community participation supports for direct support

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Community Participation Supports for Direct Support Professionals Webcast 3 - Where Community Participation Supports are Provided

This webcast includes spoken narration.

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The written version of the narration appears to the right of the screen.

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Certificates of Achievement will be available to Administrative Entity staff, Providers, Supports Coordinators, and SC Supervisors after completing all course requirements.

Please view and then save or print your certificate in order to receive credit for this course.

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Welcome to the Community Participation Supports for Direct Support Professionals Curriculum. My name is Frank Schweigert with the Columbus Organization.

This is the third of seven webcasts developed for Direct Support Professionals specific to your role in Community Participation Supports services. The series is designed to provide an overview ‐ an introduction to the what, why, where and how of Community Participation Supports. We will provide direction, tools and strategies to help you to fulfill your role to deliver the best quality Community Participation Support service to the people you support.

Webcast 1 provided an introduction to values, principles and philosophies that contribute to the importance of Community Participation Supports and the important role of the DSP in providing this service.

In Webcast 2 the focus was on describing what Community Participation Supports look like and the role of the DSP in providing these supports. We also reviewed the basic service requirements for providing this service.

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In this webcast, Part 3 ‐Where Community Participation Supports are Provided, at the endof the webcast participants will be able to:

* Describe what is meant by Community and Community Activities.* Describe how Community Participation Supports at licensed facilities can be used to support community employment and inclusion efforts.* Describe the importance of the DSP’s creativity, flexibility and communication in providing Community Participation Supports.* Explain the purpose of size limits for community activities and identify size limits.

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As you will recall from Webcast #2, Community Participation Supports replaces Prevocational Supports and Licensed Day Habilitation services. The intent of this new service is to provide supports that maximize the opportunities and interests in community engagement and develop skills for potential competitive integrated employment.

Built into this service definition is an expectation that by July 2019, at least 25% of the Community Participation Supports services will be provided in the community, outside of the licensed facility. The role of the Direct Support Professional, in partnership with the team and others, is to help the individuals they support to build community connections and relationships and increase the contribution and value of the person within their community of choice. Over time, increased community participation and inclusion may also lead to a decreased need for some formal supports. As we have been saying, it is assisting a person with a disability to have a life like anyone else.

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The service definition for Community Participation Supports identifies three general areas or places where these supports can be provided.

* Community Locations* Community Hubs* Facility Based

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The significant role of the DSP is to use your creativity and energy to help people to be included and contributing members of their community.

In order to make this happen, you will need to:* Know the person, their interests and desires. What is both Important To the person as well as what is Important For the person

* Be willing to share any of your skills and interests that work to promote participation of the person you support in the community they are interested in.

* Facilitate relationships and explore opportunities with the person that can increase inclusion and contribution.

* Be willing to develop and implement strategies that can create, sustain and deepen community relationships

* Be creative in identifying existing and new opportunities, options, and alternatives and

* Be flexible in adapting to unexpected changes in plans and new opportunities

The next section of the training will discuss the three different locations for Community Participation Supports and provide details, tools and examples.

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A Community Location can be almost anywhere. If the person lives in an urban area, there may be quite a number of these places to choose from. If the person’s community is more rural, there may be fewer choices of each, but more rural communities can offer other opportunities that may not be as available in urban areas.

A Community Location could be a restaurant or coffee shop, it could be a volunteer or community center, someone's home where people meet to play cards, or do crafts, or a home or spot in a town or neighborhood where people gather for a daily walk. It can be a barber shop, a firehouse, a non‐profit that preserves farmland, historic sites, or environmental causes. It’s literally whatever people are interested in and any place where people with or without disabilities gather at any time to connect, learn or engage in a shared interest or achieve personally identified goals.

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It will also be helpful to define a Community Location by saying what it is not. A Community Location is not a place owned, leased or operated by a service provider. Events or specific times that are designated for a disability group is not a Community Location. For example a “disability day at a museum” or designated times at a community pool reserved for people with a disability would not be considered an inclusive community location. Additionally, places, activities or events established to support the needs of people with a specific disability, such as a drop‐in center for people with mental health concerns or sporting events held specifically for disability groups would not be an inclusive community location.

