I recently attended a national conference of professionals in the field of Independent Living. I showed up in my mask and wore it most of the time, but I still felt the unspoken peer pressure of, hey, most are NOT
The best definition of Ableism I’ve found …
From Sitting Pretty: The view from my ordinary, resilient, disabled body by Rebeka Taussig, PhD. “It feels like a risk relying on the word “ableism,” but I want to use it here, because I’m hoping to assemble something with you—something
How can your board find a new Executive Director with a disability?
The rules for consumer control indicate that 51% of your managers must have a disability. In smaller centers where there is only one manager — the Executive Director — the board must hire a person with a disability. Even if
The Olmstead Decision in real life.
From ADA.gov: The story of the Olmstead case begins with two women, Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, who had mental illness and developmental disabilities, and were voluntarily admitted to the psychiatric unit in the State-run Georgia Regional Hospital. Following the
Staff training clips from archives
You might find it helpful to utilize some of the on-line resources for your staff meetings and staff training. Some center approach training by doing a short segment during each staff meeting. I suggest up to 30 minutes each. Here
How do I teach consumer control to staff?
Question: I’m particularly focused on boundaries and personal choice as reminder to existing peers in their work with consumers. As happens with many of us in any human service in our desire to “help,” I’ve had a couple situations in
Do you recommend specific orientation/training for Executive Directors?
Embed from Getty Images Yes, we have a wide menu of training options for your new Executive Director on our website. I would probably customize the ideas below, based on what your new E.D. already knows. If they have worked
Words do matter!
It isn’t that I never slip. I do. I am of an older generation and sometimes the words of my past and my history come out of my mouth when I don’t intend for them to. Maybe that is true for
“Helping people displaces their power.”
If you like to study social dynamics from interesting sources, you may want to check out Asset Based Community Development. The Center in my home town, Fresno, CA, invited me to a community wide conference on Asset Based Community Development
Help! Our Center is in a rut!
Request: Our Center is in a rut. We need some ideas to energize our future. As you know, our CIL has been stuck in a rut for quite a few years and we are trying to shake things up and