People First of New Hampshire Places Importance on Jobs and community

People First of New Hampshire has gone out of its way to exemplify work experiences of its members and even has an online training segment called "The World of Work." Videos on this segment of their website include starting your own business, work experiences of various People First members, interviewing skills, and balancing work with other activities. Self assessment is also a key component of People First Of New Hampshire's online training, dressing, and so is using the computer for finding work opportunities. Below are videos and links of People First of New Hampshire advocating for community living, jobs, and protesting institutions. Also what does it mean to be a person actively living in their communities and the relationship group which is a self advocacy group. The website is as follows:
http://www.peoplefirstofnh.org/WorldOfWorkOnlineTraining.htm

ABC news Report on the "R" word

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel for President Barack H. Obama apologized for a word he uttered during a speech at a press conference. He uttered the word "retarded" about his political opponents and met with the head of the Special Olympics about his apology. Emmanuel was speaking about his political opponents and one ABC correspondent John A. Farrell stated that, "I think that calling a democrat stupid, idiot, and or retarded" is ok." A medical doctor named Dr. Skotko stated that, "many people with disabilities are profoundly impacted by that word. It stings them and I could say on a personal level that's true for me too. I am lucky enough to have two wonderful sisters. One of them has Down Syndrome." So who gets the privilege of deciding whether or not this word is offensive?
Well it is usually the offended group that gets to control whether or not the word is offensive and should be used in regards to describing their population. Terms such as: intellectually disabled, developmentally disabled, and or people with special needs are more appropriate and politically correct terms that substitute the word "retarded". This has been the case and was even determined in 2003 when the popular mainstream group Black Eyed Peas had their song "Let's get Retarded" removed from mainstream airwaves for its offensive term "retarded." As a result of this the Black Eyed Peas changed their song to the title, "Let's Get It Started" and re-released their song as a hit single on the mainstream airwaves. In recent times a Hollywood film Tropic Thunder starring Ben Stiller was known for its usage of the word retard as well. Yet when it was released on DVD it carried the message of "when you call me beautiful" and has tolerant messages within it in the extras on the DVD. This movie was boycotted by People First of Alabama for its use of the word "retard" and by calling Ben Stiller "retard man."
Those are some primary examples of the changing positions of tolerance for people with intellectual disabilities and another example is in "Roses Law," after an intellectually disabled girl named Rose. Roses Law is a law that states that the word "retardation" gets stripped from all federal language regarding Departments of Mental Health for the 50 states of America. Below is the ABC News Report on the "R" word.

New Hampshire Teacher gets Bacheolor's Degree a day before dying: Truly inspirational

Many will say that life is hard, difficult, miserable, and full of pain. Yet I beg to differ. It is about learning to embrace both the ugliness and the happiness in all that is and exists in our universe and our World. The ability to know that logic does not go with everything and that we should be easy on ourselves with failures and continue to be patient with others around us is very important. Many times spirituality is more important than money but money is a representation of energy in people and resources surrounding us. Many like to complain about getting older as if getting older meant that they were getting worse. Once again this is just a figment of our imaginations and our perspective weighing down on us. Getting older should mean getting wiser and we should also learn from those less fortunate as time goes on for they teach us very good lessons in life. We are more similar than we are different. As a World more than before each one of us should find our purpose and meaning in life and strive for what makes us feel fullfilled.
A woman who reached this sense of fullfillment before she died was a woman named Harriet Richardson Ames who was awarded a Bacheolor's degree at age 100 before she died. This exemplifies true ability and Mrs. Ames was located in Concord, New Hampshire and was respected by all of her colleagues for being loving and caring to them. Back in 1931 Ames was awarded a two year teaching certificate from Keene Normal School which is now known as Keene State College. She was a teacher for twenty years in a one room schoolhouse in Newbury, New Hampshire and in Pittsfield as well.
Ames went to the University of New Hampshire and Plymouth Teachers College, and also Keene State. Due to failing eyesight she stopped taking classes in 1971 and was not sure if she had enough credits in order to receive a college Bacheolor's degree. Ames had wished for a degree and this realization became true when a Keene State film professor interviewed her for a piece on the college's centennial which was celebrated in 2009. After research into whether or not Ames could receive her college diploma it was found out that she indeed could and did the day before she died on January 25th, 2010.
Norma Walker of the Golden Circle Society which is an Alumni group for classes that graduated fifty or more years ago said of Ames that, "She wanted to be the best that she could be." Ames when knowing that she could receive her college diploma said, "'If I die tomorrow, I'll know I'll die happy, because my degree's in the works.'" Ames died happy for teaching students how to read and for being caring, loving, and compassionate for others as well as receiving her college degree the day before she died. That to me is true ability and was done at the age of one hundred years old. The spirit is infinite and the body is limited. We should all know that age is only a number and like disability is not something that should define us.

