What’s Important
Our Priorities
What’s Important to Us
2024 Discovery Tour
Throughout 2024, OSAC representatives traveled to communities across Oregon to meet with members of the disability community. Our goal was to discover what is important to communities throughout the state so that our work can better serve the disability community. We asked the following three questions:
What is IMPORTANT to you (and your group) NOW?
What is IMPORTANT for you (and your group) in the FUTURE?
How can OSAC HELP?
Many common themes were shared across communities/regions.
Advocates from six communities / regions gathered:
Salem/Monmouth
Eugene/Springfield
Bend/Redmond – Breaking
Barriers Conference
Portland
The Dalles
Medford
2024 Discovery Tour – Big Core Themes
Two big core themes were heard in similar ways across locations:
Being seen and treated as human beings
People said that they just do not get the respect or treatment as human beings that other people do.
Getting Together
People said that it was really important to have the opportunity to get together with other people who had similar experiences, to learn and gain strength from each other.
Issue Themes
There were five big important issues that people feel are affecting their lives:
Relationships
Relationships are really important and people talked about how they either, did not have enough relationships, or they were having real struggles in relationships that they do have.
Ways to get around
This was bigger than issues related to access to public transportation. It had to do with being able to get around when people needed/wanted to get somewhere important to them, to make it possible for them to be in control of creating the lives they want to live.
Money
There are many issues related to money, since most people we met are poor, and do not have enough money to live the life they would like to live.
Housing
For most people, it was important to having a place of their own that they can call home, that they control, and choose if, or who they want to share that home.
Health
Many people had issues related to their physical or mental health.
Within each of these bigger issue themes there were many smaller and more specific themes.
Issue Themes
Relationships
There are many kinds of issues related to relationships. People wanted to learn how to have relationships, and be supported to keep relationships that are important to them, in ways that feel right:
Friends
People wanted to make friends, to have more friends, and to know how to be a friend.
Family
Some people wanted to be connected with their families more, to have good relationships with their families, including how they could be treated by their families as adults who can have control over their lives.
Marriage
People want to be supported to be married, and learn how to have good relationships with their partners. They wanted to be able to live with their partner without being financially penalized.
Community
People want to learn how they can be connected and involved with other people and organizations in their community.
Advocate Allies
People want to be connected and in relationships with other people who are advocating for the same kinds of things that they want and need in their lives. This could be other people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or families, or people who advocating for housing, transportation, health care etc.
Personal Support Workers
People want to have good relationships with the people who support them. They want to be able to have more control in their lives, and have support workers that help make this more possible.
Service Providers
Most people receive support from service provider organizations that determine how they receive support. People want to be able to influence the organizations that employ workers, and provide housing, so that they have more control over how they experience where they live, and how they are supported.
Issue Themes
Ways to get around
People want to be able to have control over their lives, including how and when they can get to and from the places, people, and activities that are important in their lives: time spent with friends and family; participation in community life; work; faith life, and more.
Public Transit
People want access to public transit that they can afford that is available where they live and work, and when they need and want to get to these places.
Service Providers
Many people are dependent on the provider agencies, and staff that work for them, to get to people and places that important in their lives. People want to be able to have more availability and control over how service providers make transportation available in their lives.
Personal Vehicle
Some people would like to have a vehicle that they can control and afford. This could mean having a car, and a license to drive, or it can mean living somewhere where they can ride a bike, or use a wheelchair to get to people and places that are important to them.
Taxis
People would like to have access to money that they can use to get taxis, which would allow them more control over when they travel.
Control
Having a way to get around that people can control is very important for people to be able to live as other citizens.
Issue Themes
Money
Lack of money to live the life that people want to live is very common with the people who we met.
Enough to Live
It is very common for people to feel that they do not have enough money to live. It certainly is true that people do not have enough money for many of the things they would like to have: home; paying bills; travel; entertainment, and more.
Jobs and Business (without penalty)
Many people would like to have a job, or run a business so that can get ahead, but they are often not supported to work or run a business, and if they are they experience their income being reduced by Social Security so they cannot get ahead.
Social Security
Many people have issues that arise about their Social Security income. It can be complicated and confusing. People’s lives depend upon this money, and the medical benefits that go with them. It can be very scary to have to deal with these issues.
Control
Money makes it possible for people to live the life that they choose. People want to be able to control the money available in their lives, and learn how to use it for the life they would choose to live.
Issue Themes
Housing
Having a place to live that feels like home is very important to people:
Available
It is very common to hear that there simply are not enough housing units available where people live.
Affordable
Even if there are enough available places to live, they are most often not affordable for people who have a very low income. There are people who would like to own their own home, but the cost of housing makes that very difficult, if not impossible.
Accessible
If there are housing units available, most often they are not accessible.
Control
Being able to control the place that people call home is very important. Many people who have to live in provider managed residences and nursing homes, or other institutional settings, do not feel like they have control over where they live, and who, and when people come into their home.
Issue Themes
Health
People want to be healthy so they can live well, and longer. People want to learn how to take care of their health, and they want to know how they can access the health care system when they need it.
Physical Health
People want to be supported to learn how to take care of their physical health, especially after they have been diagnosed with a health condition. They want to learn how they can take of themselves with the resources they have available.
Mental Health
Many people have experienced mental health related issues. People want to know how they can reduce or prevent mental health issues, and what to do when they are experiencing a mental health issue.
Access to Health Care
People want help to learn about how they can access the health care system when they need to. The health care system can be very complicated and confusing, so it is a combination of getting good information, and being supported to get to the right parts of the health care system, and understand the information that they receive.