The philosophy driving our program is the belief that building skills affords individuals the opportunity to gain control and make choices in their lives. Our goal is to assist program participants to develop the skills that will best allow them to become fully contributing members of their communities.
Principle of Normalization
Normalization states that we should make available to all people who have disabilities an environment and sets of choices that are as close as possible to the environment and sets of choices available to their peers who do not have disabilities. The emphasis is on normalizing the environment, not the person
At CIWP, we use the Principle of Normalization each day to guide our curriculum and schedules. All skills training and activities are done in as natural an environment as possible and utilizing as many natural supports as possible.
Dignity of Risk
“The world in which we live is not always safe, secure and predictable... Every day that we wake up and live in the hours of that day, there is a possibility of being thrown up against a situation where we may have to risk everything, even our lives. This is the way the real world is. We must work to develop every human resource within us in order to prepare for these days. To deny any person their fair share of risk experiences is to further cripple them for healthy living.”
- Robert Perske
Dignity of risk is the principle that we all deserve the right to take risks as part of life and should be encouraged to embrace success and to learn from mistakes. This includes working together to minimize any risks that participants might experience by helping them develop the skills necessary to safely participate in the activities that are important to them.