San Francisco IHSS Public Authority Peer Mentoring Program

San Francisco IHSS Public Authority
Consumer Peer Mentor Program
• Started in October 2008.
• Text: “The Public Authority is pleased to announce the launch of the new Consumer Peer Mentor Support Program. We believe that people with disabilities who are managing successfully with their disability can be called upon to share their experience with other individuals who have disabilities. Our peer mentors will inspire hope for independence and will actively assist those who have disabilities.”
• Actually, we have learned a lot since our start in October 2008. One of the things that we realized after operating for over a year is that the word “peer” in this definition simply means someone who is similar to you—be it in age, gender, race, education or especially disability.
• Mentoring simply means serving as a trusted counselor or teacher. Peer mentors then are individuals with disabilities who have faced some of the experiences and challenges that a mentee may face in the future.
• Peer mentors have learned from their own experiences. Our peer mentors are knowledgeable about resources as regards independent living, because most of them have made the transition to an independent lifestyle themselves.
• Peer mentors will help set reasonable goals and provide emotional support, because quite frankly, they’ve been there themselves.
• Simply put, peer mentors can show mentees how to do things. For example, I have a mentor who recently assisted a mentee in transferring; he showed him how to safely transfer from his bed to his wheelchair for the first time.
• Some of our other mentors have taught mentees how to get on and off MUNI bus lifts, taken their mentees shopping at Safeway, shown them how to get a Paratransit ID, and how to ride a ramp taxi safely.
• Let’s remember again that peer mentors are people with disabilities who are managing successfully and can be called upon to share their experiences with other individuals who have disabilities. Peer mentors will inspire hope for independence and will actively assist those mentees who live in institutions—like Laguna Honda Hospital or St. Mary’s Rehabilitation Unit or Valley Medical or any institution in the City and County of San Francisco—to realize the dream of living independently.
• To be a peer mentor for the San Francisco IHSS Public Authority, one must have (a) a disability, (b) been living independently successfully for at least 3 to 5 years, (c) or have made a successful transition to an independent living lifestyle on their own.
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For more information contact Sergio Alunan (415-593-8112; salunan@sfihsspa.org)