Zach is one of Imagine’s most intriguing clients. He is a professional artist whose skills, especially with line drawings make us all proud. He is a really fascinating communicator. To be his friend, you have to give him the attention we all owe our friends. That means you earn his friendship and, in turn, that makes Zach a great teacher of what friendship means.
Zach was one of a few Imagine clients I had met before I moved to the area and started working at Imagine. That’s one of the many reasons I really value him.
He also taught me a lot about person-centered thinking. When I was first getting to know him, I interpreted his body language to communicate that he would prefer I not ask him questions or engage him in conversation. Through his and his family’s use of person-centered thinking tools, I have since learned that what he was really communicating is that I shouldn’t be too quick to accept nonverbal cues. He wants to build bonds through conversation. And now something I can look forward to every other week is a half-hour walk together when we get to know one another better. It’s one of the highlights of my time and I thank him for never giving up on me.
Submitted by Doug
Daniel makes it look easy. He joined our agency on April 1 and, at the time, the challenge presented was the goal of two trips out into the community per week. There were behavioral considerations to contend with as well his preference to stay indoors.
On the aforementioned April 1, in the afternoon, he asked if he could go to Brommer Park to have fun. We said yes. The next day he asked to go to Blue Ball park and we said yes. Later that day he asked to go to a store and you know what we did? Great guess.
Over the course of his three months with us, he has been out in the community daily. His behavioral issues have fallen remarkably and we are noticing an enormous reduction in his apparent anxiety. All of us who work with him have his favorite radio station pre-set. The elaborate plan I wrote a few months back for how to improve community integration has been replaced with “ask him where he wants to go. Go there.”
Above is a picture from our summer barbecue and this is what community integration looks like most of the time with Daniel. He often stands apart and either makes art or stares at the beautiful sky. But when he’s ready, he joins the party and we’re looking forward to him making friends.
Daniel’s weekday day crew are a great example of how different personalities can work together for the benefit of the person they serve and be a lot of fun for their facilitator. This month’s spotlight is on Victor and Julie.
We lucked into Julie who was the lead on Daniel’s pre-Imagine team and came along to be the lead on his Imagine team. Julie is smart, curious, thoughtful, discrete, diligent and, best of all for Daniel, low-key in conversation. She gives the space he needs. For me, as Daniel’s temporary facilitator, she’s a joy to work with because of her professionalism and interest in the field.
She often tells me how glad she is to be with Imagine and when she says that, it is almost always right after a training opportunity she received. That shows how much she cares to be in this profession and be great at her job.
What makes Victor such a joy to work with is joy. Do you remember that kid in school that made you wonder “can anyone really be that nice?” That’s how I know you went to school with Victor. He does long shifts with a positive attitude, cares about his client and is friendly to and supportive of his caregivers. He also loves to learn. He’s enthusiastic for the Registered Behavior Technician course he has started in order to better serve Daniel. Plus, he has been teaching me young-peoplese. I’m getting kind of cool, y’all.
Julie and Victor, you guys are hard and I gotta dip.