Community Living Week 3: June 22, 2015

Community Living/Integration ä It’s about deciding where you want to live, and linking that with your income, your potential income, and other priorities and abilities ä It’s about learning to care for your home ä It’s about safety ä It’s about being a contributing member of your community (taxes, volunteering, membership) ä It’s about the kind of lifestyle you want (city, rural, suburban)

Trends in Community Living ä A Home ä We still have a strong institutional bias. A large majority of funds go to institutions and/or group homes, leaving little to support families and adults living in their own homes. ä In many states, this goes only for respite care.

Shift in Focus: Quality of Life ä Supports rather than programs ä Natural supports ä Deinstitutionalization: Olmstead supreme court decision.

Assumptions ä Everyone can live in a home of one’s choice in the community, given appropriate support ä No one should be segregated based on the nature of his/her disability ä Readiness cannot be predicted

Community Living Options ä Those options in the community versus in an institutional setting. ä Supervised group living (group homes, intermediate care facilities, nursing homes) ä Alternative Family ä Semi-independent Living Program ä Independent Living Services ä Supported living services

Assessment of Community Living ä What options exist? ä What sources of financial support can I access? ä What supports will I need?

Assessments ä Student goals ä Student strengths/needs ä Resources available ä Qualification for supports as needed

Teaching Life Skills: Approaches ä Simulated Activities: instruction that is community-referenced (skills are used in community settings) but not done in community- settings ä Community-Based Instruction (CBI): instruction on life skills that is provided in one specific setting in which they are used. ä Self-determination: infusing self-determination into simulated and/or CBI

Residential Funding/Services ä Employment ä Roommate ä Social security/SSI ä Medicaid ä Medicaid Waiver ä Developmental Disability Services ä Independent Living Centers ä HUD Rent Subsidy ä Food Stamps ä Energy Assistance ä State funding program ä Gifts ä Inheritance ä Trusts ä Court settlements

Simulated Instruction Pros ä Can be done in most school settings and most times ä Can focus on specific skills that are most in need ä Can have multiple trials to teach a specific skill, but if in real setting that would not be possible ä Has been used to teach multiple skills Cons ä Students may have difficulty in generalizing to real setting ä Difficult to simulate many real world experiences ä Complexities of real world settings is often lost in simulations

Community-based instruction Pros ä Teach real skills in real settings ä Allows instruction of the soft skills/complexities ä Eliminates need to teach students to generalize a skill ä Use of real materials, people, etc. Cons ä Challenging to organize and/or coordinate (transportation, financial, permissions) ä Teachers have to use inconspicuous strategies & materials ä Must design instruction that meets the needs of the CBI setting

Strategies for teaching/assessment ä Task Analysis ä Environmental Assessment/Situational Assessment ä One-more than strategy ä Community Resource Mapping

Community Living Activities ä Food shopping ä Cooking ä Housekeeping ä Laundry ä Personal hygiene ä Recreational activities ä Budgeting ä Paying bills ä Using a checkbook ä Money skills ä Assuring enough income ä Transportation ä Taking medications ä Arranging doctor/dentist visits ä Accessibility needs