A Letter from the Director
Happy fall, APSI supporters! We're excited to be gearing up for our second APSI Institute of 2022 to discuss team decision-making about risk, supervision, and technology. We also hope you'll get a chance to check out our apparel fundraiser with some fun shirts and bags. Lastly, we're glad to share client stories about self-determination, including our client council: Advocacy Ambassadors. Look forward to more stories and ways to support us in this year's annual report and our end-of-year giving campaign!
Kristen Henry
APSI Executive Director
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Christopher's Dedication to Growth |
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"He's always looking to improve himself and feel better," says APSI Protective Service Representative Shirella Walls. She's talking about Christopher, an APSI client of 25 years in our Northeast region. Christopher isn't just an incredible and interesting person, but maybe most importantly, a strong and persistent one. Chris has been part of "the system" since he was a child, a circumstance that would cause anyone trauma and frustration. Chris is no exception. Chris often expressed this frustration towards his team of staff and caretakers, resulting in never staying in one home for very long.
About three years ago, Chris was in an accident that landed him in the emergency room. Chris' doctor brought in his team to discuss his trauma and how his quality of life could improve. In those moments, both Chris and his team had a change in perspective. APSI assisted Chris in getting a new Service and Support Administrator (SSA) explicitly focused on his behavioral health.
Chris now lives in a group home and gets along with his staff. While working with his new SSA and other specialists, he recognized that he could do so much more to improve his own life. Because he is working towards healing his trauma, he can now spend time on what matters to him most: growing in his mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Chris' faith is of the utmost importance to him. He spends much of his time writing spiritual poems about his journey and is working to self-publish his fourth book. Chris attends church weekly and even felt called to become an ordained bishop this past June. His church and group home have allowed him to build a community unlike anything he has ever had, and according to Shirella, "he takes time to get to know people, and he remembers the little things and details about someone's life."
Of course, Chris still struggles, but he is very open to talking about it when he does. "He understands that there's a lot of trauma and anger, and he tries to process things properly," Shirella says. Now, Chris is working toward mending his relationship with his family. He is now in a place where he can process what happened and knows how to deal with the inevitable ups and downs, and will have a group of people supporting him along the way.
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Ready to amp up your fall wardrobe? We have just the thing for you! APSI's annual apparel fundraiser is back with tees, totes, hoodies, and more!
You can make your purchase and support APSI's mission below. Hurry, the sale closes on October 20th!
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APSI Institute Returns October 18th! |
The topic for our upcoming APSI Institute is It’s Risky Business: Team Decision-Making About Risk, Supervision, and Technology
A critical component of serving individuals with developmental disabilities is ensuring their health and safety while also maximizing their independence and self-determination. Teams are challenged to identify the supports that will protect them from risk, but there are no easy answers or clear guidelines for these decisions. Decisions are often made to increase staffing levels in an attempt to minimize risk, even though increased staffing does not always equal greater protection. Understandably, team members have concerns about the potential for bad outcomes—especially when there is a court-appointed guardian who is responsible for making those decisions. These challenging decisions have been made even more complicated by unprecedented workforce shortages that limit the availability of staff to provide constant supervision and support.
To support team members in addressing these difficult situations, a group of stakeholders in Ohio’s DD system has developed a toolkit that compiles guidance and resources on assessing risk, identifying service and supervision needs, and considering technology options. The toolkit will be released at this APSI Institute, with presentations on each topic and practical examples of how it can be used to improve team decision-making for individuals with developmental disabilities.
The virtual event will be held Tuesday, October 18, 2022, from 9:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Standard registration is still open for $75 until October 15th.
Speakers include Lisa Comes, Angela Gerding, Brian Hart,
Rachel Hayes, Kristen Henry, and Josh Young.
This APSI Institute is approved for 3 hours of DODD CPDs for adult services, investigative agents, service and support administration, county board members, and superintendents.
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October
Judy Tong
Central Office
5 years
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Welcome to the APSI Team!
Stacy Bright
Garry Brown
Shannon Dow
Judy Lockwood
Frank Tolbert
Stefanie Vaught
Shawn Weaver
Chelsey York
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Thank you for supporting APSI and our clients. Your generous donation can help us continue our mission. |
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Advocacy Ambassadors Promotes Client Self-Determination |
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Founded in March 2022, APSI's Advocacy Ambassadors is our new client council consisting of 8 APSI clients from across the state. The council meets monthly to discuss topics that are most important in their day-to-day lives, from roommates and weekend plans to healthcare and employment. Since starting meetings this spring, the council has focused primarily and what "quality of life" and "self-advocacy" mean to them.
APSI hopes to use what we learn from these clients to advance the advocacy we do for them both in the field and at the statehouse. We hope to share exciting updates from the Advocacy Ambassadors as we explore new topics and continue to support individuals to improve their quality of life.
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