A Place to Call Home

“I cried when they took me from the institution – not because I was sorry but because I was glad to leave that place,” said Ion. He is one of four young men who have moved out of the institution at Orhei into a new Community Home in Moldova.

This Community Home, located in Orhei Raion, is one of the first of its kind in the country. This community-based service for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities opened on August 18 and was developed by Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association (Keystone Moldova), in partnership with the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family and the Orhei Raional Council as part of the Community for All-Moldova Program. Support for this program is provided by grants from the Open Society Mental Health Initiative (OSMHI) and the Soros Foundation-Moldova.

The home is a fully furnished, comfortable residence designed to meet the needs of the four young men who live there. It embodies the qualities that are usually associated with a home – comfort, safety, personal space, a sense of family, and a place to belong.

The young men living in the home receive support from direct support professionals in their daily activities and participation in the community. These supports are based on person centered planning, a process for developing individualized service plans. Each young man receives support based on his unique needs, goals and dreams. Services include social assistance, psychological counseling, healthcare, development of independent life skills, teaching assistance in school integration, assistance in accessing other community services and support to families to improve children’s wellbeing.

These young men had spent almost their whole lives in residential institutions, and their first day at their new home was full of emotion and new experiences. “I’ve never had a meal with flowers on the table,” said Ion, who lived at the Orhei Institution for seven years. “It’s so nice. It feels like a real family here.”

As an alternative to institutionalization for individuals with disabilities, this Community Home is the result of several years of hard work and dedication. Since 2008, Keystone Moldova, the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family, OSMHI and the Soros Foundation-Moldova have worked to develop and implement the Community for All-Moldova Program. This Program, guided by the values embodied in the theory of Social Role Valorization, is working to support individuals to have valued social roles and live “the good life” with opportunities for equal participation, education, work, dignity, respect and acceptance in the community.

To sustain these new services, the necessary Regulatory Frameworks and Quality Standards were created jointly by the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family and Keystone Moldova and approved by the government in 2010. Significant effort has been placed on building strong relationships with the local public authorities, which will be responsible for supporting these services financially over the long term. The opening of this home is a momentous milestone for the Community for All-Moldova Program and for Moldova.

Four more people from the Orhei Institution will be moving into a new Community Home in Soroca Raion at the beginning of September. As of this writing, 269 boys and young men from the Orhei Institution and children in the community at risk of institutionalization have benefited from the Community for All-Moldova Program’s support.

There is much more to be done to support social integration and acceptance for all people, regardless of ability or disability. Today, however, we celebrate the great strides that have been made as four young men settle into their new home in the community.

Remembering the Life of Lyudmila Senner

Guest post by Maria Dolbunova, General Director of Keystone Foundation for Children and Families

We are saddened to announce that Lyudmila Senner, a member of the Board of Trustees of Keystone Foundation for Children and Family, passed away on July 12, 2011. Lyudmila had a bright and unique personality, and she gave hope to many people. She will be remembered by many for her wisdom and generosity.

Lyudmila taught for ten years at the University, sharing her experience and knowledge with youth and inspiring them to cultivate kindness and have confidence in their strength. After graduating from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institutes in 1971, she spent more than 20 years working in the computer information and technology field.

During the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system (Perestroika) in the 1980s, Lyudmila changed her profession and devoted herself to serving and advocating for children and families with disabilities through “Faith,” a society of parents of children with disabilities. She became a member of the City Council and actively participated in protecting the interests of children with disabilities. In addition, she organized charitable events, conferences and international meetings that led to the improvement of Russian legislation and helped change Russian society’s attitude toward children with disabilities.

Lyudmila worked on the commission for children with disabilities under the Russian President. She was one of the creators of “Torches of Soul,” a unique performance that children with disabilities participated in. “Torches of Soul” was praised by the Patriarch Alexiy II and the Order of Mother Teresa. Lyudmila’s active work, her charm and her influence inspired many international charities in Germany and France to change their attitude toward Russia.

For her professionalism in working with families of children with disabilities, she received the Order of the Malta Cross. Through her care, many families had opportunities to access education and build a bright future. In 1990, she created “Opportunity,” Russia’s first “home” school for children with disabilities, and she served as the school’s director for over 10 years. Raisa Gorbacheva praised her professional work, awarding her with the first degree diploma of the Raisa Gorbacheva Club.

