Boundless Abilities: Autism and More

Boundless Abilities Ep. 47: Big Table Talk on Being Inclusive to Adults with Disabilities

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This is a special episode that was recorded in front of a live audience at Land Grant Brewing as a part of the Columbus Foundation's Big Table events. Celebrity Emcee Alissa Henry, ABC6/FOX 28, guides panelists through hot topics that ensure adults with disabilities have the right to choose if they date, drink alcohol and where they work. Panelists include Angela Bellin (Boundless program leader for Economic Connections), Ana Santos (Boundless residential manager), Julius Ghee (Boundless Direct Support Professional for 20 years), Jen Adkins and Kassandra Trunk (adults served by Boundless). Our staff and individuals share what makes them feel included and respected and also what not to say. 

BoBo:

(Music) Hello everyone, and welcome to the Boundless big table. Thanks to everyone for coming out tonight. Land Grant brewing is honored to host this Big Table event and invite community members here to have important conversations. We are partnering with I am Boundless. Boundless is a nonprofit who is the largest service provider in Ohio for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and behavioral health challenges. The Boundless mission is to build a world that realizes the boundless potential of all people. For more than 42 years, boundless has provided people with IDD and behavioral health challenges the freedom and opportunity to live boundless lives. From residential support and job training to counseling and autism services, we proudly offer person centered care that celebrates each individual and encourages them to become active participants in the communities where they live, work and play. Let me introduce you to our emcee for the evening, Alissa Henry. Alissa is the host of good day extra on Fox 28 and is the host of The Cash Explosion Show airing weekly statewide. Born and raised in Columbus, Alissa graduated from Ohio University in Athens, and she loves great conversations. Connect with her on her social pages @AlissaHenryTV. Give her a warm welcome, y'all.

Alissa Henry:

Thank you, Bobo. Hello, everyone! Hello. This is so exciting. I am very, very honored to be a part of this Big Table talk tonight on such an important topic with such amazing panelists. So let me introduce you to them. The Big

Table topic is:

How can the community be more inclusive for adults with disabilities? And I cannot think of a more important conversation that we could all be having to give our input, but also to learn a lot tonight also. And so this is also part of a monthly Boundless podcast, which is Boundless Abilities. And you can visit that podcast, listen to some previous episodes, really, really great information. And just, you know, listening to it, and this will be a part of it. So tonight, we hope to break some of the stigmas that exist regarding adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We're going to mainly talk about three areas that everyone has a voice to choose. So adults with disabilities have the right to choose whether they want to drink alcohol or not. Our second topic will be adults with disabilities have the right to choose whether they want to date or not. Adults with disabilities have the right to choose whether they want to work and what they want to do for work. So let's meet our panelists. I'll introduce them one by one. So raise your hand when I call your name. It's Ana Santos. She is the Boundless residential manager for supported living homes. She's been at Boundless for nearly five years. Then we have Julius Ghee. He also works at Boundless in a residential home and works with many adults with disabilities every single day. Jen Adkins. Jen is 49 and does not look it at all. You're beautiful. And serves as her own guardian at a Boundless supported living home. Jen can share examples of when people made her feel bad or told her when she couldn't do something. Angela Bellin works at Boundless as an economic connection specialist. She comes with a wealth of knowledge serving transition age adults with disabilities. She oversees the adults and their Economic Connections Econ Group. And speaking of econ group, Kass Trunk, last but not least, she is a part of the Boundless econ group. She currently works full time at Barks and Rec and helps with boarding, pet care and basic grooming. Give it up for our panelists. Okay, so tonight's format is we're gonna get the conversation started by listening to the panelists. Listen carefully because then we want you to talk about the topics at your table, hence the big table, and then when they're done, hopefully, as a group, you'll have some questions. We have these cards on the tables, so you can fill out these cards, and I'll read your questions, and we'll get the answers from the panelists. So listen to what they're saying, talk amongst yourself, write on the card, and it's gonna be a great night. And we're gonna hope it does not rain on us. It's a perfect night though. It's been so hot in Columbus, and this is, like, the best night for this conversation. I'm super excited. All right, so first I'm going to start with Ana. Ana, there's an assumption that adults with disabilities can't do what other adults do, and sometimes that leads to situations where an adult with intellectual or developmental disabilities is treated like a child, for example, learning to ride a bike at an older age.

