MasonLIFE and State of the Art Conference

One of my absolute, most favortitest (that’s a word…right?) things about this gig is getting to spend time with the people we are helping. It brings me so much hope and joy…so much happiness and inspiration…and it drives me even harder to help even more people with Down syndrome achieve their goal and dream of higher education.  I love seeing first-hand what this experience is doing for them and how it is affecting their future.  I was so lucky to get to attend the State of the Art Conference on Post Secondary Education and Individuals with Intellectual Dissabilities  a few weeks ago which happened to be sponsored in part by George Mason University.  We have two Rockin’ Recipients there, so I decided to go a day early and spend some time with Debbie and Annie and visit the MasonLIFE Program.  Everyone at the MasonLIFE Program was so welcoming and made me feel immediately right at home. Their program has been around for almost 15 years!! It got started with the help of some very determined parents and has been growing and improving ever since. This year they have over 40 students, both residential and non-residential, who are pursuing their dreams of higher education.  When I got to the campus, I immediately got to sit down and spend some time with Debbie and Annie…and they had me rolling!  The energy between these two was awesome and I could have spent all day just sitting with them.

Annie (left) is a professed “Belieber” who is interning at an Animal Shelter and is loving all of her classes and activities.  She is lives in an on-campus apartment shared with other MasonLIFE students where they are learning to budget, grocery shop and meal plan, cook their own meals, all the while managing their time with their studies and college activities.  All the things that we all had the opportunity to do when we flew the coop that helped us “grow up.”  Debbie is interning at Capitol Hill and says she wants to someday be a chef. Math and Best Buddies are two of her favorite things so far, and she is just loving the college experience where she lives on campus as well.

They had some time to kill in between hangin’ with me and their next class…so off they went to “chill out” back at Annie’s apartment, just like any other college kid killin’ time.  I love it so much, the fact that these opportunities are available.  That they are here and allowing peeps like Debbie and Annie to gain the confidence and independence to be the best they be.  To go for their passion and explore new interests and continue to learn and grow.  EEK!  It makes me so excited for Ruby’s future as well, I can barely stand it!!

It also makes me extremely proud and honored to be able help the Debbie’s and the Annie’s of the world and share them with everyone to help inspire and show the world what they are made of!!

Second stop:  State of the Art Conference!!  This Conference was all I could have ever asked for and I literally felt like a kid in a candy store!!  I wanted to attend every session, but that was impossible. Thankfully, they will have the power-points of them all up soon, so anyone can re-cap some of the info, which I highly recommend checkin’ out.  First off, I got to meet Stephanie lee Smith, who is one of those pioneer mamas who I will be forever grateful to for helping pave the way for people like my Ruby.  She has a wonderful daughter, Laura, who was one of the first participants of the MasonLIFE Program back when she helped get it started.

It was so wonderful to be surrounded by a whole conference full of people that believe in people like my Ruby and people of all abilities… and their futures.  I was literally smiling ear to ear the entire time, soaking in all of the information. Everything from sex education, Intern Support, Predictors of Success, From Classroom to Career, to Person Centered Planning Meeting. One of our Rockin’ Recipients, Paige Soderman, was a presenter for the “Person Centered Planning” Meeting session, and I could not have been more proud!

Person Centered Planning (PCP) Meetings are student focused meetings to decide on an educational path and goals.  It only makes sense that the individual in the program has a voice, and these PCP Meetings are helping them pursue what they want to do.  It is empowering them to take charge of their future and building confidence and self determination.  I heard “self determination” many times throughout the sessions and I absolutely love to hear that is a goal and what these programs are working toward and helping these individuals achieve.  What do they want to do?!?  What are their passions and dreams??  During the PCP Meetings in the WCU UP Program, Paige was commenting that anyone who participates in the meeting (parent, peer mentor, teacher, ect) must be “called on” by her to speak at the meeting. It truly is her voice that leads the meeting.  Often times people with ID have not had the opportunity to make these types of decisions for themselves…so it is an amazing transformation to watch them take charge and gain their voice!!

The session on implementing a Sex Education class was very interesting. It seems like this would be a requirement of most programs, but it is just emerging as something that is very much in need of being incorporated into the curriculum.   Although most of the programs have pier mentors who are there to help with relationship questions, a specific class is not a requirement.  This session I attended talked about the importance and the “uncomfortable” factor of it all.  I mean…who wants to bring up anatomy and menstrual cycles and how babies are made?  The reality is though, a lot of people with ID don’t get this formal kind of training or relationship coaching. What is appropriate behavior?  It becomes both a safety issue for the individual and also a way to learn and manage adult relationships.  I found it very  helpful to start trying to wrap my brain around this NOW…as it will take me a while to be comfortable taking about it with EITHER of my kids…ha!!  The fact is, people with ID still want to have relationships, be loved, show love, so helping them be informed of these feelings and emotions, how to manage them, what is appropriate,  is a good way for them to build healthy, happy relationships. I mean…I want that for Ruby.  As much as it would be scary and uncomfortable to think about…she deserves to have it.  And just look at that “self determined” face….

She is heading places, this one.  There is no stopping her, so I want her to have all the knowledge possible to make smart, wise, awesome decisions for herself.

I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Turkey Day and are heading into the rest of the holiday season surrounded by peeps that you love!