One Person at a Time: How One Agency Changed from Group to Individualized Services for People With Disabilities

People with significant developmental disabilities don't have to live in institutions, large congregate facilities, or group homes. They can live in homes of their own choosing, with the people and supports they want and need. One Person at a Time chronicles how one agency left behind group home models to pioneer individualized housing and support, called supported living. It is the story of one agency's quest to serve people based on what each person really wants and needs, rather than fitting people into pre-existing models.

As a provider of residential services, Onondaga Community Living operated several group homes. These homes included many people with complex support needs. As staff and board members became better acquainted with the people being served, they began to wrestle with the question of what was best for the people in these residences and for the others who were being referred. With these discussions came a realization that change was needed. Thus began a journey that led to the closing of group homes and the development of new supported living service...One Person at a Time.

Patricia Fratangelo is the executive director of Onondaga Community Living, where she has worked since 1990. In 1995, under her leadership, the agency earned national recognition from the World Institute on Disabilities in California for its work on person-directed supports. In 1998 New York State again selected it as one of the best practices on person-directed supports. Pat earned a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland and worked towards a master's degree at SUNY Oswego. She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for the last twenty-two years, beginning as a direct care worker. She remains a close friend with several people with disabilities that she previously worked for, vacationing and spending holidays with them. She lives in Trumansburg, New York, with her husband John King.

Marjorie Olney has been a lifelong advocate for the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities. After working "in the field" for almost two decades, Marj earned a Ph.D. in rehabilitation counseling at Syracuse University. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In her research, Marj examines employment, social integration, and communication issues as they pertain to adults with disabilities. She teaches primarily within the graduate program in rehabilitation, preparing future practitioners to work effectively on behalf of individuals with a range of needs and abilities.

Sue Lehr is an assistant professor of Education at State University of New York in Cortland. She completed her Ph.D. in special education at Syracuse University in 1994. Previously she earned her MS degree in health education from SUNY Cortland and a BS in health, and physical education from Ursinus College in PA. Sue is a parent of a twenty-six-year-old son with autism. Her research interests focus on issues encountered by parents of individuals with disabilities, facilitative communication, inclusion, and self-determination. She has served on the TASH Executive Board and is the current secretary of the Autism National Committee.