Walking about in the neighborhood

Dear Friends of Full Access:

I took some time to walk around the neighborhood near our office this week.  I was so excited to see this childcare center with a Look Me In The Eye sign in front!  I stopped and spoke to one of the owners about this and she was equally excited!  She told me the children there talk about their own experiences and see many people with disabilities in the neighborhood.  Connecting with people about Look Me In The Eye always warms my heart.  This was a perfect example of how this campaign has touched people.

As a joint project with Oregon Supported Living Program, there are several key messages in this public awareness and educational campaign.  The bottom line is respect and include people with disabilities.  We believe all citizens want and deserve the opportunity to meaningfully participate in all aspects of our community, and our communities can grow closer through recognizing each other’s abilities, commonalities and differences.  Our communities gain value as they are more aware of the capabilities of, and provide opportunities for, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be part of their communities.  It is in the public’s interest for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live and work in our communities, exercising their full rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Another example of how this campaign has touched people was shared at King Estate Winery last weekend.  Eighty donors and supporters gathered for our Look Me In The Eye Evening of Elegance to hear about our work and raise funds for our programs.  Without generous donors and volunteers we could not complete the outreach this campaign allows.  From hearts to hands to wallets, the vision we are working toward was realized that evening.   It also planted seeds for our future.

Mike and Colleen Bellotti perusing auction items at Evening of Elegance.

The most remarkable part of the evening for me was once again experiencing Amelia Abel, as she said, “knock it out of the park!”  Amelia, speaking here with emcee Rick Dancer, reminded all of us how important it is to acknowledge and recognize her.  In seeing all of our guests it was quite obvious they were touched, moved and inspired by her.  Amelia was the first person to help us capture this phrase Look Me In The Eye nearly 5 years ago as she was talking with civic groups about her experience.  Since then literally thousands of students in schools and community members have heard this message.  We are hoping for many more in the future.

 

Please consider spending a few moments on our website http://lookmeintheeye.org/ and spread the word to respect and include people with disabilities!

MT, CEO

Blog stealing this week!

Dear Friends of Full Access:

This week we are posting a blog from our Portland area community partners.  This is about concerns that Provider Organization rates are going to be cut.  We did find out, however, in a phone call this week, that this is not happening soon.  Right now we think our communities should be on alert about the issues addressed in this blog.  What we are expecting to hear from our State DHS partner, is that a process involving market research and community input will be underway to address the concerns listed below.

Why is this important to friends of Full Access?  Because we think that the providers of support to our clients are absolutely critical to quality service delivery.  We want to help keep this part of our system strong!

MT, CEO

“Proposed Rate Cuts to Provider Organizations Threaten Innovation”
By Sasha Vidales, Director of Creative Goal Solutions

While Oregon is moving to the K-Plan, many customers are seeing increased access to funding for their services. But simultaneously, provider organizations’ hourly rates are slated to be cut by almost 18%. Perhaps most affected by these cuts are smaller, local, grass-roots organizations who have sprung up in response to the diverse needs of brokerage customers; programs like Creative Goal Solutions, which I started in 2011 to offer fully-integrating community-based services to adults with developmental disabilities. Already operating on a shoe string budget and my personal investment, the proposed rate would unquestionably force Creative Goal Solutions to close its doors within just a couple of months.

The greatest detriment would be to the individual customers served by Creative Goal Solutions, customers like Annie Rose. When Annie Rose started working with Creative Goal Solutions, she had the same goals as most twenty-somethings—to move out on her own, get a job, have new life experiences, and exert her independence. Through working with CGS, she had the opportunity to explore her greater community in a group setting. “I like Creative Goal Solutions because it gets me out of the house. I like meeting new people. I discovered new foods…I enjoy going to the park… camping was lots of fun. I like going to the library and art showings.” Soon after her start, Annie decided to move into her own apartment. CGS staff helped her establish a routine around cooking and cleaning that would increase her success as she transitioned. Knowing the importance of community connectedness, staff also helped Annie explore her immediate community on foot and on bus to find new hang-outs. She now independently works out at her local community center and has some favorite local shops and cafes, all the while staying involved in CGS’ group community inclusion. A while later, Annie also took on various volunteer jobs. With staff support, Annie Rose works alongside community members and other customers to gain job skills and give back to her community.

