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Having a Good Work/Personal Life Balance 

By Liz Apple

Even when I was in high school, I struggled with managing working a part-time job and going to school.  This continued to be a problem throughout my college years and in my career.  I still struggle sometimes with it.  I wish that I had started learning to balance my work and personal lives better in high school before it became a problem.  I have Autism and mental illness, which means that sometimes I have trouble balancing my life at work and outside of work.  It’s important to start learning how to balance these two aspects of your life before you graduate.  One thing that I did in high school was utilize a planner.  Lots of apps exist for planners if you prefer to do things electronically. I also find it helpful to have a calendar too.  I have a shared calendar with my family to keep track of not only what I’m doing on what days, but also where everyone in my family is going to be.  Another step that I take is enhancing my personal life.  In high school, I would take intentional time every day to “cultivate” my hobbies.  This looks like for me taking an hour every day to do something that you enjoy.  In high school, pick extracurricular activities that don’t feel like an obligation.  There are lots of things in life that we have to do that we don’t enjoy, so while you have the opportunity, do a positive activity after school and work that brings you joy.  I also set timers for homework and set time aside that I could do fun things.  For me, that was reading.  For others, it might be gaming on their favorite gaming system.  Everyone is different, and that’s what makes us amazing human beings.  It’s also important to connect with other people.  If you are struggling with balancing your work/school and personal life, reach out to friends, family, or a trusted adult.  It’s okay to ask for help and there’s no shame in it.  Making intentional time for yourself and setting boundaries within your work and what you do outside of work can make all the difference! 

 

Learn more about coping with stress at work: 

https://disabilityfoundation.org/yli/toolkit/coping-with-stress-at-work/ 

Read about employee stress from Understood: 

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/employee-stress-at-work  

Extracurricular activities and employment  by Liz Apple

I loved doing extracurricular (outside of school) activities when I was going through grade and high school.  It not only helped me gain valuable experience but also it helped me learn what I liked and didn’t like to do, which in turn helped me figure out what I wanted to do after high school.  It can be intimidating to put yourself out there and be part of a group.  When I was in high school, I struggled with letting others know about my disability because I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t going to help out.  But I knew that doing activities outside of school would be an amazing learning opportunity. At school, I was on the scholastic bowl team and when it was available, I did Spanish club.  Scholastic bowl helped immensely with my test taking skills, which I used a lot when I was in college and Spanish club helped me learn more about the language and culture that my teacher didn’t have time to teach us in class.  I never did athletics, but I know that athletics can help you learn to work as a team, which can help you as you navigate having a job.  Teamwork is very important when you have a job, particularly if you don’t get along with your coworkers or have anything in common.  Extracurricular activities don’t have to be anything big.  You are in control of how much you can do.  Push yourself, but don’t bend over backwards until you break.  Be honest about how much you can do.  If you need accommodations, you have the right to ask for those.  Accommodations when you are doing extracurricular activities through your school can be written instructions, extra support from an adult or your peers, or even equipment if you are doing a sport.  Everyone deserves a chance to participate! 

 

Learn more about IEPs and Extracurricular Activities: 

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/do-ieps-cover-extracurricular-activities 

Read this article from PACER: 

https://www.pacer.org/guides/iep-504/iep-600/ 

Building Resilience and Coping with Setbacks

By Liz Apple 

As frustrating as it can be, we all can have setbacks in progress.  It’s what makes us human beings.  Sometimes within our IEP, we don’t reach our goals, or we don’t meet them when we want to.  It’s important to know how to cope with setbacks and develop resilience.  Resilience doesn’t mean you don’t get to struggle and that you must ignore how you feel.  Resilience is learning to recognize the challenges you are having and learning also how to plan for how to move forward.  There were sometimes I didn’t reach my goal or was still in the process of reaching it.  Everyone blooms at different times and that’s okay!  What matters is that we are growing and learning.  IEPs can help us with setting goals, adjusting goals, and help provide support that we need to accomplish our goals.  When I was in school, I used my IEP to help me learn what I needed to do and who I could ask for help to support me in making decisions about how to meet my goals.  It’s also important to learn how to cope with setbacks. Setbacks can be disappointing and frustrating.  Don’t ignore the feelings that you have.  Talk about what you did well in regard to your goal and what you still need help with.  Talk with your IEP team and get ideas from them about how to reach your goal, even if it takes some time.  Be patient and keep practicing even when you’ve met your goal.  Keep a diary of your successes to inspire you to keep going.  I loved making presentations for my IEP meetings about what I had been doing and all the wonderful things that I accomplished that year.  If you struggle in writing, draw pictures of things that you want to accomplish and your goals.  It takes work, but it is worth it to keep advocating and to keep learning!

More resources on how to cope with setback and build resilience:

Here’s a story from Understood about frustration and learning disabilities:

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/5-lessons-about-failure-from-my-life-with-learning-disabilities

Here’s how to help your child with self-esteem from Understood:

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/regain-self-esteem-in-new-school-year

Check out this article from Mayo Clinic about coping with setbacks and building resilence:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-20046311 

 

 

November 27, 2023

Bridget's November Blog Post

byBridget Brown

I hope your fall has been fun and that I your Thanksgiving was wonderful. I can’t believe that this year has been so amazing.

I am in the home stretch for this college semester, and I have learned a lot. It is flying by.  My internship called LEND is wonderful, and I have learned many new things. I especially like the training I received about autism. I learned how they screen children and about the Early childhood education, kids receive. I learned about Autism in young children all the way into adulthood and the programs and interventions that help.  We learned a lot about ABA therapy and how controversial it is. 

It was very interesting to learn about MCH  (Maternal and Child Health ).  It is an important federal program and funds many programs, including LEND.  

In my co-op class, we learned about disability justice and how it is different from equity and equality.  It is more than just accessible features so that people with disabilities can get into buildings. I liked it when we went around the school, measured doorways, and looked at handles to see if they were accessible for people with disabilities to get access to everything.

I was the Keynote speaker with my friend Ashley, at the Illinois Statewide Transition Conference. I had so much fun and learned a lot at this conference.

My friend JJ Huntley works for the state Treasury and is the director of the ABLE accounts. I have an ABLE account, and it allows me to protect some of my earnings.

I also learned about supported decision-making for Self-advocates.  It is a great way to help people with disabilities have a productive life and to be a leader in your life.

A young woman with Down syndrome presented, and she told her story and how she is involved in her community.  She talked about her hobbies and how she likes doing ancestry, just like me.  

A very important breakout session was from the ARC of Illinois. I learned about so many of their resources. I would suggest that you check out the ARC website. They believe people with disabilities should be full participants in community life and offer families and individuals the information, resources, family support, and training needed to reach their goals.

They have a

·         Resource Toolbox

·         Fact Sheets from The Arc of IL in English and Spanish

·         Assistive Technology Funding

·         Financial Assistance to Attend Trainings/Conferences

I would recommend that you go to the website and take a look at Assistive Technology, Family to Family Health Information, Ligas Family Advocacy, Illinois Life Span, Family Transition, Training, Stipends, Family Support, Training and Education.

Enjoy the winter season!

Dwell in the Possibilities ~

 

Bridget Brown

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