Support Campuses

BY TIFFANY GAITER: CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY M.A. IN HISTORY/HISTORICAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANFLINT B.A. SECONDARY EDUCATION SOCIAL STUDIES/ COMMUNICATION EDS CANDIDATE/DOCTORAL CANDIDATE -UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-FLINT

Issue:

Day programs to serve the dual population of adults with severe intellectual disabilities over the age of 26 AND who are well below the poverty level (based on their independent income of SSI), are unequally assessable or nonexistent, throughout the state of Michigan.

The suggested program would equally serve ALL Michigan adults over the age of 26 with severe intellectual disabilities who are ineligible for and cannot benefit from higher education such as college, or trade school (vocational school) or self-sustained employment AND due to their personal income Supplemental Security Income of $10,968 -puts 100% of these individuals below the state poverty level; with many living in under-represented or underserved communities in the state of Michigan.

What we are asking for:

For centuries employment has been the “measure” for success, but no matter how much we hope and wish, for a population of special needs adults with severe intellectual disabilities this goal is unobtainable and should not be used as a ruler to measure their needs or success. Instead, we are asking the state of Michigan to provide continual learning through “support day campuses” across the state of Michigan. Support campuses will be comprised of programs and services to address the unique needs of adults over the age of 26 with low incidence handicaps to provide the most functional environment for adults with unique disabilities in a welcoming least inclusive and restrictive learning atmosphere. This diverse population who ages out of Michigan’s educational system at 26 would encompass the existing qualifications for enrollment of the ISD’s of Michigan: Adults with moderate-to-severe performance challenges which are expressed either individually or in combination by cognitive, physical, or health impairments including autism. Individuals who have been deemed through medical assessments that their intellectual disability is too severe to benefit from or remain ineligible for the following:

higher education such as college, or trade school (vocational school) or self-sustained employment. This will also include, but not be limited to; the special needs population who have attended any of Michigan’s ISD’s learning/special education centers for a majority of their academic career. The Support campuses will be located within the district of their respective ISD in Michigan, funded by the State of Michigan to assure equal assessable learning and support to the above qualified citizens regardless of geographic location and demographics such as income, race and ethnicity. Support campuses are comprehensive; providing enriching programs that allow the above population to experience socialization, learning and continued life skill development. Care will be experienced in clinical health care settings, but within an academic atmosphere to accomplish a continued MDHHS mission: to provide services and administers programs to improve the health, safety, and prosperity of the residents of the state of Michigan. Support campuses will also be placed in communities throughout the State of Michigan to provide EVERY applicable resident in Michigan free and equal access to the programs- regardless of demographics such as race or economic status, complying with MDHHD mission vision statement: Deliver health and opportunity to all Michiganders, reducing intergenerational poverty and promoting health equity. This mission will be met by providing professional support staff which includes nurses, applied behavior analysis therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, life skill instructors, social workers, and on-site agencies like community mental health. Also, for better nutritional health, all campuses would include nutrition services along with a complete food service program that offers a full range of dietary options.

What are support Campuses?

They are NOT “restrictive environments”, instead it is a place to provide the most functional environment for adults with unique disabilities, providing programs that focus on individual growth to help adults become more independent, making their environment less restrictive.

They are NOT job readiness centers, and the idea that “employment” is the bar by which we should measure anyone’s success is harmful, especially in a group where this may not be an option. Instead, it is an environment where adults with special needs can continue to learn life skills and receive therapies that are conducive to their living situations within their own personal timeline, which will better their quality of life.

They are NOT places to “institutionalize” adults with special needs Instead, it is a supplemental learning facility where parents and adults with special needs can come and go when they please.

They are NOT closed campuses. Instead, the campus will support daily community outings in a campus /community based setting.

They are NOT a place to train special needs adults to “act normal” or a place of assimilation. Instead, it’s a place to recognize, accept, and celebrate their unique diverse disabilities instead of masking them, to “fit in”.

Special Amenities: Community Mental Health.

