We wanted to have a say in what was happening in our lives. We wanted to be our own organization and speak for ourselves. They just helped and coached us when we asked. They helped us learn to hold meetings so we could talk about things that were important to us and not just what was important to them. Our helpers were good because they let us learn and move ahead at our own speed, even if it wasn't fast enough for them.
Good helpers are important to People First.
Good helpers know that People First is ours and not theirs. Good helpers help us and don't try and tell us what to do. They let us make our own mistakes and this let us grow and take responsibility for what we were doing. We live in institutions, foster homes, our parents' homes, group homes and some of us live in our own apartments. We go to school, we work in sheltered workshops and many of us work in community businesses.