Family connections : a family newsletter from OASIS : Oklahoma Areawide Services Information System.

              OKLAOMA PEOPLE FIRST
9 STEPS TO STARTING YOUR CHAPTER
Summer 2011
Volume 26
FAMILY CONNECTIONS
A Family Newsletter from OASIS
Oklahoma Areawide Services Information System
NEXT ON THE ROAD FAMILY PERSPECTIVE CONFERENCE WILL BE TUESDAY, SEPTEM-BER 27, 2011 IN GUYMON, OK.
For more information con-tact Sally at 800.426.2747 or email at—
Sally-Selvidge@ouhsc.edu.
Inside this issue:
FAMILY CONNECTIONS http://oasis.ouhsc.edu
1. Make sure that everyone understands what People First and self-advocacy are. Talk about why people want to meet as a group. Write it down. This is your mission statement. It is important that the members of the chapter have control right from the beginning, so that the group belongs to the members. Starting a group takes time, so that everyone will understand what is going on and can participate in starting the group.
2. Decide on the responsibilities that each person will have in getting the group going. Things that need to be decided are: finding a place to meet, finding transporta-tion, publicity, the agenda…etc.
3. Find out how other groups work, and learn from them. Then make your own decisions about how your group wants to arrange things.
4. Decide on the rules for how you are going to work together. Things like how you will choose officers, if you will have dues, how you will vote, how you will choose an advisor. Write down what you decide. These are your bylaws.
5. Work on developing team spirit. Work on how you will help people get over their hurt feelings when people have disagreements in the group.
6. Decide on the goals your People First chapter has. Write them down. This is the "goals" section of your strategic plan.
7. Decide on what you will do to reach your goals. Write this down too. It is your list of activities.
8. Develop connections with the local community. Be active and interact with oth-ers, both groups and individuals in the community.
9. Every so often, stop, and think over how things are going. Make changes when most of the members agree that something needs to be changed. Up Coming and On Going Events and Family Activities
Can now be checked out on our new
Website Front Page at:
http://oasis.ouhsc.edu
FAMILY CONNECONS
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FAMILY CONNECTIONS
COMING SOON
A NEW
ONLINE RESOURCE
DIRECTORY
KEEP CHECKING
SHOULD BE UP AND RUNNING END OF AUGUST. On June 22, 1999, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C., that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities was a form of unlawful dis-crimination. The landmark Olmstead case affirmed the rights of Americans with disabilities to live independently in the community of their choice.
Lois Curtis, one of the original plaintiffs of the Olmstead case finally began living in the community 11 years after the initial decision. She now sells her artwork and serves as a prime example of how persons can become more productive members of society once they are able to live in community based settings.
Lois’ story didn’t end after the landmark Supreme Court decision. It launched a new journey. After living in staffed residential homes since her release from the institution, Lois now rents a beautiful home in the Stone Mountain area of Georgia. She has two roommates and in 2010 a non-profit microboard was created to help foster Lois’ continuing independ-ence. A microboard is a group of friends set-up to assist with the services and supports for one individual. In Lois’ case her microboard was critical to helping her gain access to a Medicaid waiver program for self-directed services.
We all have the right to life, liberty ,and the pursuit of happiness. Let us move forward striving to make each person’s life a vision full of hope for a bright future.
As Margaret Mead once said, “Never Doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people could change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
12th Anniversary of OLMSTEAD
Where is Lois Now?
FAMILY CONNECTIONS
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Volume 26 Exciting things are happening in Oklahoma for youth with disabilities. For the last three years, through a partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) and the University of Oklahoma (OU) National Center for Disability Education and Training (NCDET), youth with disabilities are participating in a total immersion in the workplace job readiness program, Project SEARCH™. Project SEARCH is a business-led partnership, with sup-port and resources provide by DRS, OU-NCDET, a local school, and a commu-nity rehabilitation provider.
Since its inception in 1996 at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center in Ohio, this collaborative model has proven to be successful in meeting employ-ers’ needs. The program has been replicated in 150 different businesses in 42 states and the United Kingdom. Oklahoma has successfully replicated the pro-gram in five locations—Ada (Valley View Regional Hospital), Tulsa (St. John Medical Center), Oklahoma City (Mercy Health Center), Enid (INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center), and Oklahoma City (Chesapeake Energy Corporation).
SEARCH is a nine-month career development program designed to pre-pare students, ages 18-22, for entry-level employment. Depending upon the struc-ture of the local SEARCH site, high school graduates or high school students who have completed their academic requirements (except Senior English) may apply to participate in the SEARCH program. Each interested student is required to make a formal application and to interview with a selection committee of repre-sentative program partners. All program participants must be eligible for services with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.
The cornerstone of Project SEARCH™ is total immersion in the workplace which facilitates the teaching and learning process through continuous feedback and application of new skills. Program interns follow the school calendar and par-ticipate in three 10 week internship rotations within the host business site. Interns are given support through the on-the-job coaching and work site accommodations. In the classroom, employability skills training is provided by the program instruc-tor with the ultimate goal of independent community employment for each student who completes the Project SEARCH™ program.
Continued on page 5
Exciting things are happening in Oklahoma for Youth with disabilities….
Page 4
FAMILY CONNECTIONS
PROJECT SEARCH
By Kim Osmani
Department of Rehabilitation Services My mother-in-law once told me in midst of a family crisis that they might not have had great wealth, but they had their integrity. My integrity has been challenged lately and in a world where people only seem to care about themselves integrity seems to be an action that has lost it’s meaning.
Integrity is about principle centered living. It is about doing what is right rather than what is expedient. We have integrity when we are the good person we appear to be. For this reason Socrates (469 ~ 399 BC) taught, "The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be."
When we commit to integrity we empower and free ourselves. Unencumbered by the fear of ridicule and rejection by others, we do what we believe is right. The rewards for doing so are many and include a growth in self-confidence and courage. The ex-hilaration of doing the right thing is like experiencing the joy of reaching the other shore by victoriously swimming against the current. Don't be afraid to be different. How can we be ourselves unless we are unlike others?
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Volume 26
● EXPLORE
● DISCOVER
● THINK
The cornerstone of Project SEARCH™ is total immersion in the work-place which facilitates the teaching and learning process through continu-ous feedback and application of new skills. Program interns follow the school calendar and participate in three 10 week internship rotations within the host business site. Interns are given support through the on-the-job coaching and work site accommodations. In the classroom, employ-ability skills training is provided by the program instructor with the ulti-mate goal of independent community employment for each student who completes the Project SEARCH™ program. To date, Oklahoma has achieved an 83% placement rate for Project SEARCH completers. For more information about this program, please contact Ms. Judi Goldston, Statewide Coordinator, OU-NCDET, by phone at (405) 325-0448, or by e-mail at jgoldston@ou.edu, or Ms. Kimberly Osmani, Transition Coordi-nator,DRS,by phone at (405) 635-2768, or by e-mail at kos-mani@okdrs.gov.
PROJECT SEARCH
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 To become an OASIS Parent Contact Download the form at: http://oasis.ouhsc.edu
WE’RE ON THE WEB
HTTP://OASIS.OUHSC.EDU
OASIS Staff
Sally Selvidge
Program Director
Kim Buchanan
Information Specialist
Leah Porcelli
Data base Manager
Carolyn Simpson
Respite Coordinator
Raeann Johnson
Administrative Assistant to
Director