Disability
What Disability Taught Kate
I am so fortunate that my work allows me the opportunity to get to know some incredible people who are so passionate about their cause. Kate Lopez is definitely among them. She and I met when I coordinated the marketing/public relations for the 2015 Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival organized by LADD, Inc. and we are working together again on the 2017 Festival. Kate is such a joy to be around. On a big event, with so many missing pieces, it is great to be working with someone like her who takes initiative and does what it takes to get the job done and done well. And with a smile on her face! For this Festival, Kate is an instrumental member of our team and the amazing thing is she is doing it while living temporarily with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. She commutes back and forth frequently.
Something I didn’t realize until recently about Kate is that her passion for this work stems from her own disability. It was because of Krohn’s Disease that, at the age of 14, she underwent a 9 ½ hour surgery to remove her large intestine. It was the procedure that altered her life forever, not because of the loss of her organ, but because the over pressurization of her muscles from having her legs in one position for that long caused something called compartment syndrome. In other words, she lost most of the muscles in her lower legs.
For a teenage girl who was the star of her volleyball team, and an overall competitive athlete, that sudden change was not easy…even more so at such a sensitive period in a girl’s life.
“It was definitely identity changing but I had a supportive family and friends who gave me the power to turn my life into something,” she told me. “I wear braces most of the time but people don’t know I have a disability. I can’t run and be as active as I want to be but I try to do as much as I can.”
Below are Kate’s answers to my questions.
Lisa: Because of your early experience, you are now professionally helping others as you were helped.
Kate: I was a sophomore in high school when I began volunteering at the Drake Center, where I also participated in physical therapy. My parents didn’t think I would be able to drive again but I learned how to drive with hand controls at Drake Hospital. That combination of Drake’s impact on other people as well as my own life really is what influenced my career choice. I am a therapist now with a specialty in teaching people to drive with adaptations, if it is safe to drive. I want people to see that there is a way to live fully with a disability.
Lisa: What is a life lesson you learned from your surgery?
Kate: I learned life is more fragile than you think when you are a teenager but also that it isn’t just your body that can be strong. Your mind is what is stronger. It made me fierce in making me want to be independent and to make as much of a difference in the world as I can. I also learned that life doesn’t have to be what you expect. I keep learning that with each patient and each interaction.
It has made me more thankful for the people I have around me. I feel like I am not as alone as I may think because of my support system and that makes me want to be that support system for others. I don’t let anything hold me back – I travel extensively, I scuba dive and mountain climb. I do physical things, I just do them in an adaptive way now.
Lisa: How did you become involved with ReelAbilities?
Kate: I went to the first Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival, then co-chaired the Veterans Committee of the 2015 Film Festival. The stories just meant so much to me. I don’t think I’d want to stray from them, as it is a connection with others who share my same passion. One of the best things that happened from my involvement was when I was talking to a friend who has a daughter with Spina Bifida. She shared how someone came up to her at ReelAbilities and said she doesn’t recognize anybody. That was the biggest compliment of the Festival because it demonstrated that we are reaching people who are not normally sought.
Lisa: You have define disability differently. Can you explain?
Kate: To me, I see a disability as something that would limit an aspect of life. An impairment, however, is something that is different and something is not working as well. Disability impacts your participating in life. Sometimes I am just in the impairment phase. One of the biggest things about wearing braces is finding shoes that I like but I’ve got it down to a science to find shoes I like and adapt them and make it work. I will not let the impairment get in the way.
Lisa: You have a seven year old son. What do you teach im about disabilities?
Kate: My son is around a lot of people with disabilities through my work, experience, and friends. I try to lead by example and don’t make difference as noticeable. He calls my braces my shoes. He just thinks some people have differences and others don’t. When it comes to kids struggling, I teach him to be more helpful and patient. When it comes to physical difference, I’m not sure he even notices. I just make it part of the package of the real world. We really are all the same on the inside and that is what matters most.
Absolutely, Kate, that IS what matters most!
This Coach Loves His Work
Written by my Good Things Going Around intern, Isabella Noe, a senior at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Coach Mike Holmes. He first started playing basketball in 1996, and is now in his fourth year of coaching basketball both for Swish Spirit and as an assistant at Mariemont High School. Swish Spirit is “a unique program that offers basketball instruction to children and young adults who have disabilities. In addition to instruction, Swish Spirit provides children of all abilities the opportunity to be part of a team within a basketball league” . A typical practice consists of working on dribbling, passing, and scrimmaging. The team plays other teams like it in the area, such as the Snapdragons. Many of the kids who attend practices have been doing so for years, and look forward to going back each week.
