[nabs-l] Wanted to share my experience living at Friedman Place, a supportive living community for blind adults in Chicago

Tue Apr 9 11:50:39 UTC 2013

 Hi Mark and everyone, 
 Thank you for sending this. Yes I am aware of the training centers that
Joshua and others (when I sent info on this to a different list of blind
students) told me about. It's wonderful that so many of you have  found them
to be so helpful  and it's worked for you. I have looked at their   websites
and  read about the NFB philosophy and at this moment, it's just not for me.

 I do appreciate your thoughts Joshua! I want to be clear  that to my
knowledge neither the staff here nor anyone else sees this as a   "charity
case," kind of thing. For many that live here, there is a real sense of
family, and we give back in our own way to the community as much as we get
from it,  with our own  unique skills talents and personalitys. 
 Yes, several of the residents here do have other disabilities in addition
to being blind, but some don't. And honestly, I don't see how that really
matters. For example, a very good friend of mine, moved here in I believe
November. He is visually impaired, and has CP. But no one really  dwells on
that. He's  amazing at  computers, extremely intelligent and with a great
sense of humor, and very motivated and incouraging people to advocate  with
and for others with  disabilities. That's what sticks in my mind, about him
not that he has CP in addition to being blind. (though I do sometimes tease
him that he should get one of those service monkeys LOL!) 
 Thanks again Mark for your kind words. And everyone for your perspective. I
hope to get to know you all better. 
 Sam (short for Samantha, that's  ok (smile)) 

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mark J. Cadigan
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2013 6:09 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Wanted to share my experience living at Friedman
Place, a supportive living community for blind adults in Chicago

Hi all,

I'm certain Sam knows about the wonderful training available at the three
NFB training centers, however, that's not what he is trying to tell us. Sam
is just telling us about a solution he has found that works for him. This
solution is not for everyone, but according to Sam it's his best option at
the moment. We don't know Sam's situation, and can't speak for him, so I'm
just asking everybody to be supportive of Sam and welcome him to the list,
instead of haranguing him for not being so called "independent enough."

Thanks,

Mark

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sam Nelson" <samnelson1 at verizon.net>
To: <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2013 6:43 AM
Subject: [nabs-l] Wanted to share my experience living at Friedman Place, a
supportive living community for blind adults in Chicago

> Hi Everyone,
>
> First I apologize if some of you have read about this already from me, as
> I've posted it to the   Massachusetts and IL  student's mailing lists. I
> just really want to let everyone I can know about the wonderful place 
> I call home, in case othersare in  a similar situation to me and could 
> see it as an option for either short or long-term living.
>
> I'm24 years old and totally blind. I'm originally from MA, and moved  
> this past June to Friedman Place,  a residential community for blind  
> adults ages 22-elderly in Chicago.
>
> Friedman Place is one of two supportive living communities in the 
> country, the other being Mary Bryant in Springfield.
>
> Since moving to Friedman my life has dramatically changed in a 
> positive way.  Here everyone has their own apartment, yet there is 
> staff available 24/7if needed. Laundry and housekeeping services are 
> optional. There are microwaves in our apartments, but beyond that we 
> can't cook for ourselves as we eat in the dining room.
>
> Certified Nursing assistants help with daily things such as medication 
> reminders, doing our nails, going for walks, or just hanging out and 
> talking
> with us. There are a variety of activities provided including:    bingo,
> other card games, a movement class, line dancing, a support group, e 
> exercise classes, and others. I feel as more younger people move to 
> the facility, the types of activitys will reflect that.
>
> The nursing services are available daily, though not 24 hours. This is 
> not a nursing home, so people with severe medical issues probably 
> wouldn't be a good fit. I think the best fit for Friedman is someone 
> who feels they want or need to live in a community environment, with a 
> caring group of peers, and security and support from staff.  This 
> could be someone who's
> transitioning from a school   for the blind or really any school and 
> trying
> to figure out what they want to do after. It could be someone who just 
> wants to get out of their parent's house, for whatever reason doesn't 
> have or want
> to live with relatives   other  friends, or want a roommate. It could be
> someone who has mild emotional/ cognitive challenges, and so  would 
> would do
> well in an   environment where there was independence but also a feeling 
> of
> support, and where they couldn't isolate as easily and fall through 
> the cracks in a way they could if living alone or just with a 
> roommate.  Or, someone  could want to move here purely for  security 
> reasons, as many low-income disability housing apartments are in really
bad neighborhoods.
>
> Staff are very client centered, in that residents plan how they want 
> their lives to go. It's a great place to come and have a solid  
> homebase  to grow from. There are many oppurtunities in the city for 
> volunteer or payed work, education, and socialization. Each resident 
> is assigned a care advocate, who they meet with regularly to discuss 
> issues going on either at Friedman and also talking about what they'd 
> like to do out in the community. I feel the social worker in 
> particular, is a very caring, friendly person who's very knowledgable 
> about  resources in the community.
>
>
>
> I also want to be clear that this is not a foster care, group home, or 
> nursing  home situation. As long as residents  sign in and out, for 
> safety reasons of course, they can come and go as they please. They 
> can have guests over til midnight without the guest having to get a 
> background  check. If they want guests to spend the night, all the 
> person needs  to do is fill out a quick background check form for  
> safety.
>
> I feel that with the mix of older and younger residents, it really is 
> like a family. I'm a sensitive person who in the past has isolated a 
> lot. Here I feel I have a purpose and have solid friendships for the 
> first time in my life.
>
> There are only two other people in their 20s currently at Friedman, 
> I'm really hoping we can get  more.  The cost of living here is 
> covered by medicade, as well as a portion of one's social security check.
>
> There's no requirement on how long you need to stay. Some people stay 
> for six  months, and  consider it a stepping stone to living  
> completely on one's own. . Others have been here for years and 
> consider it home. It's all up to the person.
>
> I just know that if I had known at 15 or 16 that there was a safe 
> supportive place I could go when I was 22, I would  have been way less 
> stressed about the future.
>
>  At the end of this  message I'll post the links to my videos to learn 
> more.
>
> Lastly, in addition to letting others know of my positive experience 
> here at Friedman, my second mission is  to advocate for similar 
> facilities to be opened in other states. Doing the research  I have 
> and hearing from many people, it's obvious that the need  is there, 
> particularly for those from
> 18
> to 22, of which there seems to be very little services. I wish the age
> requirement were  18, but right now it isn't.   (Don't give up if you're 
> in
> that age group and interested in Friedman!  Just be patient, and maybe 
> soon things will change for the better!) So * if any of you want to 
> discuss this other project I'd  really appreciate it.
>
> Thanks for  reading, and I look forward to getting to know more of you.
>
>
>
> Sam
>
> Video links:
>
>  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG4SWYVxqA4
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQTBKEnPup8
>
>
>
>
>
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