Traveling toward Inclusion: Engaging Youth with Disabilities in Service

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Traveling toward InclusionEngaging Youth with
Disabilities in Service

• Andraéa LaVant, Kerry Ginn and Sarah Guy

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Workshop Objectives

• Learn characteristics of different types of
  disabilities
• Understand benefits of engaging YwD in service
• Disability Disclosure
• Identify challenges to performing service
• Become aware of supports and accommodations and
  learn how to implement supports and
  accommodations
• Learn about successful inclusive service projects

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Icebreaker

• Using the supplies at your table, your team has
  five minutes to create the tallest free standing
  structure you can.

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What do Youth need to Succeed?
GUIDEPOSTS FOR SUCCESS

• School-Based Preparatory Experiences
• Career Preparation and Work-Based Learning
  Experiences
• YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP
• Connecting Activities
• Family Involvement and Supports

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Why?

• YSA Mission
• Common expectation and experience
• Youth as assets

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Look Familiar???
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• Servants vs. Serviced

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What is a Disability?
ACCORDING TO THE ADA

• a physical or mental impairment that
  substantially limits one or more of the major
  life activities of such individual
• a record of such an impairment or
• being regarded as having such an impairment.

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Did you Know?
13 Categories of Disability - IDEA

• Autism
• Deaf-blindness
• Deafness
• Emotional disturbance
• Hearing impairment
• Mental retardation
• Specific learning disability

• Traumatic brain injury
• Orthopedic impairment
• Speech or language impairment
• Visual Impairment
• Other health impairment (ADD/ADHD)

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Physical Disabilities

• Arthritis
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Muscular Sclerosis
• Cerebral Palsy
• Spina Bifida

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Physical Disabilities
Limitations

• Lifting
• Reaching
• Coordination/Dexterity
• Speed/Endurance
• Standing/Walking
• Limited/no use of limbs

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Cognitive Disabilities

• Severe autism
• Down Syndrome
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Dementia
• Cerebral Palsy
• Epilepsy
• Learning Disabilities
• ADD
• AD/HD
• Dyslexia

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Cognitive Disabilities
Limitations

• Memory
• Problem-solving
• Attention
• Reading, linguistic, and verbal comprehension
• Math comprehension
• Visual comprehension

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Mental Health Needs

• Phobias
• Panic disorders
• Clinical depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Eating disorders
• Schizophrenia

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Mental Health Needs
Characteristics

• Erratic behavior
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Low energy
• Exaggerated worry and tension
• Severe aggression

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Sensory Disabilities

• Deaf
• Hearing impaired
• Blind
• Visually impaired

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Cognitive Disabilities
Limitations

• Reading
• Hearing
• Listening
• Communicating

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Disability Disclosure

• Intentionally releasing personal information
  about oneself for a specific purpose
• How disability affects ones capacity to learn
  and perform effectively
• The environment, supports, and services needed in
  order to access, participate, and excel at work,
  school, and social.
• Critical for both youth with visible AND hidden
  disabilities
• Most of all, a PERSONAL decision

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Disability Disclosure

• IDEA
• In-school programs
• Section 504 of the Rehab Act
• ADA (Titles I-III)
• Employment
• State and local governments
• Public/social settings
• Those who provide services

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Activity

• The youth in your after-school program have
  decided to address the issue of hunger and
  homelessness in your local community by
  developing a service project.
• How will you engage youth with this particular
  disability?
• What are potential barriers to engagement?
• What supports/accommodations could be provided?

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Model

• Investigation
• Preparation and Planning
• Action
• Reflection
• Demonstration / Celebration

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Supports and Accommodations
Physical Disabilities

• Clear pathways, doors, etc. to ensure 36 wide
  path for wheelchairs/crutches
• Relocate events to accessible spaces
• Provide adaptive equipment products
• Reachers
• Ramps
• Provide activities that require minimal/low
  physical effort
• Minimize repetitive actions
• Allow to maintain neutral body position
• Minimize sustained physical effort

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Supports and Accommodations
Cognitive Disabilities

• Present info clearly concisely
• Avoid clichés jargon
• Analyze activities into small steps present
  tasks sequentially
• Use pictures/simple photos to identify people,
  rooms, tasks/directions
• Develop creative ways to make tasks easier for
  participants (i.e. color coordination for
  non-readers, tape-recorded instructions)
• Shift marginal tasks/modify schedules

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Supports and Accommodations
Sensory Disabilities

• Provide
• Sign-language interpreters
• Note-takers
• Text in alternative formats
• Page magnifiers
• Verbalize/narrate information provide in-print or
  on-screen
• Use face-to-face contact as much as possible
• Avoid using hand gestures and facial expressions
  when communicating with those with visual
  impairments

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and finally

• Assume nothing except that the person with the
  disability is the best expert about what they
  need and what they can and cant do.
• IF theyve disclosed, dont be afraid to ask
  questions.
• Dont make assumptions.
• DROP THE STEREOTYPES!

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Success Stories

• Serve DC Make a Difference Day 2009
• Part of Disability Awareness Month
• Four inclusive service projects
• DC Department of Parks and Recreation, Trinidad
  Neighborhood Assoc., St. Elizabeths Hospital,
  Youth Power Center
• The Corps Network
• Three inclusive crew models MN, UT, WI
• Trail maintenance and construction
• Home construction and weatherization
• Accessible garden construction
• Accessibility assessments of park facilities
  among other activities
• MN crew members learned ASL

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• QUESTIONS?

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Resources

• National Service Inclusion Project
  http//www.serviceandinclusion.org/
• National Inclusion Project http//www.inclusionpro
  ject.org/
• Job Accommodation Network
• http//www.jan.wvu.edu/
• The National Council on Independent Living
• http//www.ncil.org/
• National Consortium on Leadership Disability
  for Youth
• http//www.ncld-youth.info/
• National Collaborative on Workforce Disability
  for Youth
• http//www.ncwd-youth.info/

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Contact Information

• Andráea LaVant lavanta_at_iel.org
• Kerry Ginn kginn_at_cincinnatiymca.org
• Sarah Guy sguy_at_ysa.org