Transcript Document

Transition in the Community:
Self-Determination in Kansas
Presented at the Annual Interhab Conference
October 7, 2005
Denise Poston
[email protected]
785-864-7601
Susan Palmer
[email protected]
785-864-0270
Beach Center on Disability
University of Kansas
www.beachcenter.org
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Essential Questions
•What is self-determination?
•What does self-determination contribute to
transition from school life to community living?
•What does the research tell us about transition and
self-determination?
•How does support for involvement of a person with
disabilities work in real life?
•How do A.J. and Denise navigate the community to
provide access for a good quality of life?
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One way to characterize Self-Determination
Wehmeyer, M.L. (1996).
Self-determination refers to “acting as the primary
causal agent in one’s life and making choices and
decisions regarding one’s quality of life free from
undue external influence or interference”.
A causal agent is someone who makes or causes
things to happen in his or her life.
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Self Determination
as a Functional Outcome:
•Enables individuals to become selfsufficient, self regulated learners.
•Empowers people to take greater control of
their own learning and life skills.
•Increases person-centered involvement in
schools and communities.
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IDEA ’97 Transition Services Definition
Student involvement language in IDEA
Transition services are a coordinated set of
activities for a student designed within an
outcomes-oriented process, which promotes
movement from school to post-school activities.
Transition activities must be based upon the
individual student's needs, while taking into
account the student’s preferences and interests.
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Self-Determination Supports
Standards-Based Learning
Standards in many districts include selfdetermination-related skills such as problemsolving and decision-making.
Instruction in self-determination serves as an
entry point to the general curriculum for
students with intellectual disabilities.
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OUTCOMES
PROCESS
Teach Component
Elements of SelfDetermined
Behavior
Essential
Characteristics
of SelfDetermined
Behavior
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Component Elements of
Self-Determined Behavior
Choice-Making Skills
Decision-Making Skills
Problem-Solving Skills
Goal-Setting and Attainment Skills
Independence, Risk-Taking and Safety Skills
Self-Observation and Self-Evaluation Skills
Self-Reinforcement Skills
Self-Instruction Skills
Self-Advocacy and Leadership Skills
Self-Awareness
Self-Knowledge
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Essential Characteristics of
Self-Determined Behavior
• Make choices and decisions as needed.
• Exhibit some personal or internal control over
actions.
• Feel capable and act that way.
• Understand the effects of own actions.
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Self-Determination After High School
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Low Self-Determination
Transportation
Grocery
Savings
Checking
Phone Bill
High Self-Determination
High self-determination group was more likely to maintain both a
checking and a saving account than the low self-determination group.
Wehmeyer, M., & Schwartz, M. (1997). Self-determination and positive adult outcomes: A follow-up
study of youth with mental retardation and learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63(2),
245-255.
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How Important Is Self-Determination?
Current Employment Status
100
90
80
70
60
Low Self-Determination
50
High Self-Determination
40
30
20
10
0
Work For Pay
Find Own Job
Ex-students in high self-determination group were more likely to be
employed than their peers in the low self-determination group.
Wehmeyer, M., & Schwartz, M. (1997). Self-determination and positive adult outcomes: A follow-up
study of youth with mental retardation and learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63(2),
245-255.
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Transition Using Self-Determination
Helps Students:
• Learn to be advocates for themselves & others.
• Become problem-solvers & decision-makers.
• Be a part of their IEP team.
• Become self-regulated learners.
• Have a vision for the future & set goals to achieve it.
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Self determination emerges…
• By enhancing capacity using component elements of
self-determined behavior (choice-making, problemsolving skills).
• By being in an environment that supports choice and
student-involvement.
• By having frequent experiences that include choice and
student involvement.
• By providing supports and accommodations.
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My Life, My Way –
Planning for Life After High School
• AJ’s Dream Life
• Realities – How we are getting there
• Coordinating and paying for AJ’s
dream life
• It takes a lot of work and advocacy.
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Marshalling Resources
What Do We Have to Work With?
• Individual Resources
– Time, money, motivation, experience, strengths
• Community Resources
– KU organizations, students, and faculty
– People and their connections
• Government benefits
– SSI
– Section 8 Housing
– HCBS
– Food stamps
– School
– Vocational Rehabilitation
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AJ’s Dream Life
•
•
•
•
•
•
Work
Home
Well-Being
Friends
Fun
Family
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Work – AJ’s Dream
• “I want to be a manager”
• “I want to write people up”
• “On Monday, on Tuesday, on
Wednesday. . . .”
