This month, the Administration of Community Living released an excellent history of home and community services. The report, called 30 Years of Community Living, chronicles the services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities from 1987-2017. For me, this period of time represents all the years I had direct responsibility to develop these kinds of programs and ensure that the…
Some people say that leadership is about titles, others think some are born leaders, and that predisposes them to hold an official role. I say we are all leaders. Nothing helps a leader more than clarity of purpose, to see what is right and inspire others along those lines. This blog is devoted to all the leaders who want to create a community where everyone is seen as gifted, and everyone belongs. In this blog, I’ll tell stories, ask questions, and ask that we all lead by example, with conviction and intention. I’ll clearly share KenCrest’s purpose, and the how the agency and our amazing team members are committed to doing our part to create a better world for everyone.
Marian Baldini, President and CEO of KenCrest, and author of a weekly blog that can be found on Medium. In it, she reflects on timely themes of disability, advocacy, social consciousness, and the like.
Each Step Moves Us Forward: There’s A Workforce Crisis in Human Services That Government Funding Alone Can’t Fix
Human services providers for individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) diagnoses are floundering across the US. They can’t afford to keep the people most vital to their success—those working direct support positions. The pandemic has only magnified a crisis this industry has tried to look away from for years, and now it’s standing right on our doorsteps. According to ANCOR (a…
There’s No Place like Home: State Institutions Aren’t the Only Option, Nor the Answer
An op-ed written by Marian Baldini, submitted to the Philadelphia Inquirer. In October several developmental disability agency leaders were asked to testify to the Pennsylvania House Health and Human Services Committees, at a hearing regarding institutions in Pennsylvania for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Pennsylvania is one of 36 states that still operates residential institutions for those with disabilities and…
I Want to Start a Movement: Be Blessed
I had the extraordinary privilege of taking a course on conflict mediation; it was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. The course was taught at a Quaker community center and followed a very specific curriculum to teach peacemaking. After the class ended, I went on to use what they taught me to help people make peace amidst…
I Want to Start a Movement: Be Gentle at All Times
Years ago, my former boss gave me an assignment to create a performance management system. Two of us collaborated on the project, and we decided to see how other companies had set up their systems. We took a field trip to local organization that had just implemented a new system; they were honest with us and shared that their first…
I Want to Start a Movement: Be Willing to Yield
As a small child, my daughter learned a variety of bad words, and one of them was related to ‘yielding.’ One day, at three years old she came home quoting her father…”$#!%* drivers!” Apparently her dad was expressing his frustrations with the yield sign on the local highway bypass. While this kind of ‘yielding’ had a more immediate and negative…
I Want to Start a Movement: Be Full of Good Deeds
On New Year’s Eve weekend I wasn’t actively crafting my resolution. My husband had gone off on a fire call (he volunteers at our local fire department), and my daughter and I were surfing the channels for a movie to watch. We came across Won’t You Be My Neighbor a documentary about (Mister) Fred Rogers. In one of the clips…
I Want To Start A Movement: The Best New Year’s Resolution
Pete is a diabetic in his mid-40s with Down syndrome, and he makes the very best food choices with little to no support. Although he knows what to do, Pete’s blood sugar requires careful attention; he needs insulin injections on a frequent and unpredictable basis. Because of this, Pete is supported at one of our day programs, but he really…
I Want to Start a Movement: Look for Hidden Treasures
Around this time every year my maternal grandmother—Gran, would put up her manger; and every year, we’d take the little rubber baby Jesus and hide him somewhere nearby. We had learned from my paternal grandmother that the baby could only be put in the manger on Christmas day. Each year Gran would chase us around trying to get the baby…
I Want to Start a Movement: Hope Works
Years ago I traveled all around the Ukraine in a small group—visiting programs, hospitals, and institutions for people with disabilities. Throughout my travels I met some of the happiest people in world in some of the most depressing environments; and I was continuously stuck by the many warm welcomes and ceremonies involved. At each location we were greeted with a…
