Transcript PARTNERS IN COMMUNITY INCLUSION Family FORUM July 21, …

PARTNERS IN
COMMUNITY INCLUSION
Family FORUM
July 21, 2007
Greetings and Welcome
Alison Liao
What’s This Thing Called PICI?
Veronica Valenzuela, Supervisor/Individualized & Inclusive Unit
Vision & Self-determination – The perfect combo plate
Mary Hosokawa, Education/Inclusion Specialist, I & T Unit
A Mother’s Vision
By
Valerie Lee
Vision for My Son, Garrett
My vision for my son, Garrett, is to zoom and magnify his needs one at a time, and
acquire the necessary supports that will provide accessibility for him to live
independently. By this, I mean, increase his level of independence, respect his choices,
and help him assume more responsibility and control of his life. I want my son to
expand his horizon one step at a time until he feels comfortable and be self sufficient on
his own without his Mom and Dad. Where there is no vision, my son will have no
hope.
Some of our Goals
Simple things I envision for Garrett: making and keeping a friend and enjoying social
activities with his friend; being able to cook for himself; keeping a full-time job that he
enjoys in a natural setting; learning to handle money and independently making his own
purchases.
What We’re Doing Today To Help Garrett Reach These Goals
I have been teaching him everyday, setting examples, and creating scenarios to help him
envision solutions. Often, I have to think outside of the box to support him. I try to
create many techniques and I work with him to think of alternative methods and
applications when things don’t turn out as planned.
The Flower of My Vision
My son, Garrett is like a flower. A flower is not always perfect, so is my son.
A flower needs nurturing and constant loving care, so does my son. When a flower wilts
it needs attention and support, so does my son. The flower needs sun to grow, so does my
son. My vision for this flower is to be happy, enjoy the surrounding, enjoy the sunshine
as it makes it grow, enjoy the support and nurturing as it gets from the caretaker, enjoy
the independence as it deserves and give it time to blossoms the way God gave this flower
to grow. You will find the beauty in this flower.
This is my vision for my son.
A Young Man’s Vision
By
Garrett Lee
My Vision for Myself
Garrett Lee
My vision is to have a good job that I enjoy, a happy family life, and good friendships.
Career Goals
My vision in my career is to still work for Disneyland Resort, part-time or maximum hours of 30
hours per week, until I retire from there. I will keep using ACCESS Para transit as my
transportation. I would like to take ROP classes for Bookkeeping and get a job from there. I would
want to work close to home (around 5 miles; dreaming) or around the area that I live in. I want to
work for a good company that I can help grow financially and add new jobs to the company in time.
And of course I want friends as I go along.
Personal Goals
My vision in my personal life is to have a wife and 2 kids along the way; a boy and a girl. I would
love to have a great friend. I want to live independently and have a car.
I want to get closer with my brother and sister and be able to count on their support. I would also
like to get better acquainted with my extended family, like my cousins. I hope to get their help and
expertise to help me have a better life.
What I’m Doing To Help Me Reach My Vision
I now enjoy working at Disneyland. I am looking at the many
opportunities that could open for me there. I’m interested in
Hotel management, the Parade Department and maybe the
Character Department.
I like to do my own thing like going to the movies, eating out,
entertainment, and just get out of the house a little bit and see
the public. Some things are very difficult for me, but I am
working at finding solutions to these challenges with the help of
my parents.
My vision, is that Brissa will live a self-determined and HAPPY life. This means
making choices about her own life, while pursuing her own interests. Utilizing her unique gifts, she
will make meaningful contributions to her chosen community while being embraced by a solid network
of mutual friendship and support.
What We’re Doing to Reach This Vision
Take a shower, dress up, walk to class, cook simple things, DO CHORES!!
Developing a partnership with school by volunteering my time, joining the PTO,
SSC, DAC, CAC. Most importantly becoming a parent mentor helping out other parents in our
district.
Teaching my daughters the importance of giving back. We have helped our
community by raising autism awareness, helping to collect food and toys for less fortunate families.
 Being part of the community attending church, going to a restaurant, go shopping, grocery
shopping, join our local girl scout troop, in general BE out in our community and AVOID isolating
ourselves.
Our Journey
We view Brissa’s life as a sailboat on a lifelong voyage. A voyage which we used to see
as one with only a rough idea of the destination. A voyage with many unexpected
detours and surprises as we have experienced so far. There are people that come into
and leave our sailboat. Some for a relatively short time and others longer, all working in
hopes of enhancing Brissa’s ability to sail “solo” someday. We now have a very clear
view or VISION of the destination. Our hope is to sail along with her until she can
navigate on her own. Everything that the individuals do during their ride-along
empowers Brissa to continue once they step ashore. This will be the greatest assurance
of achieving her dreams.
