Shifting the 'yes, buts' and how being known can keep you safe with John Armstrong and Jan Kruger

Get That Good Life! Conference Replay

Shifting the ‘yes, buts’ and how being known can keep you safe with John Armstrong and Jan Kruger

This session will draw from stories shared throughout the conference. John and Jan’s conversation will look at:

• how people with disability exceeded expectations when they had the opportunity
• how being known can keep people safe
• why being present is the first step to being known
• why you don’t need to speak to make connections and hold valued roles
• how support can act as a bridge to connection

Introduction

This session was introduced by Charlie Herbert.

Hi, I am Charlie. I am in year 11 and a member of the fire brigade. I am (here to tell you about) John Armstrong and Jan Kruger.

John lives in Melbourne. He is an SRV (Social Role Valorisation) trainer. He has helped (a lot of) people. John has been working in this field for more than 40 years. John is good at explaining things.

Jan is the heart of Imagine More. Jan has studied SRV (Social Role Valorisation) and uses this to guide her work. She has helped people (with disability) to have valued roles and inclusive lives.

Everybody, here’s John (and) Jan.

Meet John Armstrong

John Armstrong has worked with people and families of people with a disability for over 40 years. He has worked as a trainer and consultant across many settings with individuals, families and agencies throughout Australia and New Zealand.

John is one of only two Senior Trainers of SRV (Social Role Valorisation) in Australia. He has presented on the topic of SRV in many international forums. More recently, he has written two chapters of the recently-published book: Aging and the Good Things of Life: The Application of Social Role Valorization to Supporting people as They Age.

Contact details

• Website: https://johnarmstrong.media/

Meet Jan Kruger

Jan Kruger is the Executive Director of Imagine More. She has been a strong advocate for people to live valued and inclusive lives for many years.

In 2013, Jan co-founded Imagine More in the ACT to strengthen family leadership and advocacy for people with a disability. She advocates for people with disability to

• hold valued social roles
• develop meaningful relationships and
• live typical lives in their communities.

Jack, Jan’s son, has been her most valuable teacher. He’s helped her understand how to support people with disability to get the good things of life by following a typical life path. Jan’s ongoing study of Social Role Valorisation (SRV) taught her the importance of valued roles. She became aware that valued roles allow people to participate in and contribute to their community, and relationships can flourish. The SRV framework now guides Jan’s family and Imagine More. Jan has also invested in learning about customised employment. This knowledge was invaluable in preparing Jack for life after school.

Jan and her family continuously work towards building an ordinary, inclusive life for Jack. Over the years, the family have seen Jack flourish and become a valued member of his community.

Contact details

• Jan can be contacted at Imagine More

Resources mentioned in this presentation

• John and Jan reflect on Erosha’s story about her daughter Sethmi’s school journey. You can hear this presentation in Episode 17: Reflections on a Journey of School Inclusion
• Valued Roles in Schools - In this workshop, John Armstrong discusses the importance of valued roles in schools for students with disability.
• John and Jan reflect on Jack’s story of finding employment. You can hear this presentation in Episodes 21-23: Getting a Good Start in a Good Job
• Nurturing freely given relationships - You can hear about this in Janet Klees’s presentations Episodes 7-10: Building a Powerhouse Team: Families and Their Support and Episodes 12-14: Towards Mastering the Essentials of the Powerhouse Team
• John and Jan reflect on Jacob’s story shared by his mum Annette about becoming a valued team member and employee. You can hear this presentation in Episode 11: The Essential Worker
• Becoming More Competent - In this workshop with Imagine More, John Armstrong presents solid strategies based on the principles of Social Role Valorisation (SRV) to facilitate learning for people with impairments.
• John and Jan reflect on Tia’s story of following interests to build her roles and her own business. You can hear this presentation in Episode 19: From School to International Fashion Runways
• What It Takes to Craft a Valued Role - In this presentation from Imagine More’s 2018 National Inclusion Conference, John Armstrong talks about valued roles and what is needed to create them.
• John and Jan reflect on Katie’s story of finding a home of her own and being a valued neighbour. You can hear this presentation in Episode18: Preparing for when we fall off our perch
• Bringing the Community Along - In this workshop, John Armstrong explains how positive roles allow people with disability to participate and belong.