What about
Dads?
Joseph Anderson &
John Hoffman
Welcome
What about Dads is a conversation about two
fathers unique perspective on what inclusion has
meant for their families:
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Its Rewards,
Challenges
Hopes and
Expectations
In the early intervention system, home and
community.
What about Dads?
Plus an opportunity to talk about the
cultural aspects of recognizing the
importance of fathers and the roles that
they play within the family structure.
“The Quotable Dad”
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On Becoming a Father
If you ever become a father, I think the
strangest and strongest sensation of your life
will be hearing for the first time the thin cry of
your child. -LAFCADIO HEARN-
 A Hard
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Profession
Like any father, I have moments when I wonder
whether I belong to the children or they belong
to me. -Bob Hope
Insanity is hereditary; you can get it from your
children. -Sam Levenson-
Ground Rules
Normal is only a cycle on a
washing machine
Our Stories
The beginning
 Birth’s and Diagnosis
 Medical response to our families
(positive/negative)
 What was helpful or not.
 Expectations
 Obstacles
 Daddy’s transition: perception/stereotyping
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This is how I started my
journey into the world
Love my smile?
The Love of a Father
and child..
Partnership
Love My Smile?
Family Centered supports and
services
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All people need support and encouragement.
All families have hopes, dreams and wishes for their
children.
All people have different but equally important skills,
abilities and knowledge (strengths).
Families are resourceful, but all families do not have
equal access to resources.
Families should be assisted in ways that help them
maintain their dignity and hope.
Families should be equal partners in the
relationships with service providers.
Providers work for families
Lynda Cook Pletcher and Sue McBride 1998
Natural
Environment!
What about Natural Environments
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Natural Learning Opportunities
Participation in families everyday
activities, places and relationships
IFSP as an going FAMILY document
Integrated supports and services
Location
Activity
Opportunities
Adapted from Carol Trivette 1998
Location
Activity
Opportunity
What is the Natural Learning Opportunity?
What is inclusion to me?
Natural environment/Least Restrictive
environment
 Community Involvement
 Community is a network of different
people who come together on a regular
basis to do something in common.
 Concepts and Struggles
 Is reverse Mainstreaming the Best we can
do?
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Philosophy of Culture
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We must first understand our own culture, and the
values and beliefs we have about others we see as
different from ourselves.
All families and individuals are unique – influenced, but
not defined, by culture.
Families and professionals must work together to find
common ground in order to design services that meet
the needs of children and show respect for families.
Professional and parent partnerships are vital to
increasing cultural competencies.
Professionals have a responsibility for helping families to
understand/interpret programs and services so that they
can better advocate for their children.
Culture
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Culture refers to a system of values, beliefs,
attitudes, traditions and standards of behavior
that govern the organization of people into
social groups and regulate both group and
individual behavior. Culture is created by groups
of individuals to assure the survival and wellbeing of group members. Culture is learned and
is more complex than either ethnicity or race.
Institute for Human Services, Revised 2001
A model for Developing Cultural
Sensitivity
INTEGRATION
ADAPTATION
ACCEPTANCE
MINIMIZATION
DEFENSE
DENIAL
As a culturally competent individual, I
am capable of interacting positively
with people who do NOT
look like,
talk like,
think like,
believe like,
act like,
live like...
ME!!!
Source: Multnomah County Department of Health.
Developed by the NCCC, 2002
The Community of Man
“All men “women” are interdependent. Every nation is an
heir of a vast treasury of ideas and labor to which both the
living and the dead of all nations have contributed.
Whether we realize it or not, each of us lives eternally ‘in
the red.’ We are everlasting debtors to known and
unknown men and women. When we arise in the morning,
we go to the bathroom where we reach for a sponge which
is provided for us by a Pacific islander. We reach for soap
that is created for us by a European. Then at the table we
drank coffee which is provided for us by a South American,
or tea by a Chinese, or cocoa by a West African. Before we
leave for our jobs we are already beholden to more than
half of the world.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
For further information
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Joseph Anderson (765) 254-9985
anderson2280@comcast.net
www.CoordinatedCommunityServices.com
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John Hoffman (952) 838-1364
Jhoffman@pacer.org
www.pacer.org