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REVOLUTIONARY COMMON SENSE LIBRARY
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MINING OUR
NATURAL RESOURCES
Revolutionary Common Sense by Kathie Snow
www.disabilityisnatural.com
Miners, searching for gold, diamonds, and other hidden treasures, use a variety of tools in their quest. And success comes through patience, perseverance, and hard work. We can follow in their footsteps, and mine the natural resources in our communities, in our quest to ensure people with disabilities are included in all areas of life.
Before going further, however, we need to address the readiness issue.
Too many of us say we’re waiting for either the community or the person with
a disability to be “ready.” Well, our communities and individuals
with disabilities are ready! What do we really mean by ready? And who set the
standards on readiness—are they written down somewhere, carved in stone?
Consider this: during the tumultuous ’60s, was being ready a requirement
prior to the integration of African-American children and adults in schools,
workplaces, and other locations? No. There were, however, some who begged the
Federal government: “Give us time to get ready!” and the reply
was a resounding, “No!” Integration was achieved by simply doing
it. The same can be true in the disability arena.
Now, back to mining our natural resources and finding the gold in our own
back yards! The treasures in our communities may not glitter like rare
gems, but their value is immeasurable. And while many of these treasures
may be hidden (because they don’t have store fronts), others (with store fronts) are
right before our eyes—we just haven’t seen them for what they’re
worth.
You probably drive by some of the latter every day on your way to work
or school, or while running errands. Some examples include: the YMCA,
library, museum, park and rec, health clubs, churches, colleges/universities,
and more. Examples of hidden treasures (those without store fronts)
include a wide variety of social and hobby clubs and organizations,
such as: service clubs (Kiwanis, Lions, etc.), hobby clubs (model train,
French, horse, scrapbooking, etc.), Scouts, and many, many more. These
groups may meet in people’s homes,
churches, or other “borrowed” locations, with no neon signs to
advertise their presence. To find them, you’ll need to do a little sleuthing:
check the Yellow Pages; contact your Better Business Bureau/Visitor’s
Center; and/or call churches and affiliated entities. For example, to find
groups focused on crafts, call or visit fabric, hobby, and/or home improvement
stores. Your local newspaper most likely publishes a regular calendar of meetings
of social, hobby, or volunteer groups; read that section of the paper every
day and begin compiling a list.
When gathering information about your community’s treasures, stay very
open-minded! For example, if you believe the person with a disability in your
life might be interested in gardening, don’t focus only on entities related
to gardening, or you might miss other important gems. “Melissa” might
like gardening, but may not want to join a gardening group. She may, however,
be very interested in seeing a list of other activities which she’s had
no exposure to. Keep the options open when mapping all the natural resources
in your community!
Assembling a list of your community’s natural resources can be done in
many ways. Service providers or members of a parent organization can (1) list
the entities they pass on their way to work; (2) divide the community geographically
and each take an area; (3) scan the Yellow Pages or other resources; and/or
(4) find potential treasures in a variety of other ways. We can work alone
to create our own lists, or work cooperatively with others and come up with
a greater list. Two or three people can combine their lists and share the info
with many others.
What can you do once you have a list of your community’s natural resources?
The sky’s the limit!
Kids with disabilities who have been isolated in special settings
can be included in park and rec activities; take classes at a museum
or library; join Scouts or other youth groups; and more. In the process,
they’ll make new friends
and experience typical, inclusive activities. Adults
with disabilities can do the same. They can also join hobby, social, or volunteer
organizations and be with others who share a common interest. Provider agencies
who are connecting the people they serve with community activities are seeing
outstanding results: individuals with disabilities are increasing the number
of connections with “real
people” in the real world, which leads to friendships,
real employment (new friends are conduits to jobs), a new
place to live, and much more!
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Fear seems to be one of the primary reasons we haven’t made greater efforts
and greater progress at community inclusion. Fear the person with a disability
will fail, fear others will be cruel, fear someone will say no, and more. All
of these things may happen, and if they do, we must continue trying. (Always
remember that “no” doesn’t mean “never”!) In
general, however, the brave souls who have taken this leap of faith have learned
we haven’t given enough credit to individuals with disabilities, or to
our communities.
Here’s an example from my son’s life that may help motivate you
to move beyond your fears. When Benjamin was 15, he was enrolled in his second
year of drama lessons at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. During the
first year, his Dad (Mark) went with him to the weekly classes, carrying our
seven-foot ramps in the car so Benj could get up on the stage, and Mark “lurked”—staying
close by in case Benj needed anything, but not sitting right next to him during
lessons and rehearsals. During this first year, his instructors had learned
about the accommodations Benj needed (which included scripts in large print),
and everything worked out fine.
