Issue 61 - Spectrum Care

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International Day of People withDisabilities – 3 December 2007This United Nations awareness day is a greatoccasion to celebrate New Zealand’s leadingrole in the international community ofadvocating for people with disabilities. It isalso an opportunity to raise the awarenessabout the need for further integration ofpeople with intellectual disabilities into society.Everyone is welcome to join Spectrum Careon the afternoon of Sunday 2 December atAotea Square, Auckland City.Please contact Roxanne de Bruyn on634 3790 ext 326 for more information.Leadership Team UpdateLast year the sunflower was officiallyincorporated into our branding. It representsthe people with intellectual disabilities thatwe support. The sunflower always followsthe sun; the shadows lay behind them, butto be at their best they need to be supported.This year, Spectrum Care unfurled its petalsand bloomed further, growing stronger, andbecoming taller, building new support.The organisation drew strength from itsOutcomes Program which is pivotal to ourperson-centred value. Organisational supportto help individuals achieve their personalgoals in a structured and measured wayhas received nourishment fromorganisational-wide training in bothOutcomes and in Social Role Valorisation– a program delivered to all staff thatembeds within Spectrum Care the notionthat every individual has intrinsic value andwhich we have renamed “Your Life Matters”.Our Aspirations Program providingdevelopmental activities for our peopleanywhere, anytime, anyplace is fertile groundfor people hungry for new experiences.Like the people we support, Spectrum Careneeds to be supported. We have beenfortunate to partner with some greatorganisations. Together with the Universityof Auckland we have grown a Bachelor ofHuman Services degree with papers inintellectual disability customised fororganisations like ours. Student placementsfrom the University of Auckland and Unitecat graduate and post-graduate levelsevidence our reputation as a place forprofessionals to grow in the sector. Ourproductive partnership with Te RoopuTaurima, which grew from the same seedas Spectrum Care, sees us helping eachother in business continuity situations inhard ground and socially in soft ground.Our service is founded on our staff and sowe are working with the Public ServiceAssociation to find ways to make our owngarden a good place to grow, to keepourselves strong by keeping our good people.Despite all our hard work, sometimes andthankfully rarely, we get buffeted by windsthat damage us. The measure of anyorganization is not the strength of the windor even the damage it does, but the attitudewe display in responding to it. It is in thecalm after these storms that a greatorganization will find opportunities to learnand grow stronger.We have a drive to grow strong. Our thirdseason of leadership courses is due withanother 12 staff gaining the skills that willtake us to that special place in the sector– the place occupied by the tallest andstrongest. We are emerging as a strongentity among others. Presentations at theWorld Quality Congress, the NationalOrganisational Development Conferenceand the Australian Society for the Study ofIntellectual Disability are examples of wherewe have stood tall. Our Certification andAccreditation results - the maximum 3 yearsfor each – and the warm shower ofcomplimentary comments gave strength toour commitment to our values. We providedhelp to other smaller neighbours in disasterplanning, and have contributed actively indeveloping the workforce around us thathas been neglected by others for so long.Our image has changed with a newly rebrandedwebsite still under-developmentand favourable international responses tothe changes remind us that we are on theglobal stage and that is the place wherewe will ultimately be measured. There is stilla long way to grow, but we have done muchof the stretch already and are hungry formore.Brett MarshGeneral Manager OrganisationalDevelopmentBrett MarshKim CaseyChris HigginsWarren Herring
Spectrum Care Travels (in our own words)David Oliva’s HolidayDavid Oliva went on a three day holiday toRotorua, Taupo, Napier and Hastings on 15August 2007. This was an unprecedentedinitiative of Kamata Lelei House and everyonewas extremely excited about David going onthis trip. He thoroughly enjoyed his holidaywhich was full of thrills and excitement. Heenjoyed watching the Huka Falls and goingfor bush track walks. He especially liked thedolphin shows and going to Marine Land towatch an assortment of marine animals suchas fish, sharks, turtles, eels, snakes andlizards. He also had a chance to visit theNapier Aquarium which seemed to be a verystimulating and sensory experience for him.David dined out on all three days at variousfood outlets like McDonalds, Burger King, KFCand Valentines which enhanced his enjoyment.This holiday was not only for pleasure but alsooffered an ideal opportunity for David to getintegrated with community life and experiencethe social interactions which define acommunity. Such trips are an ideal way ofinstilling the essence of normalisation, enablingindividuals to belong to the community ratherthan just being in it.David appeared to really enjoy the trip andit seemed to boost his self esteem. It wasvery successful and the staff are veryenthusiastic about organising more trips likethis in the future. I wish to thank the servicecoordinator and the service manager forendorsing the trip.Jit MaharajCommunity Support WorkerSpecial thanks to Jit Maharaj for supportingDavid during this trip.Duavata Lomani – Tongan Trip:04th August – 15th August 2007Over the past twelve months preparationstook place behind the scenes to providethe opportunity for two of the men residingat Duavata Lomani – 8A Tutere Place,Papatoetoe - to be supported on a holidayin Tonga.Their familes and staff felt that both men wouldmen benefit from the journey to Tonga as JamesAholelei and Vaiola Taliai are of Tongan descent.The transformation that took place duringthis journey of discovery was not onlyenlightening for James and Vaiola but alsofor the staff that supported them on theirjourney home. They thoroughly enjoyed theirholiday and experiences. This was markedby their expressions of delight and laughteras they embarked their tours and discoveredtheir homeland, which is enriched by itsancient culture, sounds and sheer tranquillity.Being home meant being embraced by familiesand by the people of their motherland, beingAnthony and Robert go to RotoruaWe went to Rotorua on 8 July.Robert and Anthony saw the geysers and hotpools. We went to the Agrodome to see thesheep show and all the different types of sheep.adorned by love and acceptance of beinghome. Being home also meant beingimmersed in the true heart of Tonga, beingpart of the people, being part of the communityand sharing the wealth of its love.It was heart warming seeing Vaiola becomingmore alert with his surroundings as we went tofamiliar places, hearing him forming words wherethere was once silence, and seeing his smilelighten up his face. James dancing with family,friends and loved ones was a joy to witness.Of the many sights we visited, we were blownaway by the Mapu ‘a Vaea (The ChiefsWhistle) blow holes as they roared towardsthe sky from ocean floors, taking in themagnificent cliffs of Hufangalupe where talessay the world ends as the ocean crashesbeneath its walls. The Natural Land Bridgeis Mother Nature’s creation and has stoodfor centuries. Paying tribute to the Ha’amonga‘a Maui Trilithon was a momentous experienceas old stories explain its purpose but nothow it got there.Both boys totally enjoyed this experience asyou can see in the photos. It was a greattime had by all!Emma BeynonYoung CottageJames and Vaiola dined and danced atcultural evenings, took in the sun at coastalbeaches and watched the setting sun as itfaded into the horizon. They lapped up royaltreatment on a Boat Trip to PangaimotuIsland and made new friends along the way.It was a privilege to be able to share thisexperience with James and Vaiola. Tears andsongs bid farewell to the “Sons of Tonga” aswe returned to New Zealand.This has truly been a remarkable holiday forJames and Vaiola. It was supported by wonderfulstaff and it was truly meaningful for them.Puna Tekii-SilaWeekend Oncall Service Coordinator
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Page 5 and 6: Robyn and Eva go to TaupoOn the 20

Issue 61 - Spectrum Care

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