My PDS Story: Barb Zimmerman

What are some of the things you enjoy about directing your own services and supports?
Being able to keep staff because of higher pay.

Tell us about a time when you and your support service professional (SSP) tried something new in your community. Where did you go? What did you do? What did you like about this activity? How did your SSP support you in this new adventure?
My SSPs are constantly looking for new things for me to do. Last year they found me a volunteer job that I enjoy.

Is there anything you think is hard or challenging about directing your own services and supports? Tell us about a time that you faced a challenge with your support staff and how you worked through this challenge.
Waiting for paperwork to go through. The process of having to have my SSP to take the college level class was awful. There was not enough time and training shouldn't have cost anything.

Directing my own services and supports is important to me because...
It's my life and having control about who supports me is important.

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About the Project

This project is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council; in part by grant 2001PASCDD-02, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

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