a key to unlock many doors in the surrounding community of people and activity.
This person can help build bridges, so to speak, for the person with disability into the rich, full life of the neighboring community: playground, scouts, music, gardening, animals, church, sports, work, politics, science, education, theatre, fishing, boating, travel and more .... Their task is to learn the interests of the person with disability and to approach on his/her behalf the people and places in the community that provide those interests. Again, sometimes strategic planning and coordination will be necessary to pull the feat off in as smooth a way as possible, but a foot in the door that is readily accepted and trusted goes a long way toward realization of the goal.
ADVOCACY
It takes a strong person to stand up to the powers that be. It is easy to feel intimidated, or overwhelmed, or out-powered, or out-maneuvered, or out-manned, or just beat down. It would be nice to think that everyone out there is doing what they are supposed to do, in the way they are supposed to do it. It would be nice to think that you just call in the needed supports and services, plan a little here, coordinate a little there, tweak a little here, and things will go smoothingly well on behalf of a person with disability. The sad truth is -- IT JUST DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!
We're dealing here with people. People with all sorts of ideas and concepts and beliefs and ways of being. People with their own issues and lives and families and interests. People oftentimes with full slates. People with a lot of interest, or some interest, or perhaps no interest at all in trying to get it right. We're dealing here with systems and bureaucracies and rules and regulations and funding streams and this-is-the-way-it's-always-been-so-we-can't-do-it-that-way syndrome.
An advocate is a bulldog. Sometimes a sweet and kind bulldog if that will get the job done; sometimes a ferocious bulldog if it seems that is the tack to take. An advocate has a rather clear notion of the person with disability, values him/her as a PERSON OF VALUE, and will go to bat on their behalf to help make happen what is supposed to happen. An advocate could be a parent, a family member, a friend or a neighbor. An advocate stands up and calls it like it is -- trying to get it right on behalf of the person in need of a strong and sometimes unrelenting voice.
Sincerely,
FJS