Renowned Self-Advocates Lead West Bay's Team Development Day

Thursday, October 30, 2014, West Bay Residential Services, Inc. hosted two internationally renowned self-advocates for their First Annual Team Development Day. Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher, stars of the film Wretches and Jabberers, a documentary following them on their quest around the world to change attitudes about disability and intelligence. As West Bay’s Executive Director, Gloria Quinn noted in her opening remarks, the day was “about investing in the West Bay community, and our dedication to fostering an inclusive community.”

Pascal Cheng, who has assisted Larry Bissonnette with his writing and presentations since 1991, summed up the overriding theme for the day’s discussion. “One of the most common oppositions can be the lack of awareness of possibilities, and underestimating what people are capable of.”

According to the Wretches and Jabberers website,

Growing up, Thresher and Bissonnette were presumed “retarded” and excluded from normal schooling. With limited speech, they both faced lives of social isolation in mental institutions or adult disability centers. When they learned as adults to communicate by typing, their lives changed dramatically. Their world tour message is that the same possibility exists for others like themselves (State of the Art, 2014).

The day began with a screening of the film Wretches & Jabberers, by Oscar-winning director Gerardine Wurzburg, which follows Tracy and Larry during their travels to Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland. At each stop, they dissect public attitudes about autism and issue a hopeful challenge to reconsider competency and the future (State of the Art, 2014). As Tracy Thresher shared in a Question & Answer session following the screening, “I am an artist on a mission to link words with thoughts and feelings. Typing let the person I really was out.”

The day also focused on the liberating potential of assistive technology, or technologies, which promote increased independence among individuals with disabilities. Given the transformative impact assistive technology had for Larry and Tracy, West Bay team members were inspired by the prospect of empowering people supported by West Bay. Christopher Cybulski, a Direct Support Professional voiced this sentiment during the Q & A session, he shared “how impressed [he was] with the clarity and intelligence with which [Larry and Tracy] speak… anyone in this room would be hard-pressed to speak more articulately than you have today.”

Ultimately, Wretches & Jabberers is about the life-sustaining power of relationships - the personal connections that people make through communication. Tracy Thresher encapsulated the importance of communication and the community, which it fosters. “Inclusion is about learning in regular classes, going to places to be with people, and socializing.” As Larry went on to explain, “Through communication and human interaction, we can come to see the person, not the disability.”

The event was a day for the West Bay team to learn from the successes of Larry and Tracy, with a long-term goal of incorporating greater use of assistive technology for the people West Bay supports. Pascal Cheng shared that a major goal of their traveling is to expand use of assistive technology. He shared the story of a California community, which, following a visit by Larry and Tracy, greatly expanded use of assistive technology. Gloria Quinn expressed enthusiasm for pursuing the incorporation of more assistive technology “to help the people supported by West Bay gain greater independence, access to self-expression and participation in their communities.

West Bay Residential Services, Inc. provides residential, employment and day support services to more than 130 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. West Bay supports individuals in making life choices, maintaining friend and family relationships and having fun while establishing their role within their community.