Author: Alan

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Support Documents – Tips & Resources

Support documents are written instructions for direct supporters. They lay out in a clear, step-by-step way, instructions for how to provide support to someone around a known, serious risk in their life. Support documents come in many forms and include protocols, safety plans, financial support plans, and more other documents. All support documents need to be personalized and specific to the person whose supports are being described. We should only provide supports that the person agrees with.

This month, we want to highlight several resources related to creating support documents. We’ve also included a few prompting questions that may help you improve and review existing documents.

Questions to consider when developing or reviewing support documents:

  • Was the person involved in creating supports around the risk? Has their perspective been captured in the support document?
  • Does the person want this support? Do they agree with how it is provided?
  • Is the support document unique to the person? Are the supports individualized? Is it clear who the supports belong to if you didn’t read the name at the top of the page?
  • Is what is ‘important to’ the person reflected in the support document? How?
  • Does the document provide clear instructions for direct supporters? Is the language used accessible? Are the instructions specific to the location where the support will be provided?
  • Is information up to date? Have you learned anything new since this document was written? Does the person want to something different?

Support Document Resources

Recorded Webinars

Online Modules

  • At OregonISP.org, we offer a number of deeper dives on support documents and developing risk management strategies.
  • ISP Module 5: Risk Management Strategies–-This module explains a person-centered approach to managing known risks. It also covers supporting challenging behaviors. The Provider Risk Management Strategies (PRMS) form is also addressed.
  • Risk Management Strategies– This recorded webinar introduces a person-centered approach to risk management. It reviews the purpose and function of the risk management plan in the Oregon Individual Support Plan (ISP). It then provides an overview of various written strategies that could be implemented to address an identified risk. It also talks briefly talk about protocols, financial plans, safety plans, and various types of positive behavior support documents. Finally, it closes with an overview of implementing support strategies and keeping them current.
  • 2017 Support Documents– This recorded webinar introduces the 2017 General Protocol and Financial Plan forms published in Adobe Acrobat DC format. It also discusses topics such as who writes support documents and why they’re helpful.
  • Protocol Instructions, Financial Plan Instructions– These documents give some helpful tips when using the protocol templates available at https://oregonisp.org/forms/support-docs/
  • Reach out to us! We’re happy to be a resource for you. If you have a specific question, if you’re wanting suggestions, or even if you just want to brainstorm, we’re happy to connect.Reach out by sending a support request.
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Intersectionality and Planning

In Oregon and across the country, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color face discrimination, oppression, and harm. The widespread Black Lives Matter movement against racism and other forms of oppression has significance for each of us. Our actions or inactions have the power to either challenge oppression and bias, or to sustain it. As this is true in both our personal and professional lives, this pipeline is intended to help inspire conversations on these important topics.
Three Black and disabled folx (a non-binary person holding a cane, a woman sitting in a power wheelchair, and a woman sitting in a chair) partially smiling at the camera while a rainbow pride flag drapes on the wall behind them.
Photo attributed to Disabled And Here
For information on the Oregon Office of Developmental Disability Services’ position, read:
 

Photo Description: Three Black and disabled folx (a non-binary person holding a cane, a woman sitting in a power wheelchair, and a woman sitting in a chair) partially smiling at the camera while a rainbow pride flag drapes on the wall behind them.

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is not a new concept, even though it has come up more frequently in recent years. The term was coined by Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw and it is “the idea that we all experience life—sometimes discrimination, sometimes benefits—based on a number of different identities we have.” No one experiences the world through only one aspect of themselves. For example, this writer isn’t a woman OR an immigrant OR someone with anxiety – rather, this writer is a complex person with all three of these identities that impact her in different ways at various times. When we use intersectionality in our work, we consider each of someone’s identities, how they work together, and how that shapes their experience of the world.
 
For those with multiple marginalized identities, oppression and discrimination can be compound. Consider:
  • A transgender person may experience others denying their gender identity by not using their correct pronouns. If the person also has an intellectual disability, are others more likely to deny or disregard their gender identity?
  • How might a person who is using repetitive movements to meet a sensory need be perceived by law enforcement? How would that response change if that person is also Black or a Person of Color?
We cannot only consider someone’s disability identity without also considering the impacts of racial, economic, gender-based, and other oppressions on their life. For more information about intersectionality, check out the resources at the end of this article.

Combating Our Own Biases when Planning with Others

As we plan with people, it is critical that we value and honor all parts of a person’s identity, even if we don’t know or understand all of them. Planning is a process of continued listening, learning, and action. This includes doing the critical work of discovering and confronting our own biases and the harm they may cause to others. This can be challenging and uncomfortable, but it is necessary to acknowledge if we want the impact of our efforts to match our intent.

Keep Learning

These topics are not one-time conversations, and this Pipeline article is just a small piece of the work ahead. It is important to remember that we are all at different places on our learning journeys. People are the experts in their own experiences, so it is critical to listen to, learn from, and help amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
 
What is most important, is that we commit to learning, unlearning, and changing our actions.

Additional Resources

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Quick Tips for Better Remote Planning

As we adapt and adjust to the current health crisis, many are turning to online platforms to plan remotely. Of course, online meetings have their challenges.

As we continue to plan remotely, we want to offer a few tips from the field on how to improve remote meetings.

