I Want to Start a Movement: Some of It Could Lead to Inclusion for All
If you are new to my blogs, I share a lot about meaningful life and cultivating full inclusion, but lately I have focused more on the life journey of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and those who love them. Today I’m going to pivot yet again from my norm to talk about one of my favorite things — country music.
I began having long commutes to work years ago when I helped to launch a small company. Although I have since changed jobs, I still have an equally long commute! It’s not unusual for me to spend two hours a day in the car. To offset the mundanity of traffic, I took up singing and listening to country music.
The song “Some of It” by Eric Church is one of my current favorites, and when I hear the chorus, I connect it to KenCrest’s work.
“…Some of it you learn the hard way
Some of it you read on a page
Some of it comes from heartbreak
Most of it comes with age…”
As we’ve worked in the human services field and supported individuals with intellectual disabilities to have meaningful lives, there have been many twists and turns, as well as the setting of many patterns that we’ve deemed comfortable and safe.
“Some of it you learn the hard way.” Sheltered employment did not result in jobs for most people. Now we have too many people in those settings waiting for employment, with people fighting to keep the shops open and no money to transition to new models. Through this model, we learned that we were violating the rights of many.
“Some of it you read on a page.” There was a period in intellectual disability history books where someone thought that fresh air would cure disabilities. It was believed that if people lived in tents to maximize their access to fresh air, that they could overcome their disabilities.
“Some of it comes with heartbreak.” People were told to institutionalize their children with intellectual disabilities at birth. Check out the new novel Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood about a mother whose family followed that directive, and how — with her heart breaking — she fought back.
“Most of it comes with age.” As I have moved through the years, I have learned the impact of low expectations and just how easy it is to treat people who are 50 years old with a developmental age of eight — as if he or she were a child. All good intentions do not get us a life as a respected, contributive, and included member of society. Many good intentions are patterns, yet many carry assumptions, which are hard for me to accept.
The next line in the chorus is “a bunch of it you maybe can’t use.” That line captures the dilemma in our industry. Just what do we need to keep? Which beliefs will help people live a meaningful life, and which ones can we no longer use if we want to live the movement of real inclusion for all? Stay tuned to hear about the ones we maybe can’t use.
