Developmentally disabled adults have new agency.

Byline: SCOTT MABEN The Register-Guard

A rare and remarkable thing happened earlier this week when 31-year-old Dayna Davis walked through the door of a new nonprofit agency on Charnelton Street in Eugene.

The people working there asked her what she wanted in life. And they listened. Then they began working on ways to help fulfill her wishes.

"This is a long time coming," said Davis, an Elmira resident who has cerebral palsy, which impairs her ability to walk and speak.

She is one of hundreds of developmentally disabled adults in Lane County who are expected to benefit from Full Access Brokerage, a one-stop shop for coordinating an array of support services in the community.

The state-funded agency opened March 1 and already has 86 clients. Organizers expect to serve up to 700 eventually.

Some of the more common disabilities that clients live with include mental retardation, autism and Down syndrome. And most have experienced long waits for support services, from transportation to job training to personal care.

"So many people who are qualified for these services have been waiting literally years to receive the support and case-service management to allow them to be fully integrated in the community," said Margaret Theisen, executive director of Full Access Brokerage, or FAB. "Now they no longer have to wait as long for basic services."

FAB brings to the county more case managers who won't be swamped with clients. Instead of juggling 100 cases, each will be responsible for about 40.

"Believe me, it's a great improvement," Theisen said.

FAB also will work to expand the capacity of other local support providers - both private and public agencies - to better serve developmentally disabled residents.

Theisen said she hopes FAB can drastically reduce if not eliminate waiting lists that often deter people from pursuing services.

"Before, people were just resigned to not getting any help," she said. "I think they were not working hard to find services for themselves because they just did not see any light at the end of the tunnel. When you're told that you won't even be able to receive help for a number of years, I would say that's discouraging."

That was often the situation for Davis and her mother, Victoria Goodnight.

"Before FAB, it was a waiting list," Goodnight said. "We'd put her name on it and never expect to hear back from them."

Such red tape and runaround prompted five developmentally disabled Oregonians and their families to sue the state two years ago. They argued that they were unfairly denied access to services they were entitled to receive.

The complaint grew into a class action suit on behalf of more than 3,000 residents with developmental disabilities. The state settled in September 2000 and the Legislature last year put up $37 million to fund the first two years of improvements in how the state serves developmentally disabled adults.

The state agreed to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of people on waiting lists by increasing the availability of comprehensive services on a noncrisis basis and by providing "self-directed support services" for all those eligible.

Instead of leading clients through a formatted and impersonal process, FAB and similar new agencies popping up around the state connect people to support services according to the needs and desires of the individual and, if appropriate, the family. Services must be based on the principle of self-determination, Theisen said.

"This allows the individual to create some opportunity for themselves, to share what their dreams are, what works and what does not work in their lives, and bring some definition to a future plan," she said.

Once that plan is complete, the agency works with each client on a budget and gets them together with the appropriate agencies and individuals to carry it out.

When she went in Monday, Davis brought up a number of items on her wish list. One was a safety concern in the family's home: A back door from her bedroom overlooks a 6-foot drop, and if a fire were to break out, she'd likely hurt herself going out the door, her mother said.

With FAB's intervention, a contractor will add a small deck with a ramp that Davis can use to escape quickly in an emergency.

Another problem she has lived with is her shoe size. Because of her disability, Davis has a hard time finding shoes that fit well. She has grown accustomed to wearing regular shoes held on with added straps.

Now she will have a custom pair made by Hanger Orthopedic, the largest provider of orthotic and prosthetic services and products.

"I would give them four stars," Davis said of the FAB staff.

Davis also may enroll in some college courses soon, and she and her mother are looking over the options.

She has some work experience. She performed clerical duties for five years for Advanstar Communications in Eugene but realized she wanted more of a challenge.

"At first, it was exciting," she said. "Then, I became bored with it."

Now she works as a volunteer facilitator for Self Advocates As Leaders, a coalition of people with developmental disabilities that works to change policies that affect the lives of those people.

"Now, with this volunteerism, I love what I do," Davis said. "In my old job, I wasn't going anywhere, promotion-wise. But now I love what I do."

Davis said she is redefining her life and assuming more freedom of choice, personal responsibility and monetary control. As her favorite button puts it: "Nothing about me without me."

Goodnight finds comfort in her daughter's pursuit of greater independence and inclusion in society. For parents and caregivers, it's reassuring to finally see services improve for developmentally disabled individuals, she said.

"It's quite a panic when you know your time is short and wonder what will happen to my child," she said.

Goodnight said she now plans to remove a bumper sticker from her van that reads, "Stuck in traffic? Try waiting in this line," and shows a large group of disabled people waiting for services.

But she will leave on another sticker with one of Davis's favorite quotes, from 18th century feminist and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft:

"It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world."

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

WHAT: Full Access Brokerage, a new nonprofit agency that helps developmentally disabled adults get the support services they want and need. Ten other brokerages have been set up elsewhere in Oregon, including Portland, Salem and Roseburg.

WHERE: 1240 Charnelton St., Eugene.

WHEN: Open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHO: Serves Lane, Deschutes, Jefferson, Crook and Lake counties. To be eligible, a person must be an Oregon resident who is 18 or older and must meet the definition of developmentally disabled under state law. They also must not already receive comprehensive state services, such as living in foster care or a group home or supported-living facility.

CAPTION(S):

Elmira residents Victoria and her grown daughter, Dayna Davis, who has cerebral palsy, are clients of the new Full Access Brokerage in Eugene. FAB, a non-profit organization, acts as a brokerage agency for adults with developmental disabilities. (THOMAS BOYD/The Register-Guard) Wednesday, March 27, 2002 THOMAS BOYD / The Register-Guard Victoria Davis and her daughter, Dayna, are clients of the new agency,