Quality of Life Institute, Inc.

Celebrating National DSP Week September 9-15

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This week is designated as 2018 Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, by the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR).

ANCOR represents DSP’s that, collectively, support over one million American individuals with disabilities. The ANCOR Association offers leadership throughout the year, working to:

Shape Policy, Share Solutions, and Strengthen Community

With it’s Gentle Teaching-based training programs for Direct Service Professionals, the Quality of Life Institute shares ANCOR’s mission:

“to advance the ability of our members in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to fully participate in their communities,”

and has joined in the celebration, promoted as a moment to acknowledge the dedication and accomplishments of outstanding Direct Support Professionals and their vital contributions to communities across the country.

Would you like to join our circle of gratitude and giving forward, with written words we can share with our Direct Service Professionals? Or donate in-kind services?  Or learn more about participating on the governing board of the Quality of Life Institute? Please CLICK HERE and let us know!

Donations are appreciated, too, and are also tax deductible. Contributions support the education, well-being, and overall quality of life enrichment of Direct Support Professionals. We love them!

   

 

Indiana Agency Providing CARF-Accredited Quality of Life Services

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GLOBE STAR LLC is an agency in northwest Indiana, providing direct, Quality of Life Services for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The core foundation of their services, programs, and professional training of mentors and caregivers, is Gentle Teaching.

A practice of Gentle Teaching mentors a spirit of gentleness. Mentoring gentleness is about unconditional valuing while teaching and protecting the Individual. With a Gentle Teaching framework that guides the relationship-building processes, one learns how to feel safe and loved, loving and engaged.

The process begins with me, with self-reflection and personal change or shifting of perspective toward relationship-building, that initiates mutually transforming interactions and connections. New learning experiences and growing awareness naturally encourage reciprocation of what is being learned and valued by the person receiving services.

Mentoring a spirit of gentleness is focused on discovering and cultivating what has value and meaning for a person’s life. The mentoring/learning processes cultivate one’s awareness for knowing and growing, together, by developing the human capacity and social-emotional necessity for companionship and a sense of community.

Through the development of companionship and a sense of community with others, the social-emotional conditions for cultivating one’s authentic voice and choice (self-determination) become accessible and meaningful for creating one’s narrative and quality of life planning. 

Creating companionship and community with others invites a sense of belonging and a genuine feeling of being valued. These essential growth factors lay the foundation for social-emotional development that, when cultivated, create “growing room” for the blossoming of being and becoming human.

***Globe Star has been serving families and communities in northwest Indiana since 1996, with various locations offering services in and around Chesterton, South Bend, Warsaw, Lafayette, and Indianapolis.

LEARN MORE HERE or CONTACT their main office for a free consultation about services and programs, or to check for availability in your area.***

JUNE 13 Webinar on Multi-Sensory Environments for the Home: Feeding the Kind Wolf

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join the conversation…inspiration…resources

REGISTER HERE

Part of a webinar training series produced by the Quality of Life Institute, Inc., and provided as an educational service to promote the potentials and possibilities for quality of life outcomes, when working with others in multi-sensory environments. Presentation of topics is approximately 45 minutes, with some additional time allowed for questions and discussion. Registration is free.

Creating Home Multi-Sensory Environments that Promote Healthy Family Dynamics: Feeding the Kind Wolf is Wednesday’s topic at noon (EST) on June 11th for the ongoing webinar series: Re-Imagining Multi-Sensory Environments, Designs, Uses, and Applications for Snoezelen®-based, Multi-Sensory Environments.

Presenter will offer a comprehensive resource guide for creating multi-sensory environments, and illustrates how to create a customized and affordable, home MSE for a child and their family. “These can support emotional self-regulation in all family members, as each individual journeys through personal and shared life transitions, develops new and adapts old routines, and adjusts to evolving family needs for relationship. MSEs are ideal for providing variable environmental conditions to support upward emotional shifts into joyful play, downward emotional shift into relaxation and possibly sleep, or a just-right state for self-motivated and optimally engaged learning. Individualized multi-sensory activities can be embedded in your home MSE as you help your child develop new skills and greater independence.”

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Our Location

In the heart of a small town in midwestern America, our office is found in the historic district of Chesterton, Indiana, a part of what is known along a stretch of Lake Michigan as the Duneland area. We connect and work with others around the world.

621 Broadway, Chesterton, IN, 46304, USA

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CLUBHOUSE Program

PICO Art Books Project & Fundraiser

Your donation is greatly appreciated and will be used to help fund the bilingual PICO ART BOOKS PROJECT (click the link to learn more). This is a collaborative effort sponsored by Quality of Life Institute, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization, with the The CLUBHOUSE program that supports the mental health of its members in a restorative environment, providing resources and opportunities for personal growth and community engagement.

Start a Research Project

We’d love to hear about your project plans or proposals relating to Gentle Teaching and quality of life research.

Tell us all about it using our contact form.

 

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Join us! Subscribe for free! Receive updates on learning opportunities (webinars, workshops, conferences), current projects, and stories that inspire ideas, dialogue, and quality of life development.