People with disabilities are denied the right to earning not only their own livelihood, but also their own self-worth as a contributing member of society.   The social security disability program discourages people with disabilities to get out and work because the earning limits are so low that after one to two days of work a month, they will begin to lose their benefits.   If they save more than $2000.00, they lose their state medicaid insurance.   There are a couple of programs the Social Security Department has recently implemented to help people with disabilities to be able to save their money for college funds, or other specific funds.  Unfortunately, most people are not aware of these programs or are not able to understand how to access them.

The speaker at the conference was the father of a 43 year old man with Down syndrome who is self-sufficient.  He takes no government funding.  Being self-sufficient is not achievable for all people with disabilities, but we could certainly work towards more self-sufficiency.  We can certainly give people with disabilities the right to earn a living and a sense of value in our community.

Changing the attitudes toward people with disabilities in the work place is a big hurdle.  They can be valuable employees.  It has been shown that companies that hire people with disabilities have better community relations, as well as employee relations.  People with disabilities usually have great attitudes towards their jobs – they are enthusiastic and excited to go to work.  Due to the fact that they can be very habitual, they usually are very dependable as well.  There is usually more training required in the beginning for a worker with a disability, but once they have it down… they will be very dependable.  Convincing potential employers is the key.  Walgreens is an industry leader  in their hiring practices of employees with disabilities.  http://www.walgreensoutreach.com/  We are hoping to be part of the movement to change corporate attitudes toward employing people with disabilities.

With the anniversary of the American Disabilities Act, President Obama has pledged to require the Federal Government to hire more employees with disabiities and to give tax benefits to companies who hire employees with disabilities.  This will definately help us to enourage corporations to hire employees with disabilities.

I am not sure what this will look like, but I plan on turning this new page and exploring what I can do about this situation.  All the adults who I work with have a right to earn a living just as much as the rest of us!

Community Education has designed classes for the intellectually challenged who want to experience education and learning at the college. Support workers must accompany if assistance is needed during classes and while on-campus.

Please spread the word if you know of anyone who would be interested in attending!

Dr. Christian Overman, founder of Worldview Matters and author of several books is speaking at the Westside Bible Church at 2040 E Meridian from 9-4.  He is not really a preacher, but a philosopher.  We were introduced to him by a book given to us many years ago called Assumptions that Effect our Lives.  The topic today is The Art of God-Centered Work.  He talks about how we separate our religion from the rest of our lives because of our world view that tends to be mainly Greek thinking.  It is very interesting.  Walk ins are welcome, and there is a children’s program.

The other event is Special Olympics Project Unify Youth Games, an introduction to Special Olympics through sports and fun!  Open to all youth ages 5-21 who attend school or receive related services.  There will be sports clinics, medfest medical screening, and a parents pavilion where you will find a booth for the Treasure Valley Down Syndrome Association.  T-shirts and lunch is provided!  It will be from 930-3 at Meridian High School.

My daughter, Abby and I will be enjoying the Biblical Worldview Conference, and my daughter Becky will be at another Special Olympics Event in Weiser.  I hope you get out and enjoy one of our great Treasure Valley Activities today!

Special Olympians

With budget cuts slashing our kids with disabilities therapy programs, and some of our adults being taken off the developmental disability waiver, there is also the new My Voice, My Choice program.  For you faithful readers, you may be tired of hearing about this new self direction program, but many have not.

I was at the Idaho State Olympics last weekend and met many parents who had never heard of self direction.  They have the same complaints, but no one telling them that there is an option.  Especially in the small towns, the word is not getting out about My Voice, My Choice.  If they did know about it, they probably would have a hard time finding a support broker, or any friends on the program.

Isolation is one of the biggest problems for adults with disabilities.  They are herded into developmental centers and group homes.  Unfortunately, for many, it is glorified babysitting and the clients do not develop to their full potential.  These days, you can find many adults with disabilities who are out there doing amazing things with or without the program.  These people have a good support system that advocates for their right to be a contributing member of the community.

Changing the way we handle adults with disabilities will take effort from the community and from the adult’s support system.  Those of us who raised these kids know that each step of development requires patience and teaching, but it doesn’t stop when they are 18.  If they are to learn to be a contributing adult in a community, they must be taught (more than just daily living skills).  My Voice, My Choice does just that.  I told two moms to check into it and consider being a support broker for their friends in these smaller communities.  Self Direction can help to change the way we see adults with disabilities in the community.

IdahoSelfDirection.com is a new network established to connect those people on the self direction program to feel less isolated.  It is designed to introduce the participants and care givers to each other and to facilitate activities.  It can be used all over Idaho by any of the members of this program.  Again, getting the word out to everyone is the hard part.  If you have comments or questions about this new network, please write to idahoselfdirection@gmail.com or go to the website.

