Profiles in Partnership

Julie McKown

"Just let people with disabilities make mistakes. They're not going to learn anything if you keep, you know, threatening them and things ... it's okay to make mistakes." -Julie McKown

Julie McKown is a self advocate in Lisbon Falls. A member of the Board of Directors for Speaking Up For Us, Maine's Statewide Self Advocacy Network. Julie has been centrally involved in the self advocacy network since its inception nearly three years ago. The Center has provided outreach education and technical assistance to this network under contract with the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council and the Maine Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

Julie ...

... is a passionate advocate for transition planning, inclusive education, community supports, closure of institutions, and positive supports.

... has presented her ideas to self advocates and supporters around the state and New England.

... has talked to social work classes at USM.

... has presented on a panel for a TIPS seminar in southern Maine.

At the June 1995 Region One Support Among Friends conference in Presque Isle, Julie used her keynote address to challenge the way people think about how to support people with challenging behaviors.

"This is positive supports - to be there and listen to people.. It means to not put people down, to not criticize who they are, and to meet their needs. Sometimes people have behaviors that others don't like. We have to help each other when this happens. Part of positive supports is to have someone tell you you did good and to appreciate things instead of making the person feel they are not welcome. If a person is having a problem, you need to sit down and talk to them, not raise your voice or make them stand in a corner. If they are too upset to talk to you, you can give them their space to calm down and come back and talk about it another time.

You can help at times like that by taking the person aside and helping them calm down. If the staff see all of us helping each other, then they will learn. But if they see us doing what they do, they won't learn. We need to be a good role model for the staff."

Julie often talks about behaviors as communication, "Sometimes you have to see how they are feeling and figure out what they want, and if they get upset, wonder what the problem is. ... Usually when they get so frustrated and angry and they are trying to communicate, you have to be patient and say, "what's the matter?"

Editor's Note: The Center's involvement in Maine's Self Advocacy Project comes to an end on June 30, 1996. The goal of this three year effort, jointly funded by the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, the Division of Mental Retardation, and the Center, was to establish a local and statewide network of self advocacy groups whose purpose was to impact the way in which services and supports are provider to assure that personal choice characterized their delivery. While much work remains, there is no doubt that the project has had a far reaching impact on individuals and the service delivery system. A plan for ongoing support to the now independent "Speaking Up for Us" statewide network bas been developed. We all wish Laurie Kimball the best in her new endeavors.

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

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