Each Support campus would house on-site CMH (Community Mental Health) workers and services. Parents, caregivers, guardians and CMH workers have complained of lack of ability to coordinate services. This would allow:

• Case managers to give onsite care and supervision (alleviating the stress of traveling for both the worker and the client) and they would have direct communication with service providers and personally witness the therapy given.

• CMH-funded programs and therapies (OT, PT, and speech) would be on campus. Therapists can come to the campus to administer services or have their service centers on sight. which again means no more traveling to numerous services for adults with disabilities, especially in winter.

• Provided community support and parenting classes.

Hands-on Teaching and learning for the local colleges and Universities.

• Just like public schools, therapy centers, and hospitals partner with local Universities and colleges for student teaching and medical interns, Support Campuses can partner with universities utilizing their student population for hands-on learning for a wide range of therapies and other programs.

Local business affiliation.

• Local businesses like banks, grocery stores, restaurants, and general stores will be encouraged to have a mini version of their business on campus. This will help adults with special needs practice using life skills in real situations.

Applied Behavioral Analysis services for adults with autism,

• Blue Cross Blue Shield and Blue Care Network of Michigan ruled on Jan. 1, 2022, to extend ABA benefits for members with an ASD diagnosis regardless of age. These services would be on campus allowing ABA therapists to work with adult clients in real-life settings.

Recreation supports on campuses recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that:

• Children and adults with mobility limitations and intellectual or learning disabilities are at greatest risk for obesity.

• Annual healthcare costs of obesity that are related to disability are estimated at approximately $44 billion. This is even more prevalent in underserved communities due to: A lack of resources (for example, money, transportation, and social support from family, friends, neighbors, and community members).

Kara Fitzgerald

The support campuses would include recreation services and programs including Special Olympics, swimming, track, tennis, Hippotherapy (horse therapy), Bowling, Gardening, meditation, dancing, basketball, baseball, soccer, learning to ride a bike, and more.

Emergency services:

Many first responders’ organizations seek training when it comes to the adult population with special needs as many adults with special needs need to learn the skills of what to do in an emergency and how to interact with first responders. Blinking lights and loud sounds can be intimidating to adults with special needs. By allowing first responders to utilize support campuses for local training, campus members will get to know their local first responders (and vice versa) allowing both to build a strong relationship with their community.

Educational Classes:

Support campuses would include life skill classes like:

• Laundry

• Shopping

• Music /singing/ instrument

• Cleaning around the home

• Cooking

• Car safety (being a good passenger)

• Emergency safety (knowing personal information, calling 911, fire safety, showing my i.d)

• Money management (having a wallet, how to buy things, money safety)

• Personal safety (What if I get lost)

• Using a phone

• Caring for a pet and animal safety

• Self-care (grooming, zipping, tying shoes, combing hair, applying deodorant)

Support campuses have the potential to help grow Michigan’s population and benefit the state’s economy.

Members of the Growing Michigan Together Council met in Monroe Michigan to generate ideas on how to bring more people to Michigan. For every person with a disability, there is a whole family (3.09 people/family is the average family size). Economically, once Michigan’s special needs adults age out of the special education system, parents and guardians are placed in situations where they must compile costly programs to create a makeshift school day for their son or daughter leading to frustration and/or financial strain. The constant need of supervision for their adult child with severe disabilities often leads to one or more parent/guardian abandoning the workforce to attend to their adult child. Moreover, in the case of a single parent home, employment is no longer an option, potentially leaving the entire family on governmental assistance and possibly abandoning any pension or work retirement programs because of having to quit their job before retirement age. By creating Support campuses, parents and caregivers will have the opportunity to rejoin the work force, knowing that their adult child is learning in a caring, regulated, and trusted environment.

Support campuses have the potential to provide emotional support for both Michigan adults with special needs and their parents/caregivers.