DO:

Find the Person’s Preferences:
Even as we adapt to remote meetings and planning, it is still the person’s meeting, it is still the person’s plan! When does the person prefer to connect? What platform, application, or device works for them? Who do they want to join the conversation? Understanding and responding to this information is critical as we seek to engage with others remotely.
Share Accessible Agenda:
Agendas can help people collect their thoughts, share their perspective, and know what to expect during a meeting. If possible, send along materials that will be discussed. Give others enough time to read and respond to the agenda and materials.
Test Technology:
Choppy bandwidth? Dropped call? User error? Technology challenges can and will occur. Be prepared to walk people through new platforms and help them to know what to expect during a meeting. Have a plan of how to connect if ‘Plan A’ goes awry.
Prioritize:
We are all adjusting and adapting to a crisis. No one is on their “A-Game” and our meetings may be significantly less productive as a result. Prioritization is essential. If you can only get one thing done with the person or the team today, what would it be? Make that goal known. Anything more is a bonus
Take Care of Yourself and Each Other:
Recognize that this crisis is impacting everyone, but that everyone is impacted differently. People with pre-existing conditions, mental health needs and trauma history may be especially affected. Others, especially providers, may be experiencing significant burnout. Give yourself and others “outs”- options to stop, take breaks, and reschedule as needed.

AVOID:

Long Meetings: Have you noticed your own attention span being shorter on an online meeting than an in-person meeting? Keep meetings short and take breaks often. Does the person seem overwhelmed or ‘checked out’? It may be time for a break or to reconvene on another day.
Talking Over Each Other: In conference calls or meetings, consider asking others to keep themselves on mute if they are not speaking. Give people time to respond to questions and share their perspective. Expecting people to “chime in” can lead to a meeting in which people aren’t heard.
“Assume Zoom”:
Not everyone can use or wants to use Zoom. Meet people where they are in terms of time and technology. Consider what platforms they may already be using: Phone, Google Hangout, Facetime, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp etc.
Expecting to “Plan as Usual”: Expect that technology will fail, meetings will not be as productive, and distractions will abound. Do not hold yourself or others to ‘pre-crisis’ expectations. We are surviving in a global pandemic under incredible stress and uncertainty, not simply “working from home” or “meeting online instead of in person.” Remind and validate that for yourself and those you work
Everything in One Meeting: Trying to accomplish everything in a single meeting may cause others (and you) to feel overwhelmed. Keep the focus on fewer topics. Consider which are time sensitive and need to happen during the meeting. Can other topics be achieved through email or connected about later?

Download an infographic of the tips above!

While we want to offer tips for things to try and things to avoid while planning with people remotely, it’s important to recognize that each one of us is doing our best. If possible, laugh at the things you can laugh at. Kids will run in front of the screen; pets will find the worst times to play with their toys. Keep a sense of humor where you can. We’re all in this together.

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Infusing Trauma Informed Care into the ISP Process

Black chalkboard with a white chalk outline of the shape of a person's head from the side. Inside the head are different colored post-it notes that say angry, sad, excited, afraid, shy and happy
Have you heard the term trauma informed care?
Have you wondered what it is or why it seems to be the topic of so many conversations? If so, you’re not alone.

For this month’s ISP pipeline, we will give a brief introduction of trauma informed care and answer this key question: How might trauma informed care influence and shape our work within the ISP process? What is trauma, anyway? Trauma consists of those experiences which overwhelm, terrify, and violate a person.

This can be:

  • a single experience (such as an injury or assault) OR experiences that happen over time (such as abuse or neglect)
  • experiences of systemic oppression and adversity (such as racism, ableism, and sexism)
  • Toxic Stress- prolonged experience of stress in the body over time, typically without protective supports
We use the words trauma, adversity, and toxic stress interchangeably because they can impact us in similar ways. For example, they can activate our fight/flight/freeze response.
 
Unfortunately, trauma is very common, and even more so for people who experience disabilities. What is trauma informed care? One of the biggest misconceptions about trauma informed care is that it is a therapy for people who have experienced trauma. Trauma informed care is not about a therapy for trauma (although that is important and needed). It is a way to do our work differently so that we actively reduce re-traumatization for people.
 
The reality is, even with our best intentions, the service systems designed to help people can be traumatizing. Think about the amount of paperwork, the direct support workforce crisis and eligibility assessments that focus on deficits. With trauma informed care we use strategies that help people to regulate and reduce the time spent in fight/flight/or freeze mode.
 
Trauma informed care is an approach our work which focuses on creating safe experiences, restoring power, and valuing both the people engaging in services and those providing services.

Create a Safe Context

This is where we start: for someone to be able to engage in services they need to feel safe. This includes both physical safety and emotional safety. We often talk about safety during the planning process, but typically only from the perspective of a supporter. We think about if someone can safely navigate the internet without support, or if someone can navigate their community safely. We sometimes forget to dive in and understand if someone feels safe with a support provider assisting them with personal hygiene, or if they feel emotionally safe when they walk into their ISP meeting. Safety might look like:
  • Someone fully understanding their rights and knowing who they can go to if they have a concern.
  • A conversation with parents to listen to and address fears before talking about their child’s goals around relationships and sexuality.
  • Ensuring that a person’s voice and perspectives are heard when their group home is looking to hire additional support staff.

