Empowerment Board: My Road to College, My ROAD to health
How do you spend your free time?
In the little free time I have, I enjoy reading the news, playing with my granddaughters, entertaining my four cats, watching movies and miniseries with my spouse, and advocating for social justice issues and people who have disabilities.
Where are you from?
I am originally from a small town in Southern Illinois, and I have lived in the Nashville, TN area since I was 10. After my son Evan was diagnosed with autism, my family moved in order to access better supports and services in the school system.
Why do you think dignity of risk is important?
While we want to protect our loved ones, and particularly our children, from harm, if we never allow them to take risks, to try something new, they may become bored or depressed. Allowing individuals to take risks enables them to learn new things, find people or activities that they enjoy, and be able to flourish. Offering this freedom can allow individuals to live the lives they want. But, just like the rest of us, that life may include some problems and pain.
What advice do you have for other family members?
Parents should understand there are risks and benefits in nearly every situation, and we need to listen to what our children are telling us. Some of us have to listen in alternative ways, because our children don’t communicate with words or devices.
My husband and I came to believe, based on our son’s behavior as he approached 20, that he wanted to live outside our family home, to be on his own to the degree that he was able. We made the decision to seek supported living through our state’s Medicaid waiver system, and he was fortunate enough to get a slot.
He is now 30, and he’s much happier living in an apartment with 24/7 support than he was living at our home during those late teen years. We felt like we were taking a huge risk, because he cannot tell us what he does each day or who is with him, but his smiles and his enthusiasm for going back to “his place” after an outing with us is undeniable.
