VOL. 11, NO. 3 SUMMER/FALL 2004 A PUBLICATION OF FRANK D. LANTERMAN REGIONAL CENTER Adam Sroujieh Finds Half a World Away, Pyunic is Striving a Close Companion to Create an Armenia Where People in His Dog, Shana with Disabilities are Fully Included very child wants a dog, and just before the holiday season last year, Adam ESroujieh’s wish came true. Adam’s ut of the tragedy of the parents were hesitant to bring a dog into the 1988 earthquake in family because of the added responsibility, but OArmenia, an organization another family that has a dog from Canine called Pyunic was created to Companions for Independence (CCI) finally provide programs and convinced them to sign up. “We started the services to the children who application process for a Skilled Companion were disabled in the three years ago. We received a phone call earthquake. As time about a year and a half later, however, we were progressed, and the not ready to start the training and matching children grew older, process, and postponed for another year,” their needs as individuals explains Brigitte Sroujieh, Adam’s mother. with disabilities changed, and so did the work of In November 2003, Adam, who is 9 years old, Pyunic. and his mother made the trip down to Oceanside, Calif., for the two-week intensive Continued on page 7 training program. In the Sroujiehs’ training program, there were five other teams and nine dogs. “The dogs for this class were all lined up in crates, and when Adam got to the crate with Shana, he said, ‘Shana, my dog,’ Participants at Pyunic’s 2003 Summer however, as part of the matching process, Camp in Armenia. each team had to work with all nine dogs to determine the best match. Every time someone else would work with Shana, Adam would say, ‘No, my dog.’ The whole time I Two Couples Move Into Too Cute, told him that we probably wouldn’t be getting this dog, but in the end he was matched with Two-Bedroom Home in Glendale Shana,” shares Sroujieh. ust as the weather was heating up in change,” comments Mercede Shamlo, service Glendale, so too was the excitement for coordinator. Jtwo longtime couples – Denise Stump and Mountain View Guest Home is owned and Douglas “Troy” Crippin, and Cindy Pollie operated by Adrian Rebollo. Rebollo has Hanks and David Binkier. The couples were worked in the field of developmental moving out of a large residential facility of disabilities since 1995, including as a job coach about 80 beds, into Mountain View Guest at CLIMB (Center for Living Independence for Home, a two-bedroom home with a yard, a cat, the Multi-Handicapped Blind), and at Arroyo and lots of freedom and independence. Developmental Services and People’s Care. “I As it turns out, about the same time the two really enjoyed working in this field, but I was at couples needed to move from the facility, a point in my life where I wanted to try Mountain View Guest Home was close to something new. This is when I decided that I receiving final approval from Community Care would like to open a home, since it seemed like Licensing to open. Ken Abbott, Lanterman a natural progression of what I had been Adam Sroujieh hangs out with Shana, his companion dog resource developer, recalls: “Everything came doing,” notes Rebollo. from Canine Companions for Independence. together at the same time. I had just finished a After two and one-half years of preparation follow-up visit to Mountain View Guest Home, Over two years are invested in raising and and hard work, Rebollo opened Mountain when discussions turned back to which clients View Guest Home. Rebollo completed training a CCI dog, before the dog is ready for still needed an option to move from the large the Team Training program. It all starts with facility. The accommodations of the home just Continued on page 4 the puppies that CCI breeds from its seemed like a good fit pedigreed breeding stock that reside in the for these homes of volunteers. Breeding dogs are individuals.This whole carefully selected for their health, opportunity was too temperament and intelligence. After eight much of a coincidence weeks, the puppies are placed with volunteer not to have been puppy raisers who tend to their food and meant to be, for veterinary needs, take them to puppy training everyone.” classes and expose them to public places. At one year of age, the dogs are returned to CCI Stump, Crippin, Hanks for six to nine months of advanced training. and Binkier are all Linda Valliant of CCI adds, “Only 50 percent friends, and when the of dogs graduate from advanced training, but idea of living together those that do are really solid ‘bomb proof’ in a small home was dogs. They are exposed to all kinds of presented to them, situations, including traffic, planes, boats, they