There are limited options for adults with intellectual disabilities.  When they reach adulthood, they tend to become isolated or herded into developmental centers where they do not reach their full potential.  College has proven to help anyone, disabled or not, grow and develop.  Studies by Vocational Rehab have proven that people with intellectual disabilities (ID), who have gone to some kind of higher education, have more job opportunities and are able to earn higher salaries.

Following the example of many community colleges across the  country, College of Western Idaho has begun the task of making college a possibility for this group of people.  Students with ID are often times unable to meet the requirements of regular college degree programs.  Despite the fact that they may be able to pass certain college classes, they are unable to pass entrance exams let alone fulfill all the general education requirements for most degrees.  This disqualifies them from financial aide and discourages them from trying to attend college.  College of Western Idaho is hoping to encourage Treasure Valley residents with ID to consider attending classes through the community education department.

During the summer of 2010, CWI hopes to offer classes in 4 week segments to see where the interest lies.  Starting out, they will offer a variety of core classes, and electives at a slower speed to meet the needs of these students.  Some of the subjects will be reading, Spanish, sign language, art, music, and computer skills.  The number of students will dictate how many classes are offered.  Consecutive classes will be offered during the day for 4 week sessions.

College of Western Idaho has been immensely popular since its beginning last year.  The college has had a hard time keeping up with the needs of its students.  We hope that this program for the intellectually disabled will be just as popular.

If you would like information about this program, would like to participate, or have something you would like to teach, please email IDthinkcollege@gmail.com.

Because the Self-Direction program is best suited for a person who has a strong “circle of support”, most care-givers and parents are afraid that the program will be burdensome.  A “circle of support” can be anyone who is affiliated with the client and cares about his / her welfare.  Most of the time, the “circle of support” is made up of the primary care giver, family members, friends, and people who are hired to support the client such as the support broker and community support workers.  The support broker, the person in charge of writing and helping to implement the plan, can be someone who is close to the client, or a qualified support broker who you chose from the list at Health and Welfare.  A strong “circle of support” is not the same as a strong family, or primary care givers who are doing all the planning.  Once a “circle of support” is developed, the program is not burdensome.

There are four types of people involved in Self-Direction, the participant, the support broker, the fiscal agent (handles the money), and the community support workers.  An advantage to this program is that the participant can hire his family and his friends, however, his family and friends may not want to work for him.  If the family of the participant does not want to be involved as an employee of the participant, it is up to the support broker to find qualified people to support the participant.   Success in the program is due to a strong “circle of support” and these four types of people, whoever they are.

Self-Direction is great for the participant who wants his family involved as well as the participant who does not want his family involved.  Individuals who would like to live independently of their parents / care givers in a supported living situation do not need to hire their family to supervise their living situation.  There are successful married couples across the country living in supported living situations on self-direction programs.  Families who want to use self-direction, but do not want to “do all the work” can depend more on the support broker to handle paperwork, hiring and firing of support workers and payroll issues that come up.  Self-direction is great for participants who want to be more in control of their lives not, depending on their family situation.

As a parent of a participant in self-direction, and a qualified support broker, I am excited about the possibilities of My Voice, My Choice Self direction in Idaho.  Because there are no agencies involved with self direction, it can be a lonely road.  I see a need for a network of self directed people and their “circles of support”.  I am working toward a network that will act as a larger “circle of support” for all self-directed people in Idaho.  I am currently working on a website that will be called IdahoSelfDirection.com that will be a place to network and share ideas.  If you have questions about the Idaho Self Direction Network or My Voice, My Choice, write Idahoselfdirection@gmail.com or go to the My Voice, My Choice website.

Currently, the College of Western Idaho offers many classes that this population can take advantage of.  My daughter Becky, who has Down syndrome has been enjoying the Community Education classes offered at CWI.  Although they are not classes for credit, she is learning new things and is taking classes on a college campus which satisfies her desire to “go to college”.  There are other classes in the Basic Education Program that students with Intellectual Disabilities could take advantage of.  Eventually, we hope to develop classes to meet the needs of students with Intellectual Disabilities.  Our first goal will be to examine all the options at the college and find the classes that this population would be interested in.

While developing a course curriculum list, we will also need to develop a marketing strategy, or network for getting in touch with this community.  Our second goal would be to find out from the Idaho Intellectually Disabled Community which classes they would be interested in.  I have begun a list of contacts, but will need help to develop it.  Anyone interested in this project can contact me at IDthinkcollege@gmail.com.

This will be a project that may take years to develop to its full potential, but we are excited to get started down that road!

Self-Direction, what does it mean?  There are 5 principles that stand for self-direction.  From the ARC (Association of Retarded Citizens) to the Self-Direction program in Maryland to the Self-Direction program in Idaho, these 5 words are used to define the mind set. 

