Putting disability at the centre of a new community
Praxis Care services in Clongriffin focus on developing young adults’ life skills
Finding suitable services for their sons and daughters after leaving school is probably the biggest worry for parents of 18-year-olds with autism. Although the school years can be challenging in themselves, reaching adulthood brings a whole other set of more complicated issues which can be managed much better if there is a structured set of daily meaningful and appropriate activities.
Putting disability services in the heart of communities is part of current HSE planning so I shouldn’t be surprised to find a new centre for young adults smack bang in the middle of a new residential and commercial development in north Dublin still only partially inhabited.
Natalie Creevey, the day services manager of the Praxis Care centre describes the new centre as a “service without walls”. Although technically speaking, the new building in Clongriffin, Dublin is where these young adults with disabilities go every day, their focus is on activities in the community.
The Praxis Care centre opened in summer 2016 and has 17 service users, all of whom have autism. Each person using the service has support in planning and carrying out their weekly schedule of activities. The aim is to help them become more independent in daily household tasks (making tea, ironing, filling the dishwasher), personal care (showering, shaving etc) and travelling to other activities by public transport. The centre also has a multi-sensory room with relaxation spaces for time out if people get overwhelmed in any way.
Malahide allotments
When the Irish Times visits, Kevin O’Sullivan (19) and Aaron Leonard (18) are busy making a scarecrow for the allotments in Malahide which Praxis Care users have access to. “Every Tuesday, we go there.We have planted cabbage, peas, turnips, potatoes, onions and a blackberry bush.” O’Sullivan has been using the Praxis Care services since summer 2016, having had a two-year gap since he finished in another service in 2014. “We cook, walk, go bowling, swimming and the library,” he says.
Leonard says he feels better since he started using the Praxis Care services. “I feel more like myself here. Everyone is really nice and pretty understanding. I didn’t like school at all. I was in an ASD Managed by the Northern Ireland-based charity, Praxis Care, the Praxis Care services in the Republic are funded by the HSE. The centre at Clongriffin recently had its official launch by Minister of State for disability issues Finian McGrath. At that event, McGrath said, “since becoming Minister and indeed, throughout my years working with people with disabilities, I have always encouraged people to define themselves not by their disabilities but by their abilities. It is heartening and encouraging to see Praxis Care, through their work of supporting and encouraging all who use the service, embody that ethos on a daily basis.” Jordan Taffe (19) is another user of Praxis Care in Clongriffin. His weekly timetable includes being a DJ on community radio station, Together FM, working in a St Vincent de Paul shop and various cultural activities in Dublin. “I like writing raps and music helps keep me calm. I’ve two younger brothers but in the future, I’d like to live on my own,” he says. Something special Andrew Nolan, parent of Kevin Nolan who uses the services also spoke at the launch. He believes there is a benefit to being one of the first to move into the units. “I feel Clongriffin has something special to offer with its public transport access and modern approach to planning and village design. And, I think it’s great that we are here early in the development to get ourselves settled before Clongriffin Village reaches full capacity. It will be nice for us to welcome our new neighbours in the future.” Natalie Creevey agrees that building rapport with local businesses will be a key to integrating the young adults with autism into the community. “I think some support groups for people with autism have done fantastic work on social media to promote better understanding of autism. But, it’s important to reach people directly and we would like to do information evenings for community groups about our work,” says Creevey. She says that work experiences for those using the services will be crucial. “I’m talking about socially valued roles not paid employment. So we will be looking out for more opportunities to trial jobs in the future.” Parents of these young adults are also encouraged to be actively involved in the new service. “As key people in our young adult’s circle of support, we need to continue to help with visualising, planning and implementing in order to help them progress to fuller and more inclusive lives within the community,” says Andrew Nolan. Deirdre Carroll, former chief executive of Inclusion Ireland and now an independent disability policy analyst, says community-based centres such as Praxis Care are good models. “They are catering for people with complex needs in a modern facility in the community. Some people criticise the Hiqa inspections of residential centres, but I think they have been one of the most important contributors to improvements in services. Coming from Northern Ireland, Praxis Care services have been used to social services inspections for 30 years.” On a broader level, Carroll says, “we need to embed the values of person-directed services and fight to ensure and promote the human rights of people with disabilities. People with disabilities should expect the right to live as independently as possible with people of their choosing . . . with the essential adjustments for everyday living that allow them to enrol in school or college or day service, access the cinema, swimming pool or shops, travel by taxi or bus, visit their GP and have a short break.”
