Category: Featured

Exploring Worlds with Las Trampas

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The day program is always looking for new worlds to explore. We regularly use local libraries to seek out new sites and organizations we can partner with to help our program participants become more and more engaged in and with their community.

Our memberships at the Lawrence Hall of Science, Chabot Space and Science Center, Blackhawk Museum and Fitness 19 open up worlds of knowledge and experience while teaching us the importance of staying healthy and fit.

Our partnerships with Diablo Valley Bowl, Clayton Valley Bowl, and Danville Bowl give us the opportunity to participate in friendly competition while working on our social skills (e.g., Show a Good Attitude, Follow Directions, Give Positive Feedback). With ramps and bumpers, bowling is an activity open to almost every program participant. It is the first programming choice of many in the community groups.

On a daily basis, there are more than 40 day program participants exploring and engaging with their community. You will find us on the regional trails, at local parks and historical sites, in the shops and fitness centers, in classes and service centers. We volunteer, shop, compete, play sports and games, read, plant and grow, make friends, and, most important of all, we learn from our experiences.

We’re an awful lot like you.

SLS Chilling with the Fish in Monterey

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Rebecca watched the big shark swim past the thick glass of the tank. “Whoa!” she said, laughing. Each time the shark circled by, Rebecca reacted with the same joyful “Whoa!”

Rebecca visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium for the first time on a recent trip organized by the Supported Living team for program participants. The visit was a first for many other program participants, too.

Highlights of the day included petting the rays in the touch tank, watching the water flow in and out of the kelp tank and seeing how the different animals reacted to it, observing all the different kinds of fish, and of course, the sharks.

Special outings like day trips to the Monterey Bay Aquarium provide unique opportunities for community integration. New situations and changes in routine can be challenging for some program participants, but provide important breaks from the everyday. Sabrina, an SLS facilitator, remarked that “this was a fantastic way for some of our clients to interact with each other in a setting that is different and interesting for them.” We will definitely be trying to set up more outings like these to help enrich our clients lives and to show them different and new things.

Most participants in the SLS program have very limited resources for activities like day trips. This past year, we were fortunate enough to receive a grant from the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation to underwrite community integration outings like the trip to Monterey. Financial support from partners like the Gellert Foundation makes it possible for our program participants to lead truly full lives in the community!

Las Trampas Cooks: Ingredients for Success!

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What could be better than sharing a home-cooked meal, chosen and prepared with care by a friend or colleague? Each month, the 10 students participating in the Day Program “Las Trampas Cooks” program choose a meal based on a theme, and work with staff throughout the month to make that meal a reality for each other, as well as other Day Program participants and staff members.

In 2018, the monthly themes are based on countries of the world, often chosen based on where a student’s family is from, so participants learn about food and culture they may not otherwise get to experience.

Shopping: Once “Las Trampas Cooks” chefs have chosen their meal for the month, they help staff research recipes, compile a shopping list, and hit the stores! Participants go to multiple stores in the area (Safeway, Costco, Sam’s Club, Smart & Final, Trader Joe’s) and compare prices on the ingredients they will need for the month’s recipe.

Meal Preparation:
Participants are involved in all aspects of creating the meal. As much as possible, they use fresh ingredients rather than packaged. Participants work with program staff to learn about the textures, smells, properties, and uses of the ingredients they are using, as well as learning about kitchen safety, and food service.

Enjoying a meal together:
On “Las Trampas Cooks” days, Day Program participants and any Las Trampas staff who are on campus are invited to share the results of the group’s hard work. Spending time together eating a delicious meal prepared by friends is a great way to spend lunchtime!

Clean Up:
You’re not done cooking until you’ve cleaned up! Participants learn that leaving the cooking area cleaner than you found it? is as important as all of the other aspects of planning and cooking a meal. When the kitchen is clean and supplies are put away, we are ready to start planning for next month.

Las Trampas Cooks is a fun and delicious way to gain life skills, explore new foods, and learn more about the world. Here are some of the meals we’ve shared so far this year. We’ve included some of the recipes we’ve used, and we invite you to cook along with Las Trampas Cooks!

March: (Italy) Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread, Strawberry Shortcake
April: (Japan) Teriyaki Bowls, Gyoza, Cherry Parfait
May: (Mexico) Mexican Chili, Sweet Corn Cakes, (Unfried)Fried Ice Cream
June: (U.S.A.) Sloppy Toms (Turkey Sloppy Joes), Potato Salad, Baked Peach Crumble
July: (Greece) Gyros, Greek Salad, Sparkling Santorini Jello

From the Executive Director–A Year in Advocacy

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My name is Daniel Hogue, Executive Director of Las Trampas. I have worked in the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD) service industry since 1993, starting as a direct care worker. Now, in my role as a leader, I am constantly asked about the state and future of our field.  Now, more than ever, this is an important topic that should be addressed. It’s my hope to address concerns, successes, and opportunities for action that will help people with developmental disabilities and the I/DD community.

In the human services field, we as care takers, social workers, and people who work from the heart tend to speak lightly, politely, and focus on the work to be done. Leaders in the I/DD service industry understand that there are many competing interests within the state. We are not used to taking a hard stands. This has to change. While it sounds alarming, the viability of the I/DD service system is on the brink of collapse and it’s time for us to find our voice.

Yet another year has gone by without increases to I/DD funding. The state budget approved by the legislature and the governor at the end of June again neglects to fully fund programs and services for this vulnerable population. So, what are the impacts! Well, to put it frankly, if you have a child or family member with I/DD who receives services, they may be at risk.

