PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFLICT RESOLUTION CONFERENCE CENTER RESOURCE LIBRARY NORM AND EMMA
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
FOR HUMAN SERVICES
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I finally figured out that I had the right to be disabled; and that I was under no obligation to anyone to minimize my disability. |
THE RIGHT TO BE DISABLED
Most people view individuals with disabilities as being "deficient" in some way and believe that by minimizing their disability the person will increase their quality of life. Norman Kunc challenges this perception, claiming that people with physical and mental disabilities reflect the diversity of the human community. He contends that we need to place far less of an emphasis on "fixing" people and instead focus on the inherent assets and gifts that each person brings to the community and strive to find ways of welcoming ALL people into our midst.
Type of Presentation: Keynote or Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited
BEING REALISTIC ISN'T REALISTIC!
Disability is not a 'brave struggle' or 'courage in the face of adversity'... disability is an art. It's an ingenious way to live. Neil Marcus
In a fast paced, entertaining speech filled with “ah-ha” insights, Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift draw on their experience of disability and show how people often get trapped in the habits of inefficiency. They maintain that incessant inquisitiveness, an expectation of failure, and a defiant refusal to be realistic can not only open up new options for people with disabilities but, more importantly, it can make the process of support a lot more fun.
Type of Presentation: Keynote or Workshop
Length of Session: 45 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited
Norm and Emma, through wit, intelligence and substance - and without cheap sentiment - are able to help us see the notions of ability and disability in a fresh and liberating way. Once you've heard their message, you'll be afar richer person.
David Chojnacki |
THE OTHER SIDE OF THERAPY: Disability, Normalcy, and the Tyranny of Rehabilitation
In this presentation, Norman Kunc points out that individuals with disabilities have "the right to be disabled." He describes a series of events in his life which led him to the realization that disability is not a deficiency but a vital part of the diversity of the human community. Norman recounts his experience with rehabilitation and questions whether therapy really serves the best interests of the "client" or whether it is a symptom of a society which idolizes normalcy and perfection. He examines some of the assumptions which underlie rehabilitation and the harmful impact that therapy can have on an individual. Norman encourages parents to focus on their child's "physical well-being" rather than attempting to eradicate the disability through relentless therapy.
Type of Presentation: Keynote or Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited
PATERNALISM, & PROFESSIONALISM
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"The question is not ‘How do we support people;’ but ‘How do we support people in respectful ways." |  |
HELL-BENT ON HELPING: Friendship, Benevolence, and the Politics of Help
People with disabilities need respectful support and authentic relationships if they are to become valued members of our classrooms and communities. Unfortunately, well-intended but misguided benevolence often contaminates support and friendship with paternalism and patronization. Emma and Norm examine benevolence in its various forms and offer some ideas on how to provide dignified assistance and foster genuine connections in the community.
Type of Presentation: Keynote or Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited
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"A central problem in the human service system is that it is founded upon a non-disabled perception of disability. This often leads professionals to respond with remediation or benevolence rather than equity and respect. | |
BAKING A CAKE IN A WASHING MACHINE: Exploring The Intrinsic Problems of Human Service Bureaucracies
The problems which arise in the human service system are usually attributed to insufficient funding, staff attitudes, or "client" resistance. Although these may all be relevant issues, many of the frustrations arise because we are attempting to provide individualized services within organizational structures that were specifically designed to eliminate deviation. As such, it is inevitable that the needs of individuals will continually be in conflict with the needs of the system.
In this workshop, Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift elaborate the specific aspects of this dilemma and show how a different conceptualization of the problem can generate new and alternative ways of supporting individuals with disabilities.
Type of Presentation: Keynote or Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited
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"What we call ‘behavior problems’ are often situations of legitimate conflict; we just get to call them behavior problems because we have more power than the other person. " |  |
LEARNING TO STAND STILL: Supporting Individuals With Difficult Behavior
Mindful responses to difficult behavior can often build trust and learning in situations of frustration and crisis. Yet our reliance on coercive practices, whether it be punishment or reward, prevents us from discovering more collaborative solutions. Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift outline 5 critical aspects of non-coercive support. They illuminate practical suggestions with real-life stories to show how a determined commitment to non-coercive support can reveal unexpected and viable options in difficult situations.
Type of Presentation: Keynote or Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited
"If This Is The Right Thing To Do, Then Why Is It So Hard?" Managing Conflict In Human Service Organizations.
Fostering a climate of safety and honesty is paramount if human service agencies are to become responsive, effective, and innovative organizations. However, mismanaged or unresolved conflict within an agency not only erodes staff morale, it often influences the support an individual receives. Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift outline a number of practical skills that managers and staff can use to defuse contentious situations and channel conflict into a constructive process that can nurture trust, clarify differing perspectives, and promote a search for mutually beneficial solutions.
Type of Presentation: Workshop
Length of Session: 90 minutes - 1 day
Max. Audience Size: 100 participants
Dear Norm and Emma Sallee Lowery |
INTERPERSONAL ALCHEMY: Turning Resistance Into Co-operation
Learning to work with people is relatively easy; the real challenge is learning how to work with people who won’t work with you. Faced with resistance or refusal, most of us become increasing coercive and find ourselves attempting to "work on" people rather than work with them.
Drawing on the fields of conflict resolution and negotiation, Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift help participants expand their repertoire of responses to obstruction and opposition so that they can sidestep many of the power struggles which seem endemic in residences, programs, and workplaces. Participants learn ways of negotiating contentious issues so that they are better able maintain a respectful relationships without compromising their own views.
Type of Presentation: Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited
The 3 R’s of Support
Several years ago, The Canadian Employment and Immigration Commission surveyed over 5000 high school dropouts and discovered that there were basically three reasons why students dropped out of high school: students felt the curriculum wasn't’t relevant, they felt they weren’t respected by teachers, and they had few relationships in the school.
Apart from providing information as to why students drop out of school, this research also provides us with some valuable insights on what it takes to create a sense of belonging in residences, programs, and workplaces. In this workshop, participants are guided through a co-operative learning exercise in which they discover specific, practical strategies for building and maintaining a sense of belonging among the individuals they support and/or their colleagues.
Type of Presentation: Co-operative learning Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: 200 participants
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LEGALIZING EUTHANASIA
AND ASSISTED SUICIDE
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“It’s not autonomy that’s driving the Euthanasia Movement, its economics.” | |
KILLING ME SOFTLY: A Disability Rights Perspective On Legalizing Euthanasia
The right to end one’s own life is usually seen as a step forward in personal autonomy and compassionate common sense. But could the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide seriously jeopardize the lives of elderly, sick, and disabled people? In these current times of financial restraint and deficit reduction at any cost, people with disabilities are increasingly seen as non-contributing, expensive, and even dispensable members of society. However, the restriction and removal of people with disabilities is rarely put forwards as an inevitable part of fiscal restraint, but more insidiously, as a benevolent act done in their "best interests".
In this presentation, Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift outline many the serious concerns that many disability rights advocates have about the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Type of Presentation: Keynote or Workshop
Length of Session: 75 - 90 minutes
Max. Audience Size: Unlimited