Our community
! Understanding communities
!
Dysfunctional communities !
Building better
communities
Understanding
disability service organisations ! An
alternative model ! Community
research ! Community survey
Understanding
disability service organisations
Social Role Valorisation
Deinstitutionalisation
Disability services
Disability and community
Explanation
of
terms
Understanding
disability service organisations
A disability service organisation
refers to any service that is
provided by a
service group or organisation that specialises in looking after the
needs of
people with disability. The organisation may specialise in a particular
area of
care (accommodation, recreation, education or employment), or provide
services
that include all aspects of a person’s life. Organisations are
generally funded
by the Disability Services Commission (DSC) and contracted to provide
the
service within the policies of the DSC. Various government policies
also
legatimise the roles of these organisations within society. The disability service sector is also an
industry in it's own right.
Disability services provide a valued role in society today. They
provide the skills and resources that are not available within the
wider community, that support a group of people with high support
needs.
The service is a community in its own right in providing the staff,
volunteers, living, employment, educational or recreational activities
within society. The networks, relationships and shared experiences of
the members provide the community of the service with a sense of
purpose and direction within society. The service also provides the
knowledge base that supports a particular group in society.
The
service evolved
according to
a set of standards and principles designed to support people with
disability.
The service’s role:
… to actively promote the
needs of people with disability
through the principles of normalisation, social integration,
empowerment and social
role valorisation,
… to
actively support, through direct intervention (accommodation,
recreation,
education or employment), people
with disability in the community.
Disability services also provide other valued roles in society ...
... provides employment within the
sector.
... promotes the growth of other support services, such as transport,
catering, laundry, specalised equipment etc.
... raises awareness of the situation of the group that is supported by
the service.
By
fulfilling an active role above, the organisation also takes on a
certain
amount of ownership (in providing for the needs of people with
disability), and
as a consequence, the community sees its role as a passive and
supportive. The
higher the profile of the organisation, the higher the expectations of
the
community in the organisation in fulfilling its role. The community has
not had
an opportunity to develop the necessary skills for an active role, and
as a
result a co-dependent relationship is unintentionally created between
the
people with disability <> organisation <> community.
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Organisation
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Living |
Recreation |
Education |
Work |
Volunteer |
Staff
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Transport |
TCCP
Activ
Id entity WA
Nulsen Haven
Stepping Stones
VIP
Riding for the disabled
CLAN Mirrabooka
Blue Skies ?
AAA agency
Swan taxies
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Organisations
(not
inclusive) and the services that are provided.
Organisations that provide
services
for people with disability can be seen as communities within the
broader community.
These
organisations sometimes
provide
duplicate services etc.
Disability
service
organisations and the hidden agenda
Disability service organisations generaly specialise in a particular
area of disability:
... provide an area of knowledge within
that area
... provide skills and resources within that area
... provide a service within that area
... provide employment
The
organisation has two broad functions:
1) Supporting and
maintaining the needs of the clients
2) Supporting
and
maintaining the needs of the organisation
Sometimes the
needs of the
organisation become greater that the need of the clients supported by
the
organisation:
… income, The organisation
cannot function with out
donations, Gov funding, etc.
… qualified
staff, Lack of
competent staff means that the clients are not getting the proper
support, etc.
…
maintenance, The organisation
needs to maintain the facilities, equipment to a standard that is
required by
the service uses (staff and clients) to maintain service delivery.
…
management, the
management hierarchy increases to cope with its own needs.
Etc.
Other
factors also impact on the organisation’s ability to provide for the
needs of
its clients.
… current workforce: the
organisation is limited to the
available workforce to draw on.
… costs of
goods and
services (electricity, petrol, external labour costs etc) all impact on
the
organisation’s ability to function.
… reliance on
the
community to support the organisation through Gov funding, donations
etc.
… increasing
community
demand for services also put a strain on the ability of the
organisation to
provide the proper support.
… services
are designed to target specific groups that fulfil the criteria of the
service
(specialised). This means that where there are no services available
for the
person, that person does not get the support needed.
…
organisations also
have a limited capacity, which means that people that qualify for the
service cannot
receive the service if there is no room. People who share a
characteristic that
is rare in the community often become marginalised because of a lack of
services or resources to support their needs. This is a problem in
country
areas where resources are limited.
Etc.
As the
organisation grows, the demands of the organisation increase and put an
increasing strain on existing internal and external resources to the
point
where the organisation cannot provide the care needed in supporting its
client
base.
It is in the interests of the
organisation to raise awareness of it's activities within the
community. Organisations
actively engage in supporting and promoting the needs of people
with
disability in the wider community. Generally, the community is
approached by
the organisation to support the activities of the organisation through:
… advertising their various
development programs and
promoting people with disability generally.
… volunteer
programs.
… sponsorship
programs
through business and company support.
… community events
organised by the organisation.
The higher the profile of the organisation:
… the more
likely it is to
receive funds:
… has an
advantage where there
may be two or three organisations
providing similar services (accommodation, work, recreation etc).
… has
an advantage
in a competitive market with other
organisations for staff, donations, sponsorships, research etc
… the more
dependant the community is, in the organisation fulfilling
it's
role.
… the less
likely the community is, in becoming more actively involved in direct
intervention in supporting people with high support needs.
When providing the most appropriate care for people with high support
needs ...
1) The community is not where the
person is living, but where the
person participates, shares experiences and has valued relationships
with others.
2) People with high support needs (severe disability, aged etc.)
will always need support structures as a part of their lives.
3) The amount of participation in a community (living, education,
employment or recreation) is directly related to the skills and
resources of the person, and, the skills and resources of the
community that the person wishes to participate in.
4) Institutions are going to be around in one form or another
whether we like it or not, It is the way that they are used that is the
problem.
5) The institutions of a society towards a particular group
determine the way the group participates in society.
6) The institutions of a particular government department,
organisation,
profession or service define the way the person is supported within
that society.
7) Facilities that support people with high support needs do not
need to be the nursing homes or prisons in the
sense
that they are today, but can become warm inviting community places that
offer a range of services to the community, as well as be a part of the
wider community within that society.
8) People with high support needs are a minority group in our
society, and will have the same problems as other minority groups in
being a part of society.