Since 2003, state funding for I/DD services has essentially been a downhill spiral with minimal increases offsetting serious cuts during the 2008 financial crisis. So what does this mean.  It means that providers, and more importantly the people served, have to make do with extremely limited resources, and often times, to simply do without. Full-time professional positions like speech language pathologists, a full program staff with clinical training and experience, budgets for transportation and community integration, and more, all of these program components have been cut or seriously reduced over the past decade. Meanwhile, mandates continue to come down from the state level to do more do more, with less, all while the state holds record surpluses.

Each month, I will be discussing the ramifications of the current state including the impacts on providers and the people served as well as how the system is coping, advocacy efforts, progress and setbacks, stories of success in the midst of tough times, and things that you can do to support people with developmental disabilities. I hope you’ll join me!

Terri’s Story

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“Shopping!” is one of Terri’s favorite words and one of her favorite pastimes. Since coming to Sheila House last February, she gets to do a lot more of it!

For 25 years, Terri lived at Sonoma Developmental Center. She had tried community-based residential programs in the past, but the impacts of Terri’s disabilities meant that she really needed around the clock care that existing programs weren’t able to provide. Though she was content at SDC, the staff weren’t able to give her the personalized attention she needs to thrive, and her medication made it difficult for her to express herself. With Sonoma slated to close in 2018, Terri’s needed another option and she found it with Las Trampas. The high staff to resident ratios, specialized programming, and extra staff training at Sheila House all contribute an environment where Terri can really shine. She is an outgoing and engaged member of her community and she’s enjoying living in the house with three other women.

Recently, Terri was selected by the Share the Spirit program to be featured in a story in the East Bay Times. Congratulations, Terri and welcome to Las Trampas!

Independence and the Special Needs Child

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As my son grows older (he’ll be 12 in March) we are grappling more and more with the challenge of developing his independence.

For most 11 year old kids, catching the bus home from school, walking around the corner to a friend’s house and having sleepovers are no big deal. They are age appropriate activities and what most kids that age are able, and willing, to do.  However for kids with special needs, engaging in age appropriate activities is not always possible.

There are no checklists you can consult. No peers to check off against.

You have to trust your instincts, and your child’s, to work together to reach milestones of independence in their own time. And hope you get it right!
Gilbert’s autism and his vision impairment mean that he does not do many of the things that his peers do. He does not catch the bus. He doesn’t walk the streets alone and he has never slept over at a friend’s house.  This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to do those things or that we don’t want him to.

It just means that we have not yet developed the skills we all need for him to do those things successfully and without undue anxiety.  However we can’t wrap him up in cotton wool forever so we are actively trying to break one of those barriers down  catching the bus home from school.

As he is halfway through year 5, we have just under a year and a half before he moves to high school. Our plan is to have him in a position where he can independently get himself to and from school by the time he begins year 7. It’s important for us to get him used to this change well before high school so he has one less change/stress to worry about when the time comes.

We already know how hard that transition will be, no need to throw any further stress or challenges into the mix.  To get things moving, we set this as a short-term goal in his NDIS plan for the year, lining up with our overall long term goal to develop his independence. With the help of the NDIA we included funding for Guide Dogs Australia to accompany Gilbert and basically train him to catch the bus independently. And we are finally getting to a position where he might just achieve that goal. 

Last week we had our first session where two representatives from Guide Dogs Australia accompanied him on a public bus.  The decision was made not to immediately put him on the school bus as it is crowded and noisy. We wanted to introduce him to bus travel in a less challenging setting.

Gilbert was shown how to look for landmarks so he would be in a position to alert the driver when it was time to get off at his stop. He was also guided as to how to get on/off the bus safely, shown the basic of public transport etiquette (as much for his autism as for his vision) and was helped to safely cross the two quiet streets that separate the bus stop from our house.  It was a successful trial.

Despite the windows being foggy from rain, making it harder to see, Gilbert was able to make out the local Aldi which is located just before his bus stop. He managed to safely cross the streets home and seemed to enjoy the novelty of coming home on public transport (he has been on buses before but never without us.)

So this week we are taking it up notch, he will be coming home on the school bus, again with his mentors from Guide Dogs Australia. I’ll be interested to see how he deals with the noise, the movement and the crowd of students that are sure to be on board.  My biggest fear is that something will happen to him on the bus which will upset him and see him lash out.

I’m hoping having his mentors there will help defuse any such situation and will provide him with guidance on how to deal with such situations, should they arise in future.

I also hope that the bus driver is understanding and can keep a look out for him. I’ve advised Gilbert (and his Guide Dog Australia mentors) to try to grab a seat at the front, near the driver, to reduce the chances of upset and to make it easier for him to get on and off the bus safely.  Fingers crossed it’s another successful trip for him ? and for us.

Letting go is never easy but I know we need to start loosening the reins, ever so slightly, so he has the same chances as his peers to develop independence.

This blog is brought to you by Kirsty. Check out her blog @MyHomeTruths

Open Hearts Can Open Doors!

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On February 3, 2014, our first specialized residential home opened in Pleasant Hill.  This beautifully refurbished, ADA accessible, and welcoming residence currently houses three adults who previously resided at the Sonoma Developmental Center.  The facility is designed to accommodate up to four persons.  This home was established as part of the State of California’s Community Placement Plan (CPP) to integrate individuals with significant behavioral challenges into the broader community.  For more information, click here.