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Mission Statement
To empower all individuals to maximize the quality of their
lives through membership, interdependence, and self-advocacy.
Philosophy
The Whittier Area Parent's Association for the Developmentally
Handicapped (WAPADH) stands for the belief that every person,
regardless of earning power or productivity, is born with the same
immeasurable worth. We celebrate and promote
self-determination, interdependence and membership for each of our
consumers.
Background
From a small group of
parents, WAPADH has grown in its ability to provide much needed
services for consumers in the Whittier Area. These parent's
concerns for appropriate educational and residential services for
their sons or daughters gave them the impetus to incorporate as a
non-profit, tax-exempt organization in 1969.
The Board of Directors
for WAPADH is composed of parents of consumers and community
leaders. Administrative staff has the responsibility for
implementing the policies and priorities for program improvement
set by the Board of Directors. Funding for programs comes
through your donations and a variety of State and Federally
mandated programs.
Strategic Plan
2007-2012
OUR VALUES
- Communication is the way people gain control over their lives and
activities
- There is an urgency for people to find their voice and to have their
voices heard
- We assume competence in all people
- People are healthy and have access to typical community health services
- People live in homes and engage in activities of their own choosing
- People have access to engaging, lifelong learning opportunities
FACILITATED COMMUNICATION TRAINING
Goal 1:
Build strong communication partnerships using ideas and strategies developed
through Facilitated Communication (FC) Training
Desired Results:
- Consumers are perceived to have more power as cognitively able individuals
based on more competent communication.
- An increasing number of consumers achieve physical independence in FC and
other communication strategies requiring partnerships
- Therapeutic benefits of FC are explored as a result of increased access to
supports that encourage regular practice
- Consumers find practical applications for their newly acquired skills i.e.
Self-Advocacy, continuing education, etc.
Strategies:
- Develop a strong affiliation with institutions of higher learning which
will promote the continued exploration and research in Facilitated
Communication.
- Develop professional partnerships (paid and unpaid) to promote teaching of
FC and services related to controlling movement i.e. Physical Therapy/Massage,
Occupational Therapy
- Establish a clinical, drop-in approach to programs which will allow for
the continued use of FC and highlights its use and exploration.
- Develop strategies to provide ongoing training to staff and families in
WAPADH programs regarding the use and efficacy of facilitation.
- Promote regular writing projects for FC users to be used in WAPADH and
other publications
STAFF QUALITY AND RECRUITMENT
Goal 2:
Recruit and Train staff to reflect higher standards of education, allow staff to
complete their work with competence and confidence and provide incentives for
continuing improvement and performance.
Desired results:
- Staff express confidence and a high comfort level in their work.
- A better educated staff which reflects the increased interest in academics
by consumers
- Hiring practices that take into account the need for increased continuity
of staffing requested by consumers and reflect personal transitions of
consumers when changes in staff are required
- Direct service staff and supervisory staff clearly articulate the beliefs
and values of the organization.
Strategies:
- Advocate at the regional center/state level for funding to expand staff
training and commensurate wage/benefit increases for all staff.
- Clearly define the skill sets needed to support people well and
institutionalize trainings that best develop those skills
- Implement mentoring practices within the organization that allow new staff
to learn from our natural leaders across all staff levels.
- Establish a system of rewards for staff (at all levels) who actively and
regularly participate in training others
- Provide access and opportunities for the use and training in the newest
communication and computer technologies.
FUNDING STRATEGIES
Goal 3:
Provide an economic environment which enriches/enhances current pro gram
services, encourages the development of prudent reserves through investment and
allows for the exploration and development of new, Innovative services.
Desired results:
- Establish programs with an hourly funding dimension that reflect trends
toward self-directed services and short-term, intensive interventions
- Explore funding that better integrates people into the community
- Establish a stream lined system to develop additional public and private
funding
Strategies:
- Establish a Communication Assessment and Training (CAT) component to
WAPADH services for children and adults using a clinical, drop-in model
- Explore services to emerging constituencies (i.e. school-age children)
which would include becoming a Public Schools Agency and aging adults and
families
- Endorse a slow but steady expansion of enrollment in WAPADH programs as a
hedge against inflation
- Explore the feasibility of owning small, accessible vehicles to compliment
existing public transportation options for hard to transport individuals
- Provide for investment in technologies so that we work smarter, not harder
- Add a public/ private fund development component to infrastructure.
