Dreams

 

Blog 4 

Nov. 30 2021

Dreams

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration! This time of year, I always think about the things I am grateful for in my life.  I am thankful for my life, my family and friends and the people I work with in my jobs.  I am also thankful for all of you who are reading this blog and interested in finding your own voice and gifts.  

I am grateful that I learned to dream big early in my life and that  I found people who have helped me make some of my dreams come true.

In my presentations I always share this quote:

 If the only prayer I say in my life is “THANK YOU” that would be enough.  Meister Eckhart

 

In October I shared some information about Person Centered Planning.  I encouraged each person to think about celebrations in their life.  Maybe you made a Celebration poster of all your big and small accomplishments!  I hope it made you happy to think of all the amazing things you have done.

 

Another important step in your person-centered plan is to think about your DREAMS!  This is the fun part!    Think about all the dreams you have for your life.

Dreams force you to stretch yourself beyond your limits. Sometimes we forget to dream because we just go from day to day in our lives.  But dreams are very important!

 Pretend you have a magic wand and anything can happen.  It is so much fun. What do you want to do in your life, what kind of person do you want to be, where do you want to live, what does your future look like and what do you dream about for today and next year?  Write your thoughts down on a big piece of paper.  Share your thoughts with your family and/or friends and ask them to join you in brainstorming ideas about their dreams for you.

Dream BIG!  Dream BOLD!

Be optimistic and don’t set limits.   

 

 One person said:  “to deny dreams, is to disable the human spirit.”

 

For example: one person dreamed of being a doctor. When we asked him what he would like about being a doctor, he said that he wants to work with people and help them.  He wants to take care of people and help them get better.  Once he talked about all the thing that were connected to being a doctor, he discovered a lot of possibilities in his future.

   

 

Dreaming is an important part of a person-centered plan. You can share your dreams and ask others to help you make some of your dreams come true.  Others can help you create a plan to help you achieve your goals.

 

You can share your dreams with your team in your IEP meeting presentations, share it with family and friends, and at job interviews.  Our dreams are golden.  And this is an opportunity to write all your dreams down so you won’t forget.

 

I hope this is helpful for you and dream big and bold! 

Dwell in the possibilities!!

 

Bridget

 Blog Family Matters #3     Oct 30 2021

Bridget Brown

 

In my last Blog I said that the most important thing each person can do is celebrate the magnificent person you are and your gifts and strengths.

Another very important thing that helped me be successful in my life is doing a person-centered plan every year of my life.

You might be wondering ~ what is person-centered planning?  It is a tool that helps us to plan and design our lives around an individual person and not a “system”.  I describe it as a THINKING MAP.  Basically, it helps you think about the important things in your life and what matters to you. It helps you dream about possibilities and gives you ways to get there. The best way to do a plan is to have a group of important people in your life meet with you to help you think about your future.  It is wonderful to have a facilitator and a graphic recorder who will write down or draw all your ideas and thoughts. This is not always possible so you can make your own booklet if that is the best way to get started.  Ask some people to help you if you can.

Person-centered planning for me has been very helpful in my life. We did this process every year starting when I was 4 years old.  It helped me be included in school and my community. It helped me make plans based my dreams and not on my fears. It also made me realize that my disability doesn’t define me.

A person-centered plan makes you think about your personal mission statement. You discuss and record your gifts and strengths, your dreams, nightmares, your future plans, and how you’re going to reach your goals.   I love it because it is so positive and not negative.  It helps me to identify my abilities and not focus on my disability. I learned how important dreams are because they force you to stretch yourself beyond your limits.

I will talk more about person center planning in future blogs, but for now, you might want to start doing your own person-centered plan.  Start by making a celebration poster. You can use words or pictures to describe what things you have accomplished and the things you are proud of in your life.   This is a way to start your person-centered plan. I like it because you celebrate all your big and small accomplishments.   You can ask other people in your life to help you think about celebrations. This is really fun to do and I encourage you to be creative by using words, pictures, drawings, and/or photos. Thinking about celebrations helps your mind be positive.  It is a creative process and you can do anything you want that makes you happy.

I hope you give this a try.  You will feel proud of yourself and feel hopeful about your future.

Bridget 

 

BLOG SEPT 29 2021

Bridget Brown

 

One of the most important things I have learned in my life is to celebrate the person you are and your gifts and strengths.

