Developed By: Sarah Stup and The Arc of Frederick County Hope’s Ingredients Developed By: Sarah Stup and The Arc of Frederick County Name: _____________________ Date: _________________

Raising Hope Hope is my favorite word. Hope presses against my autism to let Sarah shine forth. I use hope for a springboard to leap from places that attract laziness and powerlessness to a height for futures never imagined for a person like me. Because hope troops along through stop signs, people with disabilities and all people who help them need to raise hope.

C.R. Snyder writes about the importance of hope in the book Cognitive Coping, Families, & Disability. (Turnbull, A., Patterson, J., Behr, S., et al.) Two equal ingredients of hope are the determination to get what we want and the creation of pathways to goals. People with high hope take new routes whenever a pathway is blocked.

Achievers get what they want more often by using these two tested ingredients, says Snyder. Since those of us with disabilities have less opportunity, we need to use this hope method to be happy and peaceful. Pathways can be created where we are wishing to go, not where we are told to go. People who help us should be pleased we have eyes that forget disability.

Although people with low hope focus on failure, the author suggests ways that hope can be nurtured. Please practice raising hope for the real people who are inside bodies that work differently. Remind them of past times when they were successful, and let them know they are worth lots to God. Reading stories about others who have broken through barriers can be encouraging. Goals can be reduced into steps that seem possible, and it is important to learn to laugh and keep going after a problem.

People with disabilities can use hope ingredients to gain regular lives. Because our souls are whole and healthy, we have real hopes and dreams – hope without disability. These perfect hopes can be our leader out of a world that too often turns away. Raise hope! Bibliography Turnbull, Ann P., Patterson, Joan M., Behr, Shirley K., Murphy, Douglas L., Marquis, Janet G., Blue-Banning, Martha J. Cognitive Coping, Families &Disability. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1993.

Now let’s think about how we learn to use Hope’s Ingredients in our lives. READY!!!

What are your hopes today? What are things you hope for?

Write down your favorite hopes...

How will you make your Hope happen?

Choose... Choose a Hope: Give pathways to make that Hope come true

Who will you share your hopes with? Share your hopes... Let others know Who will you share your hopes with? Family? Others? Friends? Neighbors? Teachers?

Why are your hopes important?

List why your hopes are important...

Do you have a hope that is too silly to tell about?

Write down your silly hopes...

Do you think people with disabilities have more or fewer hopes than others?

Write down what you think...

Ways you can become a high hope person... Set goals Dream Live! Share your feelings Ask questions Be brave

Some Hope’s Ingredients Successes... Sarah used Hope’s Ingredients to become an author and advocate. Curran participated in a leadership class with The Arc and landed a job as a cashier at Target. Tom has been employed at Best Buy for over 2 years. Hope’s Ingredients helped Patricia realize that working in a creative atmosphere was important. She has worked at Jo-Ann Fabrics and now designs mannequins at JC Penney.

What dreams will Hope’s Ingredients help you make true? Let Sarah and The Arc know... Email us at: sarahstup@aol.com and astephens@arcfc.org

Mission Statement... Mission Statement... The mission of The Arc of Frederick County is to provide advocacy, access to resources, and assistance in increasing individual and family connections for people with developmental disabilities. The organization seeks creative solutions to help people attain the goals they choose, thereby creating better lives for people with disabilities and their families. www.arcfc.org “Even though my sounding voice is broken, I want to use my loud typing voice to send messages of hope and understanding. With my writing I can let people know that those of us with disabilities are real people worth knowing. Words, bent and poked and stretched, can change minds and make a new and better world. You are great to help me help others.” -Sarah Stup www.sarahstup.com The Arc of Frederick County ~ 620-A Research Drive ~ Frederick, MD 21703 ~ 301-663-0909