I keep this vision in the foreground as each day goes by and I share it with the different
individuals as each of them work their particular magic with Brissa. I remain focused
on the VISION and constantly ask the question: How will my work for my child
strengthen her to navigate successfully on her journey toward her own dreams?
Hello my name is Brissa de la Rosa. I am 10 years old. I
have 2 sisters. Kristine is my oldest sister and Gabby is my
gangster sister. My mom and Dad ride motorcycles and they
love me. I just finished fifth grade and I am going to Middle
School in September. I love animals, especially dolphins. The
Aquarium of the Pacific is one of my favorite places to visit.
Pink is my favorite color. I really like Pokemon. Manaphy is
the best one.
I want to be a dolphin trainer when I grow up.
I want to have a boyfriend but I am still too young.
 I hope to marry someday and have 2 children, a boy and a girl.
I do not like school too much.
 I like junk food but I know better now and I eat healthy food like green
apples, grapes, carrots. cereal and other stuff, plus I am drinking more
water instead of soda.
 I am a girly girl.
I love for everyone to be happy and by the way,
I have Autism.
Thank you.
THE END
A Parents’ Vision
Alison will love and serve God. She will enjoy learning and doing things for
herself and others. She will have a job to support and advocate for herself.
She will prepare to live safely and independently with her typical peers or with
minimal support.
How We Helped Alison Prepare for This Vision:
One thing we did – join PICI
Another thing we did – volunteer at Sunrise Assisted Living
We encouraged Alison to participate in the Eastern Los Angeles
Regional Center Community Advisory Committee
The Benefits of Participating in the CAC:
≈Learn about the regional center system and programs
≈Learn priority and time management
≈Observe and learn how to be in charge a of meeting or
activities
≈Develop relationships with a diverse group of people
≈Hear about challenges faced by regional center consumers and
help find solutions
≈Gather ideas and solutions and learn how to present it to the
ELARC Board for awareness and change.
Big Plans –
A teenager’s vision for her future
Alison Liao
Alison’s Vision:
I want to be a famous author and publisher. I want to go to college and find
a job like my friends. I want to be pretty and healthy. I would love to be
a secretary.
What am I doing to get me closer to my vision?
1. I enjoy reading and writing
2. I take two periods of general education English classes
3. I attend The Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center Community
Advisory Committee meetings to learn more about the system that
helps me
4. I volunteer at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center
5. I participate in the Healthy Living Wellness and do my best to practice
what I learn.
Healthy Living Wellness
These are my health goals:
 Look pretty forever
 Drink more water
 Stay healthy
What do I do different after I attended the Healthy Living?
 Do more Jane Fonda workout and exercise while watching DVDs or
listening to music
 Learn self body message and stretch
 Drink more water instead of soda
 Eat smaller portions
 Try new low calories food and snack
 Read labels about the Nutrition Facts
 Write healthy reports to Señor Marsh
 Call Jesse Padilla, the Consumers Rights Advocate, Señor Marsh, the
project consultant and Miguel Lugo, project assistant.
“From Sunday School to
The Community”
By
Theresa Chen
Theresa Chen Vision
My vision is that Sean will love God and people. Our vision is based on our
God-centered values that have been passed down to us for many generations.
In our vision, Sean will have a real job with his best interest. He will live
independently, happily and be healthy and live a Christian life in the
community of his choice.
How We Are Preparing Him For This Vision
We help Sean read the Bible. He enjoys Bible verses and stories. We teach
Sean songs of praise from the Kid’s Hymnal. We teach him to read loud and
clearly. Sean participates in the young people’s prayer meeting and youth
Bible study group every Friday night. Sean enjoys taking pictures during
church outings. We help Sean save and organize the pictures on a CD and
share them with people. People are very happy to receive Sean’s pictures.
What We Have Learned
Sean likes to participate in the church activities. He likes to help
if he can. He loves reading the Bible and participating in Bible
study.
He enjoys the games in the youth group. He likes to sing praise.
By being included in church activities Sean is learning and
practicing new skills Most importantly, through these activities,
God will talk to Sean Himself, because God's word is The Power,
The Bread and The Life.
“Using a Child’s Gift to
Form A Vision”
By
Mei Ye
Laker will be a happy, independent artist. He will enjoy
his art as a career and as his life. With his unique gift he
will touch other people, contribute to his community and
the society. He will have his own home and his art studio,
where he will be comfortable and happy and be free to
create art. We will encourage and support him and help
him choose resources that will help him maintain his
independence and his love for art.