Restore Power

Some people have had very negative experiences with the ISP process. Historically, ISP meetings may have been a time in which a person’s restrictions, variances, and approved independent time in someone’s community were all talked about. It may have been a time when well-intentioned decisions were made that took power and control away from a person. Even when strengths and goals were also discussed, the loss of power is likely the memorable experience from this process. Providing a corrective experience will take time and require us to build trust.
 
If you work with someone who does not want to take part in their ISP meeting, try to understand why. Take steps to create a process they can engage in. Is the meeting not accessible for their learning or communication style? Do they have the final say on who their team members are? Have they had traumatizing experiences in previous ISP meetings? When someone can drive the planning process, they are more likely to engage in the plan and services. Restoring power throughout the ISP process might look like:
  • Using supported decision-making to help the person in making choices and directing their life.
  • Supporting the person to build relationships and supports outside of the service system.
    • This includes identifying when we, as paid supporters, are getting in the way of a person building relationships.
    • Ensuring that people have the needed information, time, and support to consent to their plan and services.
      • This includes providing clear options about what to do if they do not consent to parts of their plan.

Value the Person

When someone walks through your doors, do they feel valued? Do they feel like you want them there? We want to deliver culturally responsive, inclusive services where people feel valued. Valuing the person throughout the ISP process might look like:
Trauma informed approaches can’t be captured in a checklist and most certainly can’t be simplified into one pipeline article. The intention of this month’s article is to start the conversation. Trauma informed care involves changes in how we do our work, and how we support our workforce. For more information please check out:

Resources and References

Things to Consider When Providing a Trauma Informed ISP Meeting:

  • Schedule the meeting at the person’s preferred location at their preferred time of the day.
  • Make sure the person has easy access to a door to take a break and a good way to communicate they need a break.
  • Have water and snacks available.
  • Provide access to fidgets that work for the person (some ideas are rubber bands, colored pencils and paper, pipe cleaners, stress balls, play-dough).
  • Provide an agenda and refer to it along the way, so someone can see where they are in the meeting.
  • Be aware of your language:
    • Use plain language. Define acronyms, don’t assume someone knows them.
    • Use discretion with when and where you talk about sensitive topics. Someone might not want to talk about their sex life or their bowel movements in front of 6 people. Those might be conversations they have with a trusted support provider before the meeting.
    • Use person centered language opposed to systems based language.
      • Talk about who will support me with taking a shower, not who will be showering me.
      • Talk about my evening support workers teaching me how to do laundry, not my graveyard staff doing my laundry.
  • Provide clear, easy to process take away resources that show what is involved in the ISP process and what someone should expect.
  • Provide time, space, and support when people are asked to consent to plans. Someone might need to take a day, or a week to process the information, ask questions, and provide feedback before they feel ready to sign a plan. That is OK and should be encouraged!!

Author- Kelli Downey is a 2018 graduate of Trauma Informed Oregon’s train-the-trainer program.

Remember, we do not need to know someone’s trauma history, or even if someone has or has not experienced trauma to be able to provide trauma-informed care.

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ISP Forms in Action: Recording the Person’s Perspective

The Person Centered Information (PCI) form aims to capture the person’s perspective and what is ‘important TO’ them. Person Centered information is essential to planning. How can we help a person plan their life if we don’t first try to understand what a good life means to them? This goes beyond listening to a person’s words. Words are a very small part of our communication. Some people don’t use them at all. We want to pay attention to all the ways a person may express how they feel and what matters to them.

Person Centered Information Form

Understanding a person’s perspective is critical, and the PCI form can help us do just that. However, when gathering person-centered information, we may run into real life challenges. This month, we will explore a common barrier we’ve heard to gathering person-centered information and provide some suggestions and ideas that may help you in the future.

How can I record a person's perspective if they don't use words to communicate?

Corissa has been working as Dev’s personal agent for about a year. She’s met with Dev and his brother, Kamal, several times in their home. Kamal has shared a lot about his brother. Corissa has recorded everything she learns in the “additional input” sections of the PCI. Corissa has been hesitant to fill in anything in the “person’s perspective” sections. She questions whether she can record anything here, because Dev does not use words to communicate, but communicates using a few signs he has adapted from American Sign Language (ASL), facial expressions and gestures such as nodding and pointing.

So, how can we capture Dev's perspective in the PCI form?

When someone communicates without using words, we often learn what their perspective is through observation, spending time with them, and by gathering information from people in their life who they know and trust. We can record this information in the PCI in the person’s perspective by describing HOW we have learned what matters to them. For example:

 

Kamal has shared that Dev is interested in sports cars. Dev will point to cars when people arrive at his home. He will sign “car” and “fast” to others when they interact with him. At the grocery store, Dev often stops in the magazine aisle to flip through magazines that feature sports cars.

  • In Dev’s PCI, this information might be captured in a few different sections, including Transportation, Community and Social Life, Communication, Pre-Employment/Work, Characteristics of People Who Best Support Me, and Hopes and Dreams.
  • We might record under the ‘person’s perspective’ that “Dev likes fast, sporty cars. We know this because he will point to cars and sign “fast” and “car” as well as point to the car magazines when he is at the store. Dev likes to flip through magazines and point to pictures of sports cars and laugh.”
  • We also could write “fast cars” in Dev’s perspective, as he specifically signs these words. Context for these words is important. For example: “Dev signs ‘fast cars’ when he wants to talk with others about cars. Dev will smile broadly when people bring up the topic of sports cars with him.”
  • Kamal thinks that Dev is afraid of dogs. When Dev and Kamal walk in the neighborhood and come across a dog, Dev’s body tenses up and he begins to shake his head.
    • In Dev’s PCI, this might be captured in the Life in Current Living Arrangements, Community and Social Life, or even in his Pre-Employment-related Preferences sections.
    • We might record “Dev is afraid of dogs and does not want to interact with them. We know this because his body will tense up and he will shake his head from side to side when he sees a dog. This seems to be true for dogs of all breeds and sizes. Dev does not appear to react this way to cats or other pets.”

