Training Day 1: The Philosophy of Independent Living Facilitated by Sarah Maye

1. Training Day 1: The Philosophy of Independent LivingFacilitated by Sarah Maye Location: Tullamore Court Hotel Date: Tuesday, 15th June 2010

2. Agenda: 11.00am Introductions, Health and Safety 11.15am PQASSO and Election of volunteers 12.30pm By the end of this session... What is the Philosophy of Independent Living? Social vs Medical Models of Disabilities 12.45pm Where did Independent Living come from? The Ed Roberts Story. 1.00pm Lunch 1.45pm The benefits of Independent Living 2.10pm Role plays/Discussions: How would we promote the philosophy. 2.45pm Selecting the OCIL Ltd ambassadors. 3.00pm Finish

3. Welcome to the first of four training days! I hope you find it interesting and informative. • The information given to you today will be available in alternative formats, for example online or in larger fonts. • Do not hesitate to ask me any questions or make any comments. Introducing Dermot O’Donnell, from the Disability Federation of Ireland.

4. By the end of this session, you will be able to tell/teach others about: • The philosophy of independent living • The history of independent living • The benefits of independent living to Leaders, their families, P.As. and wider society

5. What is the Philosophy of Independent Living? • The Philosophy of Independent Living underpins the Personal Assistant Service provided by Offaly Centre for Independent Living Ltd (funded by the HSE) and Offaly Personal Assistant Services Ltd (funded by FAS) • The Philosophy of Independent Living is a belief that all people, regardless of their disability or background, have the right to enjoy the same opportunities as their ‘able-bodied’ counterparts.

6. Independent Living is both a human right and a responsibility. As a person with a disability, you have the right to make your own choices, live in your own home, avail of educational and employment opportunities and start a family. • However, as a Leader you have the responsibility of managing your own service, giving your Personal Assistant constructive feedback, reporting any problems to the office and ensuring that you sign your P.A’s timesheet each week.

7. Independent Living refers to having the abilities and skills to use technological and personal assistance in your everyday life. It involves learning how to maximise your independence through giving instructions to your Personal Assistant, as opposed to physically doing these tasks yourself.

8. The philosophy of Independent Living dictates that all people with disabilities have the capability of making their own choices. It places Leaders in the driving seat of their own lives • Leaders are the experts in their own abilities and needs. This is why Leaders are central to the philosophy of Independent Living. • By training their Personal Assistants, Leaders can be in control of what they want done and how they want it to be done.

9. Models of disability: There are two different models of disability: • The medical model • The social model

10.  The medical model of disability: • According to this model, disability refers to the impairment somebody has e.g. dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy. • It is down to the individual to improve themselves physically or otherwise, through the use of physio, speech and occupational therapy. • The medical model is not an effective benchmark when it comes to providing services to people with disabilities, as it tends to focus too strongly on the impairment and not the individual as a whole.

11. The social model of disability: • According to this model, disability is a social construct and not caused by any impairment the individual themselves may have. • Supporters of the social model of disability believe that disability is not created from within, but instead by external factors such as inaccessible buildings, lack of accessible information and the attitudes of others. • The Philosophy of Independent Living is based primarily on the social model of disability.

12. Where did Independent Living come from? • Independent Living came to Ireland in the early 1990s. One of the people responsible for bringing Independent Living to Ireland was Martin Naughton, who came across the concept when he was travelling in America. • Independent Living originated in the US in the late 1960s. During the 60s, many people were speaking out against racism and discrimination. Coloured people were being segregated on buses and in wider society.

13. Meanwhile, people with disabilities could not access public transport at all. In fact, they could not access a lot of goods and services. • It was in the 1960s that a young man named Ed Roberts from California acquired polio. This left him almost completely paralysed. In addition, his breathing was heavily affected and he had to spend a good deal of time in an iron lung.

14. Roberts finished his high school education from home using the telephone. He was initially refused his diploma because he had not satisfied the driver’s licence or physical education requirements. After much protesting, this decision was overturned.

15. Ed fought for a place in the University of Berkeley, California. In order to be able to live away from his family, Ed had to hire and fire his own attendants (Personal Assistants). Other people with disabilities saw Ed do this and decided that they wanted to do it too.

16. When Ed graduated from university, he realised that Personal Assistance should be available in the wider community too. This led to the establishment of the Centre for Independent Living in the town of Berkeley, California in 1972.

17. Independent Living in Ireland: • Independent Living came to Ireland during the early ‘nineties at a time when many people with disabilities were living in their parents’ homes or in institutions. • When Dublin CIL was established in 1992, a pilot project called INCARE was launched. This enabled Leaders in Dublin to engage in Independent Living through employing Personal Assistants. When the pilot project ended, money was sourced from the HSE and FAS.

18. When Michael Nestor heard that Independent Living was available to Leaders in Dublin, he conducted research and found that it would be feasible to set up a CIL in Offaly. In order to ensure that Independent Living was available to everyone, Leaders under 18 could apply for a service with parents’ consent, and Leaders over 65 could also apply for a service. • Offaly Centre for Independent Living Ltd (OCIL Ltd) and Offaly Personal Assistant Services Ltd (OPAS Ltd) now provide a Personal Assistant Service to approximately 120 people across Laois and Offaly.

