According to Jeff Williamson, we should "treat a person as a treasure first and forget what is not possible." This was not always the case for Jeff. Until age 19, he attended a segregated program and lived in an eight-person group home. He was miserable, according to Janet - Jeff's mother. "He could only use his body language to communicate and he clearly hated where he was living and how he was being educated. Jeff was not given choices about any aspect of his life because it was assumed that he was incapable of making decisions." Janet wished there were other options for Jeff and she wished the bureaucratic tangle of funding sources gave them both choices.
In 1988, Janet attended the first New Hampshire Leadership Series sponsored by the Institute on Disability. Today, following ongoing training and support from the Institute and others, Jeff's life is filled with the experiences typical of most 30-year-olds: memories of his school graduation and recent vacations, a growing bank account, a resume of volunteer and employment experiences, application information for the local college, bulletins from his place of worship, a home of his own, and friends of his choosing.
Jeff hires the people who provide his support. He defines his life based on his dreams. Jeff has a voice and his words are being listened to. Jeff and Janet are working to make sure that the innovative supports and service delivery system they experience are available to all people with disabilities. The Institute on Disability is proud to be part of the movement toward inclusion, community supports, and consumer-directed services.