Empowering ReachOut August 2023

Proud Disabiltian Disability Pride Month

By Shari Cooper

Onedefinitionofthewordprideisconsciousnessofone’sowndignity. Giventhedefinition,I’mhappytosay,I’maproudAfricanAmerican, Ohioan,andaDisabilitian.IknowDisabilitianisn’taword,butitisnow inmybook.

AsIcelebrateDisabilityPrideMonth,Ithinkaboutwhatmydisabilityhas taughtme.Ican’thelpbutbefilledwithpride.Ifitwasn’tforthisgiftI recieved,IwouldnotbewhoIamandbeabletoshowothersallthethings Icando,despitemydisability.Itrulywouldn’tbethewomanIam.

The Olmstead Decision Twenty-Four Years Later

Twenty-fouryearsago,LoisCurtisandElaineWilsonhelpedchangetheworld forpeoplewithdisabilities. LoisandElaine,twowomenwithpsychiatricand intellectualdisabilities,challengedtheirunjustifiedsegregationinaGeorgia psychiatrichospitalinalawsuitthatreachedtheUnitedStatesSupremeCourt. Inthe1999landmarkdisabilityrightsdecision,Olmsteadv.L.C.,theCourtruled thatunjustifiedsegregationofpeoplewithdisabilitiesviolatestheAmericanswith DisabilitiesActandthatpeoplewithdisabilitieshavearighttoreceiveservicesin themostintegratedsettingappropriatetotheirneeds.

Leveraging Person-Centered Principles

Increasingly,thenumberofbothindividualswithIntellectualandDevelopmental Disabilities(I/DD)andtheiragingcaregiversarerequestingstateandfederally fundedservices,primarilyMedicaidstateplanandhomeandcommunity-based services(HCBS)waiverprograms.Asaresult,statesarerecognizingtheneed toconsidertheHCBSneedsofboththeadultswiththeI/DDandtheircaregivers. Leveragingperson-centeredprinciplesleadstoinnovativesolutionsthatalign people’schoices,familycontext,andcommunityresourcesinwaysthatresult inachievinggoalsfaster

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DiversityEquityandInclusion

CultureandPerson-CenteredPracticesToolKit

Thismonth’sDiversityEquityInclusionCultureandPerson-CenteredPractices ToolKitcontainsexamplesofNCAPPSShortsvideos.Thesevideosfocus ontheroleofcultureinperson-centeredpracticesfromtheperspectivesof peoplewithawiderangeofexperiencesandculturalidentities.Thevideos provideinsightintohowidentitiesandcultureshapeindividuals’expectations andviewsofstatesystemsofsupport.

TheImportanceofIntersectingCulturalIdentitiesin Person-CenteredPractices

“I think there is almost a clash between my cultural norms and this notion of person-centered practices.”

ReshapingPerson-CenteredPlanningtoWhatItShouldBe

“The advice I would give is to remember that people with disabilities are human, and we have dreams and goals too.”

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It’sNotTooLatetoSHARE!

TheOhioDevelopmentalDisabilitiesCouncilprovidesfinancialsupporttothe EmpoweringReachOutE-DiversityNewsletterproject.Pleaseprovideoutcomes feedbacktohelpshapefutureprogrammingandtoassistusinmeetingfederal reportingrequirements CLICKHERE

TheSurveydeadlineisAugust15,2023.

The data is being analyzed and managed by the Nisonger Center, The Ohio State University

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