- Explore a more efficient, cost effective method to provide work services
with an emphasis on public service
COMMUNICATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY
Goal 4:
Ensure the free flow of information which promotes the users of our service,
clearly defines the day to day experiences of people who use our services, and
accurately defines the strengths and needs of WAPADH.
Desired Results:
- A better informed family, staff and consumer
- On-going education of local and state leaders
- Easier access to community services for people with disabilities (i.e.
community colleges, health services, etc.)
Strategies:
- Sponsor local, state, and/or national conferences and trainings
- Establish and foster relationships with local, community, and state
colleges
- Development of updated information and marketing materials focused on
informing internal constituencies i.e. bi-monthly program newsletter
- Use consumer generated communication as a powerful tool in educating the
public
- Provide Quarterly Newsletter to all constituencies
- Develop a consumer generated report card of progress for families
- Promote information gatherings for families and interested community
members
INTERNAL/EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS
Internal Issues
The Strategic Planning Committee launched a survey of its internal
constituencies that included consumers, parents and staff members in the fall of
2006. Response to the survey was very positive with 150 consumers, staff and
parents providing input.
A number of themes marked the input from our internal constituencies. They
pointed towards concerns and needs for increased staff training and improved
recruitment practices. Comments related to these two issues seemed to look
towards a desire for increased value and continuity in staffing . Internal
communication among WAPADH staff, families and consumers was also a high
priority. Highlights included Improving the transparency of WAPADH’S program
policies and processes as well as providing more information about training
practices used in our services. A shared reporting system for consumer
activities and progress was also a theme here.
Facilitated Communication training and building good communication partners was
a strong theme identified in the survey. Attracting new funding which would
provide more individualized services to people, more reliable transportation and
funds for consumer travel and the development of ancillary services like
communication, physical therapy, massage, etc. were also highlighted.
There is a sense amongst our constituents that WAPADH is on the right track in
terms of the types of services being provided—the majority of respondents would
support improvement in the depth of services offered rather than growing larger
as an agency. The tone of the survey and its comments were positive and
constructive through its entirety. The input we received pointed towards
refining and improving services many of which already exist at WAPADH.
External Issues
External factors/issues examined included funding trends by regional centers,
the changing nature of families both within the agency and transitioning from
the public schools, the impact of the new “media awareness”, and the powerful
effect of technology on the business of the agency and access to consumers.
Several important state documents including the strategic plan of the Department
of Developmental Services (DDS) as well as the state-wide goals and objectives
of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD).
In the Strategic Plan for DDS , several themes stand out from this state funding
source. These include the state’s desire to provide funding to individuals and
families for self directed services, a concern about the increases in the
diagnosis of autism, and workforce quality in our current system of services. We
also have observed a trend in the regional center’s desire to fund short term
individual supports and clinical experiences for adult consumers rather than all
encompassing programs. This is consistent with the types of services being
provided to school age children in the regional center system. The use of
individual supports can be found throughout WAPADH’S current program services
but tend to be more comprehensive (sometimes 24 hours a day) and longer in
duration. Providing more clinical, short term (but higher quality) clinical
services might offer new funding streams and an opportunity to serve children of
school age .
An expanding “media awareness” is having an impact on how people view disability
and indirectly may influence funding for services . It is also consistent with
the changing nature of young families expectations for their children.
Increasingly we are finding families advocating not just for integration but a
more complete normalization of their child’s life experience. This puts a great
deal of pressure on the nature and quality of service provided. Having higher
quality, shorter term service provision in these instances may be a perfect
compliment to our current set of services.
We would be remiss in not recognizing the impact of technology on our provision
of services to people. Technology has not only made the administration of
programs more efficient and cost effective but has played a key role in
providing improved access to information to people with disabilities. It is
highly integrating. We anticipate that technology development will accelerate
and continue to provide these opportunities for our agency.
Even in times where there is a perceived surplus of funding at the state level,
regional centers and services providing supports to people continue to run on
starvation diets. The lack of even an occasional cost-of-living adjustment
forces WAPADH to expand the number of consumers served and/or to re-define our
services to attract more current rates from the system. This would suggest that
WAPADH’S services need to change over time and require creative funding
strategies to survive from year to year. Our 38 years of experience tells us a
conservative approach managing our finances needs to be recognized as part of
the planning process.
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