An Editorial on Positive Supports

"Control is the death of optimism and possibility."
- Lovett, 1996

The terms "positive supports," "inclusion, and "person centered planning are the words that are often used to describe the work of those who support individuals with disabilities. While each of these words has a unique meaning and invokes a specific image for those of us who provide support to individuals with disabilities, they are not mutually exclusive. We cannot claim to be doing any one of these without making a conscious effort to embrace all of them. Positive supports is not a checklist of things to do nor a program to be followed. Positive supports is an attitude that recognizes the equality and diversity of all people. Positive Supports do not happen in segregated and isolated settings. Positive supports cannot occur unless we understand that a person needs to belong. These terms used in combination focus on the individualized needs of people with disabilities within our communities.

Positive supports appears to be a simple construct and most people who offer support to individuals with disabilities believe they are already promoting positive supports, inclusion, and person centered planning. In reality, the lives of individuals with disabilities are typically full of daily oppressions that are acceptable practice. Oppression takes the form of segregation. If we were all practicing inclusion, would we continue to have segregated special education classes and workshops in schools and agencies? If we were all using person centered planning, would individuals with disabilities be told that they cannot invite their friends to meetings or talk about what they want to discuss? If we were all utilizing positive approaches to challenging behaviors, would we require people with disabilities to "earn" trips into the community?

Are these practices isolated examples? Unfortunately, they are not. Too many services and supports continue to reflect a traditional segregated approach. On a daily basis we hear

examples of children with disabilities who are no longer included or are denied access to regular education classes because of their behavior, of "behavior plans" to control people's attempts at communication, and of individuals' simple requests going unmet.

Until we translate our words into action, these practices will continue. Positive supports is not just about offering people choices, listening to what they say, giving people a means of communication, and finding them a friend. It is also an underlying attitude that all people have the same needs and desires and have the same right to pursue their dreams. With such an understanding, we are no longer in a position of control, but a position of equality. Our responsibility, then, is not to decide what is "best for them', based on our professional expertise. It becomes one of working with people to help them to reach their goals. When we begin working with people instead of controlling them, we are free to work toward the many possible ways that people might reach their dreams, rather than focusing our attention on why they cannot do what they want.

As a result, we identify creative ways to assist a person find a place to live rather than telling him/her that there are no funds. We use cooperative learning strategies instead of excluding a student who might otherwise have difficulty with the lesson. We assist a person who wants to earn money find a community job rather than placing him/her in a sheltered workshop.

To understand what others want, we must not only attempt to comprehend the world from their perspectives, but also examine ourselves and our own behavior. Just as our behavior is influenced by those we encounter, so are the behaviors of those we support influenced by us. When we do not agree with the wishes of someone, is it because we know and care about that individual and feel that this may not be in their best interest? Or, is it because of constraints of the policies and practices of the school or agency for which we work? When our personal beliefs and values are in conflict with the wishes of the individual do we recognize the discord and openly discuss this? If we do not truly understand our actions, thoughts, and beliefs when working with individuals with disabilities we run the risk of blaming' them when "our best efforts" fall instead of taking responsibility for our part.

We must all often step back and analyze our behavior to determine when we are spending our energy controlling people rather than creatively working with them. This is true not only in our interactions with those we support, but with all people we encounter: co-workers, family, community members. As professionals we should spend our time and effort determining how we can positively support individuals rather than wasting valuable personal, professional, and financial resources on attempting to control them.

Marsha Clark

Centerpoint is the newsletter of the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine's University Affiliated Program.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and in pursuing its own goals of pluralism, the University of Maine shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or citizen status, age, disability, or veterans status in employment education, and all other areas of the University. The University provides
reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. This publication is available on audiotape and upon request this material will be made available in other alternative formats to accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities.

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