Citizens Residential Council Hosts First Meeting of the Year
Men and women who reside in Individualized Residential Alternatives (IRAs) across Nassau and Suffolk gathered at the Plainview office on Jan. 15 for the first Citizens Options Unlimited Residential Council meeting of the year.
Council members discussed issues that affect their daily lives, as well as upcoming events to connect and become a stronger advocate.
“You get to learn about a lot,” said Devon Rivera, the Vice President of the Council. “I learn about my rights, trainings, learning how to listen when people are speaking. People make speeches. You can learn about everything.”
Last year marked a milestone for the council, with attendance growing to include representatives from nearly every IRA in the agency. Tessa Guillaume-Lewis, Assistant Director and Council Representative, encouraged attendees to continue going to meetings in person or over Zoom. During the meeting, attendees voted to hold the next council election in September, giving those seeking a position eight months to campaign.
“This is your council, and you want to make it the best,” Tessa said.
To kick off the year, attendees shared their personal goals, including spending more time with friends and trying new activities like painting and dancing.
Steven Barsh, Secretary of the council, led a presentation on safe driving. Since May of last year, Steven, who also works as a Quality Assurance Advocate for the agency, has supported a campaign for safe driving, asking staff to sign pledges committing to follow traffic laws. The topic sparked strong interest, with questions about traffic laws around speeding, texting and driving, and traffic signals.
Devon then led a presentation on past and upcoming events. The next event will be a paint-and-sip party with mocktails in February, just in time to create a gift from the heart for family, friends, or even that special someone. To close out the meeting, Tessa led a presentation on decision-making, reminding everyone they have the right to say no to activities they don’t want to participate in. Tessa also explained how choices have consequences. For example, if housemates and staff go out to dinner, and someone chooses not to go, they may not be able to join later once the group has already arrived.
“This is to educate the people we support on some of their rights and the things that are available to them,” Tessa said. “It’s a good time for the people we support to meet people from different houses, make friends, socialize, and hang out.”
To learn more about the Citizens Residential Council, email Tessa at tguillaume@citizens-inc.org