CLEAN SLATE Marco Orlando One thing I can always appreciate about the pandemic is that it gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on things. Before COVID-19, I wasn’t always much fun to be around when I went out and did stuff, and I’m not proud of the kind of person I was back then. I was still struggling to fit in and feel like I belonged somewhere, not realizing I wasn’t going about it in the best way. I became this…
Today we welcome Sarah Trites and Jon McGovern to the blog as they share their experience getting the Covid-19 Vaccine. Self-Advocates want to encourage others to get vaccinated and one way they are doing that is by sharing their experience! Sarah Trites was able to receive her Covid-19 Vaccine at her home and shares here story. “There was a nurse that came to my housing complex from Augusta to give residents the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine shot. There were two shots left over and I…
As we mark one year of the pandemic this week, there has been a time of reflection for all of us. We have all had to adapt in ways we never imagined, and try new things. In addition we learned to cope with the reality of what was unfolding around us. Today Marco shares more of how he has found one way to cope over the last year. ACNH HOME AWAY FROM HOME UPDATE Marco Orlando I still find it hard to believe at times…
We continue to hear from self-advocates that have received their first dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine and are grateful that they want to share that with us. MaryAnn Preble from the Bangor Chapter, recently received her first dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine. Here is what she shared with me: “It was an experience for me to get the COVID-19 vaccine. People should think about what it could be if they don’t get the vaccine. When you go they will ask questions and explain to you…
Getting the Covid-19 Vaccine; Self-advocates share their experience. There has been a lot of information about getting the Covid-19 Vaccine. We asked some of our self-advocates who have received their first dose to share their experiences with us in order to share with you. Chris Heywood from our Springvale Chapter shared “After I got the shot, I had to wait in a different room for about 15 minutes to make sure that I was doing ok with it. I was a little tired afterwards…
Today we welcome Speaking Up For Us Staff member Jon McGovern as he shares some personal thoughts regarding seeing people close to him in the pandemic. Miss The Family I miss my family because of what is going on in the State of Maine. I do not get see my younger brother as much, or my two nieces at all. I love it when my nieces are over here. They brighten everything up at our house. They love to hangout with me when they are…
Today we welcome Stace Atter and James Whitman, both from the Casco Chapter, to our blog. They wanted to share with you all some tips on Maintaining and Making Friends especially during Covid. They are both good at making new friends and maintaining the friendships they have. Both Stace and James know that keeping friendships, especially during a tough time like Covid, can help us feel less anxious and feel good about ourselves. They share that we are also helping others when we reach out,…
Over the past weekend there were several articles or news stories done that are either about self-advocates or may affect self-advocates. We wanted to share them with you. First up is a story about Pine Tree Camp that many attend. This story has The Bangor Chapter’s Brian Harnish in it as he shares about what he likes about Pine Tree Camp and what they are doing this summer. We hope to hear more from Brian in the future! Check out that article here about Pine Tree…
Green Mountain Self Advocates in Vermont have produced a great video and paired it with a written guide put out by the ASAN regarding the Office of Civil Rights statement, in relation to support people being allowed at hospitals and doctors office. This is a great plain language guide. The video and guide are below:
Recently Speaking Up For Us Board Memebers and Self-Advocates were able to provide important feedback and input on a new Risk/Benefit Discussion Guide. Today we received a letter from Elizabeth Hopkins, Associate Director, thanking the Board Members and Self-Advocates for their input on this along with a copy of the Risk/Benefit Guide. We wanted to share this letter along with the Risk/Benefit Guide: When and if a person should return to their program is a personal decision and should be made by comparing the risks…
