C&C States
Self-Direction Handbook
Data &Tanya Dickens
To understand what Cash & Counseling means to real people, let me tell you about Tanya Dickens. Tanya is a young woman with developmental disabilities who lives with her parents in Tampa, Florida. Prior to enrolling Tanya in Florida's Cash & Counseling project, her parents never really entertained the thought that Tanya would ever be able to leave home and live independently. Instead, they worried what would happen to Tanya when they could no longer care for her. Tanya, who is 33 years old, didn't even have a key to her own house because she couldn't be left home alone. She showed very little interest in the world around her, spend her days in adult day training program paid by Medicaid, and carried a stuffed "Barney" - the purple dinosaur- around the house with her.
A few years ago, Tanya and her mom, Rhonda, heard about Cash & Counseling and decided to try it out. Despite initial hesitations about making the change, Rhonda says Tanya receives far more services now that they can choose how to spend the money according to Tanya's individual needs.
Today, Tanya is a very different woman. At a conference, she and Rhonda met a professional caregiver named Cathy and decided to hire her. At first, Tanya continued going to the adult day training program most days. Cathy worked with Tanya four hours a week, taking her into the community and teaching her to shop for her own groceries and clothes, make her own lunch, do her own laundry, etc. But then, Cathy found Tanya a one-day a week volunteer position at Kitty Citty, a facility that boards cats and takes in unwanted kittens. The new responsibility changed Tanya's life. She did so well that Cathy was able to find Tanya a paying job at the local pet store two days a week, helping take care of the animals. Tanya then asked to stop going to adult training altogether to spend more of her time working and volunteering. The change meant Tanya no longer had to spend four hours a day on the bus getting to and from the program. Instead, Cathy took her to Kitty Citty three days a week and her job at the pet store two days a week.
At first, Cathy stayed with Tanya on the job, but Tanya is now capable of being left alone at work. Unfortunately, the pet store closed recently, but the store's groomer is now teaching Tanya how to bathe and groom dogs. And Tanya still volunteers at the cat facility three days a week, and has recently applied for a paying job at a local vet's office. Her mom says Tanya really misses her pay check.
Tanya no longer carries her stuffed Barney around - recently she put her childish toys in a bag and asked her dad to give them away. Instead, Tanya now carries a key to her house. She has learned to lock and unlock the doors, and is able to be at home by herself for longer and longer periods. She wears makeup and goes to dances at the local recreation center with her friends. Her parents, instead of worrying that Tanya will never be able to live independently, are now in their mid-50's, just starting to contemplate all the typical worries of parents whose kids are on the verge of leaving home for the first time.