Coach Mike says his favorite part of coaching is helping kids who also have disabilities. His father, Denis Holmes, notes that Mike loves “being able to share his enthusiasm and his passion for basketball” while being able to coach. He sums up his son’s coaching in two words: spirit and enthusiasm. He says that Mike carries these gifts to work as well, at GBBN, an architectural firm.
A fellow coach, Brian Higgins, discussed how Mike has “done a fantastic job helping to be a leader for [the kids at Swish], helping them to learn the fundamentals of basketball, and teaching them how to come together as a team.”
Coach Brian and Coach Mike, along with Coach Bill Noe, have given the joy of competing to many young athletes who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to play a competitive sport. Coach Bill and Coach Brian have been involved in Swish Spirit for around eight years, and have watched young kids who at one time did not know how to dribble a basketball grow tremendously on and off the court. Coach Brian finds it incredibly rewarding that many kids have gained so much self-confidence from their participation in Cincy Swish. Coach Mike attributes this in part to of the “life lessons on community” that Swish teaches them. Coach Bill agrees, noting that the level of sportsmanship between teammates is incredible. The children involved in Swish truly care for one another.
As I attended a practice, I witnessed this firsthand as two young boys from opposing teams embraced upon one of them scoring a basket. Although Mike is competitive, he encourages teamwork and collaboration on and off the court.
Mike’s passion is clearly shown through his coaching. He smiled and said that coaching is great for both the kids involved and the parents and coaches. In the words of Mike himself, “For me, it’s good [to be] coaching. I love coaching. I love it.”
She Helps Others Achieve Victories
I am so fortunate that my work gives me the opportunity to get know and be inspired by some truly incredible people. Faith Maynard is among them. Faith joined the team of Cincinnati nonprofit organization, LADD, Inc. (Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled) 14 years ago as a direct support professional, and several positions later is now program manager for LADD’s Community Connections. That program is the only non-facilities based program of its kind in Cincinnati. Groups of 3 to 5 adults choose places in our area to explore with one of LADD’s social guides. Community Connections reduces isolation and also provides an opportunity for participants to learn and strengthen life and communication skills, build confidence through decision making, and explore their own likes and dislikes.
Faith has a beautiful soul. Her passion for bringing out the best in others is evident from your first encounter with her. It is what drives her. It is how she transforms lives and gives people reasons to look forward to the day ahead.
It is very befitting that she was given the name that she has.
She shared some of her story with me. It is below.
Faith’s Own Words
“I like doing work that actually, measurably matters to someone else each day. I like dealing with real-life challenges. I like taking ideas and turning them into reality. If the realization of dreams is in some way surprising or empowering, that’s just extra fun. I feel best when the small victories that I get to shepherd people through lead to bigger, more brilliant ideas. These are not my decisions to make or my lives to lead: my job is to present a menu, envision solutions and, ultimately, walk beside them as their own decisions and solutions take root and bear fruit.
How I came to my career with LADD was a journey. In college I studied comparative social sciences: sociology, anthropology, psychology with minor emphasis in history and economics (because economics is a social science!). I also did lots of organizing (politically and otherwise) through my association with punk rock music, it’s sort of the defining thing of my life so far. I’m not sure what I learned from this part of my life, but I know I felt that there was no cooperation as pure as volunteer cooperation towards an immaterial, non-monetary goal. Cooperation for joy. For cooperation’s sake. Graffiti on the world.
I love the variety that my work life here at LADD encompasses. I love the occasions to work fully with my body as well as the time I spend envisioning a better way and a better world. I love the try-it-and-see opportunities to sample the veritable smorgasbord of approaches and solutions to the problems we face each day. I love helping the folks I support develop visions of their own and put them into play.
Beyond that, though, the most amazing thing about my job at LADD is how much of my life fits inside it. I still book bands, I just do it for LADD. In my capacity at LADD I throw parties, volunteer, make art, bake cookies, go to museums, do yoga, canoe and the list could go on and on! In my newest role I feel like a kid in a sandbox. Here I’ve got ten groups of adults with disabilities that I can send out to be a force of good (and joy!) in the community.
