Questions of people living in their home, the question of people working or going to an inclusive school, don't seem to me to be the questions anymore. Now that we are helping people to do that, we cannot get complacent about just the act, we have to take what is happening to a deeper level, a more exciting, a more richer picture of what that can be.
It seems that we get so caught up in thinking that because you are in your own home, so let's clap… end of conversation. As compared to recognizing that it is really the beginning. What does it mean to have your own home? What does it look like? What are the relationships, what are the connections? When you walk into the house, how does it feel? How, in your own personal journey, are you taking it further?
I think that things like micro enterprises and home ownership are the baseline.
So at this point in time, some see the issues of post secondary education, of home ownership, of circles of support, or micro enterprises, as cutting edge. I think they are just given opportunities.
From my point of view, the work will always be based on who the person is, where do they want to go with their life, how can organizations like ours walk with them in a way that people with disabilities and their families find useful and important?
Jeff Strully, Parent, Executive Director, Jay Nolan Community Services, CA
It has come to me that things are really simple. It is about a job. It is about a place to live, and it is about a family. And it is about a community.
Bill Bowman, Santa Ana CA, CEO, Regional Center of Orange County