Promoting community at Park Lawn during the pandemic
Redefining Community
By Jennifer Kierscht and Kelly Ewing:
Community. Before the pandemic, that was the trend and focus of providers of disability services. As employees at Park Lawn, an agency providing services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, we have had to rapidly redefine our strategy for promoting community.
We have had to answer many questions: How do you promote community immersion from your home when no one can leave their home? How can we continue to be a community and offer the experience of being part of community while away from each other and our physical community? How do you continue to stay connected, engaged, and have fun during a pandemic? By using technology that is new to us, we have been given the gift of virtually experiencing our participants’ laughter and joy. We have seen that the human connection that is essential to community can occur using technology, through a window, or as we witness our coworkers providing selfless service to others. Although we have had to redefine and embrace a new concept of community, we have witnessed that community can continue to exist, endure, and thrive through it all.