Tag: interacting with the disabled

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Mission Gift Paks

  Mays Mission likes to call our employees with disabilities “handicapable” employees.

  One exciting and rewarding project for the employees of Mays Mission for the Handicapped is the Gift Pak program. This program helps our employees with disabilities help themselves.

  The Gift Paks are put together from items produced at the Mission. Each Gift Pak contains a pen, postcards, personal notepads, bookmarks, and our New Hope Newsletter. They are designed, printed, and assembled by the Handicapable employees of Mays Mission.

  Each year our representatives make tours across the United States visiting some of our handicapped friends and stopping at nursing care facilities to distribute these Gift Paks. We also ship our Gift Paks out to interested nursing homes.

  When we began this program we had no idea it would receive such a favorable response. We received many letters from nursing home directors expressing how much each resident enjoyed the Gift Pak. We are certainly proud of them!

  It is through the generosity of our donors that we are able to help others. For more information, or for gift paks that you can help distribute, please call us at 888-503-7955 or email us at info@maysmission.org today and please feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.

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Become an advocate for people with disabilities today!

What can we do to improve the lives of others, especially those with disabilities?

The dictionary describes an “advocate” as one who publicly supports or suggests an idea, development or way of doing something.

Here at Mays Mission, our primary goal is to aid and assist people with disabilities. Yes, putting to work those who may have difficulty finding gainful employment is one facet of our purpose yet there is so much more.

Public education regarding the abilities and capabilities of people with disabilities is of utmost importance. You see, through our various programs and direct mail, we have the opportunity to inform and educate the public throughout the country that given the opportunity, people with disabilities can become productive citizens.

Through our On-The-Job Training Program we have seen scores of people with a variety of disabilities come and go here at Mays Mission while others have chosen to stay with us. It’s heartwarming to know that some have bought their own homes, learned to drive and purchased automobiles, while some have moved on to bigger and better opportunities. Seeing people succeed and become more independent where at one time hope seemed lost is an indescribable feeling. This On-The-Job Training Program is only possible because of the kind hearts of our donors.

For over fifty years now here at Mays Mission we have had one goal: to aid and assist people with disabilities. Won’t you please join us?  Call us at 1-888-503-7955, email us at info@maysmission.org or message us on Facebook or Instagram to learn more about our programs and see how you can be an advocate for people with disabilities. We have brochures produced by individuals with disabilities we can send you free of charge to share in your community. And we accept donations through Paypal, just click the donate button here on our website. Thank you so much for your help in our mission of over 50 years of serving the disabled!

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Programs

Total eclipse at Mays Mission

On the afternoon of April the 8th, Mays Mission employees were treated with a chance to see the solar eclipse. Here in Arkansas we were fortunate enough to be in the direct path of totality and employees took a few minutes to witness this natural phenomenon with special glasses provided to us by our local Chamber Of Commerce here in Heber Springs.

At around 1:55 PM the moon had traveled directly in front of the sun and we got to see this incredibly rare moment. It was dark enough some stars were visible in the sky and God blessed us with beautiful weather and a clear sky to experience this rare event. Such an event is rare enough there won’t be another in North America until 2044.

Thanks for supporting May Mission for the Handicapped. If you would like to help us advocate on behalf of individuals with disabilities in your community we have brochures we can provide you with free of charge. These brochures were produced by individuals with disabilities here at Mays Mission.

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Interacting with people who have disabilities

We get asked a lot for help in this area, especially in workplaces, so here are some quick points to always remember:

Don’t make assumptions about people or their disabilities. If you have a question about what to do, how to do it, what language, or terminology to use, or what assistance to offer, ask the person.

Do not assume that a person with a disability is disabled in all areas of life.

Before you help someone with a disability, ask if they’d like help. In some cases, even a person who appears to be struggling is fine and would prefer to complete the task without assistance.

Look for potential obstacles for people with mobility or sensory limitations in your workplace. Identify how you might have those obstacles removed.

When writing or speaking about people with disabilities, use “people first” language: “person with a disability” versus “disabled person.”

And, as always, focus on ability, not disability!

Thank you for your support! For more information call us, message us, or email us at info@maysmission.org for a free, no strings attached copies of our brochures ‘Making Your Community More Accessible’ or ‘The Americans With Disabilities Act’ to help advocate in your community. These brochures were produced by employees with disabilities right here at Mays Mission.

Thanks for your support!

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Programs

Exposure Breeds Comfort

For many people who have little exposure or experience with a disabled individual, the initial focus of the new relationship, unfortunately, is on the disability. As we have come to know, getting truly acquainted with someone takes much more than concentrating on physical characteristics. Focusing on the disability instead of the inner-beauty and personality causes uneasiness. A true and lasting relationship will take much longer to develop. If the disability is deafness, you may become very self-conscious about what you are not saying or communicating with your hands. If the disability is blindness, you may become self-conscious about pointing or saying phrases such as “see you later,” and so on. The truth is that you will probably be uneasy until your relationship has had time to develop. Focusing on a disability will only cause delay in your maturing relationship. Consider this, that you too, must be yourself in order for the good and healthy relationship to properly develop. This is true of all relationships, not simply with the disabled. In a “normal” relationship, factors such as gender, age, race, and physical features seem very pronounced when we first meet. These features quickly become secondary, and we eventually lose awareness of them completely. The same can and should be true when getting to know the disabled. Be at ease. Be yourself. Treat your new-found friend the same way that you would like to be treated. That’s the best way to develop and nurture a relationship that is long and lasting.

Please feel free to share in the comments section. If you would like more information call us at 1-888-503-7955 or email us at info@maysmission.org and thank you for supporting people with disabilities!