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Congratulation Points of Transformation Honorees!

Philadelphia County honored Staff throughout Philadelphia who make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities!  Congratulations to all of the winners and honorable mentions, especially our very own staff!

Supports Coordination Supervisor Special Mention Honoree, Bill Wyce!

Bill has worked at Partnership for Community Supports, first as a Supports Coordinator and now as a Supports Coordination Supervisor. Bill is nothing short of professional, available, kind and knowledgeable. A family stated that they can imagine how stressful the day-to-day responsibilities are and the gift of maintaining a calm, day in and day out, is probably not the easiest thing to do. The family member went on to state, “Bill was always available to us and treated us with respect regardless of the simplicity of our questions or issues. He went out of his way to make required meetings as convenient as possible, always what was easiest for us, never what was convenient for him. Bill never complains, never gets upset, and never shows any irritation or impatience. He provided us with options for our son to participate in recreational and social activities we didn’t know existed. “
“But, I think the most striking example of how Bill exemplifies the values and ideals of Support Coordination was when he attended my mothers viewing.  I did not notify him, but it is obvious he is informed and aware of his client’s situations. He came to support my son, he relayed his condolences to our family and then he sat with my son for the remainder of the evening. I am sure that Bill had many other things he could have done that evening. I will always be grateful that he chose to support my son that evening. Bill is genuine, he is real, and he is caring. Bill deserves this award. It is nice to know that Bill is supervising others and that his values are being transferred to those he supervises.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supports Coordinator Special Mention Honoree, David Fields-Asare!

David is a Supports Coordinator with Partnership for Community Supports. His commitment to those he serves and his professionalism were noted by those who nominated him for this award. One family commented that he quietly builds relationships with his consumers and families with compassion and respect. Other families complimented David for being knowledgeable, personable and going beyond the job description to help.

The father of a family consisting of seven individuals with special needs shared his feelings about David.  He said his family was going through a tumultuous time. He shared that he and his wife were parents, confronting parenting issues of not willing or able to let go of their children. “David told us in a professional way that we could not see that our children wanted to grow up. David never said those words but he found ways to address it. David was so professional throughout a very tough time in our family. We were emotionally unbalanced and David supported us by asking us to look at the best interest of our children. David kept himself together when he could have easily lost it himself.”

“We as parents had to grow up. When our first child was born with special needs we knew we would parent until we die, forever. David helped us see that our parenting was not allowing our children to grow up on their own. My wife and I never realized our time of parenting needed to end and allow each child their personal growth. David helped keep us on track and he kept us addressing the need to change our roles in our children’s lives. Our children will always need us and depend on us but now we see it differently. We needed to begin to trust the world, trust them and trust others. David helped us do this.”

“Now, two of our girls no longer are frustrated, angry and fighting. They live in a CLA and they are happy. I never thought I would ever experience them calling me on the phone at night and say, ‘I love you’. When times of stress come to your family and your life, you loose sanity. We always believed our job was to protect our children and we still do believe this, but with David’s kindness and involvement in our lives, we realized it was time for us to change and to let go. David is a remarkable man. He is a ‘stand-up’ person.”

Employment Success Stories

Horace
Horace at Work!

Horace Adams is an amazing man.   He is 49 years old and due to his cerebral palsy, utilizes a manual wheelchair which he can maneuver himself in order to get around. He lives in a community living arrangement and is able to verbalize all of his thoughts and holds in-depth conversations covering a multitude of topics.  In addition to his cerebral palsy, Horace has a seizure disorder and wears a medical alert necklace in case of emergency. Horace has never allowed any of his limitations or life’s circumstances to stop his career path. Horace has been an employee of Olive Garden Restaurant since May 1993. He wraps silverware independently in cloth napkins in preparation for their serving lunch and dinner.  United Cerebral Palsy job coaching program was able to find this job for Horace and it is a great fit for Horace and his employment desires.   Horace enjoys working because he likes receiving an income which allows him to purchase the latest electronics that he loves.   He is courteous, helpful and thoughtful of others. His co-workers and managers love him at work. With his personality he makes a lasting impression on the people that he meets.   Initially, Horace had difficulties at his place of employment with how to properly wrap the silverware and which direction to roll it in. He has limitations regarding his coordination of small objects.  After working with an Occupational Therapist, Horace has mastered this job task. Horace still has assistance from a co-worker who sets up his work area with napkins, bins and silverware. Horace is aware of his limitations but that does not stop him from trying to excel to the best of his abilities.  He continues to do well on his job showing a good work ethic and his managers are pleased with the work that he does.  He has successfully kept his job for almost twenty years! Horace is proud of the work that he does.

deborah
Deborah!

