Fw: (NOEWAIT) Natural supports - more discussion

[Guest guest]

I think Denver brings up some very provocative points...any thoughts or

comments?

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

(NOEWAIT) Natural supports - more discussion

Natural supports - more discussion

The reason the " natural supports " survey we are doing right now is important is

that policy makers - at the highest levels - see " natural supports " as the

answer to solving the waitlists without any more funding. They assume that all

of us have family, friends, neighbors, churches, etc., that can be recruited for

free to provide services for individuals with disabilities, in place of paid

staff.

Natural supports usually involve relationships with family members, friends,

co-workers, neighbors and acquaintances, and are of a reciprocal (give-and-take)

nature. Yet, to my knowledge, no one has ever studied " natural supports " - at

least from a parent's, caregiver or individual with disabilities point of view.

Are they REALLY out there? Do folks REALLY use them. Are there neighbors,

friends and family actually willing to do this kind of work for free?

Are natural supports more available to young, smaller " cuter " and easy to manage

children? Do they become less and less available as one's child gets older?

What about when one's child is 60, non-verbal, with severe medical and

behavioral challenges and other disabilities. Are there going to be " natural

supports " for that child?

There is a group of parents/professionals who tout " natural supports " as the

only way to go. Is this because it has worked for them - because they have

family, neighbors, etc., who pitch in? Because their child is young and easy

and rewarding to work with? Or, are they simply great ate getting natural

supports for their child? What about when these parents are dead? Should they

use their success as a basis for pushing the " natural supports " agenda and

process on everyone else?

Does the fact that there are more and more working folks across the country

(male and female) influence the number of volunteers and help one might be able

to recruit? How does one recruit " natural supports " anyway?

Is it appropriate and psychologically healthy - for both the parent and the

child - to keep a child in a family home years after most people would normally

start an independent " real life " of their own in the community?

Again, no one seems to have thoroughly studies these issues.

The current survey is NOT designed to review in depth the issues outlined above.

It is a brief survey, the results of which will hopefully be the prompting for

some major funding agency to actually do a thorough survey on all aspects of

" natural supports " to answer the questions above, and more, before it becomes

the policy of the land.

I know that in our own situation with my own son, there was a total rejection of

our family and its needs by our immediate families. When we started an intense

therapy program at home, we recruited over 350 volunteers over a 6 year period -

but it took intensive amounts of efforts, marketing skills and organizational

skills on our part to do this, and it was for the specific purpose of in-home

therapy. Without that specific purpose, we would have had no volunteers.

So, again, your assistance is asked in completing this survey at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JWWTXBF

and in passing it along to others.

Denver Fox

Moderator, NOEWAIT

No Wait - No Boundaries