This is an adaptation of an article published in
Network, Winter 1993, by the National Training
Research Centre in New Zealand.
My journey with Eric started in the summer of 1992. I first became
aware of Eric through my job as a psychologist for a state operated
agency that provides services to people with developmental
disabilities. My supervisor informed me that Eric, who was living
in a locked forensic unit of a state developmental center, was
determined to be ready to move. He asked me if I would be
interested in coordinating a plan around Eric's move. Looking back
now, I realize how little I knew of the magnitude of creating a
typical life with someone who had never had one before.
Eric was labeled at the age of seven by a variety of professionals.
These labels created a picture of a small boy who was unable to
understand, speak properly, or care for himself. His history is
long and sad, with many placements within developmental centers,
community residences, and correctional facilities.
Eric was only familiar with a limited number of possible choices
for his future. For example, when we asked, "Where would you like
to live?" his response was "group home with Paul and Mark." It was
clear that he had only reflected back what he had been told for
many months by the institution staff.
Where to live and work. Eric visited group homes,
supervised apartments, and typical home environments. He also
visited supported work sites where an individual works in a typical
community setting and has a job coach assigned to assist with
learning new tasks. Watching his reactions to the things we did
helped me find out where his interests were.
After I understood the type of place Eric wanted to live and work,
I then began setting up visits for him to meet people he could live
with, and places where he could work. I advertised within the
system where I work as well as placing an ad in the local
newspaper. We offered free room and board in exchange for teaching
a person new skills.
We met a family who liked him but had reservations about living
with him because of his history. They decided they wanted to
develop a friendship with him. Then, I introduced Eric to two men
who were interested in living with him, Fred and Richard. I was
most impressed one evening when I came to pick up Eric from Fred's
house to find him playing cards with Fred and his friends. He
became one of the guys that evening and loved it. Both men were
never part of a "system" and did not think that way. They have
been totally invested in creating a typical home situation for Eric
and themselves.
The financial mechanism for arranging the home included several
components. The primary person, Richard, was being certified as a
family care provider. Fred was being paid through the Medicaid
waiver program that allows people with disabilities to purchase
certain services, rather than accepting an entire package plan such
as in a group home. The state agency contracted with a local
agency to purchase "residential habilitation" services for Eric at
40 hours per week. In addition, our service plan through the
Medicaid waiver included other supports such as back-up and respite
people, training monies, and recreation monies. This package of
services costs a fraction of what it costs to have Eric living in
a locked forensic ward of a developmental center.
Finding a job. Now that the roommate situation seemed like
it was getting settled, I began job hunting. Eric had expressed an
interest in working in a grocery store. An acquaintance of mine
was manager in one of the local neighborhood grocery stores. He
was willing to arrange a job interview for Eric. He was very
impressed by Eric and hired him that day. He will begin with
bagging, and then be introduced to various other jobs.
Arrangements were made to contract with a local agency to provide
a job coach who could use sign language. We decided to also
request that this agency provide sign language training to all
parties connected with Eric.
The final steps. Eric and his roommates found an apartment
they liked near his job. He signed the lease with Richard. We
obtained vouchers from the state agency in order to purchase
furnishings for Eric's home. This system of purchasing can be
quite restrictive as you must only buy items from certain stores
and keep within the amount of that voucher. In spite of this
issue, we were very successful at making the larger purchases of
furniture. Eric made his selections and was involved in the entire
purchasing process. His excitement made the entire day
worthwhile.
All involved parties, which now included two roommates, two small
agencies, two state agencies, a case manager, friends, job
personnel, and me, have been meeting regularly to develop ideas on
helping Eric in a variety of areas. We have been developing a
routine that includes choice making, recreational options,
opportunities for building a social life, opportunities for
learning new skills such as reading and sign language, and dealing
with feelings and behavior. There are no aversive or physical
interventions as in Eric's past. If the chain of events that lead
to challenging behavior can be broken by using communication and
teaching strategies, then Eric has an excellent chance of being
successful. We have created a support group of people who are
invested in Eric's success and feel that we can meet all challenges
in a positive manner.
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