D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
April
2008
Everybody's Included
Life Quest hosts an April 22 forum on full community inclusion for people with disabilities.
For 30 years the prevailing model in disability services has been "day-habilitation" and activities that cluster people with disabilities into one home, classroom, workplace or social center. This approach is now gradually being replaced by a shift toward "Full Community Inclusion." Inclusion means that all people, regardless of their abilities, disabilities or health-care needs, have the right to pursue their chosen goals for employment, education and recreation.
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"Full Community Inclusion" in
action: A Life Quest client at work. |
When Life Quest opened in Silver City in 1973 as Southwest Services for the Handicapped, programs for people with developmental disabilities tended to take place in a sheltered day facility. Back then, clients were occupied in performing fairly simple tasks with limited interaction in their community.
Today, the times are definitely changing, says Deb Nordquist, director of adult services at Life Quest. Now, individuals served by Life Quest can be seen playing at the bowling alley, volunteering at the Humane Society, exercising at the dance studio and surfing the Internet at Watts Hall. Many have jobs, working at places such as Food Basket, Sonic, Wendy's, the Buffalo Bar, the Silver City Food Co-op and Montessori and Cobre schools.
On April 22, this contemporary emphasis on "Full Community Inclusion" will be the topic at a free full-day workshop/forum hosted by Life Quest. The organization is inviting people from throughout the community to explore what is meant by "Full Community Inclusion" and to participate in sharing ideas and joint action planning. The workshop is intended for all interested community members as well as health and social service providers, area employers, policy makers, educators, agencies, students, disabled persons, their families and caregivers.
"This forum is for everyone who cares about our community and how we can make it an even more wonderful place to live where everyone is included," says Nordquist.
The keynote speaker will be William E. Kiernan, director and research professor from the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Kiernan has more than 25 years' experience in the disability field. He has written numerous books and journal articles on employment for individuals with disabilities and is considered a national expert on the subject.
Kiernan's presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring two people with disabilities, a family member, two Life Quest staff members, a disabilities advocate, a local policy maker and a director from an agency in Roswell that serves people with disabilities. In the afternoon, participants will break into four working sessions, each charged with exploring and identifying concrete action steps for community partners to work on. Conversations will center around four general areas: employment and small business development, school/education, community living and recreation/health and wellness.
The concepts discussed will apply to other marginalized groups as well, says Nordquist, including people with mental illness or recovering from substance abuse, domestic-violence survivors, ethnic minority groups, the elderly, youth, former prisoners and others. Models developed in the context of disabilities will also help those citizens, she emphasizes.
The community forum is made possible by a grant from Freeport-McMoRan/Grant County Community Health Council Community Enhancement Fund.
Developmental Disability Waiver Standards, supported by the state of New Mexico, encourage program initiatives that maximize independence for people with developmental disabilities, helping enable them to reach their self-stated goals and dreams. According to Nordquist, this includes supporting each individual in discovering his or her own unique inner gifts, realizing each person's full potential, and engaging in activities that are meaningful to him or her.
She adds, "Full inclusion in community activities is a vital avenue that must open for these individuals in order for them to interact freely with others within their communities and to be given the opportunity to live a full and rewarding life.
"In our communities, we have not even begun to grasp the implications of this paradigm change," Nordquist goes on. "To realize full community inclusion, it is imperative that citizens, employers, educators and agencies work together to learn what the concept means and to develop creative, action-oriented ideas that are tailored to our unique communities."
For people with disabilities, this shift to "Full Community Inclusion" means an array of new opportunities, as well as parting with some old conveniences and habits. For employers, educational institutions, recreational providers and others in the community, it means changing the way they think about people with disabilities, exploring new partnerships and tapping into a previously ignored workforce.
Life Quest intends to be a leader in implementing this paradigm shift, Nordquist says. But the agency can't do so in a vacuum; it needs community input, participation and buy-in to be effective. "We are inviting the community to come and explore with us as we navigate what full inclusion means for all segments of the population," she says.
"Every single one of us has special gifts, those 'unrecognized abilities' that can contribute to our community when they are discovered, nurtured and allowed to blossom," Nordquist goes on. "Life Quest is ready to begin the conversations, explore the territory, make the connections and create movement towards a more inclusive community for everyone. We're asking our community to help us explore and make those connections, create those partnerships and nurture those relationships so that our community is a place where everyone is given the same opportunities to contribute their unique gifts."
Life Quest's interactive community forum on full community inclusion for people with disabilities will be held Tuesday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Global Resource Center, 12th St., on the WNMU campus. Attendance is free, with lunch provided, and is open to all interested individuals, but pre-registration is required. Call Life Quest to pre-register, 388-1976, or e-mail gerrispiller@lifequestnm.net For more on Life Quest, see the June 2007 issue of Desert Exposure.