“I like doing Zenger Farms,” says Annie Rose, “I really like gardening and don’t do enough. Now I get to go out once a week and it’s a relief. I’m suddenly happy! I’ve noticed the weeds have gotten enormous and tough to pull out. I’m proud that I can pull them out.”

Annie is just one of the over 40 customers flourishing with the support of Creative Goal Solutions’ unique service model. When I started Creative Goal Solutions, I was excited to use innovative strategies to develop meaningful, community-integrating experiences for our customers. I envisioned services that would empower each customer to become involved citizens and create meaningful visibility for themselves. Over the past two and a half years, I’ve assembled a team of highly creative, motivated and skilled employees to put this vision into action. Now, we boast a diverse array of programs to accomplish that vision.

What I didn’t realize upon CGS’ inception, was the tremendous value of the group-model. Customers learn so much from each other and there is often a lot of camaraderie, connectedness and natural support developed. At the same time, the model differs drastically from facility-based models in that customers are making daily, “real-life” contact with their communities through recreation and volunteering. Many customers and parents, including Laurie Burk, have noticed the difference.

“[The facility-based program he attended prior to CGS]… provided little or no outside community activities. There was nothing special about the program. I likened it to a daycare center. Since attending CGS, he has shown much improvement. We believe this to be directly related to attending outings to places that “regular” people go. I don’t think many people who are not affected by developmental disabilities understand the secluded life of a young person with disabilities and what they face day in and day out… Just because he has a disability doesn’t mean he doesn’t have worth.”

Our Volunteer Program connects and teaches customers at six different community organizations, including The Rebuilding Center, SCRAP, Hoyt Arboretum, Impact NW, the Bike Farm, and Zenger Farms. All of these sites give our customers job-like experience where they can gain skills and confidence working right alongside community volunteers. The program has been tremendously impactful in our customers’ social well-being and sense of worth and individual contribution.

Nightlife Group at local pub

We also provide fully-integrating recreation experiences. The programming is diverse, offering many activities not commonly accessible to people with developmental disabilities. We fill the monthly calendar with customer-preferred activities, such as bowling and libraries and unique experiences, such as attending the Feast of Guadalupe concert, Leech Botanical Gardens, and a tour of the Human Society. We also offer a Nightlife Group. Through this, many customers have their first experiences going to activities like stand-up comedy, salsa dancing and pub trivia. Additionally, our camping trips afford customers the opportunity to be away from home with a group of friends and foster budding friendships through exploring nature.

At Creative Goal Solutions, we continually challenge what others think possible. Those with seemingly significant barriers are equally engaged through our program. Oxana Betska, a mother of one such customer wrote, “[Though he is] nonverbal, he is very social. He wants to be around people, go places, learn new things… [at CGS] he is taught how to behave around other people, how to treat them properly. We can definitely see the progress he has made paying attention to the instructions he was given, evaluating the situation which can be new for him, becoming more independent and mature. The program has helped my son gain self-esteem. Through the program our son volunteers at the retirement center. He has a wonderful time there!”

Volunteering at Bike Farm

Writes Matthew Burk, customer and self-advocate,“I like the format where we meet at the office and board mass transit and go to different places like Fazio Farm, The Old Church for a lunch time concert, the Rose Garden up near the zoo, the zoo, and the game room down at PSU among other cool places. My favorite part of the program is that being a boy from SE Portland I get to see the other parts of the city that I never knew existed. If cuts were to be made I’m not sure what I would do. Without CGS I would go back to being a couch potato and having no routine.”

Despite our customer’s successes, we’ve experienced significant barriers when it comes to a functional and sustainable business model, having to fit a square peg in the proverbial round hole. Our program model of fully-integrating group experiences does not fit well in the current provider rate structure. Most traditional services are provided with one staff per one customer or take place in a facility. Our services don’t fit either of those models and our way of providing services comes with substantial added costs as well as barriers to be able to bill for the full rate. Despite these barriers, we’ve persevered. We’re proud to be one of the handful of truly unique, local, grass-roots organizations with truly unique services to offer.

Rock wall climbing

It’s hard to imagine the local impact of all of these customers losing the visibility and community presence that we’ve worked so hard to promote. Observing our customers’ growth in confidence and self-efficacy over the past two years has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life. Equally important, I’ve seen our community’s response to our customers. I believe that through our work, we’ve begun to shift how people understand disability. They are witnessing all that people with developmental disabilities are capable of contributing, and, with time, learning how essential they are to the fabric of our community.

