Forum Activity for @deb-wisniewski

11 Community Building Podcasts

Shared Resources and Materials

Thank you for sharing all of these! I look forward to listening to them all.

updated by @deb-wisniewski: 06/21/17 02:46:06PM

Working in the Gap: What does it mean to you?

Working in the Gap

Thanks, Peter for your thoughts on this topic... I personally have worked with a for-profit organization that offers supports for people with disabilities, so this is an interesting question for me to consider. As I think about the 6 assets of ABCD (individual, associations, institutions, economic, physical, and culture/stories), one of those assets is local institutions which includes businesses. So yes, I think there is a possibility of "gapping" between community and local institutions. In my mind, a lot depends on the role of the business in that community and how they see themselves. Does the for-profit see itself as "leading by stepping back"?  How do the employees of that for-profit see themselves?

Recently I had the good fortune of talking with someone who works for a mining company as a community development specialist. He definitely saw his role as actually working for the people of the community, even as he was employed by the company. It was an interesting conversation. He shared how it can be very challenging.

Who Are You? Why are you here?

ABCD and Inclusive Communities/People with Disabilities

[quote="keith kelley"]

thanks, deb -

interesting to see friends getting ready to march on washington with not much plans for what to do after it is over....reminded of jack kornfield's title:  after the ecstasy; the laundry

[/quote]

Love it! 

Who Are You? Why are you here?

ABCD and Inclusive Communities/People with Disabilities

Hi Keith -  Welcome! I hope you'll find.. and share!... many sparks here at ABCD in Action. This community is like your neighborhood - it depends on the involvement of all who are a part of it. Let us know if you have any questions about how to participate here. We're glad you're here!

Deb

Who Are You? Why are you here?

ABCD and Inclusive Communities/People with Disabilities

Hi Marnie - It was great reading your blog. I have long been interested in the connections between a strength-based support model and ABCD. I love reading about work that is closely connected to what I've been doing. It seems to me that they both start by sharing a common values base - that both build upon the gifts and talents of individuals. 

I believe that there are a number of challenges for the strength-based support model, one of which is to get beyond "interested."  I often see an effort to identify the interests of individuals with disabilities using person-centered planning, but then the process can stall after that. Many people don't seem to know what do do after identifying interests. For example, rather than thinking about the interests as a way to contribute to the community and to build relationships, I see what I call "drive-by" community. That is, support staff may not know how to connect people with disabilities to meaningful community roles, even after identifying interests. I think ABCD is a key practice  that can help us make the leap from from shallow connections to real contributions and the development of mutually beneficial relationships. 

I've been doing some training in this area and would welcome a chance to talk with you about this. Let me know if you'd like to connect sometime. Also, I'm wondering if you know of the Cutting Edge Program at Edgewood College here in Madison Wisconsin. I know a number of people who have been or are currently involved in that program, if you'd like to know more about it.

Keep up the good work. It sounds very interesting and exciting.

Deb

Engaging and connecting people with disabilities in their communities

ABCD and Inclusive Communities/People with Disabilities

Hi Tami -

We don't have a specific group at this point. Instead we have this discussion category: ABCD and Inclusive Communities/People with Disabilities instead. We felt that this would make the topic open to a broader group of people who might not want to "join another group". Please feel free to start or join a discussion in this category. You can start by introducing yourself in this thread and sharing why you are here.

Deb

updated by @deb-wisniewski: 11/08/16 09:14:31AM

Who Are You? Why are you here?

ABCD and Inclusive Communities/People with Disabilities

You came to this Discussion Category because you care about inclusive and welcoming communities. Please feel free to introduce yourself and tell us about something exciting you are involved with.

updated by @deb-wisniewski: 02/24/23 12:21:50PM

Practical Resources?

Shared Resources and Materials

Thanks for sharing these, Aspen. I'm looking forward to exploring them.

Community Led Public Libraries

ABCD and Institutions (Universities, Hospitals, Government, Libraries, NGOs, etc.)

I'm sure we can, now that it's easier for people to join the conversations. 

I absolutely agree that libraries are changing... for example, our local libraries have been serving as early voting sites over the last few weeks. We've had huge community turn-out for early voting as a result, including our poorer neighborhoods. 

Community Led Public Libraries

ABCD and Institutions (Universities, Hospitals, Government, Libraries, NGOs, etc.)

I'm definitely a library supporter! And I know quite a few librarians. Are you a librarian, Sandy?