Transition is the current buzz word in one sector of the intellectual disability community in Wellington. The word ‘transition’ refers to a period of preparation and moving from one thing to another. In the context of the current discussion, it’s about young people moving from school to – well whatever there is for them to move to.
Currently in Wellington the choices are fairly limited, to the point of being virtually non-existent (in a practical sense) for some people. The range of what constitutes an intellectual disability and therefore the needs of the individuals is so diverse that it’s very hard to cater to everyone’.
Service providers are trying to create something that caters to a wide range of people. The way I see it, it’s a bit like trying to put fully functioning 17-year-olds in the same classroom as 5-year-olds and providing something that suits both age groups and everyone in the middle.
But it appears moves are a-foot to address gaps in vocational services. One provider has already held meetings with parents of the transitionors -young people who have just left school, or are about to leave soon. And they’ve announced an informational evening where they will brief us on ‘vocational modernisation.’
The flyer I received in the mail says it will be ‘presentations from people with intellectual disabilities and staff.’ For some in our community this may represent light at the end of the tunnel, and the hope of a vocational service that will meet the needs of young people. Sadly my first reaction was that if someone with an intellectual disability can talk about the service, it probably won’t be suitable for someone with the level of disability that my young man has. Cynic that I am, I’m more than happy to be proved wrong. But first I’d like to know more about it. And here’s my problem.
The RSVP provides only a phone number for the receptionist at their office. With due respect to the receptionist, I don’t think she (no sexism intended – it is a she) will be able to answer my questions. Which means she’ll put me through to someone who can, or she’ll take a message and someone will call me back. Now I’m guessing the person I need to speak to is, like me, time poor. So why isn’t there a simpler way to get the information I need? Leading a busy life means I want these details before I commit my time. I’m not really interested in potentially playing telephone tag with someone to get my questions answered.
You see, people of my generation are also transitioning too. We are transitioning from old-forms of communication, like letters, flyers and telephone, to new forms.
That’s not to say that these old forms don’t still have their place and a great number of people still prefer traditional means. But in 2011 they should sit alongside new, modern means of communication that are convenient for transitionors.
Believe it or not, email too is now acquiring the tag of ‘old-fashioned’, partly because it’s just not that efficient. For sharing information, I think you really can’t beat social media. Yes, I know some people don’t like Facebook, but it’s hard to deny that it is efficient. And you don’t even need to have ‘friends’ any more to follow what’s going on.
Many people, including people in my generation, like to share – you only need to spend a bit of time on the web to see this. Forums and blogs, like this where you can leave comments and generate discussions are everywhere. It’s how many of us now keep up with what’s happening in our networks, our community, our country and the world.
So what I’d like to see is these disability providers embracing social media as a way to share information alongside paper, phone and email.
My questions can be seen by others, I can see theirs, and all of us who use this forum can see the answers. We can make really informed decisions about how to spend our limited time. And I can’t help but think that over time, if organisations use it properly, it would make better use of their time too.
Flyers in the mail with phone numbers as contacts just don’t cut it for me anymore. My world is cluttered with information I need to sort and prioritise. Organisations who want to get their message to me have to first connect with me. I’m trying to listen, but in my world of information overload, I’m having trouble hearing you when you mail me pieces of paper and invite me to phone you.
In the meantime, if I find out more about the transition buzz in Wellington I’ll be sure to share it here. And I hope you’ll share it with your friends and acquaintances too, preferbaly via a public forum, of course 
