Community Living honours supporters with Community Champions breakfast

Community Living of Kincardine and District welcomed a small crowd of supporters to its first Community Champions Breakfast, Thursday, May 28.

The meal was provided by Changing Thyme Catering and was absolutely delicious!

Chris McCullough, president of the Community Living board of directors, said the board appreciates all the support the agency receives in this community.

But there is still a lot more to do, he said, to get rid of the negative mind-set about people with disabilities. "We've come a long way but there's a lot more work to be done."

Andy Hubbard, a supported individual with Community Living, then wowed the crowd with his talk about living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

"You'd think that things would come easy for a pretty guy like me, but there is something deeper inside that you can't see, and that's FASD," he said. "FASD means that my disorder was caused before I was born and it was caused by alcohol. Spectrum means that it is different for everyone who has it. What is the same for all people with FADS is that our brains were damaged while we were growing and now I have a disability."

He said it's difficult to get people to understand his disability since they can't see it. "You can see someone else who needs to use a wheelchair to get around, or a guide dog, or uses sign language. The only way to tell that I have a disability is by the way I behave - because it's my brain, right?"

And the behaviour problems got him into a lot of trouble, said Hubbard. "I can't remember stuff very well, but it isn't just memory. FADS also messes with my sleep, makes it hard for me to tell if I am hungry, makes me do stuff without thinking about what might happen. I am very impulsive. I can tell you about all the rules, but when the moment comes, I see only the payoff and do it."

When he turned 18, he got his own apartment with Community Living and has lived there ever since.

"What has Community Living done for me?" said Hubbard. "Let's start with my pills. I have pills for things like anxiety, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), depression and stuff. I take them four times a day and the workers at the building need to give them to me because I forget a lot, or just don't want to take my pills because I am too upset about something. It helps if someone else is there to remind you sometimes."

He also gets help with time, money, relationships and the pressures of daily living and regular tasks.

"My worker understands me," said Hubbard. "He can tell when things are getting too heavy for me; he will walk me through the job we need to do, or he will show me a new way to approach a situation so that it is easier for me to work it out.

"Community Living has my back. I have help keeping my bills and my rent paid on time. My worker helps me keep an eye on my spending and helps me make the choices I need - to get what I want from my money."

He said that when he and his sister were split up as children, she did not receive all the services that he did, and her life is a lot more difficult - she's a teenage mother, has no job, and has drug problems.

"With FASD, most people end up jobless, homeless or addicted to something," said Hubbard. "When you are in a situation that isn't healthy, you need people in your corner to back you up and to guide you in the right direction. I wish Aimee had what I have in Community Living.

"My worker and Community Living have taken the time to explain FADS to me, and have helped me to begin to separate myself from my disability, and focus on my abilities. ... I hope you can take some time to learn a bit about the symptoms of FASD so you have the chance to see things the way I do, but more importantly, to understand that just because you can't see a person's disability, doesn't mean they aren't entitled to all the same things that come naturally to everyone else.

"We need to work together to understand each other's needs and abilities so we can find new ways to help each other out and be happy in our lives. I am grateful for having Community Living at my side."

Jane Hoy of Community Living discussed "Passion equals Production."

And the breakfast ended with a viewing of the new video by Wes MacVicar of Goderich, "Return on Disability." To see the video, click here.