Prior to the second year, Benj decided he didn’t want Dad anywhere close
to the class! “Set up the ramps to the stage, Dad, and then leave—really
leave—and pick me up when it’s over,” he insisted. Mark complied,
figuring Benj had been successful during the previous year’s class, the
instructors knew about accommodations, and things would somehow be okay. Still,
we were nervous (Mark called me on the cell phone to report this new development)—it’s
hard to cut those apron strings!
When Benj and his Dad arrived home after the first
lesson, I asked Benj how it went. He reported that
the first thing on the instructor’s agenda
was for all the students to complete a questionnaire. Eeek! Benjamin does all
his writing on the computer, not with a pencil! My mind was whirring, and in
a split second, I wondered if it had been an unsettling experience. Was Benjamin
embarrassed that he couldn’t fill out the questionnaire? Was this an
awful beginning to the class? But I said nothing and instead asked, “What
happened then?” “Well,” he began, “when the teacher
passed out the questionnaire, I looked around the class and saw this really
cute girl and I told her I couldn’t write with a pencil and asked if
she would fill out my questionnaire for me. So she did.” Then Benj shared
the other wonderful details of that day’s class.
Benj handled the situation. And others did for our
son what Mark or I would have done. It was not a big
deal! Moreover, if Mark or I had been there, our presence
would have prevented Benjamin from asking for help
from a “cute girl.” That
one small experience had huge outcomes, in that everyone learned Benj could speak
for himself (he didn’t need a parent or an assigned helper) and his classmates
and instructor learned that anyone in the class was capable of helping.
This leads us to some basic ground rules for success.
Don’t call ahead
and ask, “Do you take people with disabilities?” Would you ask, “Do
you take Native-Americans [or any other identified group]?” No! Instead,
simply call or go by to acquire general information. Calling ahead and talking
about a person’s disability diagnosis and all his “problems” can
scare others and lead to an unsuccessful outcome.
When possible and if appropriate, the person with
a disability should visit the activity as an observer
to learn more about it (especially if tuition or costs
are involved). During this “reconnaissance”—and during the “real
thing”—why not let the person go it alone? Yes, it might be scary,
but great things are possible! When a companion (you or someone else) is along,
it’s likely the person with a disability may be viewed as “unable” (especially
if the companion does all the talking). If it seems absolutely necessary to accompany
the person, let him take the lead as you become as invisible as possible! Also,
if necessary, role play or practice the visit ahead of time.
Once it’s been decided that a person would like to participate in a community
activity, determine what accommodations or supports the person needs to be successful.
After paying the tuition and/or signing up for the activity, inform the activity’s
leader about these supports/accommodations, especially if these should be provided
by the activity.
Here’s one more example about what can happen when we mine our natural
community resources. A provider agency staff member (“Eileen”) contacted
a model train club after learning that “John” (a person who receives
services) had an interest in model trains. When she told Tony, the president
of the club, she was calling on behalf of one her “clients,” Tony
asked, “Why are you calling?” Tony apparently thought it strange
that a person would call on behalf of another! For a moment, Eileen was tongue-tied.
Speaking for John was common within the service system—Eileen was never
questioned about this routine practice. But in the real
world, people speak for
themselves.
After getting information about when and
where the club met, Eileen asked if the location
was on the bus line (since John didn’t drive). At that point,
Tony asked where John lived, Eileen told him the general area, and Tony said
that several members would be coming from that part of town, and someone could
pick John up and take him home. He asked for John’s phone number so they
could make direct contact to set up the ride. Eileen was almost in shock! This
was not the outcome she expected. She had, in fact, thought this whole exercise
would be futile, believing the community wouldn’t accept or welcome John!
Eileen learned that, in the future, she would help the people she served learn
to make these calls for themselves—just like people without disabilities
do.
Eileen also learned that even if the first
efforts at community inclusion aren’t
successful, giving up is not an option. If the model train club experience didn’t
work out for John, she was prepared to help John investigate other activities.
One of the most important things we can
do is to assist children and adults with
labels learn to speak for themselves so
they can lead the lives they want. And
mining our natural resources will enable
us to help people create community connections.
In the process, we’ll create inclusive communities for all!
©2004-06 Kathie Snow, www.disabilityisnatural.com. Clip art from Adobe In-Design. Permission is granted for non-commercial use of this article: you may print this web page and photocopy it to share with others. Click here to download the PDF handout version of the article. As a courtesy, please tell me (kathie@disabilityisnatural.com) how/when you use it. Do not violate copyright laws: request permission before reprinting or republishing in newsletters, on websites, or in other media
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Our words reflect the way we think, so let's get rid of descriptors like "handicapped, physically disabled, mentally retarded, learning disabled" and other words that focus on the condition instead of the person. People First Language promotes dignity and respect for all!
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