Abuse Prevention Project
"There are too many of us being abused," said James Smith at a
regional People First meeting last year. "This has to stop, so
we have declared war on abuse."
The Abuse Prevention Team is a group of 5
self-advocates from Shasta, Tehama, and Butte Counties who present to
other consumer groups. The presentation focuses on the right to
privacy, confidentiality, self-advocacy, relationship and intimacy,
and respect. The presentation also includes the definition of abuse,
how to stop it, and how to report it. Each presentation is one hour
long. For more information and to schedule
a presentation call Sherri or Cindi at the Regional Self-Advocacy
Project, 530-223-7771 or email
cfreshour@wecarealot.org

CAAT (Consumer Abuse
Awareness Team)

Also known as the "radical arm" of the Abuse Prevention
Team,
this group's mission is to educate professionals and support staff who
work both inside and outside of the regional center service system.
The group focuses on the culture of abuse by
identifying 1) the severity of the problem 2) why people
with disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse, and 3) ways the
community can help prevent abuse in this population.
For more information and to schedule a presentation at your agency
or facility call Cindy Freshour at the Regional Self-Advocacy Project, 530-223-7771
or email
cfreshour@wecarealot.org

Me and
You
The
Me and You series is a
5-week course that teaches adults with disabilities about healthy
relationships. The series is a part of the Respect Yourself program.
Each week the instructors talk about a different topic, and use
movies, class exercises and role-plays to help show the class how to
have healthy relationships. This
series is great for anyone with a disability over the age of 18 who
wants to learn how to have healthy relationships with everyone from
strangers to staff and true friends to romantic partners. To do this,
the class learns about privacy and boundaries, self-esteem, and
different types of relationships they may have in their lives.
Respect Yourself is the
next series you can take to learn even more about relationships and
your own body. The
Me and You series is open
to both men and women. The series can be held at sites such as
self-advocacy groups, care homes, day programs and work centers. They
also offer community series in Redding and Chico that are open to
anyone in the community with a disability. The Respect Yourself
program can travel to any of the 9 counties served by Far Northern
Regional Center. For more information about
upcoming classes, call Becca, 893-8003 or email: bfinn@wecarealot.org

Personal Care Protocols
FNRC received a grant from the State
Council on Developmental Disabilities (Cycle XXVI awarded to FNRC for
their proposal, "Abuse Free by Design.") to help individuals with
personal care needs to develop and implement a Personal Care Protocol. This grant will train 3 teams who will facilitate the process and help
30 individuals needing personal care to develop their own Protocol.
A Personal Care Protocol is a living document created
by and for consumers who have personal care needs. It describes
in detail the procedures and steps preferred by the individual
receiving the care to complete personal hygiene tasks.
For more
information about this project contact Sara Carroll at 877-7320.

Back to Top
Respect
Yourself: Relationships and Sexuality Series
FNRC believes that people with
disabilities need basic information about their bodies and their
sexuality. Ignorance does not protect consumers; it leaves them
vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
The Respect training series will help consumers develop
skills to live a healthy adultlifestyle, maintain and improve sexual
health, prevent pregnancy and disease, and recognize abuse and
exploitation. There are separate classes for men and women.
Each workshop includes plenty of interactive exercises
and discussion and practical examples. The curriculum includes
the following topics: Self-Esteem, Human Anatomy/Sexual Life Cycle,
Hygiene/Self and Medical Care, Sexual Expression, Pregnancy/Parenting
and Abuse Prevention.
The Respect series is free to men and women with developmental
disabilities, over the age of 18, living in the FNRC catchment area. Participants must agree to attend all
9 sessions to register in this
program.
For more information, call Becca Finn, 530-893-8003
or email bfinn@wecarealot.org

Other Peer Training Groups
Pathfinders
PathFinders is FNRC's
approach to person-centered planning. The Pathfinders project helps
consumers create a life plan that reflects their individual needs, pre ferences,
and desired outcomes. The life plan will be included in the IPP, and
services and supports will be provided accordingly.
The project is facilitated by the self-advocates pictured on the
right. For more information, call Kathy Bogue at 223-7771 or email
kbogue@wecarealot.org wecarealot.org

Clean Hands
Pr The Center for Disease Control reports
that hand washing is one of the "most important means of preventing
the spread of infection." The simple act of washing your hands
can stop infectious diseases, the third leading cause of death in the
United States.
The Clean Hands presentation uses Glo Germ to
illustrate how easily germs are spread. Glo Germ, actually a
fluorescent powder that glows under a black light, also provides a
visible demonstration of when improper hand
washing has taken place.
Shelly Anderson project presenter tells us about the
project: "I'm hoping this project will help consumers to realize
how important it is to wash their hands throughout the day. If
people washed their hands more often there would be fewer colds and
flu. My goal is to teach consumers how to prevent illnesses so
that they can have better lives. This project is very special to
me."
For more information call Shelly or
Cindy at 223-7771, or email
clean_hands@hotmail.com or visit the web site:
http://www.farnorthernrc.org/selfadvocacyrocks

Clean Teeth
Clean
Teeth is an interactive presentation that teaches proper dental care.
Consumers learn how to brush, floss, and when to go to the dentist.
The presentation focuses on taking better care of your teeth to
maximize health. For more information about upcoming classes, call
Crystal: 893-8003 or email
cgertsch@wecarealot.org

Theatre in the NOW
Theatre in the
Now, located
at the 7th St. Centre for the Arts in Chico, is a program
designed to provide performance opportunities and artistic
instruction in the performing arts for individuals with cognitive or
intellectual disabilities. Our objective with our workshops is to
offer each individual an opportunity to do rather than be done
for and performance pieces showcase issues that people with
disabilities face in their communities.

Back to Top
Feeling Safe, Being Safe
Emergency preparation. For more information and to
schedule a presentation call Cindi at the Regional Self-Advocacy
Project, 530-223-7771 or email
cfreshour@wecarealot.org

SAY Speakers (Same as You)

SAY
Speakers
"We all want the teasing
to stop!" This is the message SAY Speakers want
everyone
to hear. The SAY Speakers are adults with various disabilities. They
want to increase understanding and acceptance of people who have
disabilities. The SAY Speakers want people to see how all people are
more the same than they are different and to respect and celebrate
those differences. Our main focus is to encourage people of all ages
and abilities to treat each other with dignity, acceptance, respect,
and kindness.
SAY Speakers go into classrooms, children or adult groups, and
agencies to talk with people of all abilities. Many of the SAY
Speakers were teased and tormented in school and discouraged from
having dreams of living independently, working in the community, or
ever marrying. Despite this, they have gone on to achieve their hopes
and dreams. They have a powerful message to share with us all. All
SAY presentations are free of charge.
SAY is a project of People First and the Regional
Self-Advocacy Project. The SAY Speaker's Bureau is funded by a
generous grant from Far Northern Regional Center. For more
information call Cindi Freshour at 530-223-7771 or email
cfreshour@wecarealot.orgreshour@wecarealot.org
Source:
The Same As You Brochure, by the SEA Center and
the Regional Self-Advocacy Project
Back to Top
Updated
Thursday March 11, 2010
|