• Freedom
• Authority
• Support
• Responsibility
• Confirmation

  These 5 words are not always used to describe the intellectually disabled.  Years of prejudice have caused us to see this group of people as unable to contribute to society and unable to have a say in their own lives.  Self Direction is not just a program, but a new way to look at this group of people.  Giving them the Freedom to make choices about their lives can be scary to the care givers who are used to making all the decisions.  Giving them the Authority to have a say in how to spend the money spent on their behalf can seem risky.  Support makes it possible to implement these principles.  Responsibility for the choices they make and the public dollars they are spending demands growth and maturity in the individual.  Confirmation continues to recognize that the individual has control of his/her own life.  These are new concepts in the care of the intellectually disabled.

  These principles are basic ideas that we use in parenting.  To bring a child to maturity, we must teach them to have responsibility and control over their own life.  We have to give them freedom and authority over their choices for them to learn how to govern themselves.  We give them support in their decisions and walk with them through their consequences if they stumble.  These parenting principles will develop mature responsible adults able to self-direct their own lives to the best of their abilities.

  Self-Direction programs for the intellectually disabled have gained popularity across the country.  Self-Direction develops Self-Advocates who educate the community as they advocate for their own rights.   As our attitudes continue to change in regard to the disabled, hopefully, we will see them integrated into our communities where they can greatly contribute.  As more and more people interact with the disabled and benefit from their presence, we will see less prejudice toward them.  Self-Direction programs are definitely a step in the right direction!

  For more information about Self – Determination in Idaho, click on the My Voice, My Choice link or email me at writeapage@gmail.com

  Without a belief in the intrinsic value of a life, one assumes that the value of a person’s life is based on his / her abilities to function.   Value is then based on their ability to be educated or to reason, their ability to earn money, or to function successfully or their ability to enjoy life to our standards.  Darwin’s theory of Evolution is based on the ability to survive through mutations that improve a species ability to function, thus the value of the specimen or the person is based on its ability to function.  Health care decisions such as Euthanasia and Abortion are often based on the health care worker’s beliefs about the value of life.

  Euthanasia is not legal everywhere, but the attitude behind it is certainly seen in health care practices today.  The now famous case of Terri Schiavo, the woman who was allowed to starve to death is an example of this attitude.  In a country with socialized medicine, my own birth mother was taken off life support only a week after entering a coma due to an attitude that said her condition did not warrant life.  Sarah Palin has been criticized for terming the phrase “death panels” where non-medical professionals make decisions about who gets life saving medical procedures. 

  Some people in the health care community exhibit this attitude of the value of life based on ability to function in pre-natal medicine.  Abortions are regularly encouraged if a baby is determined to have a potential disability or disease.  The abortion rate of babies pre-diagnosed with Down syndrome and other disabilities reaches to 90%!  Some of the parents who have been counseled to abort, and chose life for their children find out later that there was no disability after all.  In some situations, babies born with disabilities are still allowed to die without proper medical treatment.  On the other hand, “normal” pre-mature babies are born and cared for from incredibly early stages of pregnancy.  These pre-mature babies seem to have a higher value on their lives than a baby with a disability.

   Somehow, our society seems to believe that we will be able to eliminate these sub par human beings.  Survival of the fittest.  How different is this from Hitler’s thinking?  How many perfect people are out there?  The average person’s problems can be far greater than that of a disabled person.  The wisdom and fortitude that comes from those older folks who have lived through suffering can be far greater than the average person.  Learning to value all people would be a much greater task than to eliminate those that are different.

  The survival of the fittest mentality needs to be left behind with World War II.  Those of us who live with these people who have been determined to be sub par will tell you that they have immeasurable value.  In the Bible, we see mandates to take care of these weaker people.   James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress  NIV  Obviously, their functionality was limited, but God put a high value on them. 

  Will the government’s health care reform consider the value of life?  Will these types of practices be increased?  Will health care become the survival of the fittest?

Winners in Giant Slalom skiing 2009

After hosting the World Special Olympics last year, I believe that the community in Idaho has been more aware of people with disabilities.  This has had an awesome influence on our disabled community.  I have heard from several people that they feel more comfortable in the community since the games.   Special Olympics develops a healthy self- respect in the athletes as well as a respect for the athletes from the community.  Thank you to all those who are helping to make this population feel supported.

  Special Olympics hosts regional and state games every year, and the World Special Olympics every two years.  Our athletes train year round for various sports and can compete in the Winter Games and the Summer Games.  The Regional winter games for the Treasure Valley will be held on February 6, and the Idaho State Winter Games will be March 12-13.  The state games wouldn’t be complete without an opening ceremony and an athlete dance at the end.   To see the complete schedule, go to http://www.idso.org 

  Watching these special athletes is inspiring!  We hope you will come join us!