Summer Institute on Authentic, Inclusive Lifestyles Creates Vision for Nebraskans

On July 30th and 31st, 2010, Nebraska Advocacy Services, Inc., the Center for Disability Rights, Law and Advocacy (NAS), along with the Nebraska Value-Based Education Coalition and Nebraska Wesleyan University held its premier two-day Summer Institute on Authentic, Inclusive Lifestyles at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln. Over 100 participants attended including developmental disabilities service workers, managers, professionals, policymakers, special educators, people who have developmental disabilities, disability advocates and family members of people who have disabilities.

The idea of planning and organizing a Summer Institute came from a value-based training workshop facilitated by Darcy Elks where she devotes a significant amount of time talking about the importance of developing a vision of what life can be like for us all. Ms. Elks quotes proverbs which states, “Without a vision the people perish.” Eventually a collection of quotes became the cornerstone for the Summer Institute: Proverbs states, “Without a vision the people perish.” It is also true that “Without people the vision perishes.” As Johnetta Betch Cole observes, “While it is true that without a vision the people perish, it is doubly true that without action the people and their vision perish as well.”

Six international, cutting-edge speakers featured at The Summer Institute provided an opportunity for participants to develop a thoughtful and challenging vision of what community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities could look like in Nebraska. Parent participant, Janet Miller stated, “I thought it was really good information and felt bad that there weren’t more parents who were able to attend. I’d like to bring back Darcy Elks just to talk to parents who need this valuable information. There are a lot of parents that would like to develop community supports for their children but don’t have the support to do it. Once you get out of a school, integrated settings dwindle away to almost nothing.”

The planners believe that the Institute will have a positive impact on both service delivery as well as public policy. Speakers at the Institute challenged the idea of “employability” which disputes the notion that anyone is unemployable. They also offered other visions for real inclusion, such as leisure activities, and post-secondary education opportunities. “These things are happening elsewhere and can become reality for Nebraskans, so we can all experience The Good Life,” states Institute planner, Dianne DeLair.

This month, the Nebraska Educational Telecomunications Network will broadcast a program highlighting the five (5) plenary sessions from the Summer Institute on NET-2. The NET-2 television network reaches the entire state. The Summer Institute on Authentic Inclusive Lifestyles will be broadcast on Thursday, September 16, (7:00 p.m. Central Time); Sunday, September 19, 1:00 p.m. Central Time; Thursday, September 23, 8:00 p.m. Central Time; and on Sunday, September 26, 4:00 p.m. Central Time.

Organizing the Summer Institute is part of an effort by NAS, Inc. and others to reintroduce value-based training in Nebraska. The Institute was made possible through the generous donation of facilities and space by Nebraska Wesleyan University and funding from the Woods Charitable Fund, Inc. and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Nebraska.

"The Summer Institute on Authentic Inclusive Lifestyles' was an incredibly important first step towards thinking about and planning for full inclusion for people with disabilities in the community. I look forward to returning to Nebraska for more value-based training in the coming months and for the next Institute scheduled for 2012," states presenter, Darcy Elks.

In 2007, the Nebraska Value-Based Education Coalition was formed to plan and organize value-based training events. To date the Coalition has organized and held five Social Role Valorization (SRV) workshops involving more than 200 participants, three one-day “Power of Roles” workshops involving over 350 participants and a week-long Program Analysis of Service Systems Implementation of Normalization Goals (PASSING) workshop involving 25 participants. These events were supported by Nebraska Wesleyan University, the Woods Charitable Fund, Inc., Region V Services, The Arc of Nebraska and NAS, Inc. During the past three years, the Coalition has educated over 550 people who now understand the consequences of societal devaluation and who are committed to developing effective strategies to address its consequences.

To learn more about the Nebraska Value-Based Education Coalition contact John Murphy at Nebraska Advocacy Services, Inc. at 474-3183 in Lincoln and at 1-800-422-6691 outside Lincoln. You may also reach him by e-mail at john@nas-pa.org.

The Featured Presenters

Hope Leet Dittmeier, Executive Director
Realizations LLC

Hope is the Founder and Executive Director of Realizations LLC, an organization in Louisville, Kentucky that partners with people with disabilities to plan, create and sustain personalized supports. She has over 30 years of experience in a variety of roles including direct support, program development, administration, planning facilitation, and consultation and confesses to being a Social Role Valorization junkie.

Morgan Crawford
Artist and Private Business Owner

Morgan is an artist and the owner of Blazing Beads. Five years ago, after living in a residential facility for three years, Morgan moved to her own condominium. She directs her own personalized supports. Morgan has influenced many through her formal presentations locally and in four other states. She also hosts tours in her home which show other interested parties how to design custom supports that result in a desirable lifestyle.

Darcy Elks, M.A.

Darcy is an educator, consultant, human service evaluator, and advocate on behalf of people who are societally devalued. She has traveled extensively within North America and many other countries. Darcy has worked with many different groups of people, including persons who have themselves been marginalized by society, family members, professionals from different disciplines e.g. teachers, ministers, rabbis, psychologists, social workers etc., members of faith communities and human service providers from a number of fields, e.g., intellectual disability, mental health, and aging.

The focus of Darcy’s work is to encourage attitudes and structures which promote social value and inclusion for people who have disabilities and other people who have been devalued and excluded. Darcy’s passion is to help create inclusive communities - where all are welcome and can use our gifts for the good of one another. Over the years, Darcy has developed and taught workshops that focus on devaluation, its consequences, and what can be done to effectively deal with these dynamics. Darcy has also worked with many people and organizations to build inclusive communities.

David G. Hammis, Executive Director
Griffin - Hammis Associates, LLC

David Hammis is the Executive Director of the Center for Social Capital; Senior Partner at Griffin-Hammis Associates, National Technical Assistance Co-Director for Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources, & Training (START-UP/USA); Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Missouri Social Security Certification Training and technical assistance for SSA’s WIPA (Work Incentives Planning and Assistance) Program;

Dave works with organizations nationally and internationally on customized employment, self-employment, benefits analysis, supported employment, and employment engineering. Dave received the International Association for Persons in Supported Employment Professional of the Year Award for his "Outstanding support and commitment to people with disabilities especially in the areas of Career Development and the use of Social Security Work Incentives.”

Judith McGill, Executive Director
Families for a Secure Future
LidePath Training and Consulting

As an Independent Facilitation and Planning organizer, Judith spends time with individuals and their families supporting them to build networks of support and helping them to “re-imagine” their futures.

Judith is also an adult educator with LifePath Training and has been writing and speaking about leisure and community building in the field of disability for over twenty five years. Her provocative style and inspirational ideas have transformed the lives of many of the people with whom she has come into contact.

Bruce Uditsky, Chief Executive Officer
Alberta Association for Community Living (AACL)

Bruce Uditsky, M.Ed., is the Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Association for Community Living (AACL). He has been invited to speak and consult on a wide variety of disability practice and research issues in Canada, United States, Mexico, Australia, Russia, New Zealand and in Europe.

Bruce has been recognized for his public advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities as the recipient of a number of awards.