We’ve accomplished a lot in just over two years. I have many more ideas that I’m actively implementing: a self-employment program, a healthy lifestyles group, and leveraging our culturally-competent, 50% Spanish-speaking staff to better engage Latino customers. Yet, my intense passion and enthusiasm is met with a very real possibility of closure. I’m working hard to push back against the proposed cuts. I’ve co-formed a coalition of small provider organizations, including On-the-Move Community Integration and Trellis to express our alarm and the potential impact of cuts. We’re meeting with decision-makers at the State level as well as other affected provider organizations. I am also counting on the support of families, professionals, self-advocates, community members and the decision-makers at DHS to halt rate cuts and make the growth and development of our innovative program, and others like it, to flourish… for the betterment of our customers and the betterment of our communities.

________________________________________________

ABOUT

Sasha Vidales has worked in community services for 14 years in mental health, policy research, training development, case management, quality assurance and other capacities. She has a BA in Psychology and an MBA in Organizational Behavior and is trained as an Autism Specialist and Social Sexual Consultant. Sasha founded Creative Goal Solutions in 2011 because of her belief in and commitment to strong communities. She knows that strengthening communities requires meaningful and full integration for all people. If you are interested in learning more or joining the coalition, contact Sasha at sasha.vidales@creativegoalsolutions.org.

It’s not just a three day weekend

Dear Friends of Full Access:

There are over 20,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who receive support through the Oregon Department of Human Services.  Full Access is working for 875 of them.  With their families, friends, support providers, coworkers, community contacts and others, Full Access is involved with thousands of people who directly affect the lives of our clients each day.  This is a big deal to me.  I think about this when I am making important decisions in our agency.  Our impact is felt by many people.

One of the things that helps us positively impact people is to be both inspired, and inspirational.  This can make or break someone’s day.  One of our nation’s greatest and most inspirational leaders is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a person that we celebrate this time of year.  We celebrate him not just so some people get an extra day off work.  We celebrate him because he inspired an entire nation and world to change the way we viewed people of color.  Along with his many supporters and allies, Dr. King created opportunities for people who had few.  As I think about him, I hope that some day we will have a similarly famous person who is recognized as the one who changed our culture regarding people with disabilities.  Maybe it’s one of you!

Below is Erinn Kelley-Siel’s DHS Director message this week.  I think she shared an important message–I hope you take a moment to listen to and be inspired.

Please note: In the lower right corner of the video, you will see the CC symbol – this allows you to turn on the closed caption function and read the transcript.

MT, CEO

Do you manage change or does it manage you?

Dear Friends of Full Access,

Greetings from Central Oregon! As has been a theme in the Full Access blogosphere for many months, transition and change seems to be the new norm. I recently made a transition to our Bend office after having been in the Eugene office since we opened in 2002. While there is a core of familiarity, there has been a lot of change: homes, schools, offices, personal/medical/financial needs, transportation, weather, etc. The reality- change is hard, but it’s also inspiring.

Similar to many moves, mine required quite a bit of travel in the beginning. I joked for a time that my new address was Highway 126 since I felt I was spending most of my time on that road. The first few trips, I was just focused on driving. The road is windy in spots and was still relatively new to me. Soon the familiarity came and so did the mental ‘auto pilot’. Driving gave me time to think and I became caught up in thinking about all the changes- work, finding a place to live, my daughter’s new school… All this time, the world was literally and figuratively rushing by.

On one of these trips from Bend back to Eugene, I stopped midway to grab a snack and decided to find a spot to pull off the road to eat and read emails. It was then it hit me; there was the river, sparkling in the sun and the plants and leaves were still bright green. It was quiet, it was beautiful, and it was inspiring. I had to take a picture. For so many hours spent on that road, I had missed out because I was not present in the moment. My focus had been on a hundred different details and I wasn’t seeing what was all around me. I was consumed by change.

At that moment it really clicked for me. We really do need to “stop and smell the roses”, especially during times of change. Here are some simple reasons why:

When we get too caught up in change, we forget we have choices. Take some time to evaluate what is important to you and make it known. Change is opportunity. Even though we may not always get what we want, we still need to be empowered to ask and help guide the change.

Sometimes, change comes out of nowhere and it’s out of our control. If we don’t take a moment to really see what a change is about, we can panic. The unknown can be scary, but it shouldn’t stop us from exploring the possibilities and looking at the big picture for the positives. And if the change is sad or negative, we need to take time to grieve, to heal, and then move forward.