Adult children with special needs who have aged out of the system express loneliness and depression, much like the general education students experience amid school closings during COVID-19, the only caveat being- that for the adults with special needs, their situation is permanent. Peer groups, administrators, and teachers that students have been with for decades are stripped away, without the student’s understanding or consent. Those who age out of the ISD program in MI also lose their sense of purpose as they lose their ability to attend an educational and socially rich environment. Due to the lack of programs suited for their special needs adult child, parents/guardians become isolated as they shift from being parents to being overworked and unsupported caregivers. Many experience “caregiver fatigue” and depression from having to become a full-time caregiver which may also mean giving up their years of retirement. Moreover, as they become older, caring for their adult child with special needs puts a strain on their physical well-being. Undertakings such as lifting, feeding, and common daily activities such as taking their child on social outings may become more strenuous and sometimes impossible as guardians grow older. Having support campuses would not only alleviate this issue, but it will also provide both the adult child and the parent or caregiver community support and understanding.

Support campuses have the potential to prevent abuse among Michigan’s adult special needs population.

Once an adult with special needs ages out of the educational system, the oversight of trained mandated reporters like; therapists, professional staff, teachers, and administrators are gone, leaving many “red flags” of abuse missed, ignored, or unreported. Much like our general education population (if not more) severely disabled adults receive more than just an education from their school. Support campuses will not only serve as a function of continued skills building but also provide a check and balance system to ensure that one of our most vulnerable populations is provided with advocates to spot and report abuse.

Crime Against Persons with Disabilities, 2009–2019 –Statistical Tables

• Persons with cognitive disabilities had the highest rate of violent victimization (83.3 per 1,000) among the disability types measured.

• 19% of rapes or sexual assaults against persons with disabilities were reported to police, compared to 36% of those against persons without disabilities.

• The rate of violent victimization against persons with disabilities (46.2 per 1,000 age 12 or older) was almost four times the rate for persons without disabilities (12.3 per 1,000).

• From 2017 to 2019-Persons with disabilities were victims of 26% of all nonfatal violent crimes, while accounting for about 12% of the population.

• One in three robbery victims (33%) had at least one disability.

• The age-adjusted rate of violent crime against persons with disabilities was 60 per 1,000. That’s nearly triple the rate of 22 per 1,000 for persons without disabilities.

Support Campuses Bill

Senator Kristen McDonald- Rivet (MS of Education) from Michigan’s 35th district is currently drafting a bill at the request of Tiffany S. Gaiter who is representing over 1,100 families though out Michigan with special needs loved ones who have either aged out of the educational system or are set to age out to receive continual educational though support campuses. This bill could be pivotal toward creating safe and uplifting spaces for our adults with special needs as they age out of other state-sponsored programs. The potential for accessibility across every community with an ISD would result in adults with special needs continuing to gain skills while maintaining purpose and routine in their lives. Through the support of the law, these campuses would also include safety protocols and regulations including background checks and mandated reporters thereby keeping adults safe. For the bill to become law, we need community and Senator and representative support. Please contact your Senators and representatives and ask them to support this bill. Only together, can we make a difference in the lives of adults with special needs. You can join this Facebook group to get updates and learn more about supporting this cause: https://www.facebook. com/groups/2513126728835754

Sources

1. https://www.sisd.cc/o/saginaw-isd/page/millet-learning-center.

2. Jennifer Sharp, Mom and special needs advocate.

3. MDHHS (Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources) Strategic Priorities Mihttps://www.michigan.gov//media/Project/Websites/mdhhs/ Folder50/Folder16/MDHHS_Strategic_Priorities_FY_2023-2027_-_Accessible. pdf?rev=e3ff9d48eadf4c4c947571d664a87288.

4. MDHHS (Michigan Department of Health and Human Resources) https://www.michigan. gov/-/media/Project/Websites/mdhhs/Folder50/Folder16/MDHHS_Strategic_Priorities_ FY_2023-2027_-_Accessible.pdf?rev=e3ff9d48eadf4c4c947571d664a87288.

5. Michell: Mom, special needs parent and advocate

6. Jennifer Sharp, Mom and special needs advocate.

7. Blue Cross Blue Shield and Blue Care Network: https://ereferrals.bcbsm.com/bcbsm/bcbsmautism.shtml

8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/ obesity.html#:~:text=People%20with%20disabilities%20can%20find,or%20its%20taste%20 or%20texture.

9. “Concle Hears Ideas to Boot Population” by Arpan Lobl. Detroit News, October 10, 2023. (provided by Laura Russeau)

10. Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/capd0919st.pdf