Widening the Circle Widening the Circle Supporting people with disabilities in relationships Call 2 of 3 in a 90-Minute Discussion Series Tuesday, September 27, 2011 North Carolina Relationships Initiative

The North Carolina Relationships Initiative This project is funded by the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities and implemented by the Human Services Research Institute. For more information, visit the NCRI webpage:

90-Minute Discussion Series Tuesday, September 13, 6:00-7:30pm Self-advocates talk about issues they experience regarding relationships and what they are doing individually and together to address them Tuesday, September 27 th, 6:00-7:30pm Parents, self-advocates, and an expert on guardianship discuss the natural struggle between people with concerns for health and safety and individuals wanting control of their own lives Tuesday, October 11 th, 3:30-5:00pm Staff from a provider agency in Charlotte, a family receiving services, and others discuss promising practices related to supporting people to develop a range of relationships in the community 3

Series facilitators Monica J Foster Project Coordinator/Self-Advocate Leader Jaime Daignault Project Director x 14 Katherine McLaughlin Relationships educator Paula Traverse-Charlton Positive support facilitator and educator

Today’s panelists Monica Foster, NCRI Coordinator and Self-Advocate Leader Debbie Kolesar, Self-Advocate Darren Frey, Self-Advocate Jeffrey Horsman, Self-Advocate Revonda Russos, Parent & Adult Services Coordinator at the Arc of Wake County Kay Zwan, Parent & Advocate for people with disabilities Betsy MacMichael, Parent & State Director, First in Families of NC 5

What do parents or staff want for their children or people they support? What are your concerns? Panel discussion Concerns for health and safety 6

How do you approach the idea of friends and romantic relationships with your children or people you support? Panel discussion Concerns for health and safety 7

What do self-advocates want? What are you concerned about? Panel discussion Concerns for health and safety 8

What information would you like to receive from parents or staff regarding relationships? Panel discussion Concerns for health and safety 9

What is guardianship? What are the benefits of guardianship? Panel discussion - Guardianship 10

Panel discussion - Guardianship 11 What are the limits of guardianship on the choices a person can make about friends or relationships?

Panel discussion - Guardianship 12 How can a person who has a guardian make choices about friends and relationships? What can others do to support?

Panel discussion - Guardianship 13 What alternatives to guardianship are available for families and individuals to explore?

Want to ask a question? Press *1 on your telephone key pad now Or, type your question into the chat box on the left side of your webinar screen Questions will be answered in the order they are received. We will do our best to answer all of your questions in the time we have. 14

Resources Materials on supporting people with disabilities in relationships are available here: carolina-relationships-initiative/overview/ncri-materials carolina-relationships-initiative/overview/ncri-materials If you have a Facebook account, join an online discussion group just for you. Search for the North Carolina Relationships Initiative page on Facebook, or follow one of the links below. Link to discussion group for People with Disabilities: Link to discussion group for Parents/Providers/Professionals:

Our next call Tuesday, October 11 th from 3:30 to 5:00 To register, download a printable registration form from our webpage: initiative/overview/ncri-events initiative/overview/ncri-events Or, contact Jennifer Negus at x 10 or 16

Questions about the North Carolina Relationships Initiative? Contact Jaime Daignault x 14 17