Welcome!

This newsletter is sent on the first and third Wednesday of each month. If you would like to include a news item or announcement, please contact Andrew Drewnowski.

Managers, please print and place in a common area.

Developmental Disabilities Month

In 1987, President Reagan declared March, "Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month". This action challenged our country to support and provide opportunities and choices to people with developmental disabilities.

Through the 1970's and 1980's, there was a push to deinstitutionalize the developmentally disabled. This initiative was founded on the belief that the community is the best place to care for and support people facing these challenges. Meaningful integration into the community required ambitious ideas and programs to help those living with these challenges gain skills needed for employment and access to social and recreational opportunities.

As these structures were put into place, people who were previously institutionalized became engaged members of their communities. This helped to change the public's understanding of what it means to have a developmental disability and broke down previously held assumptions about their limitations. Parents of children born with these issues began to have higher hopes and expectations for their children's futures.

This societal change also revealed the stubborn prejudice against people with developmental disabilities. Some segments of society incorrectly believed that people with disabilities had insurmountable challenges. In particular, the business community held onto beliefs that these individuals could not be integrated into the workforce. Also folks with these challenges faced other barriers to everyday choices. For example many public buildings such as libraries, theaters and post offices were not wheelchair accessible.

In 1990, the" American Disabilities Act" was signed into law and gave rights to people with disabilities to work without discrimination and called on companies to make reasonable accommodations for their employees with disabilities. In 2004, the" Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" was passed. This law supported people with developmental disabilities from infancy to adulthood through programs like early intervention, special education and services to smooth the transition from high school to adulthood.

With deinstitutionalization, Reagan's national call for acceptance and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities, and subsequent legislation, we have made great strides. As we go forward, we will keep working for access to more opportunities and choices. We are fortunate here at ServiceNet to have caring staff and wonderful programs that support, encourage and celebrate the unique strengths of the individuals we serve.

SOURCE

Did You Know?

ServiceNet participates in the Tuition Remission Program, sponsored by the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers and the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. This program enables eligible Servicenet employees to attend Massachusetts state-supported undergraduate courses at any community college, state college or university, or the University of Massachusetts, on a tuition-free basis. The University of Massachusetts Medical Center is excluded.
For an employee to be eligible for the tuition remission program, the employee must:

Be employed for a minimum of 30 hours/week by an Eligible Human Services Provider (such as ServiceNet). Independent contractors are not eligible for tuition remission under this program.
Have completed at least six months of service with the Eligible Human Service Provider at the time of submitting the Certificate of Employee Eligibility for Tuition Remission to the employer.

To enroll, go to the Servicenet intranet and click on Benefits and scroll down to the Tuition Remission Program. If you decide to enroll, complete the Certificate of Employee Eligibility and submit the form to Human Resouces. Please note that this form must be one sided. The Providers Council will not accept two pages. For additional information, please contact Joanne Spence in Human Resources at 413-387-1107 or jmspence@servicenet.org.

Staff Spotlight-Jo Valle

Jo Valle, Clinical Program Manager, TAY Hampshire County, Runs Shakespeare Group for Young Adults in TAY and PREP

JoAnne Valle (Jo), LCSW has been with TAY since August of 2014. Jo trained as an education artist at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA, where she was fortunate to learn techniques for teaching and directing Shakespeare-techniques that preserve Shakespeare's rich, expressive, powerful language while making it accessible to everyone. Over the past 15 or more years, Jo has seen first-hand how meaningful and healing theatre can be. "I've been itching to do a theatre group since beginning at ServiceNet. When the opportunity came up to put a group together I jumped at the chance."

Jo planned an 8-week pilot group in collaboration with the PREP Program to gauge interest and figure out what a doable, longer term group might look like moving forward. "After two information sessions at PREP I'm happy to report that participants there were not only on board to do theatre, but were specifically interested in doing Shakespeare!" Jo is implementing the group together with Smith College MSW interns, Sherene Smith and Jake Hewes.

Drama groups can be especially beneficial for individuals who have a hard time verbalizing their own inner struggles in traditional therapeutic modalities. They provide expressive language and an opportunity to get participants into their bodies and using their voices to express big feelings. Folks who don't want to perform are invited to participate as they become comfortable. For some that may mean turning a light switch on and off or serving as an audience member for those performing. "There is a job for everyone who shows up. The format invites participants to take safe risks in a supportive environment."

Jo has worked on Shakespeare productions with elementary school students; juvenile offenders who were sentenced to perform productions of Hamlet and Macbeth; patients at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, MA; community members through the Hampshire Shakespeare Company; and at Frontier Regional School in South Deerfield where she taught theatre and art for 6 years.

Mental Health First Aid Course

Just as a CPR course helps non-trained individuals learn how to assist someone who is experiencing a cardiac crisis, the Mental Health First Aid course helps non-trained individuals learn how to assist someone experiencing a mental health crisis. With both, we learn to provide support until appropriate professional help arrives.

Learn how to: assess risk, respectfully listen to/support, identify appropriate professional help/supports. Also learn: risk factors and warning signs for depression, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma, psychosis, and substance use disorders.

Mental Health First Aid teaches about recovery and resiliency - the belief that individuals experiencing mental health challenges can and do get better, and use their strengths to stay well.

HPS is pleased to join with the Hatfield Mental Health Awareness Committee in hosting Mental Health First Aid:

Mental Health First Aid
Sat., March 25: 9am-5pm
Smith Academy Library
Cost: Free
Class Size is Limited. Enroll early.
To register: Brenda Kempisty: (413)247-5641 or bkempisty@hatfieldps.net

Lunch is also included. Sign up today! SOURCE

IDEA System - Featured Idea

What was the problem?
Staff is not prepared for morning meeting

What's the solution?
Enrichment Center management posted a rotating schedule in the staff office. Now, staff can see when they will be running the meeting and will have time to prepare.

Kudos to the Enrichment Center staff!

Transitions at ServiceNet

Here's a few new/promoted staff members throughout the agency:

Heather Alicea - Program Director, Morgan
Lucy Brasil - Site Manager, Whatley
Bushra Fouz - Program Director, Whatley
Chris Kuzmeskus - Program Director, Raymond Road
Nancy Woicik - Program Director, Lawrence Plain
Bonnie Larkin - Senior Counselor, Amherst Outreach
Laura Mendoza-Speech-Language Pathologist, REACH
Bonnie Frank-Social Worker, REACH
Trina Phillips-Developmental Specialist, REACH
Alyssa Marchese-Developmental Specialist, REACH

2017 Trivia Program

Congratulations to
Susan Parker for winning the $5.00 gift card!

Answer this week's question NOW!

We will be featuring a trivia question contest in every ServiceNotes issue. Every staff member who answers the question correctly will be placed in a bi-monthly drawing for a $5.00 gift card.

The trivia question will be available for 10 days. The winner of the gift card will be announced in the next ServiceNotes issue.
At the end of the year, staff members who participated in EVERY trivia question, whether or not their answers were correct, will be placed in a drawing for a $50.00 gift card.

Happy Wednesday!