Search This Blog

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Art of Adaptation

In reading this week's chapter in Forces for Good and in assessing one of the local charities to which my group was assigned, I was able to see the congruence between Crutchfield and Grant's statements about adaptation and how a local organization has effectively mastered that art.

The Franziska Racker Centers provide programming for individuals with disabilities. In reading about their history, I found that they organization originally began as part of a Cerebral Palsy Association, serving children who were affected by that disability. Now, many years later, the organization has programs for individuals throughout the lifespan, including early-intervention programs for young children and social programs for older adults. Not only has the programming had to adapt to a changing environment, but the mindset and approach of the organization has as well. For example, one of the current trends in work with people with disabilities is that of "person-first" language, where one refers to the individual's human-ness before his/her disability. Although it may appear to be about semantics, ie. "the girl with blindness" instead of "blind girl," this language affects a changed mentality about individuals with disabilities and, consequently changes the approaches to serving those individuals.

I think the most difficult thing about mastering the art of adaptation is to really understand environmental changes and to champion a change that staff members and volunteers can really be on board with and commit to.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.