Quick Tips for Using the Person Centered Information Form:

Use 3rd-person language

  • It is generally best practice to avoid writing in first-person language such as “I love sports cars,” unless the person directly communicated this. A person could directly communicate their perspective through words, sign, assistive technology, or by agreeing to what is being written for them. Use quotation marks to indicate direct quotes from the person.
  • If we are making our best guess about a person’s perspective, or they did not directly communicate it with us, stick to third-person language. For example: “Dev signs ‘fast cars’ when he wants to talk with others about cars. Dev will smile broadly when people bring up the topic of sports cars with him.”

It’s all in the details! 

  • Ask yourself “what does that look like?” and “how do we know?” when helping a person capture their perspective in the PCI. These details are important!
  • Would a new supporter reading the PCI and be able to understand the person’s perspective and how we recognize what the person means?

Be clear and specific

  • Record who provided what information on behalf of the person. This way, we can follow up to gain clarity in the future, as well as find out more about the person’s communication in various situations. This is also important to help understand the person’s relationships and evolving interests, which could lead to potential desired outcomes, job prospects, or other positive life changes.
  • Even if a person is not directly sharing their perspective with us, we want to understand and include it in the ‘person’s perspective’ sections. It is okay to describe your “best guess”. We do this by including details of how the we came to understand their perspective. Be clear that what you are describing is your best guess.
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Oregon ISP Webinar – Introducing the new ISP form

This webinar is designed for Services Coordinators, Personal Agents, and other interested ISP team members. An optional, new ISP form will be available in July 2019. The new form contains updated service codes, minor formatting fixes, and provides a new option for formatting the Risk Management Plan. In this webinar, we’ll walk through the upcoming changes to the form. We’ll demonstrate how to import information from a previous version of the ISP using a licensed copy of Adobe Acrobat. We’ll also have time to answer your questions about the Oregon ISP process.

The presenters for this webinar include Melissa Crawford from Oregon’s Office of Developmental Disability Services and Alan Lytle from the Oregon ISP team at OTAC | The Arc Oregon.

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Working in a Diverse World, part 3 of 3

Two men and two women standing in a field holding cut outs of different shapes - rectangle, square, circle, oval
We live in a diverse world. As supporters, we get opportunities to work with people who share identities with us and people who have very different identities from ours. This diversity makes our jobs and our lives rich and meaningful. This multi-part series aims to build skills to better support all people.  

Below you’ll find three more tips for working in a diverse world. You can review tips #1-3 here and tips #4-6 here.  
Have a question or a comment? Contact us!

Tip #7 Understand your own culture.

Todd was raised to believe that most expensive purchases were wasteful. His grandmother would tell him that “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Todd would often judge others who he believed made expensive and frivolous purchases, especially families who were not as well off as his.  
 
To overcome these thoughts, Todd had to learn that his grandmother’s approach to handling money was not the only way of doing things. He now understands that everyone has different values around money management and that his values are not superior to others.
Two boys playing while Grandma sits on a couch, watching
Young woman using laptop computer on sofa
Punctuality was important to Lin. She believed that being more than ten minutes late to a meeting showed disrespect and lack of caring. When Isabella arrived late to multiple meetings, Lin became frustrated. During their meetings, Isabella was always fully attentive, while Lin would often take breaks to respond to calls and emails.  
 
Weeks later, Lin discovered that in Isabella’s family, the concept of time was much more relaxed and being present while relating to one another was more valued. Isabella was acting in a way that was normal in her family and country of origin. Not realizing this difference, Lin had mistakenly assumed that Isabella was disrespectful and that she didn’t care about their meetings.  
 
When Lin meets with Isabella now, she uses the time before Isabella arrives to respond to calls and emails. After she arrives, Lin puts her electronics away.
Culture is the lens through which we see the world. If we don’t understand our own values and preferences, we can fall into the trap of thinking that our way of doing things is “right,” and anyone different is “wrong.”
  • What are some of your values that guide your life? How do they influence the way you go about doing your work?
  • How might your culture be different from the that of people you work with? For example, what do you consider “on time”… five minutes early, right on the minute, ten minutes after? To a meeting? To a party?
  • Find out more about your own culture and how it relates to others. Review our previous two articles here and here for more tips.

Tip #8 Support cultural identity.

Woman in purple kneading dough
Aniya is a young woman with epilepsy. While her foster providers do a great job providing for her physical needs, she often expresses discomfort with her own body. Aniya was recently connected to an epilepsy support group online. She was surprised how many people experience the same things that she experiences.  
 
After returning from her first social meeting with the group, Aniya shared that others with epilepsy are very normal, and even cool.  
Dae is a middle-aged man who immigrated to the United States from South Korea with his parents when he was six. He no longer has any contact with his family of origin. Until last year, everyone in Dae’s life was white.
 
