People exercise rights
I was presenting the Personal Outcome Measures® at a training in Tennessee and told the audience about the first time I said NO to my parents. When I finished my story, a woman with a disability left the room crying. I didn’t know what to do, because I felt horrible that I made her cry. We took a break and I talked to her a bit and she decided to come back for the rest of the session.
At the end of the training, I asked for feedback. The woman said she was ready to speak up for herself and talk to her family about things. It made me feel good to know that I helped someone realize that they have the right to speak up. - Liz Weintraub
People have friends/People have social roles
A young man (around 17) with a severe intellectual disability and no verbal skills lived at home with his mom and dad. His mom was really concerned that he didn't have any friends. One day, she was talking to one of their neighbors and discovered that he was a model train enthusiast. She remembered that her son was fascinated with model trains when they visited a model train museum in St. Paul. She asked the neighbor if her son could see the train scenario he was building in his basement.
The young man was thrilled to see the model trains and a friendship between he and the neighbor blossomed. They spent HOURS together, working on the display and it didn't matter that he was unable to speak. The relationship became so strong that the two of them would travel to other towns for model train events. Within a year, the young man became known as "the model train guy" (hence the social role). To me, it demonstrated that shared interests and values lead to the formation of friendships and the development of social roles.- Leigh Remick
