March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

By Alex Paul

Linn County Reporter

ALBANY — March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and Linn County will celebrate with a resource fair from 5-7 p.m. on March 19 at the Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road.

The program is in partnership with the Linn Benton Lincoln Education Service District.

Chrissy Cliburn, director of the Linn County Developmental Disabilities Department, said this will provide an opportunity for families to gather information about how to navigate the Developmental Disabilities system and to connect with local resources and gather support. For information, call 541-990-9663.

Linn County has also sponsored three mid-valley billboards in English and one in Spanish that proclaim, “Every Ability Counts — March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.”

Cliburn, who has headed up Linn County’s Developmental Disabilities program for two-and-a-half years, said that until relatively recently — 20 years or so — people with Developmental Disabilities were often institutionalized, housed in state facilities.

“Starting in the 1980s, the state began defunding those programs,” Cliburn said. “The state found those institutions did not provide a minimum level of care. They were overcrowded, there was abuse and isolation.”

Cliburn said that starting in 1989, Oregon shifted to a community-based program.

“About 950 people moved out of institutions and into community-based housing,” Cliburn said. “Most of those people were in the Willamette Valley.”

Cliburn said the last two individuals moved out of the Fairview Hospital in the year 2000 and the last two individuals moved out of the eastern Oregon hospital in 2009.

Cliburn stated that today’s philosophy is, “every individual has the right, the potential to participate in their community.”

“The home and community-based model has been hugely successful,” Cliburn said. “Linn County’s first group home housed 10 people. Now, the optimum number of residents is about five individuals per home.”

There are now 80 residential homes in Linn County, Cliburn said.

“They are primarily in Albany, Lebanon and Sweet Home,” she noted.

The State of Oregon provides funds to operate the homes, Cliburn said.

“Institutional costs were very expensive,” Cliburn said. “The home and community-based models are more humane, more dignified and more cost-effective as well.”

Linn County has 45 staff members in its Developmental Disabilities department, and they serve about 1,200 clients, Cliburn said.  Our entire program functions as a team with every position working to support our community members.  From our front office staff to eligibility and assessment, to coordinating referrals and services, every role is crucial. 

Most of the staff are service coordinators, who gather information, make referrals, complete assessments, individual support plans, and monitor services.

Cliburn calls them the “jacks of all trade” because they are the point people, who are skilled in accessing a variety of different resources and know what’s available locally to assist families.  Service Coordinators also monitor the local group home and foster homes to ensure individuals are receiving proper care that is person-centered.

Linn County also has two protective service investigators, who investigate all potential abuse claims for adults in the program. 

“We like to think that we add value to our communities and help improve people’s lives,” Cliburn said. “We believe in equity; we ensure access for community members with disabilities — so they can live lives that are as productive, integrated and inclusive as possible.”

Cliburn encourages people to get involved by learning more about the Americans With Disabilities Act and watching the Oregon Public Broadcasting documentary, “In the Shadows of Fairview.”

Local resources include the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, the ARC and Linn County Special Olympics.

Media contact: Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer, 541-967-3825 or email apaul@co.linn.or.us.