• “I want to earn $100”
• “No thank you”
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Work – The Reality
• This tells us he wants
– Choice and control, authority
– Variety
– Competitive wage
• He is clear about what he doesn’t want
• Behavior – completing tasks and interpersonal
• Pet Store, video rental, preschool volunteer, own
business
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Work - Marshalling Resources
• Support from teacher and paras in current job
• Day supports, PA supports, or Individual control
of HCBS funds can pay for job development and
supportive employment (job coaches)
• KU Connection
• Building his work experience and skills
• How and when do we tie in vocational
rehabilitation?
• Getting community employers to hire AJ
• How might we help AJ develop his own
business?
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Home – AJ’s Dream
• “I’ll live in my own apartment with a pool
and pets”
• “No lawn to mow. I want a housekeeper”
• “Wife and 2 children (or pretty girls) for
roommates”
• “The old house in Leavenworth – buy it
for $100”
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Home – The Reality
• Sharing a duplex with 2 men
• Only Henry the tortoise, cat with Mom, dog
still a dream
• No lawn to mow
• Nice room with lots of space – all his furniture
and videos
• The next steps – pets, roommates closer to
his age, less in-home supports, increased
skills (self and home care)
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Home - Marshalling Resources
• SSI pays for his share of rent and utilities.
• Applying for food stamps.
• On waiting list for low-income housing
(Section 8) voucher. Will he have to move
to use it?
• Might he want to own his own home?
Programs available to help him buy a
home in the future.
• Roommate, assistants, school staff
teaching skills to live more independently.
• Monitoring equipment?
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Well-Being_ AJ’s Dream
• “I don’t want to be old, sick and tired”
• “I am handsome”
• AJ has no concrete vision in this area
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Well-Being - The Reality
• AJ’s team needs to translate this for him
• How to balance his desires with health diet and exercise
• Lawrence Athletic Club, monthly
massage therapy, swimming, limit
sweets and fat (low fat, sugar free,
veggie pizzas)
• Increase his awareness and skills
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Well-Being - Marshalling
Resources
• Well-Being
– Mom pays for LAC membership and massage.
Medicaid might be able to if they were determined
to be medically necessary.
– Mom’s health insurance pays for health care.
– Hard to find doctors who accept Medicaid in
Lawrence.
– Friends and others do more active activities (bike
riding, canoeing, hiking, yoga).
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Friends – AJ’s Dream
• “Margaret will marry me. We’ll have a
boy and girl. A cat and a dog.”
• The world is made up of 2 kinds of
people --girls and everyone else. Only
girls are worth noticing.
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Friends – The Reality
• Margaret is AJ’s friend, but not a “girlfriend”.
• A few other friends, but the “girlfriend” trumps
all others.
• AJ can easily become obsessed with a girl
• How can he learn to value guy friends and
groups of friends?
• Learning how to be a friend to others.
• How to encourage friendships – not just paid
supports or “volunteer projects”.
• Currently a weak area, but the most important
in terms of AJ’s future
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Friends - Marshalling Resources
• Teacher helps facilitate friendships at
school
• KU Connection
• Natural Ties and Best Buddies
• AJ has many strengths, but behavior a
major challenge
• Short of resources in this area.
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Fun – AJ’s Dream
•
•
•
•
•
•
“Playing video games”
“Eating out”
“Watching cartoons”
“Hanging out on Mass. Street”
“Buying some games”
“Get my drivers license so I can go anywhere”
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Fun – The Reality
• What’s wrong with letting him sit home and
play video games?
• Everything he likes to do costs money
• Transportation – public and support providers.
• AJ has interests, but seems limited
• Activities help keep AJ’s behavior under
control, but if denied a preferred activity, then
aggression may occur
• Preferred people (girls) can be motivating
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Fun - Marshalling Resources
• AJ is learning that he has to make choices
with his money. SSI funds do not go very far.
• Creative ideas of support people – encourage
him to try new things.
• Looking for a replacement for high school
dances.
• KU Connection next year – open up new
opportunities.
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Family – AJ’s Dream
• “Mom, you come and take me out”
• “Mom, I hate you”
• “Dad come to Lawrence, visit me here”
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Family – The Reality
• Mom linked to AJ’s obsessions and
aggressive behavior
• Establishing new ways of being together
- contact, but not too close
• AJ visits Dad in TX at holidays. Enjoys,
but says he doesn’t want to go.
• Planning for future – planned family, not
just blood family.
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Family - Marshalling Resources
• Mom’s role changing from managing daily life
to helping AJ set vision for future
• Keeping connected with family (other than
Mom) takes effort
• What role will his brother take in his future?
• How do we integrate modest family financial
resources without compromising AJ’s
benefits?
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