Hawaii‟s DisAbility Network Ke Ala Holomua “Making Choices”

Hawaii‟s DisAbility Network
Ke Ala Holomua
“Making Choices”
I.
Preparing for the Session
A.
Setting up the Room
1. Attend to accessibility and diverse needs
a. Make sure facilities are accessible: parking; path to meeting room;
path to restrooms; restrooms
b. Refer to registration forms to see if anyone has requested
accommodation due to disability. Allow adequate time to arrange for
accommodations like sign language interpreters, note-takers, etc.
c. In setting up the room, be responsive to needs of individuals with
diverse abilities. For example, leave adequate space for wheelchairs
to maneuver easily; make visuals large and easy to read; locate
refreshments where they can be easily reached.
2. Arrange the room to welcome people and support learning
a. Try to find a room that is uncluttered and tidy. Otherwise, tidy up
the room you do have so that participants get the impression you
care and value them.
b. Arrange chairs and tables so the instructor can easily “walk the
room” to speak personally with people and keep movement going
in the room.
c. Offer water and cups (perhaps with lemon).
B.
Teaching in a Context of Hawaiian
Culture
The people of Hawai‟i operate from deeply held spiritual values. These
values honor the gift of Creation through respect and nurturing warm
relationships with others. You can call upon these values to create an
environment of aloha and openness for all those who attend your
workshop:
Ho’oaloha:
Welcome guests in as they arrive and be friendly
Ho’omalimali:
When you start the session, make each person feel
comfortable; nurture an atmosphere of respect and
trust
Ho’omanauwanui: During the introduction, give each person an
opportunity to share; take time to listen and be
patient.
Ho’omana: As you begin the content of your session, become open to
achieve oneness with all those who are gathered. You and
your guests will then be able to achieve a deep level of
understanding with one another.
C. How to Handle Group Dynamics
1. Be aware that some participants may have barriers to full attention
and participation. Demonstrate understanding without taking
responsibility for solving someone‟s personal problem.
If someone talks at length and begins to monopolize the conversation,
you may want to offer words like: “What you‟re saying is important,
but it would be better if you share this individually with your
counselor.” OR “I‟m sorry, I‟m going to need to interrupt you. We
have to watch the time and make sure everyone has a chance to
share.”
2. If someone starts to complain in an inappropriate manner, you can
redirect the conversation by saying: “It sounds very frustrating for
you. That‟s a good thing to bring up with your counselor.”
II.
Equipment and Materials Needed
A.
Equipment
Overhead transparency projector or flip chart if projector is not
available.
B.
Materials
1.
2.
Name tags
Attendance Sheet
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
III.
IV.
Pens for all participants
Door Prize tickets
Door Prizes
Ball of Yarn
Key to Resources (for the Island)
Transparencies T-1 to T-6
Markers for flip chart
Hand out H-1 and H-2
Evaluation Forms
Announcement flyers about other workshops
Learning Objectives
A.
Participants will recognize that individuals with disabilities have a
voice, and will include the family member with disabilities as a fully
participating adult in making life choices.
B.
Participants and families will identify their choice-making process.
C.
Participants and families will identify community resources which can
assist them to meet their vocational and independent living needs.
D.
Participants will develop a working strategy to make choices about their
vocational and independent living needs.
The Lesson
Display T-1
A.
B.
As participants enter, show Ho‟oaloha
1.
Attendance – Make sure each person who attends the session has
his/her name recorder on the attendance sheet
2.
Check for accommodation needs requested.
3.
Offer name tags
4.
Door Prize ticket – give everyone a ticket for a door prize drawing
Total time
120 minutes
Attendance sheet
Name tags
Ho‟omalimali – Make People Feel comfortable and Session Introduction Allow 4 minutes
1.
Welcome to the workshop, „Making Choices.‟ Thank them for
taking the time to come.
2.
Handle comfort needs:
a.
“This workshop is scheduled for two hours. We will have a
brake at the half-way mark.”
b.
“Restroom are located . . . “
c.
If refreshments are provided, say whether people should
help themselves at any time, or whether they are for the
break.
d.
Speak to individual needs due to disability: “We want
everyone to participate as fully as they would like. If there
is any way we can make the workshop more accessible for
you – by speaking louder, or explaining something in a
different way, or moving your seat, or anything else that
would make your participation more satisfying – please let
us know at any time throughout the workshop.
3.
