Independent Living Services Instructor

Community Inclusion and Relationships

Everyone wants to belong and to have valued roles in their community. One of your most important roles as an Independent Living Services Instructor is learning how to support people to develop relationships in their communities. In order to do this it will help you to know what the person likes and what their preferences and strengths are.

As an ILS Instructor you will need to develop ways of finding out what is going on in the community of the person you support. You will also need to find ways to build bridges between the person you support and his or her community.

People with disabilities have a history of being excluded from mainstream society. Their presence in the community may cause people to stare or ask questions. As an Independent Living Services Instructor you may be asked to take on the role of educating people who are not comfortable with people who appear different.

To truly be included in communities, people need to have friends, family and other people they love, respect and enjoy being with. For many people with developmental disabilities, their paid staff are the people they see and interact with the most. Therefore, one of your most important roles is to support people with disabilities in maintaining friendships, making new friends and maintaining contact with their personally defined family.

COMMUNITY INCLUSION

Dan has been living in the same town for a number of years. He talks with many people and knows everyone at the grocery store, library, and other places that he often goes to in the community.

Peter, his ILS Instructor, spends a lot of his time with Dan, encouraging him to develop and maintain these relationships. Peter supports Dan by talking to Dan about his relationships and role rehearsing with him on situations that Dan is not sure how to handle. It is through these relationships that Dan becomes an active member of his community.

supporting People to have active and fulfilled days