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http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/putting-disability-at-the-centre-of-a-new-community-1.3050767 From left: Service users Siddhart Kureel, Aaron Leonard, Kevin O Sullivan and Kevin Nolan with the scarecrow they made for the allotments. Photograph: Cyril Byrn Praxis Care services in Clongriffin focus on developing young adults’ life skills Finding suitable services for their sons and daughters after leaving school is probably the biggest worry for parents of 18-year-olds with autism. Although the school years can be challenging in themselves, reaching adulthood brings a whole other set of more complicated issues which can be managed much better if there is a structured set of daily meaningful and appropriate activities. Putting disability services in the heart of communities is part of current HSE planning so I shouldn’t be surprised to find a new centre for young adults smack bang in the middle of a new residential and commercial development in north Dublin still only partially inhabited. Natalie Creevey, the day services manager of the Praxis Care centre describes the new centre as a “service without walls”. Although technically speaking, the new building in Clongriffin, Dublin is where these young adults with disabilities go every day, their focus is on activities in the community. The Praxis Care centre opened in summer 2016 and has 17 service users, all of whom have autism. Each person using the service has support in planning and carrying out their weekly schedule of activities. The aim is to help them become more independent in daily household tasks (making tea, ironing, filling the dishwasher), personal care (showering, shaving etc) and travelling to other activities by public transport. The centre also has a multi-sensory room with relaxation spaces for time out if people get overwhelmed in any way. Malahide allotments When the Irish Times visits, Kevin O’Sullivan (19) and Aaron Leonard (18) are busy making a scarecrow for the allotments in Malahide which Praxis Care users have access to. “Every Tuesday, we go there.We have planted cabbage, peas, turnips, potatoes, onions and a blackberry bush.” O’Sullivan has been using the Praxis Care services since summer 2016, having had a two-year gap since he finished in another service in 2014. “We cook, walk, go bowling, swimming and the library,” he says. Leonard says he feels better since he started using the Praxis Care services. “I feel more like myself here. Everyone is really nice and pretty understanding. I didn’t like school at all. I was in an ASD unit after the Junior Cert and I couldn’t cope there.” Managed by the Northern Ireland-based charity, Praxis Care, the Praxis Care services in the Republic are funded by the HSE. The centre at Clongriffin recently had its official launch by Minister of State for disability issues Finian McGrath. At that event, McGrath said, “since becoming Minister and indeed, throughout my years working with people with disabilities, I have always encouraged people to define themselves not by their disabilities but by their abilities. It is heartening and encouraging to see Praxis Care, through their work of supporting and encouraging all who use the service, embody that ethos on a daily basis.” Jordan Taffe (19) is another user of Praxis Care in Clongriffin. His weekly timetable includes being a DJ on community radio station, Together FM, working in a St Vincent de Paul shop and various cultural activities in Dublin. “I like writing raps and music helps keep me calm. I’ve two younger brothers but in the future, I’d like to live on my own,” he says. Something special Andrew Nolan, parent of Kevin Nolan who uses the services also spoke at the launch. He believes there is a benefit to being one of the first to move into the units. “I feel Clongriffin has something special to offer with its public transport access and modern approach to planning and village design. And, I think it’s great that we are here early in the development to get ourselves settled before Clongriffin Village reaches full capacity. It will be nice for us to welcome our new neighbours in the future.” Natalie Creevey agrees that building rapport with local businesses will be a key to integrating the young adults with autism into the community. “I think some support groups for people with autism have done fantastic work on social media to promote better understanding of autism. But, it’s important to reach people directly and we would like to do information evenings for community groups about our work,” says Creevey. She says that work experiences for those using the services will be crucial. “I’m talking about socially valued roles not paid employment. So we will be looking out for more opportunities to trial jobs in the future.” Parents of these young adults are also encouraged to be actively involved in the new service. “As key people in our young adult’s circle of support, we need to continue to help with visualising, planning and implementing in order to help them progress to fuller and more inclusive lives within the community,” says Andrew Nolan. Deirdre Carroll, former chief executive of Inclusion Ireland and now an independent disability policy analyst, says community-based centres such as Praxis Care are good models. “They are catering for people with complex needs in a modern facility in the community. Some people criticise the Hiqa inspections of residential centres, but I think they have been one of the most important contributors to improvements in services. Coming from Northern Ireland, Praxis Care services have been used to social services inspections for 30 years.” On a broader level, Carroll says, “we need to embed the values of person-directed services and fight to ensure and promote the human rights of people with disabilities. People with disabilities should expect the right to live as independently as possible with people of their choosing . . . with the essential adjustments for everyday living that allow them to enrol in school or college or day service, access the cinema, swimming pool or shops, travel by taxi or bus, visit their GP and have a short break.”
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