While these places may have value for the individual, because they are disability specific; they just don’t fit into the definition of inclusive community activities.

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It can seem a bit overwhelming to try to identify potential community locations. To start it will be helpful to think about the organizations, opportunities and events based on these categories developed by Marc Gould and Associates that are available in most communities.

* Organizations: clubs, civic groups, churches, service groups

* Organized Events:* Regular: ball games, flea markets, concert series* Episodic: concerts, festivals, fairs, town celebrations* Seasonal: Christmas parades, July 4th barbeques, Mardi Gras

* Recreation:*Work‐Related: employee picnics, parties, employee sports leagues*Community: YMCA, parks, museums, game leagues, library*Commercial: cinemas, bowling alleys, amusement parks

* Church or Religious Events: regular services, religious holidays, special dinners, Sunday schools

* Activities:* Personal Interests: hobbies, fishing, boating, knitting* Family and Friends: holidays, reunions, birthdays, cook‐outs* Interpersonal: dating, hanging out, visiting friends

Source: The Community’s Calendar: A strategy for planning meaningful life activities, Michael Callahan, Norciva Shumpert, Melinda Mast, Marc Gold & Associates, 2001

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Let spend a few more moments on organizations. Whether you live in a large or small community, associations and clubs are part of our culture. The groups and associations that exist in each community may be formal groups meeting regularly at a specific time and place and based on a specific interest. This could include:

* antique car clubs, wood carving or crafting groups * community service groups, such as Kiwanis, Rotary, or Garden Clubs * cooking, weight control, nutrition groups* fitness or exercise groups * specific cultural or heritage groups * men’s groups, women’s groups, religious groups

Some groups will be more formal, others may be informal, getting together at various times to play cards, do crafts or knit together, play a game of basketball, or even just have a cup of coffee one or twice a week after work. Whether they are formal or informal, groups and associations typically include opportunities for the members to get to know each other, to contribute to the group or receive something from the group.

Which of these groups might the person you support be interested in? Which of these groups could offer them the opportunity to develop new friendships or to enhance a specific skill? Which of these groups might help the person to have more of an everyday life?

Source: Amado, A.N. (2013). Friends: Connecting people with disabilities and community members. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration, Research and Training Center on Community Living.

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So thinking about what we just described, use the text box on the screen to enter some ofthe potential Community Locations or organizations that you know are available within your community.

When you are finished, click the submit button to continue.

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If you are unfamiliar with what might be available in the community where the person you support lives or are looking for more options, brainstorm with the team, your agency (everyone ‐ including people who have administrative support or maintenance jobs). A few places to consider might be:

* The local chamber of commerce or city offices. Many of them will have a list of groups and clubs in town. * Looking up different community service organizations on the web (Kiwanis, Rotary, Moose, Elk, Sertoma, Jaycees) and find local chapters. * Look for signs in town advertising groups. Local groups may be listed on Adopt‐A‐Highway signs, many hotels may post messages about groups that meet there, or posters for upcoming fundraisers hosted by an organization.

If you are looking for a new idea or more information about a specific group you are unfamiliar with, check with your co‐workers and family members. Chances are that a spouse, relative, or friend belongs to such groups and organizations, or they may be a member themselves.

Most groups and organizations are always looking for new members to join. Please keep in mind that it is good to just have one or two people with disabilities join since you don’t want to overwhelm the group and you really want the individual with disabilities to get to know the other group members.

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There are a lot of things that can make a community location a good choice for the person you support. Most important, it is a place or activity that is in their own local community or neighborhood and is based on the interests and abilities of the person and can help them to achieve a personal goal. And always consider this question ‐who will the person meet there?