Ana Santos:

Yes, so we do have it to where a lot of our individuals, because of their learning abilities and just their personalities, can be treated not appropriately. So if you- some of the misconceptions is they only want to watch Disney, or they only want to watch cartoons. Or they, but they're adults, so we're not giving them the opportunity to explore like you and I would. When it comes to things that we have, I would say experience as a young child like riding a bike, they may have not been able to do it, and so part of our role is to encourage them and empower them to learn those things at any age.

Alissa Henry:

Great answer. All right, Julius, I'll start with you, then I'll open it up to everyone else. How can we all be more sensitive to the rights and choices of those adults?

Julius Ghee:

I'll speak for myself. Being a caretaker, protector, things of that nature, I always want to make sure our individuals are being taken care of to the best of how we should have them be taken care of. With that being said, there may be some times where things might be considered I'm not sensitive to their rights and choices because I'm so concerned about what's best for them, but I have to realize they are adults. They have the right to make choices, and they have to have the right to learn from the mistakes they may make, you know from those choices. So being sympathetic, and we have to understand that a lot of times they have not been allowed to make choices on their own. We've made choices for them, whether it's dinner, whether you want to drink, you have to go to day program today, we have to allow them to make those choices because they are grown adults who just happen to have a disability.

Alissa Henry:

So important, allow them to make their own choices. I want to open that up to everyone else. I'll start with you. You can tell us, in your opinion, how can we all be more sensitive to the rights and choices of those adults?

Angela Bellin:

I kind of want to piggyback on what was just said about young adults, kind of hitting milestones at a different time. A lot of young adults with disabilities or with whatever they may not be able to hit those milestones at the same time as their peers, but it doesn't mean they're not going to hit them. So maybe they don't drive at 16, or maybe they don't move out of the house at 18, but maybe they do it at 26 or maybe they do it at 28. The fact that it doesn't happen on the same timeline as their peers doesn't mean it doesn't happen, and I think having conversations around what it looks like can help us develop that kind of new normal, or to have more realistic expectations that just because it didn't happen doesn't mean it's not going to.

Alissa Henry:

I like that. Just because it didn't happen yet doesn't mean it's not going to. That's great. What about you? I'll ask you again, how can we all be more sensitive to the rights and choices of those adults?

Kassandra Trunk:

Communication and patience and listening. Because sometimes people just like assume they know things, but they haven't stopped to ask.

Ana Santos:

What do you need to be successful? Do you need someone to show you how it's done and encourage you? Or do you need someone to help you when you don't think you can do it well?

Jen Adkins:

I need like help. I need like help. People can help me stuff like that.

Ana Santos:

I think on our field, we just have to understand that it is on their time. We can encourage and there's times where we've even like worked for years to teach someone even how to like zip up a jacket, and then when they reach that milestone, it just makes all that effort and just like patience, like worth it. So just understanding it's on their time, not ours.

Alissa Henry:

It's on their time. I like that.

Angela Bellin:

You have to meet people where they are.

Alissa Henry:

Jen, another question for you, how do you feel when someone oversteps and tries to decide something for you or limits your options?

Jen Adkins:

Yeah, because I like to when I like to do it.

Alissa Henry:

Because you want to do it for yourself.

Jen Adkins:

Yes.

Alissa Henry:

Absolutely. Anna, you work with adults with disabilities and get to know their families really well. What should the mainstream public know about their world that maybe they don't know?

Ana Santos:

That every day is an adventure. You can literally have an outline, you know, even the simple going to a grocery store or going down the street to go see the family, it sometimes does not always happen as planned. So just understanding that there's a lot of flexibility. There has to be a lot of compassion. And if you don't understand, I encourage you to look at their lives, or that person's life through their perspective, and really just not judge and just have an open mind.

Alissa Henry:

Keeping an open mind, so important. Julius, what do you hear from adults that you work with? What do they say about the dating scene? Is there an age or ages that seem to be more challenging than others? I mean, dating is a hot topic for everybody, right?

Julius Ghee:

Well, the gentleman that I currently work with- one is in a relationship, so I have his example. But of course, he loves his woman and everything when he gets a chance to see her. But it's not, I think we could do a better job as far as getting our individuals out, you know, into the community, you know, things like that, far as coming to Land Grant or whatever, um, but there's really not much. Like I said, he's, he's fine seeing his woman when he wants to. I'm sure there's others that are interested in having relationships and boyfriends, girlfriends, what have you. But just the the task of making it happen. How do you meet up? What interests do you have? Just things like that. And plus, we're so overprotective, we don't want our individuals to get heartbroken and things like that. So, yeah.

