Tag: Independent living

The Importance of Home Modifications for People with Disabilities

Featured by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Accessibility is something most people don’t give a second thought. It may even be taken for granted. Home modifications for people with a disability are essential for many reasons.

As a person with a disability, living in a home without the modifications you need amplifies the limitations you already know you have. You may have to make concessions in your life that you wouldn’t otherwise have to make. It may also leave you feeling upset and frustrated about your surroundings. Home modifications are the most reliable way to ensure that you can maximize your independence while maintaining your quality of life.

Modifications to increase accessibility aren’t home renovations. Referring to home modifications as home renovation makes it sound like something that is being done to your home for the purpose of luxury. The modifications a homeowner with a disability needs to have completed are so they can have basic access to their home just like anyone else would need to live comfortably in that space.

Home modifications offer many benefits to a family member of a person with a disability. Home modifications offer many benefits to the members of a person’s family. Once a home modification is completed it increases peace of mind for family members. Because of the modifications put into place, loved ones can be at ease about your increased independence and accomplishing tasks that can help you maximize your ability to fully participate in the things you love to do.  Modifications made to your home offer you the chance to feel comfortable to move about in your space with a certain degree of ease. You will feel the difference within yourself and your family will see the positive changes these modifications offer to improve your life in a variety of areas.

Independence and Increased Self-Esteem. The independence a home modification can offer you can increase your self-esteem. When you have a modification completed for you, your independence increases. You no longer have to rely on others to help you complete certain tasks. Being able to do things on your own can increase your self-confidence in your abilities. Your limitations can begin to take a backseat to give you a chance to make a pathway to embark on the adventures that interest you the most.

Safety. The safety and peace of mind home modifications offer is extremely important. The most important part of accessibility of an environment includes making the environment safe. Simple changes that increase the functionality of a space for a person with a disability allows them to not worry about having an accident that could lead to serious injury or hospitalization. This increases the opportunity to enjoy activities that would otherwise be difficult and unsafe without those changes.

Greater access to the world around you.  When you have access to the world around you, you can experience the world from your point of view. It gives you the opportunity to have the freedom to choose from things you want to do or see with family, friends or even on your own. Things like traveling or visiting a museum where you can learn new things becomes a possibility. These experiences help you learn more about things like history or other cultures.  

Increase your problem-solving skills. People with disabilities must proactively problem solve to maximize their ability to live independently. If you have recently purchased a new home, navigating how you are going to get around in your new surroundings may be something that can cause some stress. Figuring out the options available to be as independent as possible and accomplish what needs to be done in your home can seem overwhelming. There are many resources available to help you determine what the best options are for you. All you need to do is conduct a little bit of research to see what is available that best suits your needs.

Increases your feeling of dignity. There is nothing more gratifying than feeling like a person that can maintain their dignity by taking care of themselves. Home modifications allow you to take care of your daily needs independently. There is no amount of money that can equal the satisfying nature of being able to take care of yourself without having to worry if anyone will be available when you would like to do things like take a shower or cook a meal.

Increases your ability to live in your community. People with disabilities who can live in their community have more opportunities to interact with others. This could be as simple as being around family members or close friends. It gives you the opportunity even pick a cause that is important to you and get involved in activities to further that cause. The social interaction that comes along with this helps increase your enjoyment of life and experience overall better health.

Home modifications may take a long time to be completed but pay high dividends. People with disabilities should be able to live in their community. Home modifications give them the chance to do just that. They help people with disabilities have a higher quality of life. Having home modifications in place allows you to have experiences with family, friends and others around you that may not otherwise be possible.

While home modifications can sometimes be a bit on the expensive side, it’s worth doing some research to find out what resources are available to make these options a reality for you. When the home modification is finally completed, it’s like a breath of fresh air. Like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Home modifications allow you to overcome the physical barriers that once existed to be able to start enjoying the life you deserve.

Holly Robinson Peete’s Reality Show Casts a Refreshing Perspective on People with Disabilities

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

As a tween, I remember watching Holly Robinson Peete on the television show “21 Jump Street”. Later, she appeared on “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper”. Who would’ve thought she would use her celebrity many years later to advocate for Autism and people with disabilities? When I heard about her going into Reality television, I wasn’t sure what her message would be, or how it would impact different aspects of awareness of people with disabilities.