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And then based on the interests and abilities of the person, some other considerations would be if the location:

* Provides purpose and responsibility for the individual* Provides opportunities to learn new skills* Is related to personal hobbies, interests or well‐being* Provides opportunities for adult learning, volunteerism or self‐advocacy* Promotes an opportunity to increase skills needed to navigate the community

A good choice for a Community Location is one that supports and encourages:* Making connections and developing relationships with people who don’t have disabilities or are not paid/unpaid caregivers* The development of employment skills, and* Exploring and identifying potential new activities based on the current interests of the person

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I would like to introduce you to Jake. Jake lives in a small rural town about 30 minutes away from the vocational training center he attends five days a week. Jake is a friendly, outgoing person with a variety of interests, especially sports and outdoor activities. At the training center, when a new job is introduced to Jake, he may need a lot of support to learn the job, but once he gets it…he’s got it. Jake’s verbal communication is limited to a few words but for people close to Jake, they are able to understand much of what he wants to communicate through his gestures and body language.

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Jake’s team is brainstorming potential community activities that could help Jake build his community relationships and get the job in the community that he wants. Using what’s important to and for him that is identified in his person centered plan, Jake’s team came up with a list of activities based on some of his interests and skills.

* Stocking shelves at a food pantry* Maintaining a community garden * Helping at a concession stand

This list is a good starting point for Jake and his team. Each idea will need to be further explored to be sure it matches well with Jake's specific preferences and how it can happen within Jake's community. The team will also need to consider his ongoing support needs and how to assist others in understanding Jake's communication.

So brainstorming a person's interests and skills is a great way to start and then spend time finding how to support the person so it can happen in their community.

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So where do you start? How do you know what the opportunities and options are? • Which activities

* focus on a particular interest such as history, music, animals, self‐advocacy or causes?* support improved health and wellness?* help to build connections and foster relationships in the community?* help develop needed employment skills?

• What skills can the person offer now? What skills might need to be enhanced?

• Who does the person know that might help? Who do you know?

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Knowing the person’s interests, skills and connections for work, fun and new learning should be included in an Interest Inventory.

What type of work is enjoyed?* Office work? * Working indoors or outdoors?* Retail or food service* Working with animals, children, adults?* Something else?

* And then dig deeper:* What type of office work?* What kind of outdoors work?* Cashier? Stocking shelves?

Is there any interest in education?* Improving math, reading or writing skills?* Learning to use a computer?* Learning a new language?* Learning how to paint?

What about leisure activities?* Sports or games?* Going to parks or hiking trails?* Cultural events like concerts, plays, or museums?* Religious events or activities

What about volunteer activities?* At animal shelters?* At libraries?* At a Church?* At a food pantry* Or another volunteer organization?

Is there an interest in other community groups or organizations?

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Complete the Interest Inventory on yourself as well. What are some of the groups, organizations, or activities that you participate in when you are not working? What are the areas of interest that you have in common? If you are supporting someone who has a similar interest, enjoys the same activities as you, and you are comfortable sharing this activity with the person, doing the activity together can be more enjoyable for both of you. Remember in Webcast #1 how Ashley became interested in new things, found new hobbies because of Kristen?

But it’s also okay if you are not comfortable being the person to share that particular activity with the person. The knowledge, insights and connections you are willing to share with co‐workers and other supporters can be used to help promote successful opportunities for this person or someone else.

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This is Rachelle. Rachelle is friendly and outgoing with the people she knows and trusts, but when she is around people that she doesn’t know she tends to become anxious and uncomfortable. To help Rachelle be more comfortable around others she is unfamiliar with and to participate in her community more, the interest inventory will identify activities that she wants to do and give her the opportunity to learn how to be around new people.

What the team learned from doing the interest inventory with Rachelle was that she had a desire to become healthier. She also wanted to have more friends. They also learned that Rachelle was really curious about the college that she lives near and walks by every day. She wanted to learn more about what goes on there and maybe even take a class.

One of the staff that help support Rachelle – Tanya, was a recent graduate of that college and was willing to assist her in exploring this more. The Interest Inventory identified where the team should focus their efforts to support Rachelle in the community.

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Now that you have an idea of what a Community Location is, let’s talk briefly about Community Hubs.