As for someone who has greatly impacted my life, I’d say my most obvious influence is DJ Gatwood. She has been my supervisor for 12 of the past 14 years here at LADD. I’ve been taking great care to learn as much as I possibly can from her and I haven’t quite captured her magic. She’s fantastic at making people feel heard, getting them to hear others and weaving solutions. She is the picture of fluidity, flexibility and creativity.
photo credit: Jesse Byerly
Of course, my relationship with John Roach, someone with whom I have been a part of his life through my work, is pretty important. His experience and strength is so different from my own. He’s the one who insisted I start taking folks with disabilities on amazing, ambitious trips. He practically dared me to go on the dog sledding adventure (which I did with Gena Wade), pestered me into planning the Disney trip and wheedled me into canoeing through the Florida Everglades into the Gulf of Mexico. He’s so up for anything. Without him in my life, I wouldn’t have joined the Unitarian Church or volunteered with Mobo Bike Coop. He loves to work hard and take big risks.
There have been other fantastic folks that I’ve served here at LADD. Neil Dignan, Mike Weber and Dale Jackson jump to mind. Their involvement with Visionaries and Voices and Thunder Sky has led me to build even more community ties.
Amazing doesn’t mean easy. Life will be better when you figure that out.
Two Kroger Managers Begin Disability Support Group
Rachel Lawson, fresh meat and seafood planogram manager for Kroger, and Traci Stewart, deli category manager for Kroger, have more in common than simply their busy careers. They both happen to also be mothers to children who do things differently.
I met them both the other day when I visited them at the Kroger headquarters to take photos on behalf of my client, Cincinnati nonprofit LADD, Inc. (Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled). Susan Brownknight, LADD’s executive director is chairing chairing the Advisory Committee of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber national pilot program to further disability inclusion in small businesses. Part of that program was Connect|Ability Week, a career shadowing experience for students with disabilities. On the day that I visited, college student Seth was spending his afternoon with the Kroger team.
That Kroger was a participant in Connect|Ability Week was of no surprise. The company has been a strong leader and advocate when it comes to many issues…including integrating people with disabilities into our Greater Cincinnati community. For that, Kroger was recognized by LADD with its 2016 Legacy Award. “Kroger’s leadership has shifted the conversation relative to hiring people with disabilities. In many ways, this is not just about giving the Legacy Award, but also about moving the conversation forward on setting policies, protocols and procedures that facilitate inclusive workplace environments,” LADD Executive Director Susan Brownknight said of the company.
However, I learned last week that Kroger was doing even more than hiring a diverse workforce. Rachel and Traci have been spearheading a volunteer effort to support others in the company with life circumstances similar to their own.
It was over a year ago Traci approached her colleague about an idea she had, and Rachel didn’t think twice about jumping on board. That idea has grown into the Kroger Disabilities Resource Care Group that just officially launched in September, 2016. Its mission is to empower Kroger associates with disabilities and associates with dependents who have disabilities with an opportunity to network, address common issues and concerns, and receive support from those who share similar backgrounds, experiences or interests. The Resource Group is committed to providing resources and guidance when it comes to removing the greatest barriers for associates with disabilities, recognizes that all associates’ differences are valued, and wants to build an external awareness of Kroger as the employer of choice for people who experience disabilities.
On launch day in the downtown Cincinnati headquarters, Rachel told me they gave out gift bags and had 100 people register to be members. Then they went to the Kroger Grooms Road IT Department and had an additional 125 people register. Everyone who registered was sent a questionnaire about their greatest needs, and Rachel said they are just beginning to go through that data.
They have in place a plan to roll this out next to the Kroger divisions, beginning with Seattle, and ultimately will include all 2800 neighborhood stores.
Rachel shared some of her story with me. Her inspiration, she told me, comes from her experience raising her daughter with a learning disability who, in the fifth grade, was not reading or writing. Years of determination and support from professionals ultimately led Rachel to figuring out that her daughter saw things as if looking through a mirror. Finally diagnosed and prescribed appropriate medicine to slow her brain down so that she could begin to learn those basic skills, Rachel’s daughter is now a straight A student preparing to attend Morehead University and wants to be a chiropractor.
“Traci was so passionate about being there for me when I was struggling to help my daughter succeed. When she came to me with this idea, it was a no brainer. I knew this is what we needed to do to help others.
We thought it was going to be big but we didn’t anticipate it to be as big as it is turning out to be. Now we are finding there are a lot of associates like us.
I feel really good being a part of this. Now I feel like I am part of a whole community, that I am not the only one who has gone through this. That is the most important part.
