Last week marked my twentieth anniversary at Berkshire County Arc. This
occasion has given me the opportunity to reflect on the many changes and
opportunities that have occured over the years for the people we serve.
Often, in our day-to-day struggles, we overlook both where we have come
from and what has been achieved for people with disabilities. We
are proud that Berkshire County Arc has always been a leader in helping
to develop the changes and open new doors with the disabled.
From the days when the majority of individuals we currently
serve were living in institutions such as Belchertown State School, we
have seen the doors close on that institution and hundreds of individuals
given the opportunity to have normal lives in their own communities.
As an Arc, we proud of the strong roots of family leadership that have
driven change every step of the way. We are also proud that our area
was the first to get everyone out of institutions and living in their own
homes. Across the state there are still challenges in this area.
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From
the Executive Director ...
As living in the community has be- come a cornerstone to what we believe
is right, the enhancement of individuals' rights has come to the fore.
The ability to choose for oneself, to take risks and make mistakes,
to have relationships with others and to be contributing community members
has become a reality. We prefer to see the horrors of the past
as distant, but they were reality not that long ago. I often think
about how the individuals we serve, who for many years were locked up in
institutions, feel now when someone gives instructions to or makes unreasonable
demands on them. Learning to advocate for oneself seems to be the
greatest challenge of all. The road from oppression to independence
is a long one and takes much determination to travel. Our agency
and other agencies like us continue to support individuals with disabilities
as they face this difficult task.
The present difficulties on individuals living in
our programs, and especially the problem of individuals' having to adapt
almost yearly to new people supporting them, continue to hinder our progress.
Not only do the
people we serve have to face the realities of learning new tasks associated
with their daily lives, such as their work and recreation, but they also
have a more difficult task. Think how you feel if every
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year or two you had to train some who supported you in daily acts we
take for granted: how you liked your food cooked, how you would like
your home arranged, how you would like to be helped with taking a bath
and be washed, or perhaps how you like to be left alone. Those of us who
have watched people grow over the past twenty years should stand in awe
of the indi- viduals' accomplishments. But what I admire most is
how the people we server face their challenges every day and help make
our agencies and our staffs become great successes. Yes, we love
to share their success, and perhaps if it weren't for our dedicated staff,
it might not have happened, but we should never lose track of why we do
what we do.
As I reflect on the past twenty years, I have few regrets and
maintain great enthusiasm for what I do. I am greatful to our families
who have supported us, I am grateful for my collegues who work throughout
our agency, I am grateful for our dedicated supporters, but most of all
I am grateful to work with the individuals we server every day. |
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