What Do People Want?
People and their family members want to have an everyday life that is typical of the general population. They also want to be responsible for their decisions and actions. Because of this, our office implements the following principles:

• Choice - Choice in all aspects of life, including who provides support, where they live and work, leisure activities, vacations, having support provided at home.
• Control - Control over their life, including relationships, budgets, how money is spent, medical issues, and the supports / services they receive.
• Quality - Quality of life, supports, and services to enable them to have the life they want.
• Stability - Feeling secure that all changes in their lives are made only with their input and permission.
• Safety - This includes being safe at home, work, school, in their neighborhood. People want services that ensure individual health and safety without being overprotective or restricting.
• Individuality - This includes being known for their individuality and being called by their own name. It also means being respected by having privacy of their mail, files, history, and being able to choose alone at times.
• Relationships - These relationships include those with family, partners, neighbors, support staff, friends, and community people such as pharmacists, barbers, and grocers.
• Freedom - This is freedom to have the life they want and to negotiate risk. People want freedom from labels and to have the same rights and choices as all citizens.
• Success - This means freedom from poverty and having a chance to be successful in the life they choose. This includes living independently with sufficient support and having opportunities for employment.
• Contributing to the community - This includes being full citizens, voting, working for pay or volunteering, participating in leisure activities, belonging to a religious community, owning or renting one's own home, and living among friends and family and not being segregated.
• Accountability - Government, agencies, and support people will do what they are supposed to do. This includes providing supports and making sure that they don't lose supports that they already have.
• Mentoring - Individuals and families are trained as mentors to help other people and families by providing information and working with them until they can do things on their own.
• Collaboration - Collaboration between the Office of Intellectual Disabilities and other offices within the Department of Public Welfare, and between the Department of Public Welfare and other state departments. This helps implement one plan to be shared by all that are involved with them.