New Episode of #BuildingBuchanan featuring Kelly Derks now available!

March 1 kicks off Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and for our latest episode of #BuildingBuchanan, we wanted to highlight the experience of individuals living with developmental disabilities in our area.

In this episode, Colette spoke with Kelly Derks, who is a resident here in Buchanan County. Colette and Kelly met through the WITH Grant that PCS participated in and she was struck by his perspective and positive attitude despite the barriers he has faced. Colette caught up with Kelly to find out what he has been up to and to talk about how he has built a life for himself, despite the challenges that, at times, make it incredibly frustrating..

Have a listen below or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform (links below)!

Podcast Links

• WITH Grant
  Partners: UMKC, Progressive Community Services, Mosaic Life Care, UCP, and Easterseals Midwest.
  As a brief background on this grant, we were one of four groups awarded the funding from the WITH Foundation and the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry. There were many strong proposals from all over the country, so it really speaks to the importance of this project and the honor it is for our proposal to have been accepted. The partnership of this group, and the key involvement of all stakeholders really sets us apart from the other proposals that were awarded. (You can read the press release here: https://withfoundation.org/informed-supported-decision-making-practices-on-healthcare-decisions-for-people-with-i-dd/)
  What is ADA: https://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm

• Publications about Universal Design https://projects.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/

• Check out a smart car for wheelchair users https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/AunpKt3KZNI?autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3&loop=1&modestbranding=1&playlist=AunpKt3KZNI

• Lego Ramps Video https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/RG2ukme95Yg?autoplay=1&iv_load_policy=3&loop=1&modestbranding=1&playlist=RG2ukme95Yg

• TRANSCRIPT: Building Buchanan Podcast Episode 09 (PDF)

About our Guest

Kelly Derks is a St. Joseph native who experiences a developmental disability. He is passionate about educating the whole community and making it a better place for everyone. He advocates for himself and others through a variety of ways. He was a co-facilitator and stakeholder during a year-long project in partnership with Progressive Community Services, Mosaic, UMKC and other local stakeholders to develop and facilitate training workshops for people with disabilities, their supporters, family members, staff and medical care teams during  medical visits along with planning for the a healthy future.