Alissa Henry:

But don't you think getting heartbroken is just a part of dating?

Julius Ghee:

Yeah, but if you can avoid it, why not? You know, especially when you live life, you learn experiences. We don't want our individuals to go through that. You know, even though a lot of them are a lot older than us. We don't want them to go through those situations we've gone through, because it can make a shift a problem. So we don't want that happen. So

Alissa Henry:

All right, so Ana, Ana, I'm sorry, can you talk about the benefits and growth opportunities for adults with disabilities dating. Share your examples of Carol and Oscar with us.

Ana Santos:

So I'm pigging back on Julius's story. We take care of a gentleman who is in love. He is actually dating another individual in our program. They met at his birthday party, and they have just had a beautiful relationship. It's we've had to kind of mentor them on appropriate settings for like PDA and not calling each other excessively. But we do, we do have to think outside the box. So we plan like monthly dates, sometimes two to three times a month. He's taken her on some pretty extravagant dates. He took her to like the Lion King. He buys her gifts. He buys her flowers. So just seeing those two is just you can't help but like, feel love and just like, smile like, it's such a beautiful thing. And I think it just shows that he's in his 70s, and she's in her 60s, and it's like their first love. It's just, it's beautiful. So I think understanding that they want the same things as us. They want to be in love, they want to get married, they want to have their first kiss. I mean, we all take that so granted, like for granted, and I think just understanding that they have the same rights and feelings as you and I would.

Angela Bellin:

I have a great story to tell. Just this week, a young man had his first kiss, and this was a conversation that he had with me and he was thrilled about it. He just loves his girlfriend and is going through these kind of emotions. And it was such a precious and tender moment to have someone share. But it just reminds you that this, we're- this is the human experience. This is what we're all going through together. What 22 year old doesn't kiss someone and think, what happens? What you know, what happens next? It's just a really precious thing to be a part of with these young adults, and no matter what it looks like to them. It's individual. And that's the important thing is. Like I said a minute ago, is like to meet people where they are. What that experience for them is, what that is.

Alissa Henry:

Well, switching from dating, we're going to talk about Econ. So Angela, tell us what Econ is. How do you work with adults to find them sustainable employment? And what barriers and misconceptions do employers sometimes have when they talk about and they think about hiring someone with intellectual or developmental disabilities?

Angela Bellin:

That is such a good question. So there, there are a few parts to that. The first part of the question was, what is Economic Connections? So Economic Connections is a program that is unique to Boundless, which is the largest statewide organization to even tackle the subject and to have this type of programming. Economic Connections works with young adults who are mid 20s, who want to get in the workforce in a real way. They want to be employed full time. They can get themselves from place to place. They're ready to really make those economic connections that are sustainable. They learn about budgeting, they learn about moving out on their own. They learn about, you know, getting their first kiss and and having these conversations. But that's the young adult population I work with. The next part of that question that you

asked is:

What is a barrier? And I think this kind of goes back to what we've kind of touched on a lot, is that infantilizing concept of you didn't do it at this time, so it can't happen, or it didn't happen at this age, so it's not going to happen. And that's a huge barrier, because that's not the case. Transportation is a big thing. It's a huge barrier in this population, and I'm going to highlight Kass for a minute. When Kass and I first met, she was working full time, but she was using COTA to get around from place to place, and within the last year, has been able to get her driver's license and get a larger full time position. She has a car now she can get herself from place to that's a humongous barrier. Yeah, yeah, no, yeah. Well, and she's done all the work. But those are the kind of steps, those are the kind of barriers that just because it didn't happen at 16 doesn't mean it didn't can't happen at 26 and you can access the community, and you can tap into the economy, and that's kind of what Boundless has really pledged itself to support this age group in doing.

Alissa Henry:

Congratulations, Cass, on getting your license and a car. That's fantastic. How has being a part of Econ helped you in your work and in your life? And you could talk a little bit about where you work now.

Kassandra Trunk:

Being a part of Econ has been fun. I get to meet everyone else that's a part of Econ, and we get to learn and grow off each other. I've got to do some things I didn't think I'd get to do that I've done with Econ. I work at Barks and Rec. It's a doggy daycare, and I really like working there, because even though it's real faded on the door, they have a sticker that says it's a safe space, and it really is. It really feels safe. I got to display and sell art because I've done art practically all my life, but I've never actually tried to sell it or show it off before. So that was definitely an adventure and fun.

