Friday, October 4, 2013

Free syposium helps families plan for future



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More than a dozen local agencies – including Heritage Christian – are hosting a symposium designed to help families with children who have developmental disabilities plan for changes in the Medicaid system, meeting their child’s goals and future financial needs.Carol Blessing, who has spent more than a decade on the faculty with Cornell University's Employment and Disability Institute, will be the featured speaker on Oct. 10. The free event runs from 8:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Pieters Family Life Center, 1025 Commons Way in Henrietta, and is open to parents, educators and human services professionals.Child watch and respite care are also both available for free as part of the Partners Toward Independence symposium, which is sponsored by the Golisano Foundation.To register, visit www.humanservicesed.org/symposium.

Read the following Q&A with Carol Blessing to get a sense of what the symposium will offer. 

 





1.       What is person centered planning? Why is it important to me and my loved one?
Person-centered planning is a couple of things.  First it is a philosophy or a belief that people who are labeled as disabled have gifts and capacity and potential like anyone else and that they have important contributions to make to communities and to society.  Person-centered planning is also a kind of technology for making sure that the person's gifts and capacities, interests and hopes for the future are heard and understood, and more importantly, are used as the basis for designing and implementing service plans. In person-centered work, the voice of the person with disabilities, their families' and their friends should be directing the way services provide support. That is what makes it important - if you are not directing the process, someone else will be.
2.       Why do I need to be concerned about my loved one’s community inclusion?
Community is a place of belonging to something and of relationships with other people who come together around common interests and purpose. It is where gifts can be offered and contributed to make a positive difference in that community.  We need everyone's contribution in our communities to be whole.
3.       My loved one is interested in holding a job in the community; where should they start to look and how can I help them? What resources are available to us?
I firmly believe that the first place to look for a job is in and around the places that reflect similar values and interests that your loved one expresses.  Places that will bring out the best qualities in this person and that will encourage growth in a healthy way.
4.       Why are there so many barriers to employing people with disabilities? What can we do to help change long held perceptions?
Big question. Stigma, stereotypes and discrimination born of negative social perception of people with disabilities is at the top of the list.  Fear of difference and of not knowing what to do in the presence of difference that shows up in the form of what people have come to call disability.  

One important way to help change perceptions about people with disabilities is to take good care to avoid reinforcing them.  None of us are immune from placing stereotypes on or discriminating against others. Be aware of how your thoughts end up in action.  Are the actions representative of the kind of experience we want our sons and daughters to have?

This could mean changing the way we talk about or to people with disabilities, how we interact with people, and where we invite them to show up.  It may even mean changing our own beliefs about people with disability.  

A great way to help others challenge the perceptions that they hold about people with disabilities is to support them in sharing in relationship with someone in a true and caring way.  When we have live stories that include people with disabilities in positive ways, the fear and the stereotypes tend to fall away and we get to know the person for who they are.
5.       What is self-determination and how can it help my loved one reach his or her goals?
Self determination is a set of rights and responsibilities.  The National Center for Self Determination (www.centerforself-determination.com) defines self-determination in five ways:

it is the FREEDOM to decide how to live your life
it is the AUTHORITY to decide how a targeted amount of resources will be used in the context of this freedom
it is the SUPPORT to organize resources in ways that are life-enhancing and meaningful to you
it is the RESPONSIBILITY to use public dollars wisely AND to give back, to make positive contributions to your community
it is the CONFIRMATION that you matter, that you have an equal voice and that you will be counted in

6.       Things are changing quickly and sometimes it is hard to keep up. What are the top two or three things that I need to be most concerned about?
What to be concerned about is a kind of moving target on any given day.  I would say what you want to be diligent about is:
·         Having the information that you need to make informed choices
·         Having a solid and active network of positive support
·         Having clear vision of a respected and dignified life for your loved one and refusing to settle for anything less        


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Living the culture every day, in every interaction




By Marisa Geitner, president & C.E.O. of Heritage Christian Services


“A culture is not something you announce. It is created by an intense focus on the mindset and behaviors that bring the experience to life.” – Gregg Lederman, from his book, “Engaged! Outbehave Your Competition to Create Customers for Life.”

Many of us at Heritage Christian are reading Gregg Lederman’s book this month in preparation for our fall leadership conferences, where we hope to learn more about linking our corporate values to real behaviors – like smiling and speaking at eye level and making time to share a laugh with others.