were a little elevators and lots of kids. We want the dog to hesitant at first, but help, not limit independence.” agreed to go and see the house. They fell in Shana, who is a Labrador/Golden Retriever love with it. “Their mix, received extra help from the trainers, families let them make ultimately graduating from the Advanced the choice of whether Training Program to become a Skilled they wanted to live in a Companion. A Skilled Companion team home versus a facility, includes a person with a physical, and were very developmental or emotional/cognitive supportive of the (left to right) Cindy Pollie Hanks, David Binkier, Denise Stump, and Douglas “Troy” Crippin on the front porch at their new home, Mountain View Guest Home. They recently moved here Continued on page 9 from a large residential facility. INSIDE: COMMUNITY MEETINGS page 5 | PERSPECTIVES CENTERFOLD page 10 | FIRST COMMUNION/ABEL CASTILLO page 15 | INTERNET RESOURCES page 17 2 Best Buddies Fosters Friendships and Finds Employment for People with Developmental Disabilities alph Bingener and Paul Hanon are them. They received a standing buddies in the truest sense of the word. ovation from the over 500 guests in RThey are companions and they most attendance. “We are both so certainly are friends. Bingener and Hanon different, yet that makes it so were first introduced in August 2000 through great…we just really enjoy our time the Best Buddies Citizens program. They together and have fun. So for me share a love for the fine arts and a passion for it’s kind of hard to pinpoint my travel. “We have seen so many art galleries favorite memory with Ralph. We Participants in the Best Buddies Citizens program in Los and museums in and around Los Angeles both get so much from each other, and it’s Angeles take a break from bowling, which was one of the County,” comments Ralph. “It has been quite great just to spend time with him,” shares recent monthly activities organized by Best Buddies. exciting to be a part of this, and it’s hard for Hanon. They both hope to see many more me to find the words to share the adventures people matched through Best Buddies Citizens. that lead to social isolation by establishing of friendship I have through a best buddy.” friendships between people with and without Best Buddies was started by Anthony K. Shriver, developmental disabilities.” Recently, Bingener and Hanon spoke at the who recognized the tremendous volunteer Best Buddies Twelfth Annual Los Angeles Gala potential of college students while he was in Best Buddies has six distinct programs about their friendship and how it’s changed school, and inspired his peers to participate in including Middle Schools, High Schools, a project that would enhance the opportunities Colleges, Citizens, Jobs and e-Buddies. “The available to people with developmental program that Ralph and Paul are part of, Best disabilities. Established in 1989, Best Buddies Buddies Citizens, pairs people with has grown into a leading not-for-profit developmental disabilities in one-to-one organization that coordinates approximately friendships with other individuals in the 50,000 volunteers and impacts the lives of over corporate and civic communities,” explains 250,000 individuals with developmental Hazama. The Citizens program is for people 18 disabilities. Best Buddies operates in all 50 years and older, and people are matched based states in the U.S. and in many other countries on similar interests, geographic location, throughout the world. schedules and gender. “Typically, participants go on two outings per month, speak on the “Our mission is to enhance the lives of people phone weekly and attend an organized Best with intellectual disabilities by providing Buddies event monthly. We encourage each opportunities for one-to-one friendships and participant to pay their own way and remind Ralph Bingener, client support assistant at Lanterman integrated employment,” shares Kerri people to take advantage of all of the free and (left) and his buddy, Paul Hanon, hiked in the Santa Hazama, who works with the Best Buddies low-cost events available in the Los Angeles Monica Mountains this past May as part of the Best Citizens program in Los Angeles. “One of our area, so money should never be a factor in Buddies Citizens program’s monthly events. primary goals is to break down the stereotypes joining Best Buddies,” adds Hazama. Best Buddies Jobs opens another avenue to inclusion by assisting individuals with developmental disabilities to locate and Three Simple Digits – 711 – Make maintain jobs of their own choosing, such as working at a law firm, luxury hotel or retail Telecommunication Accessible store, by providing ongoing support and training.