Week Seven

       The supported employment with Tony opened up great opportunities for Katie. The one bad side about the supported employment situation is that because of how it is funded there is a time limit for how long it can go on. Katie, however, excelled at learning the necessary skills for continued work in a bakery. Meanwhile, Crystal read up on an organization called the Easter Seals. It is a non-profit organization that aids people with disabilities in a variety categories including employment. When Katie is 25 she is assigned a job developer, Stacey, through Easter Seals. Stacey helped Katie look for employment, fill out applications at other bakeries and write up a resume. After going through the typical steps to employment Katie was hired by another bakery as prep assistant and front of the house help. Katie would have regular hours and was even offered slightly above minimum wage pay. The owner, Rosie, also has a daughter with Down Syndrome who had used the Easter Seals program to secure employment. Now Stacey’s job was to discuss a plan for Katie’s employment. Stacey, Katie and Rosie agreed start Katie’s employment using a process called fading to assist Katie in adjusting to a competitive employment environment. This is kind of like the educational technique scaffolding in that a co-worker or manager will assist Katie with what she absolutely needs help with but will gradually lessen the assistance as she gets the hang of it. Due to Katie’s prior experience at Tony’s bakery she is already ahead of the game and needs very little help with her responsibilities.  Now that Katie is working regularly, Stacey’s only job is to serve as a follow up specialist. She will act as a middleman to check on how Katie is performing and any issues Rosie is finding that she could help in addressing with Katie. This new employment and collecting a hard earned paycheck gives Katie a sense of fulfillment and independence that she has never known before.

            Crystal works with Katie on managing her finances and stresses the importance of saving money. To teach Katie the importance of bills and saving Crystal sets up a rental agreement between her and Katie. Every week Katie will give a percentage of her paycheck as “rent,” Crystal then takes this money and puts it into a savings account for Katie.  Katie does not mind this as it makes her truly feel like she is being treated like an independent adult.

            Socially Katie attends regular events held by the Easter Seals and another local organization that supports people with disabilities. She attends social events such as picnics and dances on the weekends. Sometimes they go on field trips which Katie pays for using her own money. Rosie’s daughter, Elizabeth, and Katie have become great friends. Elizabeth is five years older than Katie and has a job working delivering mail at the local hospital. Katie still assists the coach at the high school, but now that she is a working-woman she does so less frequently. Another form of socialization has come from the Internet. Katie signed up for a program called e-buddies. Through this program people with disabilities are linked up with an age appropriate pen pal without disabilities. Every week Katie and her pen pal write back and forth about their lives and daily activities. This not only increases Katie’s socialization but also keeps Katie practicing her reading and writing skills on a consistent basis.

            By the time Katie is in her late twenties she has a decent savings account built up, a great network of friends (both disabled and non-disabled) and has even received three pay raises from Rosie. There is, however, a new issue on Crystal and Katie’s plate. Crystal knows that she will not be able to care for Katie forever, even though she is only in her early forties, she knows there will come a day when she can’t keep up with Katie’s housing and social needs. She is surprised when one day Katie says that she and Elizabeth want to get an apartment. Crystal was in no way thinking about this being an option. Katie explains that Rosie has a two bedroom space over the bakery, which is literally around the corner from Rosie’s house and only two miles away from Crystal’s. Rosie says that Elizabeth and Katie can stay their rent free as long as they follow some ground rules such as they are responsible for paying the small utility bills, they must each continue having a strategy for saving money and they must figure out an in-home support program with a professional, Crystal and Rosie. Katie is dying to take Rosie up on this opportunity but Crystal is hesitant. Even though she will be close and Rosie will be in the bakery every day plus they will have additional outside support, Crystal never imagined Katie would attempt living on her own like this.  Although it excites her that Katie’s life at thirty is looking much more typical then she had ever imagined it would be when Katie was born, she is still fearful of everything that could go wrong.

Decision Point: Does Crystal agree to let Katie move in above the bakery with Elizabeth or does she look into other options such as assisted living or adult residential facilities?

Questions:

1.     Assisted living and residential facilities can be expensive. What are some means of affording this if Katie should need it later in life?

2.     When people with Down Syndrome live with limited support, what are some useful strategies for making sure they practice safety and healthy habits?

3.     What are some other organizations in which Katie can access more social interaction, exercise or learning opportunities for no or limited cost?