Creating a Model Independent Living Training Program for Armenia

When I came to Full Life we had only one working Russian XP Desk Top Computer, one password locked Lenova Desk top, three lap top computers and a pile of non-working desk top computers in a corner.  We got a Minnesota Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Grant to repaire two of the non-working computers got two donated Lenovo computers, got a new desktop, four flat screen monitors, and MS Windows and Office software to create six working computers in our Computer lab.  Even though some people felt that this was an adequate accomplishment for my Peace Corps Service I felt it was just a tool that I wanted to be able to use to do more within Full Life NGO than to just teach Computer skills to children.  The concept of an Independent Living Training Program came about while my Counterpart and I were taking a Grant Training Program and considered what we could do to teach people with Disabilities to be able to live more independently.  At first we considered how we could find a home that we could make Handicapped Accessible where we could teach Independent Living Skills to people with Disabilities.  When we presented this concept to my director he suggested that it would be better to put money into a home that Full Life owned than to spend money to rent a home to use for this program.

That gave us the idea that this would be a great project to put into our last building at camp that was needing restoration.  Since it was at our camp it also expanded the program beyond just thinking about working with Adults with Disabilities to where we would use it to promote the concept of being able to live independently to the Children of our Inclusive Summer camp.

Within a concept of creating an Independent Living Training Program there developed three parts to the program.  The first part was to have a residential program where people with disabilities could have a handicapped accessible home that they could use improve their skills in learning to live Independently.  This meant creating a kitchen designed to be accessible to people in wheel chairs with modern conveniences like a dishwasher and microwave to assist people with disabilities to learn to be more independent.  We had a clothes washing and drying machine within our Handicapped accessible bathroom and shower room to help teach clothing maintenance.

The second part of the Independent Living Program home was to have exercise equipment to be able to promote Physical Therapy and exercise for people with Disabilities to help them physically strengthen their muscles to adapt to any Physical Disabilities.  This we felt would be a helpful addition for not only working with adults with Disabilities within our community but it also could be useful for children with disabilities to promote exercise and physical therapy programs that could start while they were young to strengthen their bodies to overcome any physical disabilities.

 The third part of the program would be to promote vocational skills with people with disabilities through our computer lab at the Full Life Office so that they could improve their skills and opportunities to find employment to assist them in being able to afford to live more independently.  Within our Computer Lab we added Microsoft Office Software as well as typing, photo, video, and Power Point Presentation Software so that a person could work on improving their computer vocational skills.  This would allow people who are learning Independent Living Skills within the home to come to the Full Life Office during the day and work on developing the vocational skills needed to find employment to prepare them to afford to live independently.

The first major part of creating this program was to create a design for the cabin we had at our camp to turn it into a handicapped accessible training home.  This developed through different stages of the design where we decided how to remove some of the existing walls to open up a space for a kitchen and large living room area, create one handicapped accessible bathroom out of two small ones, create a hallway connecting the two halves of the building into a self-contained home with two entrances, and creating a large room to use for exercise and physical therapy.

  This has allowed this cabin to be able to be a handicapped accessible self-contained Home that could not only be used to support our Independent Living Program, our Summer Camp program, but also for smaller groups of individuals with disabilities to use while having special training as well as to house volunteer work crews who come to work within our camp.  

Video Made By Independent Living Program Residents about what they learned to cook during their Program

We were able to set up a first of its kind Model Independent Living Training Program in Armenia as well as to promote exercise therapy and Independent Living Skills within our Inclusive Handicapped Accessible Summer Camp Program.  We are applying and hoping to have funding to expand and continue this Independent Living Program next year.  But the program will be able to be continued as a part of our Summer Camp Program while allowing our camp to be used for more than just a month during the summer for Children’s Camps.  This program is meant to be a model to promote People with Disabilities to be able to learn to Live Independently together.  This could become a model that could be used in any city where people with Disabilities may have to move away from their homes to go to School or seek employment.  No longer do People with Disabilities have to be limited to spend their lives living with their families.  But they also can learn to go to school, get jobs, and to live on their own or together independently.

Armenian Slide Show Introduction To Independent Living Program