Relationships are an integral part of growth and it goes without saying that differently abled individuals need to develop well-functioning relationships for maintaining a healthy and content lifestyle. It is necessary for a service provider of disabled individuals to support the concerned person with opportunities for developing healthy social interactions (Chung, Kim and Oh 2013). The services I provide for disabled individuals helps them develop quality relationships with people.
An effective way of supporting the individual through relationships would be to allow them the choice of who they want to be friends with and how they wish to spend their free time (Fang et al 2014). Granting them the minimal liberty of exercising free will inspires them to work on their character development. On being asked whether he has enough opportunities to meet family and friends regularly, a patient replied: “I was a bit scared of staying alone without my family with an unknown organization, but since I get to talk and meet with my family and other community members quite regularly, I feel less home-sick”. In my service home, patients can avail private phone calls and amusement activities like crafting and singing karaoke. Privacy is another crucial factor in developing healthy relationships based on trust and integrity (Hammel 2016). Under my service, individuals are given full freedom to choose when and where they would like to meet people. “All visits are assisted although the patient is allowed full privacy during meetings”, comments the family member of a person availing service. The people are further helped with transportation so they don’t face difficulty commuting. The bus service of my home picks and drops patients at desired locations.
A support group of community members (non-paid) consisting of neighbors, friends and co-workers is highly beneficial for the survival and inspiration (towards growth) of the disabled individual (Leader et al 2015). The service I provide is aimed at patient betterment and utilizes support (both individual and communal) for integrated development of the individual’s personality. The daily activities at my home include sports (table tennis, football and badminton), swimming and television sessions. Service providers also arrange for playing games like musical chair, passing the pillow and dumb charade to initiate interactions and keep them occupied with creative activities.
Additionally, the service is designed in a way to encourage a variety of activities that involve meeting new people. Some of the interactive activities include taking the patients out for cultural programs, taking them to socially interactive zones like amusement parks, films and theatres, fairs and carnivals. Social places like these hosts a jovial gathering of diverse people and the ambience of social gatherings encourage individuals to come together with new people having similar purposes. The organization attempts to support individuals form relationships with the outside world and in the words of a patient new to the services: “I like how each one of us have the unique opportunity to meet new people during our stay. Outside, we are too timorous of strangers and find difficulties in approaching people or being approached.” The service supervises the meetings of these people and sees to it that they have a chance of meeting new people without being perturbed. The weekly arrangements of meeting with psychiatry students and visits by school children as part of their vocational community service makes this possible. Since people with different abilities are in constant need for support and involvements, giving them an opportunity to develop new relationships and maintain old ones will have favorable outcomes on their improvement (Marino et al 2013). My service gives them many opportunities to interact with new people through hosting of cultural programs, organizing activities like poetry recitation, staging plays, songs and dance recitals. A patient was particularly happy about a pottery making session held last week, as she was heard saying “I would like to come back again, if only for making potteries”. Specially challenged people require special assistance to keep closer contact with the world that is different from them, and hence a professional should make due arrangements for connecting them with society (Rey et al 2013). Facilitating participation in a variety of communal activities is another way of improving the quality of service. This is held through activities conducted on social occasions like: Earth Day, where people can plant trees together and have fruitful interactions, World Music Day, where participants regular and differently abled might perform together on the same platform. Individuals suffering from developmental disorders will feel encouraged to avail the special services I offer as they provide the care, respect and assistance everyone deserves.
The only thing that requires improvement in my service is development of formal and informal support groups. People with disabilities have only to rely on family members and selective friends for support. The cultural programs organized by the service is planning to assimilate social enthusiasts with a common cause of empowering the unfortunate.
References:
Avolio, M., Montagnoli, S.I.M.O.N.E., Marino, M., Basso, D., Furia, G.I.U.S.E.P.P.E., Ricciardi, W. and De Belvis, A.G., 2013. Factors influencing quality of life for disabled and nondisabled elderly population: the results of a multiple correspondence analysis. Current gerontology and geriatrics research, 2013.
Hammell, K.W., 2015. Quality of life, participation and occupational rights: A capabilities perspective. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 62(2), pp.78-85.
Kim, J.W., Oh, M.H. and Chung, H., 2013. Disabled People of activities of daily living and quality of life relationship. The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences, 8(1), pp.173-180.
Rey, L., Extremera, N., Durán, A. and Ortiz?Tallo, M., 2013. Subjective Quality of Life of People with Intellectual Disabilities: The Role of Emotional Competence on Their Subjective Well?Being. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 26(2), pp.146-156.
Simplican, S.C., Leader, G., Kosciulek, J. and Leahy, M., 2015. Defining social inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: An ecological model of social networks and community participation. Research in developmental disabilities, 38, pp.18-29.
Zheng, Q.L., Tian, Q., Hao, C., Gu, J., Lucas-Carrasco, R., Tao, J.T., Liang, Z.Y., Chen, X.L., Fang, J.Q., Ruan, J.H. and Ai, Q.X., 2014. The role of quality of care and attitude towards disability in the relationship between severity of disability and quality of life: findings from a cross-sectional survey among people with physical disability in China. Health and quality of life outcomes, 12(1), p.25.
