tva il

Review of Pearl Buck Center

Supported Living Provider program is a sham. Admin...

Supported Living Provider program is a sham. Administration and management a joke. No training for the people that will be working with the disabled. Essentially people with no experience or exposure to developmental disabilities are hired off the street and placed in positions where they are expected to provide guidance and support. Impossible if the employees have no clue what Autism or ADHD is all about, let alone no training, SOPs or personal experience to help them provide structure, protection or advocacy. This agency is a nonprofit that employs 50 to 200 people, over all, and has a budget of $1 to $5 million, of which NO ONE is apparently qualified to manage. Perhaps the daycare and work training facilities are better staffed with qualified personnel. But if you need help from a caregiver-type perspective, look elsewhere. Even for those who are higher functioning, let alone those with severe disabilities and impairments, without the shield of a family or support mechanism, you will be at the mercy of an ignorant unwilling and ambivilent administration. Less than half of the individual SLPs I met are eager to help, though all were versed in politeness, especially those fake smiles. But, without the merest understanding of the scope of need and how to apply oneself to those needs, their positions end up as nothing more than a glorified taxi service. The lack of training also places a heavy burden and pressure on the disabled. A great deal of exertion is required to be in such close proximity to uninformed norms, especially ones that don't care to become informed. For when the disabled are with a staff member who is supposedly there to help them, intervene and/or provide emotional support when and where necessary, that advocacy and protection isn't there. Not wholly the fault of the SLP. How can they know what to do if they haven't been trained. They don't even know what questions they should be asking to be prepared to do this job. No. This ineptitude rests solely in the administration and management. Please. If you need help and can manage it, look to one of the other agencies. Though to be fair, none of them are really worth their salt. However, if at all possible, get a private individual caregiver if you have extensive needs or, god forbid, severe disabling or life impairing impediments. These people might need individualized training, but they could be worth the investment that requires. Avoid PB's Supported Living nightmare at all costs. Unless of course one of your pathologies is risk taking and gambling. Good Luck to those grappling with these tormenting disabilities. There isn't any enforcement of ADA regulations, and no advocacy or protections. Which may be the biggest reason WHY agencies like this get away with the scam.