Independent Living: The Power and Resources to Become a Successful, Independent Individual in Society

The aspect of Independent Living for an individual with a disability can seem like a far-fetched dream. It can seem that living independently and having a private life is next to impossible. However, you are not alone. This blog-posting caters to professionals, educators, students, parents, and all who are involved.

In today’s society, there are a plethora of organizations, professionals, and teams advocating for independent living and have the necessary resources, accommodations, and modifications necessary for an individual with disabilities to live independently and become an active member of society. In my experiences as an educator, I feel that this aspect of transition is crucial to ensure the happiness of each individual and it is our job to ensure that this dream is possible from all avenues.

When I think of the aspect of Independent Living, a couple of questions come to mind and they are: “What are the accommodations and assistive technology available to these individuals?” and “What and who can assist them in making this dream a reality with minimal complications?” I began to research online and came across several wonderful websites that indicated that there was an enormous amount of technology available for individuals with disabilities seeking to live independently. From my own experiences and sharing living quarters with a good friend of mine who has a profound hearing loss, I was aware of minimal assistive technology that were available at the time, such as, vibrating alarm clocks, flashing fire alarms, and doorbells that flashed. I am pleased to share the websites that I discovered and I hope that these sites will offer advice, information, and hope to individuals with a disability that independent living can become a reality and this blog will help boost their self-determination and advocacy for themselves.

Websites
1) Independent Living Assistive Technology

http://www.independentliving.com/

This website offers a plethora of information about assistive technology, beneficial tools to assist with independent living. This site provides information for individuals with an array of disabilities. The following are items that can be purchased on the site: “talking calculators, talking alarm clocks, low vision aids (magnifiers, canes and mobility devices, recording devices, household items that can accommodate an individual with a disability, altered seating arrangements & lighting, and much more). I found this website to be informative, resourceful, and interesting for individuals with a disability, caregivers, professionals, and all who are involved in promoting self-independence!

2) Independent Living Institute

http://www.independentliving.org/

I particularly liked this website because its main focus and mission is to cater to each individual’s needs and to promote self-determination. Additionally, this global not-for-profit organization is mainly run by individuals with disabilities and offers advice internationally for individuals with disabilities seeking independent living, and offers awareness to what is happening in the outside world in terms of advocacy and legislation for individuals with disabilities.

3) Delta Center for Independent Living, Disabled Person Services in St. Louis, Missouri http://www.dcil.org/

This is also a fabulous site and caters to all individuals with an array of disabilities. The Delta Center’s mission statement nicely illustrates their determination in assisting those with disabilities. “Delta Center for Independent Living partners with people with disabilities and their communities to remove barriers and promote positive changes leading to greater independence for all.” I liked the idea of promoting positive change and eliminating the stigma and discrimination that society has placed on the aspect of independent living for individuals with disabilities. Some of the services that the Delta Center provide are: “skills training for independent living, peer support, advocacy, information on assistive technology, wheel-chair modifications, and much more.”

4) Assisting the disabled and Advocacy- CILO - Center for Independent Living Options
http://www.cilo.net/

The Center for Independent Living Options is a resourceful site that is determined to break down the architectural and attitudinal barriers that exist for individuals with disabilities and promote independence and self-determination. This site offers services, such as, personal service assistants, skills training programs, and advocacy workshops to promote an active and independent lifestyle. The Center for Independent Living Options also provides readers with a newsletter containing up-to-date information and advice.

The Importance of Safety and Health Awareness

The title of this blog-posting is "Everybody needs to be Aware." It is crucial for all individuals to be aware of their surroundings, be knowledgeable of their environment, and be able to take safety precautions in all aspects. All of these elements are crucial to understand in the work and school environment and especially when living independently. I gave great thought to how I could reach more individuals on this pertinent topic of Safety and Health and decided that the most effective way to convey the importance of this topic is to gather first-hand insight from an individual with disabilities. One of my dear friends has a profound hearing impairment and I am thankful that she was able to participate in my interview to answer frequently asked questions that individuals with disabilities can look to for support and advice. I feel that her wisdom and experiences will shed a degree of light onto the subject of Safety and Health and allow a safe environment for individuals with disabilities to reach out to. My good friend is in the process of completing her post-secondary education by receiving her Master’s degree and has currently transitioned to residing in a new city and environment.

Interview Questions
1) How do you feel about Health and Safety as an individual with a hearing impairment? Health and Safety are of utmost concern as a person with a Severe-profound hearing loss. Health is not as much as a concern because I consider health to be more in physical health and my health needs are not much different from everyone else's. However, Safety is something I think about nearly every day, especially as I prepare to live on my own and independently from the dorms or my family.

2) What is most concerning to you? Easily the most serious concern I have is my safety at night when I do not wear my hearing aids. I do not hear anything at all without my aids, and as someone who is also terrified of fires, my safety in a situation where I may need to evacuate the building at night is a serious concern. Additionally, I am also concerned about situations that I may not hear--such as intruders or of other crimes being committed in my area.