ODP recognizes that transportation to get to activities can be challenging, especially if the people you support are doing activities all over their communities. In providing Community Participation Supports services, people do not have to start at the facility, or necessarily ever go to a facility. If it makes more sense to meet up at a place in the community, that is okay. ODP calls this meeting place a Community Hub.

A Community Hub is a gathering place. A place where people may need to wait for others. Maybe it’s meeting at a coffee shop before heading out to volunteer at the community park. Maybe it’s the concourse of a mall before going to an exercise class.

A key difference between a community location and a community hub is that as many as six people can be there at one time and the time spent at a Community Hub is generally more limited and not the final destination.

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A community hub is a place where people with shared interests can meet before going to an activity or to the next activity. This can include meeting up with other individuals as well as other DSPs who will also be supporting them in the next activity.

The use of a community hub is driven by the interest of the individual or individuals servedand can be focused on specific areas of interest such as employment, volunteering, arts, parks, music or sports.

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Community Hubs are locations that are available and used by the general public, and not specific to a disability or disability group. And because people may need to wait for others to arrive, the location for the Community Hub needs to offer shelter from the weather.

Lastly, a Community Hub can be a private home as long as it is not the home of support staff. The individual’s home can serve as an occasional Community Hub, but rarely and only with the individual’s permission. An example of this would be when the regular Community Hub is unexpectedly unavailable.

The DSP is the eyes and ears for the provider agency and sometimes for the people you support. Your ideas about potential places and activities in the community that could match people’s skills and interests are crucial for the success of Community Participation Supports. Your ideas about places in the community that may work as a Community Hub are also needed.

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Thinking about what we just described as a Community Hub, use the text box below to enter some possible ideas for Community Hubs that exist in your community. When you are ready, click the submit button to continue.

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Similar to Community Locations, a Community Hub is generally a place that is used by the general public and not a space created for the use of a specific disability group. Did the locations you entered fit into this?

So let’s look at an example of how this might work.

Darlene supports Randy and Tim to volunteer on Tuesdays at a local food bank from 9:00 to 11:00. After Randy and Tim finish up at the food bank, Randy will be returning the licensed day program, but Tim wants to go to the library for a Smart Shopping class.

During this same time, Becky is helping Jean Ann to learn how to use public transportation to get from her home to the local park where she likes to walk for exercise. Jean Ann is also going to the Smart Shopping class offered by the library.

In order to make this happen, they all meet in the coffee shop next to the park and just down the street from the food bank. After having some iced coffee together and Jean Ann takes a few minutes to talk with a couple of other patrons that she is friends with, she and Tim head to the Smart Shopping class with Darlene. Randy and Becky then catch the city bus to return to the day program.

In this scenario, the coffee shop is a Community Hub, a meeting place in between activities where staff and people meet, break up and re‐group and based on their interests and preferences.

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While everyone receiving Community Participation Supports should be spending at least 25% of their time engaged in activities in their community by July 2019, they will still be able to get part of their support services at the prevocational facility or licensed day habilitation program.

The time at the facility does not count towards the time in the community but this time is also important. It can be used for:

* Planning and preparation, such as reviewing a bus schedule or choosing the activities that the person wants to participate in.

* Introducing the person to potentially new activities or areas of interest.

* Learning and practicing self‐care, socialization, self‐advocacy and other skills that can help promote successful community experiences as well as

* Continuing to develop work skills that are needed for current or future community employment or volunteer opportunities.

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Going back to Rachelle again, Rachelle wanted to explore the opportunities that might be available for her on a local college campus. It’s important to understand that when Rachelle becomes anxious in crowded locations or is bumped into, she has a history of striking out. Her team recognized that this could be a significant challenge for Rachelle on a busy college campus. Part of her supports included time at her pre‐vocational program where people helped to prepare her for what she could expect and coached her on how she should respond if she were to be bumped into. With support from Tanya and others, Rachelle began to explore the college campus and activities and also learned ways to cope with being on a busy college campus.

And you may be wondering about how Rachelle is doing with being bumped into. Over time she has become increasingly comfortable at the college and now looks forward to going to the campus every week to participate in a morning Zumba Class to improve her health. She then meets some friends and her DSP at the college’s student union for lunch before heading to another activity that afternoon. In fact, there have been more than one occasion where Rachelle has been accidentally bumped into while at the college campus and her response to this was to simply say “I’m sorry. Excuse me.” and then go on with whatever she was doing.