Community Exchange System for transportation and the aims of an economic complex with the system

The aims of a community economic complex are stated below as well as videos.

CESDISCUSSIONS
The Community Exchange System for transportation and the proposal for a possible pilot with the Ability Alliance of West Alabama and the Western Heights Cooperative District which is run by Robert Johnson of Adamsville, Alabama.
CESDISCUSSIONS2

Alliance For Full Participation Newsletter calls for employment opportunity

One of the partnerships that the Ability Alliance of West Alabama has is SABE(Self Advocates Becoming Empowerd) which is a national organization that represents the rights of people with intellectual disabilities to work and to actively participate in their communities. A partnership of SABE's is The Alliance For Full Participation which aims to create work opportunity for people with developmental disabilities,and it has launched a new campaign called "Real Jobs-It's Everybody's Business." The AFP goal is to double employment rate for people with disabilities by 2015. Employment is the prime focus for the organization which is a part of the Self Advocates Becoming Empowered national organization for rights of people with intellectual disabilities.
Real jobs mean that there are real paychecks involved and employment work shops will not be as useful anymore as done before. Preferable employment allows individuals to afford housing, food, clothing, and the supports necessary for them to live and to work in the communities that they choose to live in. This is a goal we can all identify with although the employment rate for people with intellectual disabilities is very unsatisfactory and is at approximately 22% compared to 79% for typical Americans. Therefore people who could live on their own are sometimes forced to depend on the support of others to make their choices for them.
Employment opportunity being a major problem for people with intellectual disabilities places burden on governments, community development, social services, and on Medicare/Medicaid. Discovery of more employment opportunity means not only do people with intellectual disabilities benefit but so does the communities surrounding the individuals finding employment contributing to economic growth. The Alliance for Full Participation's campaign begins at the state level that combines the efforts of businesses, governmental officials, family members, advocacy organizations, service providers, and other community members. Please visit their website for more information about their campaign.

www.allianceforfullparticipation.org

Americorps Stronger Together Ability Alliance of West Alabama: Partnered with VISTA

“Stronger Together” is an Americorp/VISTA program which is a volunteer based project designed to bridge community programs in an effort to empower the people in it, through the use of Grassroots Organizing techniques to built capacity and or resources in our community.
Project goals of the program are:
1.Employment Opportunities/Volunteerism
2.Self Advocacy
3.Self Determination
4.Organizational Collaborations
5.Community Involvement

What do VISTA(Volunteers In Service to America) members do?

Members commit to serve full-time for 1 to 3 years at a nonprofit organization or local government agency and work to fight illiteracy, improve health services,create businesses, and strengthen community groups. Members also create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. Americorps VISTA members gain the ability to solve problems and achieve objectives with their resource development and management of community relationships Aims to strengthen parties ability to work together for the benefit of every person involved. Skills and tools are provided to define problems and issues and formulate solutions.


What is a community?
A group of people who share a position in social and/or economic disadvantage
Disability or membership of a particular ethnic group
Geographical area.

Benefits
Increases in skills, competencies and self confidence
Effective, efficient and sustainable delivery of services to communities
Promotion of social cohesion or inclusion.

