Who We Are

 The Personal Support Networks Project, aka “101 Friends,” is hosted by Spectrum Society.   This blog is published as an e-newsletter each month, subscribe at www.spectrumsociety.org   It’s our intention to create a provincial forum for a continued discussion of how people with disabilities engage in recipricol relationships, and how we can expand and deepen the possibilities of those relationships.   We also hope to let people know about upcoming training events, our own and those of other workshop leaders, that have to do with this topic and focus on self-governance and authentic person-centredness.  

We are always happy to get submissions to the newsletter and love to get your stories of successful relationships.    Please send them to psn@spectrumsociety.org 

Susan Stanfield with Ben and Michael

Susan Stanfield, Director, Communications and Quality Assurance, Spectrum Society for Community Living,  has worked in community living for nearly 30 years. She coordinated recreation programs and volunteer services for the Autism Society of B.C. while attending university, and worked for a number of local community agencies prior to co-founding Spectrum Society in 1987. As a Co-Director of Spectrum, Susan oversees the information management and infrastructure that supports Spectrum’s services to individuals and families in the greater Vancouver area. She lives in Burnaby with her two sons.

 

Aaron Johannes, Director, Research, Training and Development, Spectrum Society, is the proud nephew, cousin and uncle to people with disabilities. He and his partner are long-term foster-parents to teens with significant disabilities and also have a son.   Among other roles he has been gratified to learn from, he has been a Provincial Advisor for British Columbia People First off and on for 10 years, a facilitator with Vela Microboard Association and a free-lance writer. He is currently working on a Master’s in Community Development and Adult Education, focused on developing methods to support self-governance and leadership for people with disabilities.   He is the co-author of 101 Ways To Make Friends: ideas and conversation starters for people with disabilities and their supporters, a popular workshop facilitator and editor of the monthly e-newsletter and blog “101 Friends”        

Jule Andre-Brown

Chad Clippingdale

Judy Wong

James Reynolds

Ernie Baatz 

 

Carlos Joe Costa

The original project team and some friends 🙂

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Aaron, laying down, Gary, Amanda and Zev