Basically, each of us is magnificent! 

I love the word Magnificent because it means: impressively beautiful, elaborate, extravagant; splendid, spectacular, wonderful, Marvelous and excellent.

 

When you are born with a disability sometimes you don’t think you are magnificent because people focus on your disability and they don’t dwell in the possibilities. They see the disability and not our abilities.

 

When I was born, the world identified me only as a girl with a disability called Down Syndrome and not as a unique person with gifts to share with others

Right away they said that I had a disability so …

·         I needed therapy

·         I needed help

·         I needed an IEP

·         I had limited potential

·         I would not be able to do the same things other kids can do so I needed to learn in a special class & maybe in a different and “special” school.

But my family looked beyond my disability label. They saw my potential and dreamed of possibilities!

THEY SAID:

·         She needs some extra help & it might take a while, but she will fly with full wings.

·         She is magnificent just the way she is.   

·         Her disability doesn’t define who she is, so let’s celebrate her gifts.

·         They realized that we never segregate people we value & they believed that I was a person of value. If I was segregated the world would see me as a person who had no gifts to share with others.

·         They recognized my sacred dignity and protected that dignity.

·         They advocated to included me with all the other kids my age because all they wanted was for me was to be a valued human being in my neighborhood and community.

·         THEY DWELLED In the Possibilities!

SO, if you are a person with a disability, you make sure that you wake up every morning and say to yourself “I AM MAGNIFICENT”.   Remember every day to believe in yourself and be positive and hopeful!

It is easy for people to see your disability first and not your abilities.  You are a person of value with gifts to share with the world.  I think this is the most important thing we can do. 

Continue to share your gifts with the world!

BRIDGET BROWN

Butterfly

 Being born with Down Syndrome has never stopped me from reaching my dreams and goals in life.  Down Syndrome is a disability that impacts every part of my life and creates both challenges and opportunities.   It is not easy to have a disability, because I have to work hard to succeed and sometimes people can put limits on my potential. However, I have learned so much on my journey and my life is filled with many blessings.

 

I was one of the first students fully included in my school district and community. Inclusion means that I was a full member of the general education classroom with my peers and I learned everything that other kids my age learned. I participated in any of the activities I was interested in and felt like a full participant.  Inclusion changed my life and opened doors for me that were previously closed for people with disabilities. People opened their doors, minds, and hearts to include me and I am grateful. 

 

Now, I live a full life in my community. I have a few jobs, I am involved in clubs, I volunteer and I am a board member for a few organizations.  Butterflies for Change is my own organization. I do public speaking and inclusion training around the country. I encourage people to think about inclusion of people with disabilities in a new way and give everyone a chance to fully participate in their school and community.

 

  I have learned a lot of amazing things on my journey and I want to share them with others who are designing their own lives.

 

In this blog I will share lots of success strategies that might be helpful for others. My strategies are things I did in my own life that helped me. I will also share many ideas about inclusion, person-centered
planning to design your own life, finding your voice, and learning to fly with full wings. I hope I can contribute and inspire people to dwell in the possibilities.

 

I am passionate about helping people with disabilities find their own voice and live full and exciting lives. I believe people with disabilities can be strong self-advocates and also, they can contribute in many ways in their community and be leaders. 

Bridget Brown 8/28/21 

Self Advocacy Rocks!!! Monthly Blog Post With Bridget Brown

 The importance of self-advocacy is to have the:

● Ability to make decisions that affect your life

●The Knowledge to use effective communication skills to get what you need

● Ability to access available supports when needed

Each month Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center will host a Blog post written by Bridget Brown. Bridget Brown is a young woman with Down syndrome who captures the attention of everyone with her vitality and confidence.  Bridget travels the country as an inspirational, public speaker. She speaks to audiences of students, teachers, parents, and administrators. In her keynote presentation, “Dwell in the Possibilities,” Bridget shares her incredible journey as the first person with a disability included in general education classes in her school district. She also speaks on a variety of topics that focus on living full and exceptional lives. Bridget founded an advocacy organization that is dedicated to helping people with disabilities find their voices so they can share their hopes and dreams with others.  

You can read more about Bridget by clicking here http://graytalentgroup.com/talent/bridget-brown/