Grassroots fundraising
Raises money and contributions of goods and services
Requires face-to-face asking, rather than grant application
Publicizes the work of your organizations, build networks of relationship in the community, more people actively involved.

Volunteering
Volunteering is the practice of people working on the behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain. It is an altruistic activity, intended to promote good or improve human quality of life. Volunteering also helps to build more cohesive communities, fostering greater solidarity and trust between citizens.

VISTA ADVISORY Committee
The VISTA Advisory Committee members are selected to support and oversee the ideals and recommendations of the “Stronger Together” project.
Advisory Committee Members are expected to participate in (2) planning meeting annually.
Advisory Committee Goals/Focus:
Develop positive inclusion/integration for individuals with intellectual disabilities
Establish/Strengthen self-advocacy groups
Support opportunities for leadership/leadership training
Create collaborations/partnerships with community organizations

Sponsoring Agencies:
1.Tuscaloosa’s One Place
2.Easter Seals of West Alabama
3.Arc of Tuscaloosa
4.Indian Rivers Mental Health Center
5.United Cerebral Palsy of West of West Alabama
People First of Alabama

Designated Collaborations/CO-OPS/SELF ADVOCACY:
1.Gettysburg College
2.Tuscaloosa Childrens’ Council
3.Self Advocacy Becoming Empowered (SABE)
4.University Of Alabama
5.Kentuck Art Festival

The Interaction Style Assessment Test

This is a quiz administered by a career blog I have been referred to by an online connection of mine called Careeralism.com. It is a website for career advice and interview advice, resume building, and also quizzes for job readiness and personality assessment. The Interaction Style Assessment Test is administered by a company called J.T. O'Donnell and determines what kind of an interactor you are in the workplace. Are you a empathizer? Are you a energizer? Are you a contemplator? or Are you a commander? Based on the 18 question quiz I am an empathizer.
An empathizer is known to create harmonious relationships, create conflict free environments, and to seek positivity amongst all. I believe that this is an accurate assessment of how I operate in a workplace. I intend to see the emotional aspects as being more important than logic most of the time because people tend to make decisions much more so on their emotions than on their logic based on my general observations of how people act in society as of lately. This may be me generalizing a bit but there is much evidence to back this up and also the advertising World is largely based on emotions. For clarity is all knowing and wise and is seen with our dollar bill being the all seeing eye of the sun. Below are my results and the link to the 18 question two part quiz.


http://www.jtodonnell.com/assessment/index.phtml


These are what the QUiz Results of the ISAT state and I am an empathizer. The results are categorized as such:

EMPATHIZER Comfortable, casual, and organized. Fun, friendly, kind, positive, team players. Warm, sympathetic, tactful, positive,but decisive to offset your emotion and avoidance. People first, profits second. Customer service, client and/or employee relations, office improvements. Excel at key support roles and team-based project work.

ENERGIZER Attractive, comfortable, and up-scale. Fun, outgoing, competitive, positive, quick-minded team players. Energetic, decisive, positive, supportive, but tactful to offset your passion and directness. People and profits achieved simultaneously. Sales, client and/or employee training, roll-out of new products or company initiatives. Anything that involves coaching ,training, motivation and engaging others.

CONTEMPLATOR Well-organized, private, casual. Respectful, pleasant, focused, fastidious, independent workers. Logical, articulate, honest, tactful, but decisive to offset your conservatism and avoidance. Profits with ethics. Accounting, quality assurance and service evaluations need your attention to detail. Computers, financial operations, engineering, processes and systems are great fits for your style.

COMMANDER Efficient and private, up-scale. Decisive, focused, quick-minded, competitive, independent workers. Logical, decisive, articulate, honest, but tactful to offset your seriousness and directness. Profits are not personal. Management, troubleshooting, reorganization, goal-setting. Any kind of project management, facilitation, or multi-tasking that is time-sensitive or requires critical thinking.