See ya later...

It’s so hard to believe that tomorrow is my last day. I can remember my first day like it was yesterday… wearing the most uncomfortable shoes because they were the only ones that matched and I wanted everything to flow right… only really it was like 8 months ago and I definitely still wear those shoes. Beauty is pain!
So maybe I should start by naming everything that I’ve learned and what I’ll take with me as I enter my next stage in life. First, I would just like to say that the most awarding thing about social work is watching all your hard work pan out. It is an amazing feeling knowing that you are helping another person and without your dedication, they may never be able to reach their ultimate dreams in life.
Another thing I’ve learned is patience. I mean, not that I’ve never had it before but I’ve learned that good things come to those who wait, even if it doesn’t always seem true or if it seemed like watching grass grow happened a lot faster… it’ll happen, just wait.
And lastly I’d just like to thank everyone I’ve met and/or worked with the past eight months. I want to thank everyone at the Supported Community Living Initiate for letting me be a part of this very rewarding experience and I’d also like to thank the people I’ve worked with and let them know that they’ve also helped me throughout the past year. They’ve helped me become a stronger person inside and helped make me understand the power of respect and determination.
So instead of saying goodbye I’m just gonna say, see ya later …because you only say goodbye if you’re not coming back. And I’ll be back.

First floor does not mean go up/down a couple steps first.

So I’ve been working with this man, who will remain nameless, for the past 6 or so months now. He is very inspring and dedicated with high hopes of eventually moving into his own apartment which sounds like an easy process, right? You find an apartment you like and then you move in. However, for me, the process has been long, frustrating and at times seemed almost impossible.
Since the man I’m referring to receives government funding and resides in a wheelchair, finding an apartment that was available and accessible for him is quite rare. I can’t even begin to tell you how many apartment complexes I’ve called that do not accept Section 8 Vouchers nor do they have apartments available or available on the first floor. Oh, and when I say “first floor” I mean no steps. Zero. No steps going up and no steps going down. When you hear first floor, do you think it’s still okay to have a few steps going up before you arrive at the front door? Because it’s not okay and it’s very misleading and annoying.
Well, needless to say, this story does actually have a happy ending. We finally found an apartment that is not only on the first floor, or should I say “ground level” because that would apparently be more appropriate, but it’s completely handicap accessible! So all in all, it was worth it and very rewarding. Finally, another goal met and another dream come true.

Preparing for Adulthood: Housing Opportunities

On March 27, 2009, The Supported Community Living Initiative will be presenting at the Family Connection Conference. Our session will discuss housing opportunities for children with disabilities who desire to move into the community and the importance of supports from family and friends. A parent, whose son has recently moved into a house of his own, will co-present with Kristi to share her experience as he and his family prepared him for living successfully in the community.

My future as a leader

It’s now February and I’ve been interning at CDR for the past six months which can be either a good or a bad thing, depending on which way you look at it. It’s a good thing because I’m comfortable with my surroundings, have learned my way around the place, know everyone by name and where to find them and the people I’m working with know who I am as well as all the other circle members. Now you’re probably wondering, what could possibly be bad? Well, I’ll tell you. Since I am settled in here at the Supported Community Living Initiative, it’s about time for me to begin facillitating a circle meeting which means: be the leader aka speak while everyone’s staring at me and know what to respond with if asked any type of question.

First reaction: Yipes!

Second thought: I can totally do this.

It’s actually way easier than I had originally imagined. I honestly was the most nervous about not having enough to say but after the first like 14 seconds I could barely get a word in because everyone else just began discussing things after my opening statement which made the process go a lot smoother and completely removed all doubts for myself and my future as a leader.
The meeting turned out to be a success. It felt good to be in control.
Thanks guys for encouraging me and having faith in my leadership skills!

Paving the Way to the Future

The Supported Community Living Intiative will be presenting at the South Carolina Assistive Technology Expo 2009 on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, South Carolina.
Our session will be from 9:30 - 10:30am. We will offer information about assistive technology as it relates to housing and employment for individuals over the age of 18 with Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Intellectual disabilities, and Autism. For more information on the Expo 2009 visit http://www.sc.edu/scatp/expo/expo09.html.