Description
Celebrating the Ordinary. A way to think about supported living that collects stories, pictures, documents, and operational policies from Options’ work and reflects on their practical meaning in terms of these ideas: Learning from Options· The idea of emergent order
· Limits of command and control
· From packages to people
· A guiding pattern emerges· People with developmental disabilities lead
· Autonomy and support can lead to liberation
· Creating space as a guiding image
· Conflict clarifies beliefs
· Beliefs define the pattern
· Respect for autonomy
· Enacted beliefs
· Fruitful contradictions
· A strong culture
· High ideals grounded in daily demands
· What makes Options work for me
· Avoiding the growth trap
· Principle and political viability
· Dividing rather than growing· Purposely increasing diversity
· Building relationships and agreements
· A charter for support
· The policy on quality of life
· Living space
· Ordinary connections
· Day-to-day assistance
· Usual difficulties
· Big troubles
· Stretching the ordinary
· The ‘how’ of agreements in a web of relationships
· Power differences and dependency
· Holding stress
· Acknowledging difficulty
· Signs of trouble
· Relationships as a resource
· Teamwork
· Renewal through ritual
· Authority and hierarchy
· Designing support
· A comfortable living place
· Effective personal assistance
· Conversational planning· Getting to know the person
· Making funding flexible
· Embracing variety
· Temptations to standardize
· Generating flexibility
· Generalists and specialists
· How Options Learns
· New possibilities for a person
· Learning as a matter of the heart
· Cultivating expertise
· Chewing on intractable problems
· Progress on community building
· The position of Home Support Workers
· Co-evolution with the service system
· Nine enduring understandings