Cottonwood, Incorporated’s Residential Department provides
services and supports to individuals in varied settings throughout
Lawrence. These services offer adults with intellectual/
developmental disabilities an array of living environments
and supports designed to maximize independence,
nurture relationships, and enhance self determination.
Cottonwood’s mission pledges that services provided will help
people with disabilities shape their own future. This fundamental
principle is the underlying foundation of Cottonwood’s Residential
Services.
Fostering Independence
Individuals are supported daily in maintaining current skills, acquiring new ones and in engaging in their community. Through Cottonwood’s Person Centered Support Plan (PCSP) process, persons served and their teams identify preferred outcomes to be pursued during the next year. Action Plans are devised to achieve these outcomes. Residential staff are accountable for assisting individuals in the completion of Action Plans. In addition to the more formal Action Plans, the person served and their staff take advantage of numerous daily opportunities to increase a person’s skills, knowledge of their community, and self-confidence. Regardless of the number of people living at a particular site and/or the number of hours of staff support per week, individuals in Cottonwood’s Residential Services are supported in maximizing their independence and pursuing preferred lifestyles.
Nurturing Relationships
Persons served clearly express that establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships with preferred others is an essential element of a satisfactory quality of life. Therefore, Cottonwood’s Residential Services help ensure that interested people are regularly supported in spending time with chosen companions. Residential staff ask people with whom they would like to spend time, then work to make that happen. If a request cannot be met, a next-best option is sought. The responsiveness of residential staff is measured to make sure that people are sufficiently supported in building and nurturing important relationships.
Self Determination
People have the right to meaningfully participate in making decisions that impact their lives. This foundational right is protected and promoted throughout Cottonwood’s Residential Services. People help plan menus, choose furnishings, and select activities. Persons served conduct second interviews with job applicants and make hiring recommendations. Interested constituents vote in elections and advocate for local concerns. Persons receiving services are surveyed annually regarding their satisfaction with services and are involved in following up on any reported dissatisfaction. If a request is not currently achievable, the person works with the team to identify available alternatives. At all times, persons’ rights to make choices, to be respectfully regarded as contributing adults, to live inclusively in their community, and to be free of abusive, neglectful and/or exploitative acts are preserved.