Since 1996, Lyudmila led the department of social work at the University “Dubna.” Besides her professional qualities, University faculty highly valued her as a responsive and caring person. Students enjoyed her lectures, workshops, picnics and evening meetings, where they learned to be professional and responsible. Lyudmila created a unique event for the University as part of the “Creators’ Carousel” project that had over 100 children creating a city of dreams.

Lyudmila actively helped those who turned to her with any request, and because of her dedication to serving others, many families were able to remain intact, lives were improved and families gained a sense of hope for a better future. She was also a wonderful mother, wife, grandmother and friend, and she welcomed many guests from around the world into her home.

For Keystone Foundation for Children and Families, Lyudmila’s wisdom, experience, strength of her convictions, warmth of her soul, faith and optimism will always help inspire and guide our endeavors.

Read a commemoration of her life in Russian.

Opening the Door to Opportunity: Community for All – Moldova

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Post by Charlie Hooker, CEO of KHSI

Since 2008 when the Community for All – Moldova program began, thirty-four boys and young men have moved out of the institution at Orhei and thirty-four others have been able to receive services in the community rather than being sent to the institution. I travel to Moldova quarterly with members of the Open Society Mental Health Initiative to see the program’s progress first hand. Earlier this May, I visited Keystone Moldova with Judith Klein, the director of OSMHI.

Through the Community for All – Moldova program, not only are the boys and young men being supported to leave the institution at Orhei and rejoin their families and communities, but a sustainable system of community-based services is being created, children at risk of institutionalization are able to remain at home, families are being empowered to become strong advocates for their children, schools are including all children with and without disabilities in the same classrooms, and the community is learning to welcome and accept individuals with disabilities.

During our trip, Judith and I visited the institution at Orhei and met several young men who will be rejoining their communities with the support of Community for All – Moldova’s newly created community-based services. We also visited one of the inclusive schools and witnessed the benefits of inclusive education for children with and without disabilities.

Please watch the video of Iulian, a boy who returned to his family and is now attending classes with his peers at one of these inclusive schools. Now that she has seen the progress her son has made, Iulian’s mother has “so much courage and optimism in her soul that she thinks that anything is possible.”

Stanislav is another young man who has been reunited with his family after spending several years in an institution. Returning home was one of his nicest memories, and he asks society “to behave nicely with children with disabilities, to treat them as normal children. We are the same. There is no difference.”

Watching the videos of Iulian and Stanislav, seeing the progress that Community for All – Moldova has made and meeting some of the young men who will be rejoining their communities has given me hope that one day all people will be fully accepted and included in the community.

Creating a Vision of an Inclusive Future in Romania

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KHSI is providing technical assistance to Pro-ACT in Romania to move closer to developing community-based services in Giurgiu County so that all the men and women living there can leave the institution and join their communities and live full, rich, meaningful lives. A number of men and women have already left the institutions and are receiving supports in the community. On May 9-14, Elizabeth Neuville, the executive director of the Keystone Institute, and Michael Powanda, executive director of Keystone Human Services Central PA, spent a week in Romania with our colleagues and partners at the Open Society Mental Health Initiative to conduct a needs assessment to identify the steps necessary to assist people to leave the institutions in Giurgiu County and lead meaningful lives in the community. Joining us during the week were Cerasela Porumb, the director of Pro-ACT, a new nongovernmental organization in Romania; Raluca Bunea, Senior Program Officer of OSMHI; and Ramiz Behbudov, OSMHI Program Officer.

The needs assessment follows up on the intensive education and training in Social Role Valorization and Person Centered Planning that we have provided over the past year and a half in Romania. For four days, we met with and interviewed a variety of groups and organizations, and we concluded the week with a day-long planning session for Pro-ACT, which will be providing a model of high quality community-based support for fourteen people who will be leaving the Carpenis institution when it closes in the near future.