Spend some time thinking about what your long term goals are. Is the change happening around you helping you meet those goals or do you need to make changes of your own? All growth requires change and we need to get out of our comfort zones if we want to experience something new. Planning for these changes makes them easier to handle.

Finally, sometimes we need to recognize when we need to step away from change. If something is overwhelming, stepping back and finding a place of familiarity to ground ourselves can help recharge our batteries. Then we can refocus on the tasks at hand.

Since that day along the river, I promised myself that I will take at least one moment every time I am on the road to stop and take a break from thinking about change. Change is always happening, but I will never be in this exact moment again. I take a picture so I can reflect during other moments when I need to ‘stop and smell the roses.’

HHS

Assistant Director

A new leaf, a new roof and a new start – for bats!

Dear Friends of Full Access:

Happy New Year!  Oh, I am so happy it is a New Year!  I loved what happened in 2013, but honestly, a new leaf needs to be turned over!  For Full Access we have never had to weather the types of storms we did last year.  We had so many difficulties with some of the basics, I am happy to have a chance to let them go.  Although we are not really letting go of the changes– we expect more of those–  I think we will benefit from letting go of looking at these changes like they are problems.  The transition to new systems with the K plan is still a little haunting, but not nearly as overwhelming.

Working through the K plan brought me a lot of lessons and some that are like what I learned in 2013 from little brown bats…hundreds of them!  These bat pictures are from websites, but I have to tell you, they are just like the bats that have shared our home until 2013 came to a close.  Were we surprised about the bats?  Oh, yes.  Did we know they were there before we saw them?  Oh, no.

About mid June last year I was sitting in our living room facing west and started noticing bats every night that flew over our house toward the setting sun.  I began to count them and there were up to 40 each night.  This was just about the same time our staff and I were in Corvallis for a statewide training that focused on the new K plan and the new FNAT.  Were we surprised about the details of the K plan?  Oh, yes.  Did we know what was coming before we saw it?  Oh, no.

Bat house

It took some time for us to sort out our bat issue at home; and it has taken some time to sort out the K plan as well.  Apparently, bats have to be treated with special rules.  When we discovered them we called a bat expert…and I just like to call him Batman!  Batman came to our house and investigated what was happening.  He also informed us we could not do anything about the bats until about September because that is when nurturing young ones is done for the season.  We could not kill the bats, but we didn’t really want to either.  We actually have a bat house available to them because they are good for our environment, gardening and pest control.  They did prefer our home though, so that is where they lived.  Batman said they were probably with our home before we were, nearly 10 years ago!

Once September came around, Batman got on the roof of our house, fixed some shingle problems and put in little doors for the bats to go out.  But they were not doors the bats could come back into.  It is a clever system and humane!  Batman came back in late October to make sure all the bats moved somewhere else and they did!  Then the real investigation began!

Batman is also a roofer – how convenient for us!  He removed part of the roof only to discover a very serious problem.  The bats had been everywhere between the roof and the ceiling, mostly living in the insulation there.  They of course, after 10 years, pooped, peed and some died.  So we had remains and their droppings saturating some of the wood and structure of the house.  This caused us to call our insurance company who immediately called an expert on removing hazardous waste.  I just call him Mr. Clean.  He made sure all the rules were followed to make sure we were safe in our home.  There are very special processes for bat clean up and you can be sure, Batman and Mr. Clean followed every instruction.

The entire roof had to be removed.  All of the insulation was removed and replaced.  More than half of the plywood structure was replaced.  Support beams had to be scrubbed, sanded and scrubbed again.  Vapor barriers were replaced.  And of course all the roofing was replaced.  Because of rain storms, snow storms, and cold weather, the projects were started, stopped, restarted, stopped, restarted…you get the picture!  There were construction workers banging on our roof over some weekend days, driving us and our dogs into a tizzy!  But, in the end, the bats moved, the roof is replaced, all the cleanup work is done and we are resting easy as 2014 arrives.

My lessons were simple:  See what is in front of me and take action.  Call in experts.  Get support and get it quickly!  Be thorough in investigating, rebuilding and clean up.  At the end of the day, love and appreciate the roof over my head and be grateful that even a thousand bats can be dealt with in a humane and complete way.  Everyone deserves a home, and I get to choose who I share it with!  For one more story about bats, follow the link below!

http://www.indigenouspeople.net/bat.htm

Happy New Year!

MT, CEO