Alissa Henry:

What kind of art do you do?

Kassandra Trunk:

Currently do watercolor and digital.

Ana Santos:

Oh, cool.

Alissa Henry:

That's great. Fantastic. Very talented. Okay, Angela, you spend a lot of time with the adults that you work with. What is one of their biggest frustrations? And do they talk to you about other people making choices for them? I know we touched on this just a little bit earlier.

Angela Bellin:

That could be the biggest frustration. Honestly, I think you just hit on it. The biggest frustration is that other people make choices or have a voice for them. I can't tell you how many times a week I have this conversation, and and kudos to Boundless because the supervisors support autonomy so hard that's one of the biggest things. When young adults come into their own, they start to reach this maturity, from 18 to 20 to 22 to 24 they can say, hey, mom, dad, step back, or hey, team of however many people step back, like I'm starting to find my voice. That's probably the biggest challenge, I think. And it also is on the other side of that. It's the biggest reward, because once that voice is found it, you can't stop it. I mean, you can't, you can't close it up.

Alissa Henry:

I like that. Well, I'll talk to Jen and Kass next. Jen. I'll start with you, Jen, can you please share a piece of advice for our audience and how they can make adults with disabilities feel more comfortable?

Jen Adkins:

Well, people have been nice to me and believe in me. I do have a job too. I work at doggy daycare too. Yeah, right by the Boundless office. The new Boundless office. I like working with the dogs.

Alissa Henry:

Yeah. It seems like the pets are in great hands with

Jen Adkins:

Yes. you. Yeah they are.

Alissa Henry:

Kass, can you please share a piece of advice for our audience and how you feel they can make adults with disabilities feel more comfortable?

Kassandra Trunk:

Since everyone's a little different from each other, not every solution fits all. So we like communicate like a task or something you're gonna accomplish, if it makes someone comfortable, if they need help with it, basically where they stand on completing this task and stuff, for example.

Alissa Henry:

That's great. Are there times that you felt like, valued and included? And how does that make you feel?

Kassandra Trunk:

It makes me feel real good. Makes me feel appreciated and glad I was able to help.

Alissa Henry:

I think all of us can agree that when you feel valued and you feel included, and whether you're with people that you know, we don't know that well or in a new situation, I mean all of that, I think all of us can agree that it makes you feel good when you are included. So I want to ask this is a question for the entire group, but I'll start with you, Ana. Awareness is huge when we're talking about all of this. And there have been TV shows like Love on the Spectrum and Down With Love that starred adults with disabilities. Now do you, have you seen these shows? Do you think these shows are realistic? Do they help the general public understand better, or do you think they cause more misinformation?

Ana Santos:

So I would I have seen both of them. I do think that they are really, really great shows. I think they do show, you know, the funny side of it, but I also do think that they show both perspectives from the families as well as the adults that are trying to date. I think it's interesting to see the different dynamics. Because, you know, saying that you want a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but not truly understanding, like, what does that mean? Does that mean I like a tall guy? Does that mean I like a short guy? Like, so what we try to do for some of our folks is we really try to narrow it down. Like, what is your preference in male or female? And if you don't, let's let's see what's out there. So yeah.

Alissa Henry:

What about you, Julius? Have you seen these shows? You have any thoughts on them? Have you heard any conversations around these shows?

Julius Ghee:

I have not seen the shows, but I think if we take the disability part out of it, I think we all probably could fit those whatever's going on in the show, regarding our decision making, regarding choosing a mate spouse, how we interact with one another, as far as genders and everything like that. I mean, at the end of the day, I think everyone wants to be treated regularly, regardless of a disability, you know, mental capacity. It doesn't matter. People love what they want to love. And, you know, whatever makes people happy, that's what makes them happy, so but yeah, whatever

Alissa Henry:

makes them happy. Angela, have you seen these shows? You have anything you want to say about them?

Angela Bellin:

I have, I think they're adorable. I'm all about those kind of shows, I think the more light you can shine in corners or darker spaces, the more conversations you can have, which is why we're here today. I think it's great. I think they're hilarious and entertaining. And I also, I also think that they've done a nice job with casting. I think there's a diversity in the casting, and it's entertaining enough that it gets the point across, but it's not exploitative. So I think they've done a nice job. Yeah, are they casting for the next season?