19. Lunchbreak! Please help yourself to tea and sandwiches! Please be back for around 1.40. Thanks!

20. What are the benefits of Independent Living? In order to measure the benefits of Independent Living, we must consider the viewpoints of all the stakeholders, namely: • The Leader • The Personal Assistant • The Leader’s family • The wider community.

21. Benefits of independent living to the Leader: • The Leader, through the P.A. service, can avail of employment and educational opportunities. • The Leader becomes redefined. He/she is no longer a person dependent on the generosity of others, but a person who can live their own lives without any help from their families.

22. Benefits of Independent Living to the Personal Assistant: • Job satisfaction: Often, Personal Assistants enjoy their jobs for different reasons. This may because of the ‘buzz’ they get from enabling Leaders to be independent, or because of the flexible hours. • Employment: When a Personal Assistant works, he/she has money for day-to-day living. • Educational: All Personal Assistants are formally trained in the areas of Health and Safety, Manual Handling and First Aid. This ensures that the P.A. is fully qualified to take on any task that they are asked to complete.

23. Benefits of Independent Living to the Leader’s family: • Ability to partake in employment and educational opportunities. • Taking on identities of their own as opposed to merely being a carer. 

24. Benefits of Independent Living to wider society: • Contributing to the exchequer: When Leaders and/or Personal Assistants are working, they are contributing to the economy through their taxes. • Consumerism: When Leaders are enabled to move beyond the home, they can then spend their money on local goods and services. • Institutions: When Leaders avail of P.A. services, they do not have to live in institutions. Living in an institution can cost the state up to €1,000 a week, as opposed to the cost of a Personal Assistant.

25. Role Plays: This role play involves three people. • The Leader is out doing the shopping with their P.A., when they meet a friend of the Leader’s. Imagine the discussion between the three people. In this conversation, you should cover the following points: • Who employs the Personal Assistant • What the philosophy of Independent Living means to YOU and what difference it makes in YOUR life

26. Group Role Play: • An Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen, has announced that funding for Independent Living throughout the country will be reduced next year. As a group, highlight the importance of the service and, if possible, convey how Independent Living can save rather than cost money.(Hint: benefits of Independent Living to wider society)

27. Group Role Play: Anniversary of Independent Living: For the 15th anniversary of Offaly Centre for Independent Living Ltd, you have been asked to relate the history of the Independent Living Movement. As a group, I want you to tell the story of Ed Roberts in a way that would hold the interest of your audience.

28. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN OCIL Ltd AMBASSADOR? Introduction: One of the roles of Leaders is to promote Independent Living in the wider community. In order to do this effectively, Leaders must be trained, both in the Independent Living Philosophy and in the role of OCIL Ltd and OPAS Ltd as a company. Only then can Leaders truly have the ability to promote Independent Living in their communities.

29. Why promote Independent Living, and why should Leaders be trained to do this? • Independent Living is very important to many people with disabilities across Laois and Offaly. However, few people know what Independent Living really means. • Independent Living is one of the few services that people with disabilities can exercise control over. It strives to deconstruct the physical and psychological barriers that prevent access to mainstream society. In addition, it is the only disability service that can be easily tailor-made for the needs of each Leader.

30. Independent Living rejects both the charitable and medical model of disability. OCIL Ltd and OPAS Ltd take a holistic approach to each individual and works with the Leader in accommodating their needs. • OCIL Ltd and OPAS Ltd advocates empowerment and equal rights for all members of the community, especially people with disabilities.

31. The Responsibilities of the OCIL Ltd ambassadors: • To have an adequate working knowledge of OCIL Ltd and OPAS Ltd, both as companies and organisations; • To be a good and competent speaker; • To promote the positive aspects of the company and its achievements (for example, the Partners in Education Project); • To be confident in answering questions from the floor; • To be able to work with various forms of media e.g. photocopies, DVDs, PowerPoint presentations etc.

32. The function of the DVD: • There are two functions of the short documentary made for OCIL Ltd. One is to promote Independent Living: in this case, emphasis will be placed on the achievements of OCIL Ltd as a company and the benefits that Independent Living has to offer. This will be targeted at our funders, FAS and the HSE, as well as local politicians who have the power to secure the future of the organisation. • The other function of the DVD will be to educate people about the Independent Living Philosophy. This will be beneficial for new Leaders and P.As. who join our organisation, as well as being a resource for Leader training.

33. Training the OCIL Ltd ambassadors: • Before the end of 2010, all Leaders will have had training in the philosophy of Independent Living. However those who are chosen to be OCIL Ltd ambassadors will need further training, which will be delivered by Sarah Maye (where possible) or a trained facilitator. • The ambassadors should have good speaking and interpersonal skills. They must be passionate about the philosophy of independent living.

34. Some of the skills/areas that may be taught include: • Public speaking • Presenting a powerpoint presentation • Answering questions • Motivating people – encouraging enthusiasm and involvement • Organising group activities • Making handouts which comply with Universal Access Standards i.e. that the handouts are easily to read, and the font size and style is easily assimilated.

35. What happens when the Leaders have been trained? • The Leader will take a basic exam in the philosophy of independent living, as well as presenting the DVD to a number of chosen Leaders. Once the BOD are satisfied that the Leader is capable of presenting the DVD, a strategic plan will be drawn up.

36. Is anyone interested in becoming an ambassador for OCIL Ltd/OPAS Ltd?