We want to ensure that as we move forward and grow our culture isn’t just something that we talk about and our values aren’t just words used in our brochures and on our Websites. We want employees to have clear expectations for living out Christian compassion, courage, entrepreneurship, excellence, honesty and humor. And we want to recognize employees who exemplify those traits because we want those good behaviors to model the way for our entire workforce.

Our culture of excellence is what sets us apart. It is what ensures the people we support get the best care possible. And we need to make sure every employee understands what that looks like and how to carry it out. Every day, every interaction.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Working toward confidence and independence


By D'Aisha White of O'Dell Family Chiropractic and Caila Healy of the Employment Alliance




D’Aisha White started working at O’Dell Family Chiropractic in July of 2012. A few of her  responsibilities at the office are to enter patient information in the computer, file and shred documents, make patient welcome packets, and scan and upload documents.
When asked how working at O’Dell has affected her life, D’Aisha said, “I enjoy working there. It is definitely a process but I enjoy working and it gets me out and about. It gets me to interact.”
D’Aisha stated that her job coaches have been “awesome” and “very supportive.”
D’Aisha mentioned that her job coaches have taught her how to be professional in the workplace and keep a positive attitude. She stated, “You have really helped me with alphabetizing, too.” 
Over the last year, D’Aisha has grown very independent and confident as a reflection of her work at O’Dell. “My attitude has changed and is more positive and I have become more courageous,” she said.
Along with the work she has learned this past year, she has developed a positive relationship with her supervisor, Maria Dewhirst. “Maria has been very good, excellent and a positive person to work with,” she said.
This opportunity has not only given D’Aisha the chance to work and learn the responsibilities that come with a job, but this has shaped her life outside of work in many positive ways as well. She continues to grow and learn with each week and hopes to increase her hours at O’Dell. 



 

Monday, July 1, 2013

Understanding the Heritage Christian Culture


At Heritage Christian we’re fortunate to have a workforce that’s dedicated to our mission and to the people we support – so dedicated that 36 percent of our employees have worked here for five years or longer. Our retention rate for direct support professionals, the largest segment of our employees, is 79 percent, which puts us well above the national average.

Every organization strives to retain employees because it makes good business sense, but at Heritage Christian it also makes good sense for the people we support. It takes time for staff to know a person’s medical history and to learn to read body language for a person who doesn’t communicate in traditional ways. And even if it’s not a matter of medical frailty, it is a matter of dignity because it can be difficult to get used to a new staff person supporting your personal needs.

That’s why retaining the best employees matters so much and why we try to create a workplace culture that’s founded in Christian compassion, courage, honesty, humor, excellence and entrepreneurship.

We recently hired a company called Brand Integrity! to assist us in linking those corporate values to real behaviors – like smiling and speaking at eye level and making time to share a laugh with others. Close to 80 percent of active employees took a survey to let us know how we were doing as an agency in living out our values and they ranked us highest in the areas of Christian compassion and humor.

We’re still studying the results, but I know the survey information will help us strengthen our culture and our workforce. And that will improve the support we offer to people with disabilities.


 “The reason why I have stayed here with HCS is the relationships I have made over the years, the life lessons that touched my heart and the strong feeling of a second family.” – Karolyn Kowalski, manager at the home on Heim Road in Williamsville







“The warm environment and positive people make work almost like a social event where you are supported constantly by those who want to see you grow personally and professionally. … Time and time again, I personally, have found inspiration and encouragement from (the people we support), even if they are not able to verbally communicate this. What a blessing Heritage Christian has been.” – Andrey Khabursky, assistant manager at the home on Stone Road in Pittsford
 
 “There are many reasons why I have stayed working at Heritage Christian this long, other than just the great benefits the agency offers to their employees.  I like the fact that we work hard at maintaining our culture over the years and I have felt like Heritage Christian has become like an extended part of my family. We believe in promoting growth within the ranks. …The many life lessons learned in this career has enriched my life on a daily basis.” – Felipe Rios, manager at the home on Salt Road in Webster






 
Enjoying the relaxing time to reconnect at Camp Pioneer 2013.
Celebrating family night at Camp Pioneer Reunion 2013.

HCS staffers support the behind-the-scenes work that makes reunion week successful.