Planning For Independence
By Sara Crimm, Families CCAN Director
Feeling overwhelmed? Don’t know where to start? The process of moving towards more independence generates many feelings – for you and for your family member with disabilities: anxiety, uncertainty, excitement, anticipation.
Families CCAN’s approach to planning for independence starts with the individual: Listening to their hopes and dreams, broadening their ideas and possibilities, and helping them recognize their strengths. We support goal-setting for what is important to each individual, then we work on breaking goals into tiny steps. This turns a big process into something much smaller and more approachable. It also helps put some of those emotions into context. Along the way we celebrate the small successes of mastering tiny steps. With practice, these build over time into big achievements.
Our approach also recognizes that independence looks different for every individual. No one is an island. Everyone depends on others for support, including individuals with disabilities. We fully support the idea of interdependence: the relationship between two or more living things where each one benefits from the other.
We’ve designed our Workshops and programs to emphasize abilities and growth. We engage individuals and families in hands-on, practical activities to achieve results. Together we practice getting started on your independence journey.
Give it a try – enroll in a Workshop today!
We offer 3 different workshops, each is a multi-week series for young adults with disabilities and their families to begin taking steps toward independence. Learn from peers in our Peer-To-Peer Workshop, envision your independence journey in our “What Does Independence Look Like” Workshop, or learn to build your own intentional network in our Building Personal Support Networks.
