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Helping People with Disabilities Participate Fully in the Community
 From the October 2001 Disabilities newsletter.Currently, best practices in the disabilities field call for people with disabilities to be as fully included in the community as possible. Pam Walker, a research associate at the Center on Human Policy at Syracuse University, emphasizes that full inclusion means "community participation, not just presence. People should have the full range of opportunities — in work, social relationships, and community activities." Dr. Walker says that sometimes, it is easier to talk about full inclusion than achieve it. But there are ways for support staff at community agencies to meet this goal. Step 1: Get to Know Your Clients Most important is the use of person-centered planning and individualized supports. Service providers, notes Dr. Walker, need to get to know their clients. This is especially important because providers and clients often have long-term relationships. "Interests and relationships change, so you need to follow up on placements and living arrangements. It's long-term work." Dr. Walker says that this aspect of support services is the most challenging. When people with disabilities change their minds about job preferences or living arrangements over the years, support staff need to balance their desire to provide support with the need to let their clients make their own choices. Step 2: Look for Opportunities When it comes to building social relationships in inclusive community settings, Dr. Walker urges support staff to "learn the culture of the activities" the people they support with disabilities are involved in. For example, a service provider learns that the 30 minutes before the community choir rehearses is a time for members to socialize. That service provider can make sure their client arrives early enough to socialize with the other members in order to form relationships. Dr. Walker also recommends that staff members look for opportunities for a person with a disability to contribute to the group. An example might be bringing snacks to the activity. Step 3: Know When to Back Off Finally, Dr. Walker reminds support workers that, while it is important to encourage interaction and help typically developing people learn how to communicate with people with disabilities in social or work settings, it is equally important to know when to back off. "Sometimes staff get in the way and [typically developing people] have a hard time breaking in," says Dr. Walker. This is especially true when groups of people with disabilities are placed in an activity together. "Support people sometimes need to back off so that people in the environment can relate to the person [with a disability]."
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