We also visited all three of the remaining adult institutions in Giurgiu County and had the opportunity to speak with some of the people living there, as well as the people working there. Conditions remain desperate for the people living in each of these places. Fourteen people still living at the Carpenis institution currently have no clear plans for moving into the community, despite the planned closure of this institution. We were able to get to know these men and women better and really began to understand who they are and what they might need to lead new lives in the community. Thank you to Ionel Muscalu, the manager of Giurgiu County, and Teodora Avram, the executive director of the DGASPC, for being so supportive and for taking such great interest in our visit to these three institutions.

During the week, we met with local and national family alliance groups, a public policy organization that focuses on disability issues, a newly launched multi-function day center and the existing community services operated by the local public authority. All of these visits helped us understand the issues Romania faces in establishing a strong community system where people with disabilities can truly belong within the regular society, with relationships, work, and an authentic home.

To support Pro-ACT as they prepare to provide community-based supports for men and women with disabilities, we held a planning session to develop not only a vision of the future work of the organization in creating social change but also concrete steps to begin to make that vision a reality. We used PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope), a highly creative and individualized process developed in 1993 by Jack Pearpoint, Marsha Forest and John O’Brien that left all of us with a graphic visual of the future and the steps that will need to be taken to get there.

Although we discovered many barriers and difficulties that will be challenging to overcome, we began to see the way toward to clear path to supporting people to have a new, good life and realizing the benefits of strengthening each person, the community and society.

Sharing Community for All-Moldova

Keystone Human Services held its annual Keystone Conference on March 21-24, and this year we are very happy to have three of our colleagues from Moldova join us! Nicolae Ciocan, the executive director of Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association; Ludmila Malcoci, the project director of Community for All-Moldova; and Parascovia Munteanu, the community services development team manager for Community for All-Moldova joined us for several days of workshops at the conference.

Designed to bring many of Keystone’s staff together, the Keystone Conference is a time for people from Keystone’s many agencies and subsidiaries to meet, share ideas, form friendships and renew their commitment to their work. Each day of the conference features two workshops about new ideas, projects and activities, presented by Keystone employees. This year, Charlie Hooker, the CEO of Keystone Human Services International; Betsy Neuville, the Executive Director of the Keystone Institute; and Ludmila Malcoci presented a workshop on our Community for All-Moldova project.

Now in its third year, Community for All-Moldova, funded by the Open Society Mental Health Initiative, is transforming Moldova’s system of care for people with disabilities from an institution-based system to a system of community-based services and supports. Since its inception, over twenty boys have moved out of the institution at Orhei and joined their communities, supported by the newly developed community-based services and supports. These services and supports include community homes for children and adults, supported living services, support services for children reintegrated with their biological families, foster care and shared living services.

The goal of Community for All-Moldova is to create an environment of social inclusion for all people. Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association has teamed up with several other nongovernmental organizations to form the Joint Media Strategy Group (JMSG). Funded by the Open Society Health Media Initiative, JMSG is promoting social inclusion by increasing the community’s acceptance of all people. Not only is the group encouraging the media to take a positive approach to portraying people with disabilities and disability issues, but people with disabilities and their families are being supported to share their own stories and advocate for themselves. To see some of these stories, visit www.inclusion.md.

Although the Community for All-Moldova project has made great progress, we need to make sure that the system of community-based services is sustainable, especially during these difficult economic times. The Soros Foundation-Moldova is providing funding to ensure that not only are these gains sustained over the next three years, but new services and supports continue to be developed so that children are included in their communities.

It is our hope and goal that the Community for All-Moldova project will raise the community’s awareness about disability issues and rights, reduce stigma and discrimination, and support social inclusion of all people regardless of ability.

Thank you to Nicu, Ludmila and Parascovia for joining us for the Keystone Conference and sharing the accomplishments and goals of Community for All-Moldova!

A Night of Design – A Benefit for Children

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Beautifully decorated tables, delicious cuisine, world-class music performances – Keystone Human Services’ A Night of Design – A Benefit for Children promises to be a night to remember.

Held at the Colonial Golf and Tennis Club in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on April 10 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the evening includes table-top designs by area designers, chef demonstrations, fine food and wine, a silent auction, performances by young musicians and a private performance by Odin Rathnam, Concertmaster of Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

In addition, you will also be able to view a photo exhibit of Keystone’s work with children by fine art photographers Dennis Felty, Keystone’s co-founder and president, and Daniel Shanken.