LADD Awards Honored People Who Take Flight
Through my public relations work, I love spending time with everyone who is involved with LADD (Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled) and its mission. If you are unfamiliar, LADD is a Cincinnati nonprofit organization that works side-by-side adults who have developmental disabilities to assist them in experiencing independence through a variety of supported housing, employment and community engagement programs. Its a cause about humanity, and about people who deserve to have equal opportunities for living their lives abundantly and with purpose, being able to do that in their own ways.
Last week they had their annual Taking Flight Awards Event to honor individuals who are achieving their goals, and those within LADD and the community who are part of that journey. It was a wonderful night. To see the entire photo album, please click here.
Honorees include:
Spirit of Independence Award: Dale Jackson
Recognizes a person receiving services from LADD who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in realizing their independence.
At LADD, when they talk about supporting people, enabling and empowering them to experience independence, their goal is for them to enjoy in life the gratification that comes from achi
eving the goals they want for themselves.
Dale is most certainly walking his own path. “He is a really good example of what a working artist should be, someone that is able to be a part of the real world and have a real job and do what it is creatively that he needs to do. I think he serves as a role model for a lot of people with and without disabilities in that respect,” Bill Ross, co-founder of Visionaries & Voices and Thunder-Sky Inc. said.
For many years Dale has been dividing his time between his job at Kroger, and his studio time at Visionaries & Voices and Thundersky. He is a painter and a writer, sharing his innermost thoughts on paper. His art has been published and included in multiple shows including the ’30 Americans Plus’ exhibition at the Art Academy.
When creating, he is easy to spot. He is the one wearing glittery shoes and a baseball cap, and when he laughs, you can’t help but laugh with him…which happens often. Dale definitely enjoys life. He loves to dance, travel, visit art shows, and spend time with his family.
“Getting to know Dale has taught me that I too should be out there doing what I love,” said Neil Ferencak, LADD Find A Way Apartments program coordinator.
Courage to Fly Award: The Ryan Family (Family of Patrick Ryan)
Recognizes a family member or family that is served that has shown exceptional courage and support as their family member works towards independence.
When she thinks about the meaning of this Award, Diane Gaither-Thompson, LADD Supported Employment coordinator, said she thinks, “The words courage to fly mean to me that you can assist an individual but once they get there that you take that risk and let them go.”
And, in the more than four years that Diane has worked alongside the Ryan family, she has seen this definition with clarity as mother Jean and her daughters Colleen, Bonnie, Maureen, Kelly and Shawna, have participated in and welcomed the journey of independence for their youngest sibling, 62 year old Patrick.
An employee of Mercy Health Systems for over 12 years, the Ryans reached out to LADD when Patrick began feeling overwhelmed with the long hours of a full time job. The solution Diane recommended was cutting Patrick’s hours, a change that the family fully supported and one that gave Patrick wings to grow as that lessened stress meant gave him better ability to work through other life challenges.
“Solidarity, dedication and affirmation are the virtues practiced within this family,” said Diane. “With the Ryans encouragement and confidence in Patrick, together we are seeing Patrick continue to flourish at Mercy. And giving him the opportunity to be a productive community member has always been their goal.”
So Others May Fly Award: Jennifer Crowe
Recognizes a person receiving services from LADD who has demonstrated outstanding service and commitment to a cause or organization other than LADD that benefits the community.
Phyllis Thomas, Timberlane coordinator, one of numerous nominators, said, “Jennifer helps people to fly when she is educating children in the grade schools. She says, ‘I am a person just like you, but I am a person labeled with a disability. Yet I have a tremendous amount of time and talent to offer to others so concentrate on all the attributes I have to offer the world.’
One of LADD’s go-getters who lives at the nonprofit’s Timberlane residence, Jennifer is a tireless and passionate volunteer, artist, leader, advocate and role model. Her list of accomplishments could extend pages. She is a published writer and an artist who sold her first work in 2008. As a volunteer, she gives of her time to the Krohn Conservatory and other community causes. As an instructor, she has traveled to California to share her talents; and inspires creative expression through classes at 21C, Visionaries & Voices, and Lindon Grove. Since 2011, Jenny has been an art teacher for students on the autism spectrum at Linden Grove School. Additionally, Jennifer is a Cincinnati presenter for Everybody Counts, a program that reaches out to young children to foster understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities. Jennifer’s interest in wellness led her to becoming a certified trainer for the Healthy Lifestyles, a 12-week program which educates adults with developmental disabilities on leading healthier lives. Her leadership shown through in another way when, in 2009, she was one of the first two adults with developmental disabilities in Ohio to have completed the Southwest Ohio Professional Advancement through Training and Education in Human Services (PATH) credentialing program. To earn that credential, Jennifer attended 60 hours of classes and completed a portfolio demonstrating her knowledge in three essential direct support professional skill areas. For all that she has accomplished, she was honored with an award from the Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) in 2010; and in 2009, a proclamation was issued from the City of Cincinnati her advocacy work.
