While I am not quite sure what ‘normal’ looks like these days, it sure seems like much of life is returning to what I knew it to be prior to March 2020. At Service Alternatives, it feels a little bit like puzzle pieces falling into place. Many of the pivots we took starting in 2020 will remain with us long term so the ultimate design of our SA puzzle will be a bit different. Yet, the core of SA (our mission, vision, and values) remains intact and provides the frame for the outer edges of our SA puzzle. Interesting times indeed.  

One part of our puzzle has been figuring out what we need to get back in person for and what works as well or better virtually. We seem to be finding our way with this!  

For one, more and more trainings are returning to physical classrooms. Vener, our Training Administrator, shared, “On March 3rd, I taught a RIGHT RESPONSE Primer to the Department of Enterprise Workforce Development Team. It was my first in-person class outside of Service Alternatives since we closed down during the pandemic. I had the pleasure of meeting the DES Workforce Development Team and was able to adapt our RIGHT RESPONSE de-escalation training to their needs. The DES WFD Team does trainings as well and they were learning how to de-escalate unruly class participants – how fitting as we not only teach de-escalation but also manage classrooms on a daily basis. I also wanted to share the beautiful training room that I had the privilege of using for the day. Overall, it was a great training…I received a round of applause at the end of the class.” Congratulations, Vener, on such a job well done!  

I am very excited to share that our Advocate Advisory Council met in person on Monday for the first time since Fall 2019. Wow, what a long time! For anyone who doesn’t know, our Advocate Advisory Council is a group of adult clients we serve who consult with us on a variety of topics related to the services we provide to adults with intellectual disabilities. This is an amazing group of people who are so dedicated and did a beautiful job of meeting via Zoom for the last several years. And yet, this is one thing our committee has been discussing consistently-how can we get back in person? Well, it finally happened! The group met in Lynnwood to explore the questions of:  

• How do you feel when meeting new staff?  
• What is important to you when meeting new staff?  
• How are staff supporting you in making unpaid relationships?  

The council also had an opportunity to honor their memories of Jeremy, an AAC member who recently passed away.  

Each person, family, and organization has the opportunity to define what ‘normal’ means these days. Have you considered this question yet? If not, I encourage you to do so. It can be a great grounding exercise!