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Now that you have a basic understanding of what a Community Location might look like, the purpose of Community Hubs, and what Community Participation Supports can be provided at a licensed facility, there are a few additional things to consider that will need your creativity and flexibility.

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If a community activity is planned and available but the person chooses not to participate on that day, that’s okay. The DSP and team should look at why the person chose not to participate and be prepared to adapt or adjust the activity as needed to better meet the interests of the person and to encourage future participation.

At times the DSP may discover at the last minute that a planned community activity is unexpectedly closed or is otherwise unavailable. At these times the DSP should be flexible and creative. Remember that in Webcast #1 Ashley recommended a back‐up plan. That is always a good idea. Using that back‐up plan or identifying other possible options that can meet the same results until the original location becomes available again. If the availability of the activity appears to be more of a long term issue, the DSP should work with the individual and the team to identify and select alternative activities as a replacement.

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Depending on the opportunities, interests and abilities of the person, the time spent in the community receiving Community Participation Supports can vary from day to day or week to week. Your agency will provide you with the training and tools for tracking and documenting the Community Participation Supports that you provide.

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The number of people participating in an activity at a Community Location or gathering at a Community Hub at the same time is also an important consideration.

Think about a time when you went to a community event and saw a large group of people you didn’t know standing together. How easy was it for you to approach and try to join in with that group? What if there was another group there that was only two or three people? Would it be easier for you to try to join in with that group?

It’s part of human nature that when there is a large group, the size of the group can become intimidating and it can be less likely that new members will try to join. Many social organizations have recognized this and try to minimize the size of groups at events. They know that they can maximize the potential for conversation and relationship building by keeping the size of groups at the events smaller.

The service definition for Community Participation Supports applies this same understanding. By setting limits to the number of people participating in a specific activity at a specific location or time, the chances to get to know and build relationships with people without disabilities is increased.

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The service definition limits the number participants per provider at any one place, at any one time.

For any Community Location the limit is three participants at one location at the same time.

For any Community Hub the limit is six participants per provider at the same time.

As we mentioned earlier, Community Hubs are meant for people coming and going, not for sustained activity of 6 people. The higher limits for Community Hubs are designed to help manage transportation and support the exchange of staff for different activities, creating different groupings of individuals and staff based on the common interests and needs for the next activity.

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The purpose of the group size limits is to encourage engagement with the community by minimizing the number of individuals with a disability at a specific place at one time.

DSPs supporting individuals in the community need to be aware of these group size limits and coordinate with other people in their agency to help ensure that the limits are maintained. However, there may be times when the DSP will also need to be flexible and creative if they arrive at a location or hub and discover that it is already in use by another group and is at the maximum level.

While not specifically addressed in the service definition, coordination between provider agencies is also needed to help ensure that different groups from different agencies are not using the same location at the same time. As a DSP, if you recognize that another provider agency is using a location or hub at the same time as you, you need to make your supervisor or administrator aware of this so that they can work with the other agency to better coordinate the use of that location or hub.

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Successfully helping the people you support to create, sustain and deepen their community relationships and connections, obtain integrated community employment and become a more included and contributing member in their community starts with you!

Your willingness to embrace this new service, to share your knowledge of each person’s interests and desires, to share your own skills and interests, to be creative and flexible in identifying opportunities and strategies is the key to success. You have the important role in helping people to move toward their everyday life. A life that includes greater independence, choice, and opportunities to be part of their community; where their presence is recognized and their absence is missed.

We look forward to hearing about your accomplishments and the success of the people you support!

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This concludes the webcast on Where Community Participation Supports are Provided. Please be sure to watch all seven webcasts and complete all the course requirements in order to obtain your Certificate of Achievement and training credit.

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This webcast has been developed and produced by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs in partnership with The Columbus Organization.

Thank you for participating in this lesson.

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community participation supports for direct support

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