3) Who and/or where do you go to for information on health and safety issues? Honestly, I do not know of anywhere to go for information. My best resource is probably my Occupational Rehabilitation Services (ORS) organization. They deal primarily with adults and try to get people living as independently as possible. Every state has one and since I am from Rhode Island, I am under the RI ORS.

4) What do you want to pass on to others, as an individual with a disability, in terms of the importance and awareness of health and safety? What do want others to know is crucial? My only advice is to be super-aware, especially in terms of your health and safety because it can influence your very life. Also, I want people to know that they have to actively seek out accommodations (such as strobe fire alarms in my case for an example) because people will not automatically provide them in every case. Yes there are laws that demand that public places are supposed to be accommodated, but these laws do not always extend in the private realm of apartments and homes. It is there where individuals are their own best advocate to have all of their needs met. And my other advice is to never back down and attempt to compromise your health and safety because it could be your life.

5) What are your own personal experiences on this topic? I do not have many personal experiences in this topic because I have not yet fully lived on my own. However, to date, I have consistently relied on my family when I live at home to alert me to sounds that I may not hear and at college I have had either an accommodated room (thank goodness for the ADA) in which there has been a strobe fire alarm. However, even in the dorms, I have depended on my roommates as well. I am now at the age where I want to be as safe as I possibly can in this insane world, but not have to depend on other people for my safety.

6) How is being exposed to health and safety measures pertinent to the transition period? Was it useful in your employment, post-secondary setting, and/or independent living? Being exposed to health and safety measures was pertinent to the transition period because it has taken some of the additional stress of transition off. By having a strobe fire alarm installed in my dorm room by the college, I was able to focus on the same transition that my peers were undergoing instead of having the additional worry of whether or not I would hear a fire alarm in the middle of the night during a real emergency. I have not had much exposure to health and safety in terms of my employment or independent living because I am not quite there yet. Employment is not as large as a concern as Independent Living because I will be working in a public place and I will have my hearing aids in, which means I am more aware of sounds and auditory environment. Independent living, especially in my own apartment will be much more of a pressing concern since that is the environment where I will not have my hearing aids in as much. My exposure to health and safety measures, which I have discussed here were all in the post-secondary environment of college dormitories.

Websites and Resources
Along with the importance of sharing questions and answers on this blog, I feel it is important to include several websites and resources that will prove beneficial for all involved. These websites address the following aspects underneath the umbrella of Health and Safety: the importance of being prepared in case of an emergency, awareness of legislation and government policies on health and safety, what to do in case of an emergency and what professionals and individuals involved need to be aware of when dealing with health concerns with an individual with disabilities. I hope these websites and my interview questions will provide advice and guidance in this pertinent and invaluable topic of discussion.

• Personal Safety & Self-Defense for children, teens, and adults http://www.kidpower.org/SERVICES/Special-Needs.html
• Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities http://www.dotcr.ost.dot.gov/asp/emergencyprep.asp
• Health and Safety www.twu.edu/inspire/healthandsafety.htm

Social Relationships- Targeted for Parents, Students, and Family

The title of this blog-posting is "Because Everyone Needs a Friend." This blog-posting is essentially targeted for parents, students, and families. Its main purpose is to aid in the development of communication with parents and students on discovering ways to create and maintain social and networking skills for children with special needs that is necessary for success in the transition process. I feel that this posting will offer resources for promoting the development of social skills and social competence in individuals with disabilities. The core topics that these resources will address include the following:

• information on social support groups
• support groups for siblings of an individual with disabilities
• special needs social summer camps and activities to foster the development of true social relationships
• organizations that help to foster friendships
• book and sources that promote healthy friendships and inclusion of individuals with special needs into the mainstream environment
• awareness and education
• provides individuals with the social skills to successfully utilize in the transition process and to enhance their networking skills. Developing networking skills is essential for success in the future and I feel that these resources will help instill more self-confidence in this area

Here are several websites geared towards support groups/organizations for families and individuals with disabilities in developing networking skills.

1. Support for Families and Partnerships: http://www.supportforfamilies.org/partnerships.html
2. Summer Camp Listing for Individuals with Disabilities: http://www.mysummercamps.com/camps/SpecialNeedsCamps/
3. Sibling Support Groups- is designed for siblings with a sister or brother who has special needs http://www.siblingsupport.org/
4. Kid's Friendship Club- is designed to assist children with special needs in finding and maintaining friendships: http://reachdevelopment.org/kids-friendship-club.html

I have listed below several books and reading materials that educators can adopt into their curriculum to foster friendships and instill social and networking skills for success in the transition process. Additionally, these sources make the students aware of the discrimination and bias that society has and assists them through the transition process.

1. Through the Eyes of Friendship- by Elizabeth T. Peters
2. Social Skills Activities: for Secondary Students with Special Needs- by Darlene Mannix
3. Delicate Threads: Friendships Between Children with and without Special Needs in Inclusive Settings- by Debbie Staub
4. The Special Needs Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Special Needs- by Ellen Sabin

I hope you find these sources as useful as I did and provided you with hope that individuals with disabilities will create lasting friendships and will now have the tools, the voice and the confidence to advocate for their future!