Alissa Henry:

We'll let you know. We'll find out. We'll find out. Let you guys know. Got anybody interested in Love on the Spectrum and Down With Love? Okay, so at this time, we just talked about a lot of different topics, and we're not done yet, so please take one of these cards that are on your table. Talk about what you learned tonight, and then write down any questions you have for any of the panelists. We would like at least one question from each group. So we're putting you on the spot there, but we'll give you a few minutes to shout amongst yourselves, come up with your questions, and then we will talk a little bit more (music). All right, thank you all for submitting your questions. That's the great thing about The Big Table is that it is a conversation, and so thank you for taking the time to have some conversation amongst yourselves and then also submit some questions for our panel. They haven't read these, so let's see how it goes. All right. Where do you intervene when you feel a relationship is toxic or if guardians won't approve of it? I think that's a question for Ana, maybe Julius, Angela, if you have something you want to say.

Ana Santos:

I think the one thing to remember is no matter how uncomfortable that conversation can be about it being toxic or hindering the growth that the person can have and possibly violating the rights is our sole purpose, besides making sure individuals are safe and healthy, is we are their advocate. So they look to us to be their voice, especially when it's not being heard, as well as being their number one fan.

Alissa Henry:

Yeah, the number one fan. I like that. This next one is for Jen and Kass. What's something you enjoy doing that may surprise people? I'll start with you, Jen, something you may enjoy doing that may surprise people?

Jen Adkins:

Go on a date.

Alissa Henry:

Go on a date. I love it. What's your ideal date like? Is it a restaurant and movies? Where do you want to go on a date?

Jen Adkins:

I like to do both restaurant in the movies too.

Alissa Henry:

Like it, dinner and a movie. Love it. What about you, Kass? What's something you enjoy doing that may surprise people?

Kassandra Trunk:

Make and wear cosplays to conventions.

Alissa Henry:

Fun. Is there any certain character you like to dress up as the most often?

Kassandra Trunk:

Currently, the one I have the most completed is an Among us character.

Alissa Henry:

There's some great conventions in Columbus. There's Ohio con, all kinds of conventions. Okay. The next question is, at what age do you feel, I'll ask you, Julius, at what age do you feel would be a responsible age to drink, and do you base it on maturity?

Julius Ghee:

I'll say the legal age of 21 because you can enjoy drinking in a good way. As long as you prepare yourself, you know that you might have to eat first. You know you may have to drink some water. Some people some people drink for taste, some people drink for feeling. So it depends on whatever your preference is. So as long as you do the proper research and you're responsible, have at it.

Alissa Henry:

All right. Legal age of 21 all right. Kass and Jen, start with you. Kass, can you give an example of a misconception that you have faced?

Kassandra Trunk:

That just because I don't always understand everything that everyone's talking about or I'm up to speed, doesn't mean I'm not smart

Alissa Henry:

I like that one. What about you, Jen?

Jen Adkins:

Well, people call me the I'm slow, but I'm not slow, but at all.

Alissa Henry:

Important to fight those misconceptions. So this question said, I like the statement about meeting people where they are. How do you start the conversation by being respectful and helpful, not assuming and facilitating a conversation that flows? Do you want to answer that, Angela?

Angela Bellin:

Yeah, yeah, of course. Think that's a great question. How do you be how do you meet somebody respectfully where they are? You ask them how to help. How can I support you? How, what? How? What can I do? How did we get to this place where we're having this conversation? And how can I help? What can I do to support you? That's the easiest way to open the door. And then that conversation can kind of flow, because nobody's answer is going to be the same. No one is going to have the same answer to that, but that's that's kind of the key is let, let me know how I can support you, because that's why I'm here.

Ana Santos:

In order to gain trust. I think that's one of the most challenging things that we have in when we in our field, is, especially when you are new to them, is you have to build trust, and so I think that communication is key. So filling them in on things, even though they may not agree with it or quite understand it or are hesitant themselves, I think you telling them that, hey, we're going to be there to support them, and we're here to also support you as well. Just building that bond and that connection goes so much further than hiding or being sneaky and not communicating. Our whole goal is, even though your child does not live at your home anymore, we still want you to be a part of their lives.

Angela Bellin:

That could be the most important thing that if that was said tonight, honestly. I think what you said is so spot on, gaining that trust and having that conversation. And yes, there are legalities, and yes, people are guardians, and there is all that but, but those people don't exist without their family and and really opening that and letting. People know that we're here to support you, and it may not look the same way as it did when they were 18 or when they were 15 or when they were in school. Really keeping that door open, I think, is probably the most important thing we've said this evening.

