Resources on People with Multiple Disabilities

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities 

Severe/Multiple Disabilities PDF  

Wikipedia    

about.com     

Organization Resources

Job Burnout

When I first started working in the developmental disability field, I noticed an older co-worker who always seemed to be unhappy. She never smiled, always complained and kept to herself. As a young woman in my 20's, I felt, if she was so unhappy, why not just leave and find a new job. Well, fast forward to 15 years later, and I became that woman! Luckily, I was able to figure out what was going on early enough to prevent further burnout!

People who work in helping professions are affected by job burnout in large numbers. Many of the reasons cited include:

• the profession is involved in an environment that is client-centered
• Good intentions are met with low pay, impossible workload, low prestige and feeling unappreciated.
• lack of criteria for measuring accomplishments and success
• inadequate funding and institutional support
• Conflict among co-workers is often encouraged instead of working as a team

Job burnout however does not affect everyone working in the field. A person who lacks ambition is not likely to burnout. It is usually the type A personality, who is goal-oriented. dedicated and committed to a cause. More than likely, the person that burnouts out:

•  set extremely high goals for themselves and punish themselves severely if they fail to achieve their goals.
• a person more emotional than others which interferes with adaptive functioning.
• will often have inadequate coping skills and will act impulsively, lacks perseverance and relies heavily on defense mechanism such as denial, repression and projection.

Here are ways to reduce job burnout and stress:

• Meditation
• Exercise on a regular basis
• Delegate if possible
• Visualize and recite positive affirmations.

World CP Day

World CP Day will change the lives of people with cerebral palsy. The website, World CP Day is a forum for people with cerebral palsy to express what they need to make their life more independent or more rewarding. How does this work?

Post your ideas-From August 1- people with cerebral palsy, families, friends and professionals can post ideas about how they want to improve the quality of life of people with cerebral palsy. According to the website, these ideas could affect any aspects of the person's life including, mobility, communication or social connection. Post your ideas online as text or video. Each idea must only take 1 minute to read or watch.

Vote on ideas-From September 4, anyone can go online to review the ideas and vote for the ones that will have the greatest impact on people's lives.

Best Idea win- At the end of September, The World Cerebral Palsy Day Panel will review your votes and select the best ideas.

Making Ideas A Reality-  In November, social activist, researchers, inventors and innovators are invited to go online and propose how they would make these ideas a reality.

Launch- These products will be launched by the next World CP Day, September, 2012
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW!!

Tiny MP3 Player

Enabling Devices has created a tiny MP3 player for people with severe and multiple disabilities. The control unit has five mini gumball switches for volume up, volume down, pause, and play, next tract or previous tract. The unit is compact and can fit in a person's hand or it can be clipped to a belt. You will need to use a speaker with the MP3 player which is not included.

Cost- $119.95

www.enablingdevices.com