Building up our neighbors

Life Styles creates opportunities for disabled

If life was always fair, no person would have to endure a lifelong disability. But some do and every one of them is someone’s son or daughter, brother or sister, or grandchild.

If you are born with a disability or develop one at an early age, what then? How will you make your way through life? What’s the plan? How do you fit in? Where’s the hope? These are formidable questions but, fortunately, there are good answers.

Developmental disabilities are physical and mental conditions that arise before the age of 18 that can contribute to lifelong difficulties in areas of independent living, employment and relationships. Some of these disabilities impair an individual’s ability to acquire knowledge, develop skills and reason, which often make it difficult for them to communicate with others, perform basic daily living tasks or make good decisions.

How do we take care of those who are developmentally disabled? How do we raise their quality of life? How do we help them attain their maximum degree of independence and live with dignity? It starts at home with the daily support and unconditional love of family. There’s no substitute for that. But what can the rest of us do? It’s simple. We don’t turn our backs on those with disabilities. Instead, we reach out and do everything we can to make sure they have an opportunity to become all they can be.

People saddled with lifelong disabilities don’t need our pity; they need our acceptance, and our help and kindness. They need our patience and warm smiles. They need our encouragement to never give up, even in the face of difficult challenges. And they need access to community programs that offer services and choices for them when they grow up so they will have a chance to reach their full potential.

Life Styles, where I’ve been a board member for more than 30 years, is an Arkansas nonprofit organization that serves 250 adults with developmental disabilities in Washington and Benton Counties. Founded in 1976 by Carol Hart as an alternative to group homes and institutions that segregate individuals with disabilities from the community, Life Styles has created innovative programs over the years that do justice to those with disabilities, helping them break barriers they never dreamed they could and making them feel connected, nurtured, respected, celebrated and fulfilled.

To make a difference for people with disabilities, it’s essential to treasure each individual’s uniqueness and to see beyond one’s disability. Life Styles helps individuals with disabilities achieve the skills and confidence they need to live as independently as possible. Life Styles’ College for Living program provides life-long learning opportunities, the Supported Employment program assists individuals in finding and maintaining jobs, and the Supported Living program provides an array of support that enables individuals to live successfully in the community. Life Styles is firmly grounded in the belief that community life is for everyone, that all people have value and that when people with disabilities are given the opportunity and support to participate and contribute to the community, their lives are enriched and all of ours are, too.

At Life Styles, there are no artificial expectations nor arbitrary limits as to what those who are served can accomplish. For example, there are classes in the creative arts that have produced some very fine artists. Some individuals at Life Styles who desire it are provided a collegiate experience through classes at the University of Arkansas. There are multiple opportunities for everyone, regardless of the type and severity of their disability.

Because a job for a person with disabilities increases self-esteem and confidence, Life Styles prepares individuals to be successfully employed in the community. A number of area businesses and organizations have partnered with Life Styles, giving adults with disabilities the chance to have a paying job. Currently, 84 percent of the individuals served in the Life Styles’ employment program work in competitive jobs in the community, people like Daniel Jackson, who until recently bagged groceries for the past 19 years at Marvin’s IGA (later Saver’s Club). With his radiant smile and joyful spirit, Daniel did his job well, always making every customer’s day better when they saw him at the store. There are countless others with stories like Daniel’s who are valued and well-liked employees at the places where they work.

One can try to imagine what it would be like, through no fault of your own, to live your whole life with a disability. But what counts the most is that we never stop imagining all the possibilities for what each of us can do to make a better life for people with disabilities. Every life matters and no one should ever feel alone or left out.