 

Deborah Wilson is a 54 year old woman who has come a long way from her years living in  foster care, institutions and group homes.  Deborah was once thought to have great difficulty with aggression and difficulties properly expressing herself. Deborah faced challenges associated with epilepsy, cerebral palsy and bi-polar disorder. Deborah lived in numerous places throughout her life but she has been at KenCrest Services now since 1982.  She currently lives with a family through the life-sharing program and she loves her family. She receives Supports Coordination through Partnership for Community Supports. Deborah has good communication skills which she has worked on due to her difficulty articulating speech.  Deborah was eventually given a job opportunity. Deborah was tired of being told what she could not do because of her diagnoses and she wanted EVERYONE to know what she COULD DO! Deborah was lucky enough to receive job supports from Kencrest EmployNet and now holds two part time jobs: KenCrest housekeeping since May 1993 and hostess in the dining room at Wendy’s since March 2007.  Deborah is dedicated to her employers and she never calls off of work!  It is very important to Deborah that she completes her tasks with excellence! Currently Deborah has a job coach and they work with her on expressing herself in a manner that is easily understood as well as modifying job tasks and techniques to enable her to properly execute her job. Her love for her jobs has decreased her frustration with not being understood when speaking to someone and she will now repeat herself so as to be understood. Debbie is very punctual, a team player and a fast learner. She is appreciative, generous, responsible, outgoing and has her own style. She never makes an excuse because of her limitations and finds ways to adapt and get the job done. Most times you will find her smiling and happy.  She  is also part of the self-advocate organization, Speaking For Ourselves, and  has learned to be appropriately assertive.

 To Read more Success stories, download Networks for Training & Development  Employment Symposium Booklet, it feartures not just Our Consumers, but many others in Philadelphia…make Employment a Goal for You and Your Community!   2013 Employment Stories

An Outstanding Supports Coordinator!

        

Leroy and Eileen

                Partnership would like to share a wonderful story about how our supports coordinators work hard to make “Everday Lives” happen for our consumers.  Leroy is a consumer with an incredible art talent.  His supports coordinator, Eileen Latzko recongized his talent and worked hard to arrange Leroy to give one of his artworks to the very agency he created it for. Eileen was able to coordinate a visit to the Philadelphia FBI Office, where Leroy presented his framed FBI logo art to the FBI Office representative.  The representative then spent some time with Leroy showing the office’s appreciation.  This is a wonderful example of building on an individual’s strengths and finding a way for them to experience something special related to their interest.  Thank you Eileen for arranging this experience for Leroy.  Eileen was joined by Leroy’s residential staff and her supervisor Carin.  Great Job Team!

Staying Warm this Winter

Winter is fast approaching!  Keep your home safe and warm this winter with these great resources!

Heating Assistance/LIHEAP, this federally-funded program helps low-income households pay for a variety of home heating fuel sources and furnace repairs in the winter and is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.  LIHEAP Hotline is 1-866-857-7095

http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/foradults/heatingassistanceliheap

PA Weatherization website helps low-income families weatherize their homes to help save on energy costs.  Select your county for contact information.  http://www.paweatherization.org

The Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) offers help for families who qualify under their Home Repair Programs, they aid families with heater repairs and roofing.  Visit their website at www.phdchousing.org

The Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) offers to help families in Philadelphia County lower their energy costs by helping families conserve their energy.  The ECA offers a  variety of help, from their Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to their Utility Emergency Service Fund.  The ECA also links you to LIHEAP (Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program) and a Heather Hotline.  If you need Energy Assistance or just want to find out the best ways to conserve, visit their website, Energy Coordination Agency

Their Heater Hot line is (215) 568-7190

PA Senate Bill Replaces term “Mental Retardation” with “Intellectual Disability

The Pennsylvania State Senate Bill NO.458, Printers NO. 1299 which was passed unanimously in both the Senate and the House amends the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Act of 1966 by renaming it the Mental Health and Intellectual Disability Act. This amendment will change the language used in the entire law, which defines the term and controls the Department of Public Welfare’s use of the term.This legislation renames the existing act and replaces the terms “mental retardation” with “intellectual disability.”

The amended Act replaces the current definition as: “Intellectual disability” means significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning that is accompanied by significant limitations in adaptive functioning in at least two of the following skill areas: communication, self-care, home living, social and interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional
academic skills, work, health and safety. The onset must occur before the individual’s twenty second birthday.

Information provided by the PA Department of Public Welfare, Office of Developmental Programs’ Public Notices on November 29, 2011