Now introduce yourself(ves) as workshop leaders. Share you
name, the nature of you association with persons with disabilities,
and why you‟ve chosen to lead these workshops. Also feel free to
share something personal about yourself as a way of making
people feel comfortable.
4.
Next introduce the first activity, in which participants will
introduce themselves. (Practice Ho‟omanauwanui)
Allow 15 mintues
“Now, to begin, we would like to use this yarn as a way to get to know
one another. Let‟s get in a circle; stand if you would like. I‟m going to
begin this activity by holding the yarn and introducing myself. I‟ll say
my name and one thing I like to do in my leisure time. Then I‟ll keep
hold of the end of the yarn, and toss (or take) the ball to someone else in
the circle. You‟ll then introduce yourself, hold the yarn, then take or
toss the ball to someone else until we have gotten a chance to know
everyone here. Okay, nay questions before we begin?”
Hold up yarn ball
Conduct Activity. At the end of the activity, everyone should be
holding a piece of the yarn, creating an intricate web of relationships
witho one another. while everyone is still holding the yarn, make the
following points for learning:
“What does it look like we have here? A spider web? A kind a
network?”
“What can this web teach us?
--
That we are all related to one another as part of one community,
in all the richness of our diverse abilities.
--
That we are all important; each of us holds a piece of our
community as part of the web of relationships.
--
That each of us has something to say, and each of us has
something to contribute to others in our community.”
“In the time we have together today as we explore more about making
choices, we would like everyone to keep in mind that:
--
Each of us in this room has a way to express ourselves;
--
Each of us is worthy of our time to be listened to;
--
Each of us is capable of making choices that affect our own life.
“We have a richness of experience and viewpoints among us. Different
cultural traditions, different family styles, different ways fo
Have last person
holding the ball to
begin re-winding the
yarn back into the
ball as you continue
speaking.
Then thank the
participants for
sharing and ask them
to take tier seats.
communicating, and different ways of getting our needs met. We also
have different ages represented here and different abilities.”
“As we consider life choices with and on behalf of individuals with
disabilities, it is important to be aware that as our family member makes
the transition out of high school, he or she needs to begin to accept an
adult role in making life choices – being an equal partner or leading in
choice making activities.”
C.
Share the Purpose of Today‟s Session in the Spirit of Ho‟omana
Allow 3 minutes
“These are the things we hope you will learn from your time with us
today…”
Remove T-1
Display T-2
Handout H-1
Read aloud the learning objective while participants have a chance to
look at them.
D.
“We have already addressed the first objective. Now let‟s move on to
the second.”
Remove T-2
Display T-3
Identifying Choice Making Process
Allow 20 minutes
1.
Identifying Factors in Making Choices
Explain: “In our first activity, everyone shared a hobby or leisure
activity they liked. Now I‟d like for us to just go around the circle
and tell one reason you like the hobby or leisure activity you
named. I‟ll go first:”
“I like to take walks in my neighborhood because I feel energetic
when I‟m done.”
Share own
experience.
“Who wants to go next?”
Round robin 5 min.
Purpose: “As you can see, everyone has a hobby they like and a
Remove T-3
reason they like it. Now as we begin to talk about making choices Display T-4
for services to meet your vocational and independent living needs,
remember:
“You are an expert at making choices. You have likes and
dislikes. You have reasons to make some choices over others.”
Engage in
questioning of
group, and write
answers on flip
chart.
“Now consider what kind of work or occupation you might like to
pursue. Will you want a vocational program to assist you in
training for a job? Will you want a vocational program to assist
you in finding a job? In assisting you to obtain reasonable
accommodations? Let‟s assume you decide you want a
vocational program to assist you. As you consider which
vocational program might be best for you, what factors would you
consider in making your choice?”
Invite participants to
write responses on
chart, or write their
answer on chart.
Common Factors Affecting Choices About Programs and
Services:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Availability
C convenience
Quality
Cost
Location
Who you know
Professional reference
Personal reference
Tradition
Conclude: “You can see there are several reasons why people
make the choices they do. Different people weigh these factors
differently according to what works best for the.”
2.
Responsibility for Making Choices
“Now let‟s look closer at why it is important that you become the
chief choice making about services that affect your life. AS an
adult in our community and as a person with a disability, you
have a right and the responsibility to learn:
Display T-3
WHAT choices for services are available to you,
HOW you can get those services, and
WHAT TO DO if needed services are not available.”
