Community

Description of the video:

Hi everybody, my name is Adria Nassim. I live in Bloomington, Indiana. I receive services in the community for direct support. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, as well as a severe learning disability and an autism-spectrum disorder in childhood and mid-adolescence. I need services to help me be able to live independently. Just to give you an example of that: I was on a phone call yesterday evening with a friend of mine, Rachael, who actually is a college student here at Indiana University Bloomington. She said, "Adria, what did you eat tonight for dinner?" And I said, "Rachael, I ate some steamed broccoli in the microwave and a frozen meal." And I told her I eat things like that right now because I actually don't have anybody supporting me, and when I'm alone I typically do eat things that are made in the microwave because it is a safety hazard for me to be using an oven or a stove independently without supervision." So it takes someone doing cooking and making food on the stove with me with direct supervision. And life skills and independent living skills—things like cooking dinner, folding laundry, paying bills—require assistance for me to be able to live independently. And I guarantee you my parents don't want me living in their basement. As much as I love them, they have done their darnedest to see that I have the skills needed to live away from them and live a productive and meaningful life. And that is why I need direct support from college students like Rachael and other girls that I have in my life to support me. And that's why it's so vital that we make sure that these providers are paid adequately and are able to get to their clients during this crisis. So thank you so much for paying attention and giving me your time. I really appreciate it. And let's make sure that these clients have the services they need. Thank you so much.