“Living An Inspiring Life…” Beliefs Shifts Framework Principles Actions

1. “Living An Inspiring Life…”BeliefsShiftsFrameworkPrinciplesActions Presented by: Gail Fanjoy, Executive Director KFI 1024 Central St., Suite A, Millinocket, ME 04462 gfanjoy@kfimaine.org

2. On the Road to Regular Lives…Beliefs: • Work in the community (real jobs), • Be part of the community (use its resources), • Live in the community (apartments or homes like anyone else), • Contribute to the community (give back to the community as well as take from it).

3. On the Road to Regular lives…Beliefs: • As a human service agency, resist the temptation to be the employer, the landlord, or the sole supporters of people with disabilities. It is a formula for disaster. • Act as an aid to community inclusion, not as the barrier to it.

4. On the Road to Regular lives…Beliefs: • Change one person at a time. Move into the community one person at a time. Change services one person at a time. • Abandon the notion of “readiness”, the continuum of services, and the idea that people need “fixing”. • Assure that there are no double standards (services should reflect what you’dwant and need.)

5. On the Road to Regular lives…Beliefs: • Scrap groups, programs and buildings. It only works for individuals, around supports for individuals in the community. • Invest in values training. It is the most important investment you can make.

6. On the Road to Regular lives…Beliefs: • Listen to the gurus. • Talk about dreams – the person supported and yours; set your goals high. • Work in a state of positive discontent. Celebrate accomplishments, but know that there are always betters ways.

7. “Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.”Peter Drucker

8. On the Road to Regular Lives… SHIFTS IN SERVICES

10. “None of us makes our life alone We each rely on a variety of formal and informal resources to create better life experiences.”John O’Brien, A Guide to Lifestyle Planning 5 Essential Areas of Accomplishment: Community Presence Choice Competence Respect Community Participation

11. Community Presence The sharing of ordinary places that define community life. Grocery stores Clothing stores Banks Restaurants Libraries Hairdressers/barbers Recreational facilities

12. Choice The experience of autonomy both in small, everyday matters and in large, life-defining matters. what to wear what to buy for groceries what to eat for meals with whom to spend time personal possessions what to do for work if or how one worships

13. Competence The opportunity to perform functional and meaningful activities with whatever level or type of assistance is required. Without focused effort, people with disabilities will be deprived of: expectations opportunities instruction assistance

14. Respect Having a valued place among a network of people and valued roles in community life. having a regular job versus working in a sheltered workshop with only people who are disabled. having a regular home or apartment in the community versus living in a group home or boarding home where only people with disabilities live. having opportunities for recreation that are not limited to only people with disabilities. having friends and acquaintances that include people without disabilities.

15. Community Participation The experience of being part of a growing network of personal relationships that includes close friends. Without focused effort, people with disabilities will have unusually small social networks whose membership is restricted to clients and staff of the services they use and perhaps immediate family members. many of the contacts of people with disabilities will be impersonal and temporary. typical community members will not have the chance to meet and get to know people with disabilities.

16. Valued activities provide opportunities for people to meet and develop a variety of relationships with an increasing number of people.

17. “It is important for us to remember that we have allowed public dollars to become an instrument of isolation and an artificial barrier between the person with a disability and the wider community.” ~ Beyond Managed Care: Self Determination For People With Disabilitiesby Donald Shumway and Thomas Nerney, September 1996, UNH Institute on Disability/UAP

18. Community is relationships NOTplaces -- the real hurdle KFI, 1024 Central St., Millinocket, ME 04462

19. Eight Assumptions about the Need for Building Community Everyone needs friends. Individuals with disabilities typically have few real friends. Individuals with disabilities frequently spend most of their time segregated from their communities. Communities are typically deprived of the participation of individuals with disabilities.

20. When individuals with disabilities participate in community activities, it is often as part of a group which makes it difficult for them to connect with others. The community is a welcoming place, although our initial attempts to connect people may not always meet with success. Individuals with disabilities will benefit from developing new friendships and connecting with others. They will respond with rewards that new friendships and community opportunities have to offer. The community will benefit from the gifts and talents that individuals with disabilities have to share. Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies, University of Maine

21. Principles of Connection in the Community

22. Principle #1: Presence in the community Although obvious, one needs to be in the community at some point to make connections. Having goals, meetings and documentation does not create the connections. Being out there, talking with people, interacting with others and participating in everyday life of the community is what builds connections. Gary taught us that having presence in an area establishment over time could result in a lasting friendship and an unforgettable vacation.

23. Principles #2: Knowing names When you know someone’s name, the relationship or connection switches from the anonymous to the personal. Robert taught us that when someone knows your name, the relationship switches from the “anonymous” to the “personal” and good things – like paid employment – can happen!

24. Principle #3: Persistence The work is not easy. Relationships and connections don’t happen overnight. Kathy taught us that if we stick with it and allow time and creativity, new friendships can blossom and a new valued roles can emerge.

25. Principle #4: Go to Connection Making Places There are places and events in our communities where people tend to make connections. In past years people used to hang out at the local barber shop, game arcade, church, etc. Every time period and every neighborhood seems to have places that act as a natural meeting or gathering place. You may not make connections by taking someone to a movie or shopping. We need to identify where the natural gathering places are in our neighborhoods and communities. Shirley taught us that identifying a rather unusual natural gathering place in her small town could open the door to a volunteer job.

26. WHY ARE WE WAITING???

27. THE TOP TEN ACTIONS YOU, AS PARENTS, CAN TAKE TODAY… • Ensure your son/daughter is referred to Vocational Rehabilitation. They have no waiting list! • Maintain regular contact with your son/daughter’s case manager or appropriate state agency personnel. • Contact your legislators if you’ve been told there is no money for services.

28. Become familiar with the availability of low income housing in your community. • Brainstorm with your family or talk to friends and relatives about potential job opportunities for your son/daughter. • Create and encourage a “circle of friends” for your son/daughter that includes people without disabilities.

29. Encourage your son/daughter to participate in home and community life. • Work on competencies. Make two lists… • Become familiar with the services to adults in your area. Is what you have in mind for your son/daughter even offered in your community? Are your ideas for services outdated? Are their services outdated? Will your son/daughter have to “fit into” their services or will they be personalized to fit your son/daughter’s needs? Become knowledgeable about the “art of the possible”.

30. Get support for yourself. Isolation can lead to despair. Others are struggling with many of the same issues. Seek out other parents, surf the net, borrow literature and read about the latest developments, or run an idea by someone who may be able to help you pursue it. Most importantly, seek out success stories and dream big!