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Q&A: Union Bridge resident JK Ferrell is Arc Baltimore award winner for career excellence

Carroll County Times - 9/1/2020

Aug. 31--JK Ferrell, of Union Bridge, recently received a career of excellence award from The Arc Baltimore, where he has worked since 1984. The Arc Baltimore supports people with developmental disabilities to lead fulfilling lives with a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaningful relationships.

Ferrell started there as a psychologist, then as chief program and staff development (1991), director of training (around 2000), and his current role as director of safety, rick management and emergency readiness (started in 2007). Ferrell was a master trainer for several decades for one of the trainings mandated by the Developmental Disabilities Administration for agencies such as The Arc, and a member of the Statewide Behavioral Supports Committee overseeing that training.

The Times recently caught up with Ferrell to talk about his career, The Arc Baltimore's challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, and what it was like to be part of an international convention.

Q: What is the primary objective for The Arc Baltimore?

A: From our website: The Arc Baltimore supports people with developmental disabilities to lead fulfilling lives with a sense of belonging, purpose, and meaningful relationships. Our vision reads: A world where all people are valued, their voices are heard, and their impact is felt. We also have underlying values of unity, innovation, excellence, and integrity. Bottom line is that we provide support to folks with intellectual/developmental disabilities so that they can live a life of their choice with as much natural support as possible. We focus on employment, providing opportunities and support for people to develop positive, supportive natural relationships, community involvement, and safe neighborhood-based living.

Q: What's the most rewarding part of working at The Arc?

A: A lot of my job is training staff, especially new staff, on the safety aspects of the job. A lot of focus is on safe driving (not easy to do in the region), but also on emergency readiness, especially in their personal life. So, having folks express appreciation for the new "real life" knowledge or skill is a good boost. Also, we have had and still have a lot of very good, very dedicated, very professional people working for us and leading us. It's good to be a part of such a team!

The Arc Baltimore (then known as BARC) opened Maryland's first community group home in the early '70s. When I started the blood drives in 1995, we didn't hesitate to ask people we supported if they wanted to participate as blood donors. Many said "yes," but the Red Cross said "no." We said "why not?" They tried a few lame excuses, but soon agreed there was nothing prohibiting them from being donors except what would prohibit anybody else from donating. So, we were probably the first group in the state, if not the nation, to support people with I/DD to be successful blood donors.

Q: How much has the job changed over the last four decades?

A: Good grief. First, my job was created in 2007 as a response to our expansion, more regulations, greater insurance and liability expenses, changes in the field and in society, and the need to not only create but centralize the safety, risk management, and emergency readiness functions. Since I had already initiated a bunch of safety-related trainings over the years (such trainings weren't required by the state DDA, but I convinced our leadership that we needed them), the leadership essentially transferred me from director of training to director of safety ? "You're doing it anyway, you might as well have the title."

I said, "What's a director of safety do?" They said, "We don't know either, but we trust you'll figure it out." My particular job hasn't changed that much since then, except that some of the training functions have become more remote/self-study learning.

Q: What was it like being part of an international convention when you did so in 2007?

A: It was in Hawaii, so that was terrific in itself. Otherwise, it was interesting to meet folks from many "Pacific Rim" countries, trying to accomplish the same thing we were doing in Maryland, that is, supporting/serving people with disabilities, but with their own cultural flavors. My topic was "Teaching Emergency Readiness to People with Disabilities." I admit feeling a bit sheepish about delivering that topic in a state that experiences earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tropical storms on a regular basis, while I came from Maryland where the threat of snow sends people into a panic ... but it was well received, so that was good. The most interesting person I met was Kim Peek, the guy on which the movie "Rain Man" was based.

Q: What have been the work challenges during the coronavirus pandemic?

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A: Three big things. One, since day programs and most employment programs were closed or downsized, trying to create activities or work tasks for those staff and supported workers; and trying to replace the funding lost as a result of those closures. Unfortunately, many staff were furloughed or laid off.

Two, trying to keep people in the homes safe and adequately supplied with food, meds, and other necessities (and other distracting, fun activities) while limiting their need to leave the homes. Unfortunately, some still got sick, so then we had to focus on safety and health in quarantine/isolation situations.

Three, trying to get people (mostly employees) to wear masks and socially distance and take this pandemic seriously! The vast majority cooperate, some don't, and it takes only one.

Q: How do you see The Arc Baltimore's role in the community changing in the future?

A: We'll continue encouraging, supporting, and assisting people with I/DD to live and work in the community along with everyone else. We may become less building/office-based as more work is done at an individual level. Technology will change some aspects of our work as independent-living and employment-assistance virtual tools and apps become more available and affordable. We'll continue advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels.

To be honest, in my opinion, a lot rides on this upcoming election. The election will determine if we have folks in office who believe in and support the constitutional rights, humanity, and dignity of everyone, and provide funding to support such efforts, or not. If it's the latter, then the work will be harder. There are some out there who believe we should go back to the days of institutions and I can see where some potentially elected officials would support and encourage that. Not many, but some. A scary thought, but I think we'll overcome that backsliding. However, it will take a community effort, not just the work of agencies like The Arc Baltimore.

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