Outside the Box is Inside the Fishers Community

BY DAROLYN “LYN” JONES

When my son, Will, was eight, I was seeking day camps that would provide supports for children with disabilities. I learned about Camp Create U at Outside the Box (OTB) in Indianapolis from another parent, which is how I hear about so many resources. This was my son’s first day camp so his home healthcare nurse would accompany him.

I didn’t have any expectations except that I hoped he would be safe and not have too many meltdowns. But what happened instead was beyond my expectations. Will was not just engaged, he was excited, joyful, loved, and included. And for the first time since Will had been born, I saw what his future might look like, what could be possible. Until then the only vision I could imagine for him was a nursing home or a sheltered workshop where he would make pennies on the hour.

It’s not that I didn’t dream of more or want more, but at that time, these were the options available. I’m a planner, so even though Will was still very young, I was always looking forward. I visited nursing homes that take individuals with disabilities and those adult day centers and sheltered workshops and remember feeling so emotionally worn. I remember telling my husband that I’d rather he just stay home because after school was over, there was nothing meaningful out there for him.

But that changed with Camp Create U. It’s just a weeklong day camp for children with disabilities and a small part of what Outside the Box does. But what Camp Create U did for my family and other families was introduce us to an adult day program for individuals with disabilities that was unlike any other in the greater Indianapolis area.

I recently met with co-founder and board member, Kelly Hartman, and Executive Director, Michelle Miller, to better understand how OTB operates and why their new location in Fishers is significant.

OTB’s origins begin with Kelly Hartman and her staff at what was then Insights Consulting, a residential and behavioral supports company that provides Medicaid waiver services. At weekly meetings, her staff’s constant lament was—We have to do something different and better for our clients. Their clients weren’t receiving the services and supports they needed to live happily. The larger group settings and sheltered workshops were not meeting their client’s needs. Wanting to make better decisions for their clients and finding no available options, they created one.

In 2008, they opened up a single conference room at the office to four young women, all friends, who had just graduated from special education services at Carmel High School. Their parents wanted them to stay together, so that peer group became OTB’s first class. They called themselves The Celebrities. With part-time staff, the group was able to continue learning, creating, and going on outings in the community—just like they had been able to do in school.

OTB has had a waitlist ever since. Why? Because “radio disability parents” meant the word about OTB spread like wildfire. What OTB was doing was so different from what anyone else was doing to serve and support adults with disabilities.

In 2010, OTB introduced a curriculum that was loosely based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Every human being is in pursuit of happiness, but the disability industry is focused on safety and health. Hartman knew there is more to life than that. Like everyone else, folks with disabilities want to be happy and feel loved. They want to give back and be valuable.

OTB matches participants based on interests, creating peer groups of four, along with a staff member who acts as a facilitator. Peers engage in art, recreation, cooking, gardening, outings, reading, and much more. Each peer-group gets to decide how they want to address a particular area of the curriculum and what activities they want to do. The goal is meaningful individualized activities that promote relationships, autonomy, and independence.

My early career was in education and when we talked about special education in the early 90’s, we used the term “mainstreaming.” The goal was inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education environment The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 requires that disabled students must be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE), which usually means educating them alongside their non-disabled peers as much as possible.

Yet, as a former special educator and as someone who has a child in special education, I can assure you that inclusion doesn’t always mean included. Inclusion means my son is physically a part of general educational settings, but he is not necessarily welcomed or accommodated, and his academic and social successes are not the same as those of his neurotypical peers. There is a lot of undefined space between being excluded and included.

OTB’s goal is not mainstreaming and it is not inclusion. It is belonging.

According to Hartman, it is a culture that seeks to push the envelope well past the traditional disability thinking framework. Toni Hughes, Coordinator of Business at OTB, sums it up well: “Everyone entering our building is accepted for who they are and has unlimited possibilities.”

OTB outgrew several locations before landing at its current main campus at 56th St. and Binford Blvd. in Indianapolis.

They are now expanding to a second location in Fishers, IN. The OTB team has been working for five years on this expansion. The program will find its future home in the planned Fishers Community & Recreation Center in partnership with the City of Fishers Parks Department.

“We are thrilled to finally be bringing Outside the Box programming to the Fishers community,” said Val Brennan, President of the Board of Directors. “We are grateful for the support of the city of Fishers leadership and look forward to continued collaboration to serve the needs of the community. OTB has been active in the Fishers Advisory Committee on Disability and is helping people get jobs through our employment supports program in Fishers. In partnership with the South Pointe Village Apartment development, also the first of its kind in Fishers, we are supporting people with disabilities seeking more inclusive and independent living.”

“Expanding into Fishers with a day program is the logical next step in supporting this remarkable community,” added Michelle Miller, OTB Executive Director.

According to Hartman and Miller, Fishers was a natural choice because it is an inclusive city. Fishers has long been recognized for its leadership in disability awareness, city design, and employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

When I found Camp Create U for my son Will 12 years ago, I also found a fellow activist and friend in Kelly Hartman. We both serve on the Fishers Disability Committee, we have collaborated on other projects together, and we both teach at Ball State University. But for me Kelly is more than all of that, she’s a hope creator.

OTB’s Mission:

To empower people with intellectual disabilities toward Personal Growth through Education, Self-Discovery, Leadership Development, and a Customized Career Path.

• We believe that all individuals deserve the opportunity to live a meaningful life.

• We believe in the potential of every human being.

• We believe in the value of community involvement and social support.

• We believe in the importance of continued support for good mental, physical, and spiritual health.

• We believe in promoting and supporting greater independence through creating an environment that enables

and celebrates successes while also allowing opportunity through teachable moments.

For individuals and their families who want to learn more about OTB, visit www.otbonline.org. To ask questions or schedule an intake for program consideration, email Fishers@ otbonline.org. To see OTB in action, anyone is welcome to schedule a tour of their program by calling (317) 253-6658. OTB accepts the CIH and FSW Indiana Medicaid Waivers. Follow OTB on social media! https/www.facebook.com/ outsidetheboxinc/ https/www.instagram.com/otbonline/ https/www.youtube.com/channel/ UCXek6z4j5gytSjyW8Di2r-g

OTB needs you!

• Learn about volunteer opportunities here: https/otbonline.org/volunteer

• Find out about all the different ways you can donate here: https/ otbonline.org/donate-today

• To participate in the annual golf Chip In fundraiser: https/ otbonline.org/events

• To participate in Megan’s Ride: https/otbonline.org/megans-ride