DISABILITY AWARENESS

1
DISABILITY AWARENESS

• The Need for Continuous Self-Reflection

2
OUR SAC PANEL

• Heather McClure
• Eric Huggins
• Trish Seitz

3
THE SELF-ADVOCACY CONNECTION OF METRO LOUISVILLE

• MISSION SAC is an organization directed by
  Kentuckians with developmental disabilities,
  including intellectual disabilities, committed to
  working in partnership to promote equal rights,
  inclusion, self-advocacy, support, and education
  in all realms of life.

4
DISABILITY AWARENESS

• Keeping your own personal biases and beliefs in
  check
• Constant inventory of yourself and your actions

5
ARENT DSPs ALREADY AWARE?

• Big Brother contestant that is a PR manager for
  an autism group wanted to use prize money to open
  a salon, "so them retards can get it together
  and get their hair done."
• Defended himself by saying he can use that
  language because he works with the population.

6
Possible Growth Areas for DSPs

• Do you ALWAYS use People First Language?
• Do you talk about clients in their presence?
• Do you complete tasks for clients that they may
  be able to learn to do independently?
• If you do not understand a client do you just
  smile and nod to avoid an uncomfortable
  situation?
• How often do you use the term behavior and how
  do you assess these behaviors you see in
  clients?

7
Activities

• Communication
• How successful are you at relaying information
  from your clients to healthcare professionals?
• How difficult is it to communicate sentences
  without words?

8
Activities (contd)

• Mental Abilities
• Shape activity
• Physical Abilities
• Tie your shoe with one hand
• Hold a stack of paper and hand out one at a time
• Open a jar with one hand

9
SAC Panel Discussion

• What do DSPs mean in their life?
• If they could tell DSPs one thing what would it
  be?