Ana Santos:

Yeah and then, like, even if you do have a disagreement or you're not seeing eye to eye as a team, giving that space and proving to them whether it's actions or allowing them to really ponder on it and see the both pros and cons of whatever the topic is. Again, not it's their time. So if it's something that you presented a week, and you give it a week or you give it longer, again, it's just showing them that you're not just there and saying, Oh, well, because I'm a professional, I know what to do. No like it has to be a collective group effort.

Alissa Henry:

Lots of questions for Kass and Jen tonight. So Jen, I'll start with you. Share something else about yourself that you want others to know.

Jen Adkins:

I'm smart and I'm fun.

Alissa Henry:

Smart and fun. I love that.

Kassandra Trunk:

I like adventure and trying new things.

Alissa Henry:

That's awesome. I like that when the other question was talking about, you know, starting a conversation respectful and helpful. And in my non expert opinion, but in my expert opinion of talking to all kinds of different people, I think that you just, you just find commonalities, and you just talk to everyone like you would talk to anyone. That's what I that's something I've learned just in my in my line of work, because you do encounter a lot of people who are different from you in all kinds of ways, whether that be ability, gender, race, all kinds of things. And so I think that you just find those commonalities, and you just have a conversation with the way you talk to anyone is the way you talk to everyone. So that would be my and I like I've enjoyed hearing about hearing about you, everybody here on the panel. Okay, so the last question we have here is, compared to other cities, similar to Columbus, do you think Columbus is more inclusive, about the same, or less inclusive for people with disabilities? And I don't know what your different experiences with different cities, but whoever wants to chime in, please do start with you, Angela.

Angela Bellin:

I'm happy to chime in on this one. Columbus is an incredibly inclusive city, and I have lived in Charleston, South Carolina, San Francisco, California and Columbus, Ohio. So I do have a little bit of a reference as to what different cities look like. Columbus prides itself on economics and economic inclusion, and there are businesses that are yearning to and thriving with inclusion as a pillar is, with that in mind, how do we move forward? There are businesses coming to Columbus because of the inclusivity. There are businesses in Columbus that are completely neurodiverse. This you don't see these types of things in other cities. I absolutely applaud Columbus and kind of the politics behind what has made it so for us, there's a lot of opportunity for inclusion in Columbus, and it really does differ from other cities. It

Ana Santos:

I would have to definitely agree. I'm not from really does. here, but I will say it is miles away from where I'm originally from. I think obviously there's still always room for growth, but I think it's really exciting to see how excited Columbus is and is willing to expand and experiment and just really take it on full front, instead of just say they're going to do something, but not really show that effort.

Angela Bellin:

I tell you what, we've never had this conversation in any other city I've lived in, so I think that's a really good example. This conversation is happening right here, right now, and I've never been a part of something like this before. So (music).

Alissa Henry:

100 points for Columbus.

Angela Bellin:

Kind of makes it kind of makes the statement on its own right.

Alissa Henry:

Well, I do want to give you all an opportunity to add anything else. If you've been thinking this whole time, there's something you really wanted to say, this is your opportunity to do that. So if you, any of you, Jen kass, Julius, Ana, Angela, if you have anything else you want to add, if not, that's okay. I know we've gotten to a lot of different topics. Or if anyone in the audience has another question they want to ask, this is the opportunity to do that.

Julius Ghee:

I think there's been some sort of a stigma, I guess, placed on the community regarding interacting with our individuals. You know, in the community, things of that nature, what? When I'm out with my guys, people in general, just love them like they just attract. These people. People want to talk to my guys. Um, we're just out doing what we do. And hey guys, how are you? Um, couple of my guys, we go bowling once a week. Every Wednesday, we go in. The guy sees is coming. He knows to set up the lane. Hey guys, the usual business. They're on a first name basis at this point in the regular league bowlers. Hey, how are you guys doing today? So, and there's a lot more of our individuals that are in the community, but they're just not out, you know? So, but the experiences that I've had people are just they treat them like anybody else, and they don't make them feel differently because of how their personalities are. Columbus is, you can't get along in Columbus it's over like we welcome everybody so, but yeah, that's just my experience with, you know, being in the community with individuals. So, yep.

Alissa Henry:

Well thank you guys all for coming. Thank you to Boundless for facilitating this conversation, the Columbus Foundation, the Big Table. Thank you to Scott Lightly. Thank you for all the podcast listeners. This has been a great conversation. How can the community be more inclusive for adults with disabilities? Thank you.