person centred newsletter september 2013
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........... Northcott Person Centred Newsletter • September 2013 • 1 .........
Our monthly newsletter offers small and real examples from people we support
who are having a stronger voice, more control over their lives and more choices.
September 2013
New front line worker
Ellen Howe, participated in an interview panel.
by Ellen Howe
On Friday the 9th of August,
I participated in an interview
panel with Liz Hopkins,
Tracey Gleeson and Katheryn
Leaney. We were interviewing
for the new front line position
which involves the person
selected being involved in a
new project which enables
Northcott to train staff in the
front line on person centred
approaches. The front-line
project will be for 8 months.
We had a total of eight people
with only six showing up and
out of these six we chose
one. Each candidate had
some experience in person
centredness. One worked
at Northcott and the others
were form various disability
organisations and one had HR
experience. Each person made
a presentation on how they
would approach this role and
then we asked them a series
of questions. Based on their
performance and application
a successful candidate was
selected. The new person
will be starting in September.
Look out for the new front line
worker and say hello.
You're hired!
........... Northcott Person Centred Newsletter • September 2013 • 2 .........
It’s great to be reminded
I don’t know best
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to watch former Northcott client ambassador
and Parramatta Community Participation Program Participant, Shirley Wong
practicing a presentation she was preparing. It was 4:30pm on a sunny Friday
afternoon and I didn’t really want to be there.
The presentation was aimed at teachers to help them understand how best to
support students with disabilities, Shirley talked about the experiences she had
and the decisions that she had been capable of making but that were made for
her throughout high school.
Shirley talked about the decision to be placed in a support unit that someone
made on her behalf. She talked about how frustrated she was that she didn’t have
the control of selecting the subjects she wanted to study but that a teacher had
decided on her behalf.
Part way through the presentation Shirley said “I would rather have failed my
HSC than been successful in a support unit”. That phrase jumped out at me and
I missed the rest of the presentation thinking about that, thinking about how I
would have made the same decisions as her teachers, always worrying about what
I thought was best for Shirley but probably not stopping to ask her.
That sentence just resonated with me, it stuck in my head the whole way through
the City 2 Surf and it is probably what got me over Heartbreak Hill! We worry
about people with disabilities failing, we worry about their feelings being hurt so
it was an amazing moment when Shirley set the record straight and made her
perspective clear and I am so pleased she did.
It was great to be reminded that as much as I think I know what is best for
people with disabilities, they always know better than me and Shirley’s comment
was a great, humbling and welcome reminder of that. How different would
Shirley’s experiences have been if people had stopped to ask her what she wanted?
Tony Warner
........... Northcott Person Centred Newsletter • September 2013 • 3 .........
On Monday 12 August Ellen and I made a presentation about our school experience at the Special Education Conference in Novotel Hotel, Parramatta. There were about 170 participants - teachers and principals.The purpose of this presentation was to educate teachers who work in independent schools about giving students a right to inclusive society in a person centred way.
Ellen spoke about how stereotyping can be harmful for many years to come. She was stereotyped by a teacher as someone who had bad behaviour based on another CHARGE student. This had effect on her for many years.I spoke about being in mainstream school for most of my education with encouragement and how I suddenly found myself in the support unit after moving to senior campus. I also spoke about how I had limited subjects and opportunities. My message was “don’t hold the students back and let them have many opportunities to try things”.
Shirley Wong
Special Education Conference
........... Northcott Person Centred Newsletter • September 2013 • 4 .........
Looking to the future
by Ben Keyte
On Mondays 19th and 26th
August Ben Keyte, Peter
Dalrymple, and Shirley Wong
who were supported by Sarah
Pearce and CPP staff ran
two person-centred planning
workshops with students
who have a disability from
Crestwood High School.
The fi rst workshop was run
on the 19th August and was
for students from years 7 to 9.
This focused on their dreams
and wishes as well as hobbies
and interests they may have.
This was achieved through a
number of group activities such
as good day bad day, what’s
important to them and their
dreams and wishes. The end
result of the day was that all 18
students went away with a one
page collage that showed their
dreams and wishes.
The second day on 26th
August had students
from years 10 to 12 who
participated throughout the
day. As the students were
older and thinking more about
life after school the activities
catered to this by allowing
them to think more about their
future. The PC tools that were
used throughout the day were
like/admire, goals, and how
best to support you. At the
end of day the students left
the workshop with a one page
profi le of themselves.
The day fi nished with a
discussion on what options are
available post school which
includes CPP, TTW and Self-
Managed activities similar to
those at CPP. Maureen Croyle,
Support teacher said “That the
participants were very engaged
and thoroughly enjoyed
knowing that there is a future
for them even though they live
with a disability”.
The team is hoping to take this
workshop to other schools
and hope to keep making a
difference for the students
living with a disability.
Ben, Peter and Shirley presenting at Crestwood.
........... Northcott Person Centred Newsletter • September 2013 • 5 .........
One Page Profile Workshop with TTW
On the 29th of August, I co-facilitated
a one page profi le workshop with Sue
Campbell-Ross to the TTW clients. We
started the workshop by getting the clients
to think about what is important to them
at work and how they want to be supported
by their employer. We also encouraged the
clients to think about what shouldn’t go
on their one page profi le for work. After
the brainstorming, everyone went on the
computers and developed one page profi les
of their own. The aim of the clients creating
one page profi les was to assist employers
support them in their workplace.
Servinc MacCue
"It was a great day doing the one page profi les, It was an activity that helps tell our employer how they can support us by getting to know us better.”Nabila Laska (client)
"dpaotbb
"It was an educational and enlightening experience for all involved".Kelly O'Neill (staff)
........... Northcott Person Centred Newsletter • September 2013 • 6 .........
If you have any small example of people having greater choice, voice or control in their
life or in the work place, we would love to tell others about it in our Newsletter – so
please give me a call on 9890 0517 or email me on [email protected].
Thanks, Liz Hopkins.
Send us your great person centred news!
PHOTOS
Mitch interviewing for the
new Tamworth Community
Participation Coordinator
Ellen and Shirley with
the organiser Jackie at
the AIS conference
y
Shirls at Ai-Media Launch
Aaron & Marina meeting with Sylvanvale managersy e manageg rs
Tony's Relationship Circle
facilitated by Shirls
h
at
w
Doughnut Tool completed with
Tamworth support workers