What we are doing now to make this vision possible:
Encouraging him to enjoy his art
Letting him choose colors and materials for his artwork
Giving him space to display his artwork
Showing him how to clean up after himself
We are making plans to showcase his artwork
Laker has shown us that:
Art is increasing his word recognition skills
Art is opening his awareness of the community around him
Art is a shared family experience
"The ultimate aim of the art of karate lies not in the victory nor defeat, but in
the perfection of the character of its participants"
-Gichin Funakoshi
My Goal
I had a goal that I really wanted to achieve for many years. I
wanted to receive my black belt in Shotokan Karate. This was my
dream for many years.
My mother signed me up for Karate with the City of Monterey
Park when I was a kid. She wanted me to do something fun, learn
how to defend myself, and make some friends. I wasn’t sure I was
going to like it very much because my sensei, that’s what we call
the instructor, was very strict. He wouldn’t let us goof around or
even look around. If we did, he made us do push-ups. He also has
a strong voice that can really intimidate you. But I kept going and
over time I learned how to focus my attention and master the
different moves. I earned my yellow belt, and all the levels of
green and brown belts. But getting a black belt was really tough.
What I Did To Prepare For My Black Belt
I kept practicing and going to the classes. I tried out for it two
times. It was very hard and I was very disappointed that I didn’t
make it. On my third try, I prepared a lot better and I kept all my
focus on my goal. My parents encouraged me to do my best.
I was so happy when I got the news that I passed the black belt
exam!
This Goal Has Helped Me:
To never give up on an important goal. I learned to stay focused
on my goal and to work really hard.
I use the skills I have learned from Karate to teach kids and to
help friends. It has helped me find a part time job and to decide
on my education major.
Hello, my name is Bryce Hosokawa. I like to do many
different kinds of things. One thing I’m very good at
is swimming. I compete in swim meets for Special
Olympics. I usually get first place, but sometimes I
come in second. That’s okay.
My team relies on me in the relay competition. They
know I swim very fast to beat the other team.
Doing something you like and you’re really good at
feels GREAT!
OUR VISION FOR OUR 5 1/2 YEAR OLD SON CALEB, BASED ON OUR
CHRISTIAN VALUES AND OUR BELIEF IN GOD, IS FOR HIM TO LOVE AND
BE A SERVANT FOR GOD. WE ENVISION CALEB LIVING AN
INDEPENDENT AND HONORABLE LIFE SUPPORTED BY PEOPLE WHO
CARE ABOUT HIM AND RESPECT HIS CHOICES. CALEB WILL LEARN
ALONG SIDE TYPICAL PEERS AND PROSPER FROM A RICH
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. CALEB WILL BE INCLUDED IN HIS
COMMUNITY OF CHOICE, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. HE WILL ENJOY THE
PERKS OF LIVING IN HIS COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO BE A CONTRIBUTING
MEMBER, VOLUNTEERING HIS SERVICE IN HIS CHURCH AND
COMMUNITY. CALEB WILL HAVE A JOB THAT IS SATISFYING AND
FULFILLING AND WHERE HIS COWORKERS APPRECIATE HIS
CONTRIBUTIONS AND RESPECT HIM. CALEB WILL ENJOY FRIENDHSHIPS,
PARTICIPATE IN SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND HAVE A FULL AND GODCENTERED LIFE.
What Steps Are We Taking Today to Realize Our Vision:
WE ARE PARTNERING WITH OUR SCHOOL TEAM TO HELP CALEB ENJOY AND SUCCEED
IN HIS FIRST FULLY INCLUDED GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSROOM. AS A TEACHER, I AM
ENJOYING TEACHING MY SON WHAT A TYPICAL KINDERGARTEN STUDENT WOULD BE
LEARNING. WE REVIEW THE NAMES AND SOUNDS OF THE ALPHABET, NUMBER
RECOGNITION, AND CORE VOCABULARY WORDS.
TO HELP CALEB APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF WORK AND TO UNDERSTAND
RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, WE MAKE SURE THAT CALEB HAS CHORES
TO DO LIKE HIS SIBLINGS. HE KNOWS HE IS EXPECTED TO COMPLETE HIS CHORES AND
HE CAN EXPECT HIGH PRAISE AND APPRECIATION FROM HIS GOOD WORK. CALEB
PARTICIPATES IN ALL FAMILY ACTIVITIES. HE ATTENDS CHURCH WITH US AND
PARICIPATES IN SCHOOL, SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY EVENTS.
OUR INSPIRATION
CALEB CONTINUES TO INSPIRE US AND SHOW US THAT HE IS LIVING PROOF OF GOD’S
LOVE. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT ALL WHO MEET HIM WILL EMBRACE HIM AND
APPRECIATE HIS UNIQUE GIFTS AND SPECIAL QUALITIES.
”You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”
~Dr Seuss