Ryan (who is Korean-American) was recently hired to work in Dae’s group home. When Ryan prepared Ramyeon, Dae showed how happy he was by laughing and clapping his hands. Ryan put together a book of recipes that others could try with Dae. He also suggested a Korean church Dae could try, where he would be able to meet others who shared his cultural identity .
bowl of noodles with egg
Community is important to all of us. It is essential to our emotional and social well-being to be part of communities with people that share similar identities. This is especially true when we are otherwise unlikely to meet people with similar identities to ours.
  • Not everyone needs a community for every identity that they have. It is important that we consider if others feel supported in their different layers of cultural identities.
  • As supporters, we may need to think about how we can help others connect with the communities that are important to them.
  • How could technology support people to engage more with their cultural identity?

Tip #9 Realize your limits as a supporter.

Lo is a young woman who identifies as queer. She wants to meet others who share this identity. She is interested in social justice, writing, queer culture, and being a part of her town’s LGBTQIA community.  
 
Berniece, Lo’s primary support provider, has a close bond with Lo and cares about her very much. Berniece has been married to her husband for many years. She is not familiar with queer culture. Berniece wants to help Lo meet others who identify as queer. She searches the internet for local LGBTQIA events, and since she knows that Lo gets anxious about going places alone, she offers to take Lo. Lo declines going with Berniece.
7 pairs of flip flops in the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, purple. They are lined up on the sand with a wave coming towards them.

Sanjay has recently started missing days at work. He has not wanted to leave his house. His supporter, Amber, noticed that he seems more unsteady on his feet. He has been using his walker all the time, while in the past he only used it for longer walks. She is concerned that he is afraid of falling, so she offers to help him with his shower. Sanjay gets angry and tells her he is “not a baby.” Amber discovers later that Sanjay is not comfortable with a young woman helping with his personal care.

Our job as supporters is not to be a person’s “everything.” Our job, rather, is to help people connect with the communities which are important to them. Sometimes that means we have to take a step back from personally providing supports. We may need to get creative about the possibilities and make space for others to support people in their unique identities.
 
Consider…
  • Do you understand the person’s preference on how they’d like to be supported?
  • Is there another person who can be a better match for this specific support? Keep in mind that all supports do not need to be provided by a single person.
  • What are potential opportunities for the person to branch out and meet others they share things in common with? How do they feel about that?
  • How could we help support a person from the sidelines, while they shine? What do we need to learn?
  • Could an assistive device or technology be helpful?

This is a light-hearted but informative video about being a good ally to people who are part of a marginalized group but want to help.

Meet the author

Headshot of Jennifer Buss

Jennifer Buss – ISP Project Manager

Additional contributions to this article

Aniko Adany – OTAC Trainer

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Working in a Diverse World, part 2 of 3

We live in a diverse world. As supporters, we get opportunities to work with people who share identities with us and people who have very different identities from ours. This diversity makes our jobs and our lives rich and meaningful. This multi-part series aims to build skills to better support all people.  

 

This is part 2 of the 3 part series. Find our previous three tips here. You can find the next three tips here. You can review the first article in this series here.

Have a question or a comment? Contact us!

Tip #4: Admit mistakes.

When Terry met Michelle last week, Michelle shared that she is transgender* and uses female pronouns. Over the phone today, Terry accidentally used “he” when referring to Michelle. “I’m sorry, I mean she,” Terry corrected herself before moving on.
 
* Transgender: person whose gender identify differs from their sex assigned at birth
A woman sits on stone steps using a cell phone
Mistakes are sometimes impossible to avoid. We all make them. In fact, making mistakes is an important part of learning. We do not need to feel ashamed. Instead, it is important that we admit mistakes and learn from them.
 
Consider:
  • Instead of long explanations of your intent or deepest regret, simply apologize and move the conversation forward. Often, by focusing on the mistake, we only further alienate people.
  • Even if you don’t understand how or why something is offensive, don’t argue. If someone shares that you hurt or offended them, value their feelings and acknowledge your mistake.
  • Admitting your mistake might even help you connect with the person better and learn about who they are.

Tip #5: Be humble.

Laura and Andre were at a parade, and both were having a fun time. After the fire trucks rolled by, a police car came, flashing its sirens at the cheering crowd. Laura applauded loudly, feeling proud of the local police. She turned to Andre, and noticed his head was down, and he was shaking his head “no.” He seemed very upset. Laura was confused about this change in attitude. The fire truck siren hadn’t seemed to bother him, why should the police siren?

Black and white police vehicle

Terry began working with Jonah a few weeks ago. He noticed that Jonah eats a lot of canned and processed food. Terry used to eat primarily frozen food until three years ago, when he became more health conscious and lost significant weight. At that time, Terry had started going to the farmer’s market and eating fresh fruits and vegetables. He decides to “help” Jonah eat the same way. The two go to the farmer’s market and buy a week’s worth of food. The next week, Terry realizes that Jonah does not having enough money left to buy groceries for the rest of the month. 

An important step in having cultural humility is to recognize areas in which you may have privilege. Privilege does not mean you’ve never had to work hard, or that things were handed to you. It just means that there are some problems or concerns you’ve never had to think about. Privilege can be like biking with the wind at your back. It helps you go faster, but it’s hard to notice. For those biking into the wind, the wind is obvious.
 
