When I started my career in 2000, I worked for programs that believed that they had a duty to “protect” people with disabilities. These programs did not value the right that people with disabilities had to make choices in their lives. The programs attempted to control every aspect of individual’s lives from what time they ate dinner to where they would go during the day. The focus was “to walk behind someone in case they fell down”. It was a frustrating environment to work in where choices were not even offered. Decisions were made by a team of people that “believed” that they knew what was best for the person. (For more on this, check out Julie Marello’s blog article at: http://rochestercdr.org/wordpress/?p=17#more-17 )

I saw and heard the responses of the individuals in these programs. They would say, “I don’t want to go to Wal-Mart because I am tired”. The response from the program was always, “that is what is on the schedule and everyone else is going”. So, individuals would comply with the schedule of activities because that was what was expected of them. No choices…no independence…no freedom!

When I first discovered the Center for Disability Rights Inc., I was looking for an environment and agency that supported my beliefs. The mission of Independence, Integration, and Civil Rights for all people with disabilities was refreshing, but at the same time I was skeptical. I wondered to myself, ‘does CDR really promote choice for people with disabilities?’

I was pleasantly surprised when I began working at CDR in January that CDR really does promote choice for all people with disabilities. The services at CDR are unique and are catered to individual’s wants, needs, likes, and dislikes. At CDR we respect the choice of the individual and work hard to make their wishes come true.

Instead of walking behind people in case they fall down, we truly walk beside an individual and support them to rise back up after they fall.