KJ,
Are your attendants referring to themselves as your "babysitters," or are other people ("Friends," family members, etc.) referring to them that way? In either case, it's inappropriate, but if it's friends and/or family members, it sounds like it's time to sit down with them and say "Look, I'm in my 30's. Thirty year olds, even with disabilities, may need help with some tasks, but that doesn't make us children!"
My first job out of college was working for an agency that helped people with disabilities live independently. We had some employees who were in their 50's and early 60's, who referred to the people we worked with as kids, and I hated it! After I'd been working there about 6 months, I got the job of training coordinator, and one of the first things I did was start training on the use of People First language, and treating EVERYONE in an age appropriate manner.
One of the toughest groups to work with was family members of the people we provided support to. But I told them that if I heard staff referring to their family member inappropriately, I'd have a "talk" with that staff member, and it'd make things a lot easier for the staff if family members and friends used People First and age appropriate language.
It didn't completely solve the problem, but it helped a lot!
Kendall Corbett
Coordinator of Consumer Activities
Wyoming INstitute for Disabilities - WIND
College of Health Sciences
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Avenue, Dept. 4298
Laramie, WY 82070
(307) 766-2853
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Kathy Pink [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 3:04 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Babysitter Issue
For those of you that need assistance in dialy life, here's a question for
you. . . Do other people in your kife,,, call them your baby-sitter?
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