1. Positive Support – Improving Quality of Life Part 2
A 2 Day training program for
Disability Support Workers
This training program was compiled in 2013 by Jeanette Plowman from Community Living Association Inc,
Princess Royal Drive, Albany WA 6330, Phone:
And was funded by: Government of Western Australia, Disability Services Commission, National Disability Services WA.
Housekeeping.

2. Positive Support – Improving Quality of Life
Section 2 – Power
Whose life is it, anyway?

3. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Historical views about people with disability –
child-like
objects of pity
in need of charity
Batching people = separate, unequal
Activity
Historically, there have been some widely held views about people with disability as a group. They are seen as child-like, objects of pity and in need of charity.
By batching people together on the basis of their disability, and organising special activities for the group, we create a culture in which people with disability are seen as separate and unequal.
Activity — Batching People

4. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
We view an impairment as a problem.
We tend to place a higher value on people who are young, beautiful, thin, employable, independent, quick, smart.
So being a member of the group ‘people with disability’ puts someone at a low status to begin with.
In our competitive society, any impairment is likely to be seen as a problem. We tend to place a higher value on people who are young, beautiful, thin, employable, independent, quick and smart. So being a member of the group ‘people with disability’ puts someone at a low status to begin with.

5. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Quality of life, sense of identity and safety are closely connected to the power they have in their lives and the strength of their networks.
Power means someone’s capacity to make things happen and to control events in their own life.
People’s quality of life, their sense of identity and their safety are closely connected to the power they have in their lives and the strength of their networks.
Power means someone’s capacity to make things happen and to control events in their own life.

6. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
9% of population have low social value and have very little power –
homeless, permanently unemployed
old or ill
children in the care system
people with disabilities
Seen as unimportant, have little capacity to take control over their situation.
They are at risk of being excluded.
In our Australian society there is around 9% of the population who have low status (or social value) and have very little power.
Many of these people are homeless, permanently unemployed, old or ill, children in the care system, and people with disabilities.
Many are seen by society as unimportant and have little capacity to take control over their own situation.
They are at risk of being excluded.

7. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
no control over living arrangements
no choice in the staff who support them
little control over their money
restricted mobility
limited communication and self- expression
little self-confidence
had no experience in making decisions and giving instructions
Some people with a disability are in situations where they have none of the typical powers which other citizens would take for granted.
They may have –
no control over their own living arrangements
no choice in the staff who support them
little control over their money
restricted mobility
limited communication and self-expression
little self-confidence
had no experience in making decisions and giving instructions.

8. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
We need to work in ways that extend people’s personal power and control over their own lives.
How much power does the person have in their own life?
Activity
Support services need to function in ways that extend people’s personal power and control over their own lives.
In your role as a Support Worker, consider the level of power you may have in the life of the person you are supporting.
How much power does the person have in their own life?
Activity - Power

9. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Support Workers DO have a certain amount of power in people’s lives.
Keep asking yourself:
“Whose life is it, anyway?”
“Who should have the power, and who really does have it?”
We need to have power WITH people, not power OVER people.
Power can be something Support Workers do not realise they have. We may have always worked in a certain way, and nobody has instructed us to work differently. As we go about our work, we need to keep asking the question:
“Whose life is it, anyway?”
“Direct support staff play a key role in supporting people with disabilities to build meaningful lives. The quality of this support is enhanced when we make an effort to understand how these relationships are influenced by control and power in people’s lives … who should have it and who really does have it.”
We need to understand that we DO have power in people’s lives.
But we need to have power WITH people, not power OVER people.

10. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
What is meant by communication?
understanding and being understood by others
Transferring a message from a sender to a receiver
Communication is fundamental to all aspects of life.
What is meant by communication?
It has been described as “understanding and being understood by others”.
Communication refers to the process of transferring a message from a sender to a receiver. So there are two aspects to communicating effectively –
Expressive language: the ability to communicate a message to others.
Receptive language: the ability to understand what is being communicated to us.
Communication is fundamental to all aspects of life and is the foundation for learning.
Communication allows us to enjoy social relationships where we share thoughts, problem solve, express emotions and feelings, learn, develop self-image, give feedback and influence others.

11. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
What about someone who doesn’t talk?
Just because a person doesn’t talk, doesn’t mean they don’t have something to say.
We communicate through our entire message.
Words: 7%
Body Language: 93%
So watch person closely when they are communicating with you.
Just because a person doesn’t talk, doesn’t mean they don’t have something to say.
We communicate through our entire message –
Words: spoken or written words make up only 7% of the message;
Body Language: the non-verbal aspects such as touch, eyes, tone of voice, signs, vocalisations, behaviour, gestures, facial expressions make up the remaining 93% of the communication.
Whether the person you support uses spoken words or another form of communication, it is important that you observe them closely, asking them questions while you watch how they communicate with you.

12. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
To help you to communicate successfully with a person who has a communication disability –
1. Make sure you have their attention
Use their name
Make eye contact
Touch their arm
2. Assume the person can understand you, then adjust level based on how they respond
Here are some guidelines which can assist you to communicate successfully with a person who has a communication disability –
Make sure you have the person’s attention by using their name, making eye contact or respectfully touching their arm.
Start your communication with the assumption that the person can understand you, and then adjust your level of communication based on how they respond.

13. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Find out how the person communicates if they don’t use speech.
communication aids: pictures, tablet
yes or no answers
eye gazes, head or hand movements
facial expressions
sign language, gestures
Find out how the person wants to communicate if they do not use speech.
This could include using communication aids or devices, or finding a way to answer yes or no to questions using eye gaze or head or hand movements, sign language, gestures or facial expressions.

14. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Use appropriate language.
Use simple, clear words, short sentences.
If an adult, don’t speak as to a child.
Don’t raise your voice – it won’t help!
Don’t rush, give time to process and respond.
Communicate one thing at a time.
Be patient!
Make sure your language is appropriate for the person and the situation, using simple, clear words and short, uncomplicated sentences.
If the person is an adult, don’t speak to them as though they are a child.
Remember that raising your voice won’t help.
Don’t rush the communication, instead make sure you allow the person time to listen, to process your words and then formulate a response.
Try to communicate one thing at a time by using short sentences.
Waiting patiently shows you are interested and respect what they have to say.

15. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
If the person doesn’t understand you, ask in a different way.
Ask them to rephrase your message in their own way, to check that they understand.
Don’t pretend to understand them.
Be honest and ask them to repeat it.
Always be respectful.
Acknowledge the value of their contribution.
Use a different way of providing information or asking a question if the person doesn’t understand you.
To check that the person understands what you have said, ask them to rephrase it in their own words instead of simply asking ‘Do you understand?’ as they may simply answer yes to avoid embarrassment, or because they think that is the answer you want to hear.
If you don’t understand the person, don’t pretend to understand. Instead be honest and take responsibility for a communication breakdown, saying ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re telling me. Would you tell me again?’
Always show respect for the person you are supporting, and communicate in a way which acknowledges the value of their contribution.

16. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Remember to keep up the social chit-chat.
We all need it to remain connected with what’s going on around us.
As Support Workers we communicate with the people we support, mostly about the tasks we are doing with them. But it is very important to communicate also at a social level about everyday things, such as the football, what’s happening around town. Ongoing social chit-chat is important to everyone, but sadly is often missing from the lives of people with disabilities. We all need it to remain connected with what’s going on around us.

17. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Brain Plasticity –
We should not assume that a person with an intellectual disability cannot learn and develop new skills. The brain is ‘plastic’, meaning it can change from experience.
People can continue to learn at any age.
All people deserve respect on their own terms.
Brain Plasticity
We should not assume that a person with an intellectual disability cannot learn and develop new skills. The brain is ‘plastic’, meaning it can change from experience.
“Long lasting functional changes in the brain occur when we learn new things or memorize new information. These changes in neural connections are what we call neuroplasticity.”
People can continue to learn at any age.
We sometimes say that a person has a ‘mental age’ of a 2 year old, for example. When an adult still likes things from childhood, this is not an indicator of their mental age. It is much more likely to be an indicator of the extent of their social isolation from a typical and diverse community, and especially from same age peers.
All people deserve respect on their own terms.

18. Listen to Mary-Louise talking about the Communication Bill of Rights [from A Better Way]
Activity — Communication Rights

19. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Human Rights
Respect for the Individual
Equality - the right to be treated equally.
Safety - the right to be safe from violence and abuse.
Home and family - the right to be part of a family, and to start one.
Privacy - the right to privacy.
Human Rights
Respect for the Individual
Equality the right to be treated as equal citizens.
Safety the right to be safe from violence and abuse.
Home and family the right to be part of a family — and to start one.
Privacy the right to privacy.

20. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Human Rights
Inclusion in the community
Independent living - an equal right to live on our own in the community.
Work - an equal right to work, in a job they choose, and to earn a decent living.
Education - the right to an equal education, side by side with everyone else.
Health - the right to the best possible health care.
Human Rights
Inclusion in the community
Independent living an equal right to live on our own in the community.
Work an equal right to work, in a job they choose, and to earn a decent living.
Education the right to an equal education, side by side with everyone else.
Health the right to the best possible health care.
Activity — Human Rights

21. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Human Rights
Activity
How would you respond if one or more of these rights were taken away from you?
Activity — Human Rights

22. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
“On current estimates, one in ten people lives with a disability. Of these, a high proportion live in poverty, on the margins of society, and their rights are all too often breached.
In many cases, people are simply unaware that they have rights and unaware of the opportunities that exist to combat inequality and bring about positive change.”
— Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

23. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
The Disability Discrimination Act protects everyone against discrimination based on disability in all areas of life –
Employment
Education
Access to premises and services
Accommodation
Same rights as everyone else
The Federal Disability Discrimination Act provides protection for everyone in Australia against discrimination based on disability. The Act requires people with disability to be treated equally in all areas of life including –
Employment e.g. trying to get a job, equal pay or promotion;
Education e.g. enrolling in a school, TAFE, university or other colleges;
Access to premises used by the public e.g. using libraries, places of worship, government offices, hospitals, restaurants, shops etc.;
Provision of goods, services and facilities e.g. from shops, pubs and places of entertainment, cafes, video shops, banks, lawyers, government departments, doctors, hospitals and so on;
Accommodation e.g. when trying to rent a room, a flat, unit or house.
The Act promotes recognition and acceptance within the community of the principle that persons with disabilities have the same fundamental rights as the rest of the community.

24. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Sexuality
Same sexual desires and needs as others.
Myths around people with disability
What comments have you heard about the sexuality of people with disability?
Most information about sexuality and relationships is acquired through life experiences.
SEXUALITY
People with developmental disability have the same sexual desires and needs as the rest of the community. There are many myths surrounding the sexuality of people with an intellectual disability. They are often seen as either asexual or childlike and in need of protection, or conversely as oversexed and in danger of becoming promiscuous and perverted.
There are differences, however, but these have more to do with different life experiences and opportunities to learn, rather than the individual’s inherent sexuality. It is by acknowledging and acting upon these differences that people with a developmental disability can be best assisted to develop their full potential. Most information about sexuality and relationships is acquired through life experiences.

25. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
People with a disability —
overprotected by others, or have been limited due to their level of disability
often have difficulty learning social rules and patterns of behaviour
sometimes learn inappropriate behaviours from others
Sexuality & Disability = complex problems
People with a disability —
tend to be overprotected by others, or be limited due to their level of disability
often have difficulty learning and generalising undefined social rules and patterns of behaviour or they learn them in a rigid and literal manner
sometimes learn inappropriate behaviours from others (both with and without disabilities).
Sexuality and disability is often considered a “Pandora’s Box” of complex and never ending problems.

26. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Boundaries
The role of a Support Worker is to build, support and strengthen the existing social network of a person with a disability.
It is the role of the worker to build friendships with others in the wider community.
Any sexual contact between Support Workers and the people they support is a serious breach of ethical responsibilities and should not occur under any circumstances.

27. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Support Workers –
Genuinely care about the person
Advocate and stand up for them
Are sensitive and respectful
Can be trusted
Aware of role as a professional
Avoid getting emotionally entangled

28. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Any sexual contact between Support Workers and the people they support is a serious breach of ethical responsibilities, and should not occur under any circumstances.

29. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Sexual activity is a basic Human Right for every adult. Your role is to assist the person to expand their social networks and encourage them to form friendships. This may lead to the development of more intimate relationships.
Healthy sexuality is an important part of a person’s overall health and well-being. It is not only about sexual intercourse.

30. Healthy sexuality is an important part of a person’s overall health and well-being. It is not only about sexual intercourse.

31. POWER: Whose life is it, anyway?
Specialist education services are available for people with an intellectual disability.
If an adult you support (over 16) is seeking sexual activity but they are not in a relationship, an option is to access a sex worker.
Refer these issues to your Coordinator.
Activity
If the person you support is just beginning to become aware of their own sexually, they will also need to understand behaviours which are socially acceptable and those which are not. Specialist education services are available for people with an intellectual disability.
If an adult you support (over 16) is seeking sexual activity but they are not in a relationship, an option is to access a sex worker.
It is likely to be the role of your supervisor to liaise with health and education professionals, and with the individual to discuss accessing any sex services. So refer the issue to them in the first instance.
Activity Sexuality — Case Study
END DAY 1. End of powerpoint 2.