Individuals in the LifeLinks CLASS TREE (Treatment. Responsibility. Empowerment. Employment.) program have had the opportunity to refine their woodworking skills over the past few years with the help of Shaun Cohan, a shop teacher in the carpentry department at Greater Lawrence Technical School. The TREE program at our Lawrence location uses a unique therapeutic work model for individuals with complex life experiences, psychiatric diagnoses and behavioral challenges, supported by an intense staffing ratio of one to four. Some of their projects have included a maintenance supply shed, birdhouses and planters for past event auctions, cutting boards, and most recently, Adirondack chairs! Nancy Price, the facilities manager for our Lawrence location, hopes to have an efficient sales model in place for the carpentry program by next year — stay tuned!
Shaun Cohan, a GLTS shop teacher, gives Joseph direction during a recent project.
Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP) drew a group of medical, mental health, and business professionals to their disability awareness training, which touched on the changing language of disability, the different ways that the healthcare system supports those with disabilities, laws and regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, the necessity of self-advocacy for people with disabilities, and other important topics.
The language of disability changes over time, said Sheila Hegarty of NILP. She emphasized the importance of listening to the language that individuals with disabilities use to describe themselves, which alerts nondisabled individuals to what language they can use. She further explained that some young people are now choosing to use identity-first language, referring to themselves as “disabled,” which can represent a sense of empowerment or pride for some people who feel that their disabilities are a part of who they are.
Hegarty also noted that there is a concern in the disability community that some medical and mental health professionals may not receive the support they need in order to effectively treat and respond to people with various disabilities, which can potentially lead to individuals receiving incorrect diagnoses or treatments. As a woman with TAR syndrome, she explained that she did not have her blood pressure taken for five years while on the birth control pill, as attending nurses had not been trained on how to take her blood pressure using her leg.
The training also covered the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which protects people with disabilities from discrimination in employment, social services, and healthcare, among other public venues and services. Although the ADA has made great strides in advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities, Jim Lyons of NILP acknowledged that a business can legally be “in compliance” with the ADA while still failing to meet the individual needs of people with disabilities. He noted that the ADA is complaint-driven, and said that self-advocates can make their needs known and drive change through the grievance process.
Hegarty also noted, however, that self-advocacy can be a struggle for some individuals, who may not have learned how to advocate for themselves. She emphasized the importance of teaching and developing this skill in these individuals, as well as educating both self-advocates and professionals about this issue so that they can be prepared to help address it.
I am a student at UMass Lowell who is currently interning at CLASS and writing a blog series, “CLASSified.” I also happen to be on the autism spectrum! The May 22 NILP training was sensitive and thorough in its approach to disability and, my favorite part, it was led by individuals who had disabilities themselves!
NILP’s Disability Awareness training will next be offered on June 26, 2019. I highly recommend it for all medical, mental health, and business professionals.
By Kylie Morin, Guest Blogger