In Jennifer’s words, “Teaching is a Calling. The legacy that I hope to leave behind is that every child should do the best they can and the best they can is good enough for me.”
Employer Excellence Award: (George H Rohde & Son Funeral Home)
Recognizes an individual or business that has been a leader in providing employment opportunities to the people LADD assists.
John Roach will proudly tell you he has been working with a lot of ‘great people’ since 1981, when he stopped spending his days in a workshop and began his employment at the family-owned George H. Rohde & Son Funeral Home. LADD’s Faith Maynard got to know John when she was community supportive living coordinator and assisted him with his housing needs. She has been a part of John’s life since and has seen him thrive as a result of being part of the Rohde’s business. As employers, they have gone far above their management role. In addition to providing John with steady work, Steve Rohde and his staff consider him a valued part of their lives. They include John in social functions, take care to remind him of his medical appointments, and even assisted John financially in times of challenge. Over the years, as Faith has seen John lose many stakeholders in his life, Steve and his staff have stepped up as advocates. They have played a key role in educating the entire Mt. Lookout community about John’s strengths, and, as a result, other businesses have hired John for temporary needs as well.
“I am like a brother for him and Steve is like a brother for me,” John said. “I won’t quit my job for nothing. I like where I am now.”
Above and Beyond Award: (Shannice Clark)
Recognizes a LADD staff person that has performed selflessly and tirelessly to effectively achieve LADD’s mission in the past year.
When Shannice first joined LADD in 2010, she was wavering between a career in education or social work. Since then, she has earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree, and come to realize LADD’s Find A Way Apartments is where she belongs. As a direct support professional, people’s lives, their experiences and perspectives have become so interwoven into her own. She knows no 9 to 5 hours. Shannice makes herself available for anything that could come up whether that is a phone conversation, taking someone on an errand, teaching classes or assisting with daily living tasks. And more than that, Shannice has been the driving force behind Find A Way residents realizing a dream many never had considered a possibility…going on a vacation. “It really bothered me to see these people I care about being stigmatized. They have been told what they cannot do or where they cannot go. If I can go on a vacation, I thought, then why can’t they?,” she said. And with that determination, she has organized numerous trips – to Columbus, Myrtle Beach and even Puerto Rico. Staff coordinate and oversee but Find A Way residents choose their destination, create the budget and even raise money. Barbara Taylor told us she had always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach. “I was not sure how I would get there, but Shannice made it happen. Going to Myrtle Beach makes me feel like ‘if I can go there, I can go anywhere’,” Barbara said, before turning to her friend. “Shannice, you are an awesome person. You have been a blessing to me.”
Shannice gets teary eyed when she reminisces those experiences. “One of the greatest rewards is seeing people who have never left the state, never flown or been near the water, never budgeted, hit those milestones,” she said.
Legacy Award: (Kroger Co.)
Recognizes an individual or business that have been a leader in integration of people with disabilities into the Cincinnati community.
Please join us in celebrating The Kroger Company, our Legacy Award recipient, for stepping forward in the 1990s to forge new ground when it comes to hiring people who have disabilities. Margo Wayne, a Kroger associate, spoke for so many when she told us for this video that at Kroger, “they don’t treat you like you have a disability. They treat you with respect.”
Reuben Shaffer, chief diversity officer for The Kroger Company, said they began with one store, testing the idea. “Soon word spread within the organization. Other store managers heard about it and were looking for associates. Store managers began to step forward and ask, ‘When are you going to do the next pilot? If you are going to do it, I am interested.”
Some 15 plus years later, over 1000 people who have disabilities have been employed by Kroger. “The Kroger Co.’s leadership has shifted the conversation relative to hiring people with disabilities. In many ways, this is not just about giving the Legacy Award, but also about moving the conversation forward on setting policies, protocols and procedures that facilitate inclusive workplace environments,” LADD Executive Director Susan Brownknight said.