“During our time together, we will learn about what choices are
available to you on this island to meet your needs for vocational
rehabilitation and independent living. As we learn about hose
choices, it will be important to begin to view yourself as a
customer in the market place of services for adults with
disabilities As a customer, you are expected to”
Remove T-4
Display T-5
“Take an active responsibility for choosing services (In adult
services, you must actively seek services, providers are not
likely to seek you out);
Accept the risks that come with the choices you make;
Accept the consequences for the choices you make
(Recognize mistakes are part of the learning process in taking
responsibility and taking risks);
Recognize you won‟t always get exactly what you choose –
compromise is important;
And one more thing…
Let me illustrate this last point: We‟re going to draw for a
door prize now before we take a short break.”
Draw for door prizes
“Now what do you think we were trying to illustrate about
choices in holding this door prize drawing?
Sometimes in life, no matter how well planned your
choices are, there are factors beyond your control. Like the
winner of the door prize, sometimes you are just lucky, and
things go well for you. Sometimes, however, even with
your best effort, you are just unlucky, and things don‟t go
Remove T-5
well for you.”
E.
BREAK
Allow 10 minutes
F.
Identify Community Resources
Allow 10 minutes
1.
Where People Get Information
Begin by asking the group: “Now I‟d like to ask you, where do
you get information about jobs or about meeting your living
needs?”
Write answers on
chart or board
Jobs – newspaper, family members, church, friends, signs in
store windows, State Employment Services, school
Living needs – family members, social worker, pamphlets,
school, TV, Ask-2000.
“We get information from many sources in our community.
some are more formal organizations and resources, some are very
personal – family and friends, some are through networking. It‟s
important to remember that some of our best resources for
information and ideas are the people we live with and our
friends.”
2.
Using the Key To Resources
“We would like to provide you a really useful resource for
Pass out books
information about all kinds of services on our island for people
with disabilities. It‟s the Key To Resources, and it is produced
by the State Commission on Persons with Disabilities. Let‟s just
go thought the Table of Contents together so you can get an idea
of the information the Key contains.
Read together
Now let‟s just go to the section on Employment so we can see
what information is provided.
Note information available
Note where to call for more information
Ask if anyone in the group has used that agency. If so, point
out to the group that this person can be a very valuable
resource – encourage networking with others.
G.
Working Strategies for Choice Making
1.
Allow 10 minutes
Steps for Making Good Choices
“Now that we have found at least two valuable resources right in
this room, the Key to Resources and each other, let‟s begin the
first steps to making good choices that will meet your needs for
vocational rehabilitation and independent living.”
“Here are the steps we suggest you follow to begin making
choices for your life and your future:
Pass out H-2
Display T-6
Ask yourself what kinds of things you would like and not like.
Create one goal in each area that will take into account your
likes and dislikes
Write the first step to get more information on how you can
reach your goal. (The first step may be to call an agency in the
Key, or talk with a counselor or someone you know who has a
similar goal.)
2.
Activity to Apply Steps
“Because of our limited time today, we‟d like you to choose just
one area to apply these steps. We encourage you to complete the
rest at home or with a friend.”
“We will now break up into small groups so you can help each
other. Remember, as a person with a disability, you need to learn
to become the primary choice maker in matters affecting your life.
Make sure you use your choice making voice.”
“If you have any questions as you do this, we‟ll be floating
around to provide help. Any questions before we begin? Okay,
let‟s take 20 minutes for this part.”
3.
Lessons Learned from Activity
At the end of the activity, bring the group together to find out
what they have learned. Just ask for comments from two or three
participants.
Allow 20 minutes
H.
1.
Conclusion
Summary of Today‟s Lesson
Allow 5 minutes
“We have just touched the surface about the importance of individuals
with disabilities learning how to make choices for services that will
affect their lives.”
“We would encourage you:
Complete your goal sheet you have stated today
Use this goal sheet when you go to an IPE meeting or IWRP meeting
so you can actively participate in making choices
Keep on the track of learning and growing by registering for more
workshops through Hawaii‟s DiaAbility Network.
2.
Evaluation
Allow 5 minutes
“Before you leave, please complete and return these evaluation forms.
They are very important:
Distribute evals
Read together
They will help us improve the workshop for others
We are required to provide the results to our funding sources”
3.
Departing
“Thank you very much for your time and involvement today. We look
forward to seeing you again at another workshop sponsored by Hawaii‟s
Disability Network.”
collect forms