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involved in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> guardianship process for <strong>on</strong>e<br />
young man.<br />
Selecti<strong>on</strong> of Qualitative Methodology<br />
We chose to explore guardianship using a<br />
qualitative methodology, because <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are so<br />
many complex issues imbedded within <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
topic. Often, related to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se complex issues<br />
are resp<strong>on</strong>ses that would be c<strong>on</strong>sidered optimal<br />
in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir social acceptability. In exploring<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> topic, we wanted to reach bey<strong>on</strong>d <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se<br />
more socially acceptable resp<strong>on</strong>ses in an attempt<br />
to underst<strong>and</strong> what ideas <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong>ings<br />
inform <strong>and</strong> motivate people who<br />
are involved in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> guardianship process. We<br />
wanted to underst<strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> way a small group of<br />
inter-related people view <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> complex issue of<br />
guardianship.<br />
The letter <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> spirit of a law often differ<br />
somewhat from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> actual practice of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> law;<br />
we attempted to delve into this issue as well.<br />
The spirit of laws pertaining to guardianship<br />
attempt to limit guardianship orders as much<br />
as possible <strong>and</strong> offer <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> alleged ward a voice;<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> letter of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> law indicates that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> alleged<br />
ward is to have his/her own council <strong>and</strong> receive<br />
notificati<strong>on</strong> of all legal acti<strong>on</strong> being<br />
taken. It was important to underst<strong>and</strong> how<br />
people negotiate <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> difference between how<br />
a law is put into practice <strong>and</strong> what <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> spirit of<br />
a law intends.<br />
Participants<br />
Purposeful sampling (Glesne, 1999) was employed<br />
to obtain informati<strong>on</strong> from individuals<br />
who had been involved in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> guardianship<br />
process in some way or ano<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r. The guardianship<br />
process is likely to include some or all<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> following individuals: those with disabilities,<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir families, teachers, intermediate educati<strong>on</strong><br />
unit staff (if applicable), <strong>and</strong> lawyers<br />
who have worked with individuals with developmental<br />
disabilities. The intermediate educati<strong>on</strong><br />
unit staff member who is head of a<br />
parent educati<strong>on</strong> project located a family, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Smiths (a pseud<strong>on</strong>ym), who had recently<br />
g<strong>on</strong>e through <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> guardianship process with<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir s<strong>on</strong>, Evan, who has a developmental disability.<br />
From <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Smiths we branched out,<br />
speaking with a current teacher, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intermediate<br />
educati<strong>on</strong> unit staff who were involved in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> student’s educati<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> lawyer who<br />
was employed by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> family.<br />
Evan <strong>and</strong> his family. The Smiths, a family<br />
of four, live in a rural area of a midwestern<br />
state. Larry (Evan’s fa<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r) works at a tractor<br />
implement factory in a city about 40 minutes<br />
from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir home; C<strong>on</strong>nie (Evan’s mo<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r)<br />
works in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> same city’s county courthouse.<br />
Katie, 22, <strong>and</strong> Evan, 20, both live at home with<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir parents.<br />
Important to this study <strong>on</strong> guardianship,<br />
<strong>and</strong> something that will certainly be asked, is<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> questi<strong>on</strong>, “Can Evan make it <strong>on</strong> his own?”<br />
This questi<strong>on</strong>, which is asked about many individuals,<br />
with <strong>and</strong> without disabilities, is difficult<br />
to answer. Evan does indeed have significant<br />
problems in all academic areas. He reads<br />
<strong>and</strong> writes poorly. He has well-developed social<br />
skills <strong>and</strong> excellent manners. Though his<br />
opportunities to practice his decisi<strong>on</strong>-making<br />
skills have been limited, both by his young age<br />
<strong>and</strong> by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> protective blanket that surrounds<br />
him, he is aware of his likes <strong>and</strong> dislikes <strong>and</strong><br />
makes choices regarding his day-to-day life<br />
with much success. It is our opini<strong>on</strong> that Evan<br />
will need various supports throughout his life.<br />
What <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se supports should c<strong>on</strong>sist of, however,<br />
should be determined by Evan, his family,<br />
<strong>and</strong> those who support him, based up<strong>on</strong><br />
his future educati<strong>on</strong>, opportunities for<br />
growth, <strong>and</strong> pers<strong>on</strong>al freedom.<br />
The school <strong>and</strong> intermediate educati<strong>on</strong> unit staff.<br />
Evan’s current teacher <strong>and</strong> two intermediate<br />
educati<strong>on</strong> unit staff, both of whom work primarily<br />
at Evan’s school, Lakewood, acted as<br />
participants. Evan’s teacher, Laura Jens<strong>on</strong>, is<br />
in her third year of teaching; she has taught<br />
Evan for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> past two years. Before teaching,<br />
she worked in a group home setting <strong>and</strong> currently<br />
works part time for ano<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r adult service<br />
provider supervising employees with disabilities.<br />
B<strong>on</strong>nie Potter has been a social<br />
worker for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intermediate educati<strong>on</strong> unit<br />
for 27 years; she has spent <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> last 15-16 years<br />
at Lakewood. John Pitts, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intermediate educati<strong>on</strong><br />
unit school psychologist, has been a<br />
school psychologist at Lakewood his entire<br />
career, for 24 years. Before working at Lakewood,<br />
he worked with individuals with severe<br />
<strong>and</strong> profound disabilities in an instituti<strong>on</strong> setting.<br />
Lakewood is a school run by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intermediate<br />
educati<strong>on</strong> unit for students with disabili-<br />
Guardianship / 11