supporttipsWFS

Tips for Being a Support Person

The Commitment:

be committed to the person you are supporting

have an idea of the time you can commit to a person and be honest with them about this from the start

be willing to go over the agenda before hand if the person wants this

come a few minutes early to a meeting to check-in with the person you are supporting

be on time for meetings and bring the materials you are supposed to*

be prepared for changes in the person you are supporting and that they might change their mind about ideas

if you are going to be late for a meeting or can’t make it, make sure you tell the person you are supporting in advance…so he or she can make arrangements for another support person* (do not make arrangements for another support person without talking to the person you are supporting first)

Respect:

respect the person you are supporting on their rights to make their own decisions, to disagree, to do things in their own ways*

treat the person you are supporting like an adult and equal to others*

respect confidentiality…remember that as a support person you might be given information that is confidential and that you should keep to yourself*

remember that you are working for the person you are supporting*

be aware that the person you are supporting might like to hang out with others during the break times*

do not try to guess what the person you are supporting is saying, or cut him or her off, rather wait until he or she has finished their sentences*

Patience:

if you are uncomfortable doing something as a support person discuss it with the person you are supporting*

be open and willing to learn from each other*

give the person you are supporting time to explain things even if it takes a while*

use easy-to-understand language

its OK to be quiet and not say a whole lot when supporting a person

Outside of the Meeting:

meet with the person one or a few times as needed before their first board meeting to work out a support plan together

take time now and then to see how things are going

remember sometimes a quick check-in to see how things are going is good support

On a Final Note:

keep mind of the things the person told you not to support them on–don’t over support

use your mistakes as learning experiences

give notice as early as possible if you can no longer be a support person*

* These tips were taken originally from the book: Gobel, S., & Flynn, J. (1994). Not Another Board Meeting! Guides to Building Inclusive Decision-Making Groups. -- The Oregon Developmental Disabilities Council. Ordering information can be found on the list of Resources on Building Inclusive Boards.