When Peter was 16 years old, he was placed in a group home. Peter has lived independently within our community for about 20 years now. Taking a 20 year step-back is not something that Peter would take lightly. Peter, has held many different paid positions, and is very active in our community. - Brian Rothey

When I asked Peter how not having a Supportive Living Coach, or Job coach would impact his life, he said, “I can’t find no job that way, and don’t know how I would pay for my bills in my new apartment that I love so much. I would miss my Coaches. I don’t know what I would do. I will lose most of my circle of supports – the people that help me and my friends. I don’t ever want to go back to a group home.”

Preston A. Impact Story

How does your Job and Supportive Living Coach impact the way you live your life now?

Preston loves his apartment. He helps his neighbors and property manager with various different tasks. His apartment manager calls him her “Watch-Dog”, because Preston keeps an “extra-eye on things”.

Preston, like many others, spent a few years in a group home. Having the ability to live independently and work within our community has made an enormous impact on Preston’s life - gaining social skills, networking, and helping his peers (to name a few).

Preston has held the same job for almost 15 years. His Support Circle has helped to make this possible. - Brian Rothey

“Not good. My job coach helps me get hours at work, and makes sure I have uniforms. She helps me to understand and do my social security benefits. I wouldn’t have anybody to talk to the boss with me. I can’t pay for my apartment or power bill.”

Supportive Living: “Not good. She helps me clean my clothes. I don’t know how to get my bus pass. I’ll lose my money again and be in debt. She takes me to the store so I can have things in my refrigerator. She helps me do my income tax. How would I get my medicine? She helps me get extra money at the bank, and gets my hair cut. I don’t want to lose my apartment and go back to the group home. I don’t want to lose it.”

Supported Employment Impact

Michael

I work at Steak 'n Shake and sometimes my employer gets upset with me. I tell my job coach to talk to her and she works it out. I would lose my job if it weren’t for her.

There was no mat in the kitchen and I almost fell a couple times but my job coach told the supervisor to get me a mat. I need my job at Steak 'n Shake.

Linda

My job coach helps me so much every week. I always get sidetracked at work and forget to come back from breaks on time. I used to get written up for this but now my job coach has helped me improve. She always advocates for me to my manager and without her I would be fired from my job!

Behavioral Department Impact

Lance O.:

Lance engages in complex and high intensity behaviors which include aggression, elopement, panhandling, and stealing. Behavior therapy has given Lance the consistency and stability he needs in his life to works towards independence. Lance has been incarcerated twice in his life, and both times faced hard jail time. Due to his disability he was deemed incompetent and with the promise of continued behavior services, he was released on probation and allowed to continue to reside in the community in a group home.

Ongoing behavior therapy has taught Lance skills that a competency trainer could not, the basis of laws and the necessity to follow laws so he does not become incarcerated again. Lance continues to strive to engage on a daily basis to engage in socially acceptable and safe behavior. Behavior therapy allows Lance on a daily basis to address his behaviors of concern while also teaching him appropriate alternative behaviors. Without behavior therapy Lance would most likely be incarcerated or living on the streets. He would not be working towards his own apartment or having a meaningful relationship.

Cleopatra J.:

Cleopatra is non-verbal and has numerous physical limitations. Prior to receiving behavior services she had no means of communicating her wants/needs/desires and she was unable to feed herself. Because of her inabilities to communication her wants and needs, she was repeatedly physically and emotionally abused in her home and had no way of asking for help or intervention.

Upon entering her current Behavior Focused home she was underweight, isolated, and completely dependent on staff. Since she began receiving behavior services Cleopatra has learned how to sign, can complete most steps of going to the bathroom independently, and she can feed herself on her own. These skills were taught through interventions in her behavior plan using task analyses. Cleopatra continues to learn new skills each day due to the ongoing and continuous behavior therapy and skill training she receives.

If Cleopatra were to no longer receive behavior therapy services she could regress to behaviors that impeded her success.

Justin C.:

Justin is a 21 year old male who is school aged. He attends a public school designed to educate students with autism. Justin engages in elopement, physical and verbal aggression and high intensity tantrums during which he will break items and destroy rooms. It is engagement in these behaviors which resulted in Justin being suspended for 10 days this school year, which is the maximum allotted for an Individual Evaluation Plan (IEP). Justin has been sent home early from school 3 out of the 5 days a week for 3 months straight. The school was unable to handle this behavior so they enlisted the assistant of his behavior analyst from PARC.

The behavior analyst spent time observing him in the school setting, attending meetings with school support staff and providing recommendations and behavior interventions. He provided training to appropriately address the behaviors of concern which included aggression resulting in restraint. Just no longer spends anytime in seclusion or under restraints because of the behavior therapy and interventions which are implemented consistently.

He is attending school daily and is even able to go on school and group home outings without engaging in maladaptive behavior. When Justin finishes school next year, he will be able to enter the work force with the rest of his peers. His ongoing job and behavioral training enables Justin to improve his quality of life.

Michelle J.:

Michelle is a twenty-one year old female who resides in a PARC group home. She was repeatedly abused as a child and spent the majority of her teenage years in foster care. During the ages of 15-18 in the foster care system, she was in a locked residential facility where she was home schooled. She had no contact with the community and had never developed the appropriate social skills and relationships.

Through her surroundings, she learned how to get what she wants through physical aggression and verbal threats. When Michelle turned 18, the foster care system was at a loss for what to do with Michelle and her agressive behaviors. She was thought to be low functioning and was never taught the skills to live on her own.

Michelle was placed in a behavior group home and immediately began receiving behavior services. Without this intervention her chances of leading a quality life was limited by her agressive behaviors and more than likely would result in serious consequences.

In the past 3 years, through her behavior plan, Michelle has been taught how to manage money, do her own laundry, cook, clean and read. Michelle is set to graduate high school in May 2011 and will then begin vocational training. Michelle continues to struggle with forming appropriate social relationships, however, with ongoing training and interventions, she will one day hopefully be able to live on her own and form healthy and lasting relationships.