To have cultural humility, we should remember that we’re always learning! No one person is the expert on this topic. Listening to the perspective of others is crucial. We should also be open to being wrong. Remember, this is how we learn!
 
Consider:
  • Which of your identities might be considered “privileged” because they fall in the majority or mainstream? (For example: speaking English without an accent, having a bank account, driving a car, having had an education, etc.)
  • Take a minute to think about issues you’ve never had to face because of your privilege. You can find a few examples in the links below:
  • Why is recognizing your privilege important? How might this impact the work we do?

Want to further explore the concept of Able Privilege?

Check out this TEDx talk

Able Privilege, Re-Conceptualizing Disability
Alan Larson at TEDxSFA

Tip #6: Understand power differences.

Jun is redecorating her home with Misha’s help. Jun has recently gotten into dark, bold colors and really wants to paint her bedroom charcoal. She knows that Misha likes pastel colors and is afraid to tell her what she really wants, even though Misha is offering her choices. Jun ends up painting her wall mint green. She is afraid she might disappoint Misha if she picks a color Misha doesn’t like. Jun is also worried that Misha might not want to spend time with her there, or even quit working with her if Jun paints the room dark.

Green wall with white bucks in front of it
Eli is about to leave for the grocery store with his new supporter, Tyrese. As they are preparing to leave, Mary reminds Tyrese to “make sure you take her inhaler with you, just in case.” Confused, Tyrese asks, “her?” Mary tells Tyrese know that “well, you’re new so you might not know yet, but Eli was actually born a girl.” Tyrese does not need to know this history to do his job. In fact, Eli preferred that others not share this personal information. 

 

When we are paid to support someone, there is an implied power differential between us. This is simply the nature of the support role. As a paid supporter, no matter how much we might care about a person and respect their choices, there is an inherent power difference. People might be hesitant to express their true choices or say no to someone who is a supporter.
 
There can be additional power differences at play if a supporter is from a majority group, such as white, middle-class, or a native English-speaker. Some may be hesitant to disagree with, correct, or share personal information with someone they view as “the professional.”
 
So how can we help? We must listen to someone’s communication, with our ears, as well as our eyes and critical thinking skills. Understanding someone’s perspective might take more than just asking them, although simply asking someone what they think is an important and sometimes forgotten step.
 
Power also comes into play as paid supporters disclose information about a person. For example, how often do you discuss a person’s bowel movements with other professionals? How often do people tell others about your bowel movements? Sometimes, sharing private information is necessary. However, we must respect the privacy of those we support to the greatest degree possible.
 
Think carefully:
  • If someone else were to ask this person this question, would they still respond the same way? Is it possible that our presence is influencing this person’s decision?
  • Is this information that needs to be shared, and why? Who needs to know private details about a person and when is it irrelevant? Privacy is a right and reducing someone’s privacy also reduces their personal power over their own self and life.
  • How can we create opportunities for a person to make their own decisions and control situations which impact them? Control over oneself and life is a human need, and it is critical to self-advocacy and a full life. In services, this can be especially challenging, and we must strive to always consider and promote someone’s power.
  • How can assistive technology help? There may be a solution that supports safety without another human having to provide a hand.

Meet the author

Headshot of Jennifer Buss

Jennifer Buss – ISP Project Manager

Additional contributions to this article

Aniko Adany – OTAC Trainer

Posted on

Working in a Diverse World, part 1 of 3

Two men and two women standing in a field holding cut outs of different shapes - rectangle, square, circle, oval
We live in a diverse world. As supporters, we get opportunities to work with people who share identities with us and people who have very different identities from ours. This diversity makes our jobs and our lives rich and meaningful.  

This is part 1 of a multi-part series by Jennifer Buss aims to start conversations about culture and cultural responsiveness. Here are the links to view part 2 or part 3.  You can review the first article in this series here.
 
This series of articles provides a few tips to help you build skills to better support all people. Have a question or a comment? Contact us!

Tip #1: Don't assume.

“Can I help with anything?” Maria asks as John puts on a sweater.

Maria does not assume John wants or needs her help, just because dressing takes longer because of his disability.

Woman helping seated man put on a sweater

“What are you doing for Hanukkah this year?” Travon asks Margie.

While Travon knows that Margie’s family is Jewish, he does not know that Margie prefers to celebrate Christmas with her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s family. In fact, Margie has not celebrated Hanukkah in years.

Assumptions are normal. Everyone sees the world through their own experiences. But assumptions are also powerful. The assumptions we make influence our words and action.
 
Even when groups of people share similar thoughts or values (e.g. many Christians attend church regularly), it can be hurtful when we assume these are true of an individual person (e.g. because James is a Christian, he must want to attend church every Sunday). By asking instead of assuming, we can learn a lot more about a person, their needs, and their preferences.
 
Consider:
  • Have you ever been surprised by someone’s abilities once you got to know them?
  • Have you ever assumed someone belonged to a majority group (i.e. heterosexual, Christian, English-speaker, cisgender*)?
  • Has anyone ever made a wrong assumption about you or your identities? If so, what was that like for you?
*cisgender: When a person is cisgender, they identify as the gender that matches the sex that they were assigned at birth. You can learn more here: http://www.transstudent.org/gender

Watch this lighthearted video.

How does the woman in this video respond to the assumptions made about her?

Tip #2: Get curious.