Tickets cost $75 per person or $150 per patron. Visit our website for more information about A Night of Design or to buy tickets.

A Night of Design is Keystone’s big fundraiser for its programs for children. These programs include a wide range of programs for children and their families in Pennsylvania and Connecticut in the United States, as well as Keystone Human Services International’s programs for children in Moldova and Russia.

In Russia, we are serving children through the Beslan Psychological Center, supporting children and families affected by the Beslan School #1 tragedy. We are also working to provide equal access to education for children with intellectual disabilities in Moscow.

In Moldova, we provide supports for children and families at the Unitate and Vis Community Centers in Tudora and Bacioi. At these Centers, children receive education support and psychological counseling, as well as a healthy meal. Through the Community for All-Moldova program, we are supporting children and young people to leave the institution at Orhei and join their communities with the support of community-based services. We are also working to increase inclusive education opportunities for all children in Moldova, so that all children have access and the support they need to attend school.

All of these programs offer children the opportunity to reach their potential and fulfill their dreams, like Maria, who attends the Vis Community Center:

“The Center offered me the chance to attend the “Andries” camp in Ivancea. I had an unforgettable vacation. I’ve made friends, having the opportunity to participate in many contests. I’ve realized that I can do much more than I thought I could.”

All of the proceeds from A Night of Design go to support children like Maria in the United States, Moldova and Russia. We encourage you to come to this wonderful event if you’re in Pennsylvania. If you’re unable to attend, please consider making a donation to support Maria and children like her. With your support, we can help children achieve their dreams.

Make a donation now.

Sharing a Common Goal

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In the United States and Russia, we share a common vision of a world where all people, regardless of ability, are welcomed and included into the community. In December, we hosted ten emerging leaders in human and social services from Russia through the Open World Leadership Center. From December 3-10, we shared and exchanged ideas about inclusion and supporting people to be valued, contributing members of their communities.

We have hosted delegations through the Open World Leadership Center since 2005, and over the years, we have built strong, lasting relationships with our international colleagues. Although we come from different countries and cultures, we share a common goal of supporting individuals with disabilities to lead full, active lives.

Our most recent delegation spent time visiting Keystone’s programs and services, as well as the programs offered at other local organizations. They learned about our autism services for children and adults, and observed some of the programs at Capital Area Intermediate Unit. They visited Capital Area Head Start at Camp Curtain Elementary School and observed four of the Head Start preschool classes. Head Start includes all children, regardless of ability. Head Start is so committed to inclusion that children who may have disabilities receive services, such as speech therapy, right in the classroom. Our delegates enjoyed visiting with the children and seeing how they and the teachers interacted. CAHS shared some of their teaching tools with the delegates so they can apply what they saw in their own programs in Russia.

The delegates met with Alex Baloga from Senator Robert Casey’s office, and they had the opportunity to ask questions about legislation and the government. Mr. Baloga answered questions about the new healthcare legislation, as well as state and federal assistance for men, women and children with disabilities.

The delegates visited two homes in Keystone Human Services Central PA’s residential services. The men and women warmly welcomed the delegates into their homes and gave them a tour. Not only did the delegates have the chance to meet the men and women who live in the homes, but they saw that the homes are located within the community and that men and women receive support to actively participate in that community.

One of the highlights of the week was the “Welcoming the World” presentation. We partnered with the World Affairs Council Harrisburg and International House to hold a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of the new Russia. Four of our delegates shared a little bit about their lives, their home region and the work they do. It was a wonderful opportunity for us and the community to learn more about Russia and our delegates and for Americans and Russians alike to dispel some of the myths and stereotypes we hold about each other. It was an enjoyable and successful evening. If you were unable to attend the panel discussion, you still watch the video.

Although the focus of the week was to share and exchange professional ideas, we also took some time for sightseeing with our new Russian friends and colleagues. We visited New York City and walked through Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty; stopped by the Merrill Lynch bull in the financial district; toured St. Paul’s Chapel, the site of around-the-clock relief work after the collapse of the World Trade Center; and took in the view from the Top of the Rock.

We enjoyed our time with our delegates from the Open World Leadership Center. Although we had to say goodbye at the end of the week, we look forward to continuing to build our relationships with our colleagues and new friends in Russia.