Please Don't Waste My Time

Its nine A.M Monday anytime of the year. The program particpants have just arrived at day a program anywhere in the USA and the first thing on the schedule that is typically ignored most of the time, is BREAK. Break from what? A long weekend,the rigourous arrival, the job that most of the people coming to the program don't have. A break from the lack of imagination and respect we don't have for the people who we are here to serve? Hell I don't know, yet it is more common than not that the people we serve have a significant amount of their time wasted in meaningless activity or the waiting game. Waiting for something really cool to happen that usually doesn't arrive. The obligatory craft project,the current events that aren't so current and certainly not an even in the minds of those we serve.

I visited a sheltered workshop many years ago that hosted about 200 people a day. I walked in with my collegue and we observed about fifty people with alleged disabilities reading magazines, well so much for work. But it got worse when the the staff person at the front of the large cold univiting room said, " OK everyone take a break ", we all know how exhausting reading magazines can be and we need coffee to fuel the energy needed to complete the task.

I apoplogize for my easily detectable cynicism. I think we have created a service system that with some great exceptions, wastes those we serve's time way too often. We ask people to wait for things that often don't happen or as a means of control over their day to day lives and a lock on our own creativity. Money is not always the reason that this happens, though we often use it as an excuse to justify time wasting in our programs that are not hitting the note. If I was one of the people allegedly receiving "quality services", I'd be pissed.

We need to rise up to the occasion and in spite of a challenging climate do exeptional work and deliver engaging services that are respectful of the time those we serve have. Create new models. We can do better and we have no reason not to, as this is why we are here,to serve.

Serve well and throw out the magazines,crayons and puzzles, it's a start.

JBG