Rachel grew up on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon and now lives in the Portland metro area. She communicates primarily using gestures and facial expressions. Lucas supports Rachel and is interested in learning more about her experiences and preferences. He asks Rachel if it would be okay to ask her brother questions about her time on the Warm Springs Reservation. Rachel communicates that this is okay using her signs. At the next team meeting, Rachel’s brother shares that as a child, Rachel would travel to powwows across Oregon and Northern California with her parents. Rachel has not visited the Warm Springs Reservation since her parents passed away. Rachel confirms that she really wants to visit.

Image of a woman seated at a table
2 women seated
Tiana learns that Jennie is interested in dating. Tiana asks Jennie if it would be alright to ask her a few questions about what dating means to her. Tiana learns that Jennie is interested in men, women, and non-binary* people. To Jennie, dating is about being social, having fun, and flirting. She does not want to be exclusive with anyone right now.
 

*non-binary is a term for someone who identifies as something other than exclusively male or exclusively female. You can learn more here: https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-non-binary-people-how-to-be-respectful-and-supportive

To understand how to best support people, we need to understand what is ‘important to’ them. By asking questions, we can avoid assumptions and learn about people’s experiences and preferences.
 
Being curious is not about simply interviewing people. Interviewing tends to be one-sided, while having an authentic conversation is a two-way street. We learn information through talking with and connecting with people, which can include sharing about ourselves. Most importantly, we must be respectful of both the person’s views and their choice about how much information to share.
 
Consider…
  • What are ways we can learn about others that are natural and comfortable for the other person?
  • How can we use natural timing and opportunities to get to know each other more? For example, cooking together might be a great time to learn about someone’s favorite meals, which can then lead to finding out more about their family and special traditions.
  • What is the person’s preferred way of communicating? Use techniques such as active listening and open-ended questions to understand the person’s perspective.

Tip #3: Reduce the impact of bias.

Tony read an article in which he learned that men often interrupt women in the workplace. At the next few team meetings, he noticed himself jumping in to contribute his ideas before his female coworkers were finished speaking. Tony now pays different attention to his communication to make sure that he doesn’t interrupt anyone.

3 men sitting at a table

Kira took a self-assessment and was troubled to notice that she often had more negative thoughts of the parenting styles of single mothers than that of mothers in two-parent households. This was true regardless of other factors. To work on this, Kira began to intentionally notice the parenting strengths of the single mothers with whom she worked. She also studied her own case notes for statements that appeared judgmental. Kira brought her observations up with her supervisor and together they created a plan for Kira to work on this bias.

Everyone has their own perspectives and biases, it’s part of being human. However, sometimes our biases negatively impact our best efforts to support people in living lives according to their own values. Becoming aware and reducing the impact of our own biases is essential to becoming a more culturally responsive supporter.
  • What assumptions are you making about people whose experiences are different from your own?
  • How might your biases influence your work, either negatively or positively?
  • To learn more about finding your own biases, take a minute to read last month’s pipeline article here.

Meet the author

Headshot of Jennifer Buss

Jennifer Buss – ISP Project Manager

Posted on

Becoming a Culturally Responsive Supporter

6 people sitting around a table with a word bubble that says "What Katie is saying is.."
It can be hard to talk about culture, especially at work. People may think they do not know enough or feel afraid to accidentally offend others. Many hesitate to point out insensitive words and actions of other employees. Others do not speak up against organizational policies which may be a disadvantage to specific groups. However, we strive to provide services that make sense to the people we serve. This means that cultural responsiveness is essential to the work we do.

This multi-part series by ISP Project Manager Jennifer Buss aims to start conversations about culture and cultural responsiveness. It will look at how we work with people on an individual level and how our organizations serve diverse populations.

What is Cultural Responsiveness?

Cultural Responsiveness is:

 1. being aware of one’s own cultural backgrounds and biases,

 2. being aware of the dynamic culture and identities of others, and,

 3. using this information to interact with others in a way that is respectful and sensitive to their needs and perspectives.

What does this mean for our field? It means changing and individualizing what we are doing to create supports that make sense and are relevant to each person with whom we work. In other words, we respond to the unique needs and preferences of others, even when those needs and preferences are different from our own. This applies not only to our work with people, but also to organizational and system-wide policies and practices.

 

You may also be familiar with the term cultural humility. Similarly, it refers to working effectively and respectfully with people from cultures different from your own, through a process of self-reflection and awareness. It also focuses on lifelong learning. Cultural responsiveness and cultural humility are not destinations, but ongoing processes. As supporters, we should constantly strive to increase our ability to work with people from a broad diversity of backgrounds and experiences. We can always improve.

What about Culture?

The Office of Equity and Multicultural Services (OEMS) within Oregon’s Department of Human Services defines culture as ” a common or shared system of values, behaviors, beliefs and relationships that create a sense of community among individuals. Culture is complex and dynamic and can change over time.” Culture is something shared among people. At the same time, each member of a cultural group is unique and complex. To understand a person’s values, beliefs, and perspectives, one needs to get to know that person as an individual.

Identity Map model

For each of us as individuals, c ulture is more than a list of categories or a single identity. One cannot summarize their individual culture by naming a single group, such as saying one’s culture is “Eastern European”, “Female”, or “Queer.” For example, a middle-aged, first-generation Somali immigrant living in rural Minnesota would likely have a very different culture than a black teen living in the Bronx; however, both individuals fall into the categorical label of “African American.”