In her reality show, “Meet the Peete’s”, which airs on the Hallmark Channel, we get an in depth look at her family life. What is most refreshing about the show is that her family puts real-life issues they face daily in the public eye. Although her son was diagnosed with Autism at an early age, he’s just an everyday young adult on the show. Honestly, that wasn’t very surprising to me at all, and made me feel good for many reasons. That includes having a job and navigating a social life. At the beginning of trying to watch the show, it isn’t clear what spin they were going to put on his diagnosis.  It’s refreshing to see that they have incorporated appropriate mechanisms to help him achieve his goals, while leading a very full life. This perspective helps dispel some myths about being a person with a disability. One stereotype the show addresses is that people may think people with disabilities don’t or can’t contribute to different aspects of society. The show illustrates how planning and being familiar with different services relieves any concerns of how to make different goals attainable.

This isn’t to say there aren’t hardships that are faced even when the cameras are off but, let’s face it, what family doesn’t face one sort of obstacle or another at one time or another? The feeling of life, unity, love and family runs through the veins of the show from start to finish. It’s a great demonstration that living with a family member who has limitations isn’t the end of the world, and that it shouldn’t have a negative connotation at all. It also comes at a great time when there’s a general sense of heightened awareness about people with disabilities

Because I’ve used this platform before to talk about the importance of disability in the media, I think this is a great time to highlight how this show is different from what has come before. This show accomplishes the goal from a different perspective and has a different flavor. It shines a positive light on living with a disability. It doesn’t show her son as being treated differently from other family members in any way. They’re also starting conversations such as living independently and even navigating different kinds of relationships in front of the viewers eyes. At the same time, it’s important to note there may be an air of uneasiness that surfaces when discussing these issues within families in general. However, it’s extremely important to recognize that these subjects need to be approached with open communication so that, whatever obstacle might come about in achieving each goal, there are ways to find viable solutions together. Perhaps part of the difficulty in starting the conversation is not knowing how certain subjects should be approached.  Another concern may be what to do if answers aren’t readily available. Simply knowing where to look for answers may also cause some anxiety to families but, Meet the Peete’s lets other families know they’re not alone in navigating this journey.

Increased awareness and sensitivity is shown not only by the family, but also by the Hallmark Channel which broadcasts the show. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the show, I highly recommend searching it out in your area. It truly has something for everyone who watches the show, regardless of whether your life is touched by someone who lives with a disability.

Thanks for reading..

cr

http://people.com/health/holly-robinson-peete-son-autism-diagnosis-life-now/

 

 

 

 

Loss of Funding=Loss of Independence for Some?

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

This week I found an article that was a bit concerning to me. Many efforts have been made to de-institutionalize people with disabilities but this article seems to want to take a step back in time. I spend a lot of time writing about the importance of living as independently as possible within your limitations. The opportunity to live somewhere, other than with your parents when you reach 18 is like a right of passage for most young adults. It’s no different for those who live with a disability. The experiences we have building relationships, holding jobs and even volunteering enhances the quality of our lives like nothing else.

Day programs vary in what they do but I really like the one mentioned in this article. There are a bunch of activities ranging from work and play. Also, the residents aren’t necessarily restricted to staying indoors all day. The participants have their own apartments that give them an element of individuality too. A sense of community, where people don’t feel so alone, has also been fostered within the group. Friendships and social interaction between people is an important part of their environment and even trickles out into the community. Not surprisingly, funding is at issue, and these programs are in jeopardy of being cut. As a result, the residents will lose the predictability and stability of what they’re able to do.

It would be beneficial to all if other solutions could be found, instead of going to the extreme of cutting funding for these programs all together. More individualized approaches could be taken so  participant’s lives aren’t totally disrupted. Other solutions could avoid putting some participants in situations they can’t handle because of their disability. Since disabilities vary in how they affect people, it would be interesting to find out if some sort of assessment to determine level of need were conducted, how much could the program be changed to benefit both the State and the participant?

Unfortunately, programs for the disabled and or disadvantaged populations always seem to be the ones cut or downsized in some way that negatively impacts recipients. Maybe in the long run solutions can be devised so the quality of life of these participants won’t be negatively affected.

What do you think of the benefits these programs provide?

Thanks for reading..
cr

For more information check out the link below:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/changes-ahead-in-n-j-for-disabled-some-fear-loss-of-familiar-programs-1.1307297