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CLIENT’S PERSPECTIVE: CORINNA’S STORY
Client Perspective: Corinna’s Story
Corinna is a self-proclaimed social butterfly who loves meeting friends for coffee dates, hosting girls’ night at her home and working on group craft projects. She’s known to greet everyone with a warm smile and a big hug.
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“Since all of my favorite activities include hanging out with other people, this pandemic has been hard,” said Corinna. “My friends and I continue to host zoom calls where we chat, but it’s just not the same. I can’t wait to have everyone in the same room where we can talk and laugh together for hours!”
Corinna and her husband recently celebrated 14 years of marriage. They are baseball season ticket holders and their favorite date night is a trip to the movies. The couple loves to travel and hopes to one day visit Hawaii for a tropical getaway.
When I congratulated Corinna on her many years of marriage, she chuckled and wisely said, “It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs over the years. But together, we’ve dealt with the good, the bad and everything in between. I’m lucky to have him as a partner. We’ve really helped each other through a lot.” When she’s not off having fun with her family and friends, Corinna works as a self-advocacy coordinator for The Arc of Snohomish County. She is also on the board of directors with People First, where she mentors advocates, provides guidance for shaping policies, hosts social events and works to educate others about people with disabilities. Corinna has served as a member of the selfadvocate community for more than 25 years.
Corinna understands the challenges of having a disability, as she has cerebral palsy. She and her husband live independently and receive part-time assistance from a caregiver. Over the past several years, she’s had to work with Adult Protective Services (APS) on a few different cases.
Working with Adult Protective Services
“I was really nervous the first time I was contacted by APS,” said Corinna. I didn’t know much about the organization and didn’t understand why they were at my house. It’s not something people really talk about until you need them.”
Her nerves settled after she met with the investigator and learned more about the process. Each time investigators came to visit, they treated her respectfully and seemed to really care about their job. She noted that each time APS visits, it’s a little bit unsettling, but she knows that they are there to help protect her rights and keep her safe in her own home.
“I appreciate the work of APS,” said Corinna. “It’s important to have people looking out for people with disabilities to make sure they are safe. In my experience, it seems like some investigators may not be familiar or comfortable working with people with disabilities. I think there are some great opportunities for us to learn from each other about how to best work together.
Corinna explained that additional information about tools used by people with disabilities may be important context for APS staff. She also noted the importance of using person-first language and asking questions if you’re not sure how someone would like to be addressed. “Communication is very important to me,” said Corinna. “I know that APS is only allowed to share certain information, but sometimes I feel lost in the process. It would be great if people could explain to me what the steps are and why they can’t share certain information with me. I also think it would be helpful to know when a case has closed just so I can close that chapter in my life.”
Moving forward, Corinna would like to continue sharing about her experiences with APS to help inform both APS employees and other people with disabilities to improve working relationships that best fit everyone’s needs. She believes there’s always room for improvement and the best way to learn is by talking with each other.