Have you heard the phrase, “If you’ve met one person with a disability, then you’ve met one person with a disability?” The same is true of any of our identities, including age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability status, and religion or spirituality. Factors like socioeconomic status, language, geographic region, education, how we were raised, and social, political, economic, and historic contexts can also have a huge impact on our cultural identities. Culture is all of these factors working together.

Self-Knowledge, the Foundation for Success

Understanding your own culture. The first step in becoming more culturally responsive is to understand one’s own culture and the identities which shape it. It can be hard to notice one’s own culture. This might include things a person was taught were “right” or “normal” their whole life. If a person continues to assume their own values, practices, and beliefs are right or normal without recognizing them as part of their culture, it is easy to see how this can lead to misunderstandings, judgement, and biases toward people who are different from them.

To illustrate this point, I will use the example of a fictional Services Coordinator named Zoe and what she considers “normal” family meal practices. Some families eat together at the table, others in front of the television, and still others separately, whenever each member is hungry. When Zoe was young, she was often scolded for trying to leave the table during meals. She was told this was disrespectful to the family and their time together. For Zoe, eating dinner as a family at the table seems “right” or “normal.” 
2 men and a women sitting around a table. A second woman is standing at the table pouring a drink into a glass from a pitcher.

When Zoe visits with Carl, she notices that his family does not have a formal dinner time, and that everyone eats in front of the TV. Zoe assumes that Carl’s parents are too lazy to have a family dinner, and that this is not a strong, cohesive family unit. If Carl’s family valued their time together, wouldn’t they eat meals at the table, like her family? Zoe has a bias against family meal practices that are different from her own.

For Zoe to overcome her bias, she would first need to understand that eating at the table is a value of her family culture. It is not, as she was taught as a child, better than (or morally superior to) other ways of eating dinner.

It can be very challenging to study your own culture. However, if we do not make the effort to understand our personal values, beliefs, and norms, we will inevitably judge those who have different values, beliefs, and norms from our own.

Cultural Considerations Activity

Understanding your own identities, values and practices

Take a few minutes to think about your own identities and try this activity.

  1. Create an “identity map” for yourself, describing the roles and identities which make you “you.” Write your name in the center and your identities around it. Here is an example for Leah.
  1. Add detail to each of your identities. Consider the following:
    • Do you connect with or are you part of a community with others who share this identity?
    • What values do you associate with this identity?
    • What practices, traditions, and norms are important to this aspect of you?
    • What is important for people in your life to understand about this identity?
    • How does this characteristic impact the way you relate to others different from this identity?

More detail about Leah's identities

Person with ADHD: Leah has several family members with ADHD with whom she is in frequent contact. This connection is important to her, because these family members give her support, resources, and share similar experiences. Leah wants her teachers and others to understand that when she is distracted or disengaged, she needs support, not judgement.

Agnostic, Raised Catholic : Leah has a few friends who are also agnostic and has enjoyed having philosophical conversation with them. They also provided support to Leah when she was fighting with her parents about her spiritual beliefs. Although Leah does not consider herself Catholic, it is important to her to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas with her family. One day, Leah wants to give her children the opportunity to explore all religions and faiths and determine their own belief system. Leah wants her parents to know that she still respects their beliefs and that she wants them to also respect her beliefs.

Identifying biases

Another important step of exploring your own culture is to understand what biases or assumptions you may have about others. The Office of Equity and Multicultural Services (OEMS) defines bias as “prejudice; an inclination or preference, especially one that interferes with impartial judgment.” For Zoe, understanding her bias meant recognizing her judgments of Carl’s family based upon their mealtime practices.

Understanding one’s own biases can be challenging, as many biases are “unconscious” (also known as implicit bias). As humans, our minds may jump to assumptions when we see a person for the first time. These assumptions can hurt people, especially if we change our actions toward them.

One example is the tendency for women to be interrupted more frequently at workplace meetings than male coworkers. We may not actively believe that men are more capable than women. A team sitting around a table with laptops. However, most of us have heard and/or seen this message through portrayals of men and women in media, in everyday language, and through the way others around us interact. These messages can affect the way we treat male and female coworkers, even if we are not aware of it.

6 people sitting around a table with a word bubble that says "What Katie is saying is.."

Not all biases are unconscious. We live in a world full of clear messages of stereotypes and biases. Can you think of any examples?Do you believe generalizations about any one group of people? Even when we reject these generalizations, they can impact the way we see others. How might stereotypes be influencing your perceptions of people who are different from you? How might this impact your work with others?

An ongoing process

Cultural responsiveness is not a destination, it’s a process. Take time to reflect on your own culture, values, and identities and complete the Cultural Considerations activity listed above. Continue to think about the activity as you go through your week. Talk to family members, friends, and trusted colleagues about what you included on your identity map. Ask them what information they would add to yours.
In our 3- part series, “Working in a Diverse World,” we continue to discuss cultural responsiveness and provide additional resources. Here are the links to part 1, part 2 and part 3.  If you have questions, please reach out and ask a question at OregonISP.org.

Meet the author

Headshot of Jennifer Buss

Jennifer Buss – ISP Project Manager

Posted on

Module 7: Strategies for a Successful ISP & FAQ

This module presents answers to many questions we’ve received since the Oregon ISP process rolled out. These answers provide valuable tips toward a more successful ISP.

Launch this module

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Please note: We do not provide certificates of completion for our online training modules.