| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 |
| Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |
| Appendices | Worksheets | Alt. Formats |
The Living Well with a Disability workbook has ten chapters and an introductory orientation session. The following is a brief overview of each:
The Healthier You Are, the More You Are Able to Do
The orientation session introduces the program’s philosophy and components. Living Well is based on Independent Living philosophy and incorporates the core services (advocacy, peer support, information and referral, and skills training) to empower people to take control of their most important possession — their health. It offers a glimpse of the workshop’s content and structure as an overview of how healthy lifestyle habits relate to quality of life and satisfaction. The orientation session may also function as a separate recruitment tool to determine whether potential participants are ready for and committed to the workshop. The orientation session familiarizes consumers with how "Living Well with a Disability" empowers people to develop healthy living habits to meet meaningful life goals.
Goal Setting: Setting Goals to Live Well
This chapter focuses on setting goals that improve quality of life. It explains how working toward quality of life goals can be very meaningful and motivating. When our daily lives are fulfilling, we are more satisfied with life. The goal setting chapter provides guidelines to help participants identify what is important in their lives, choose a achievable goals that support their life values, and then write specific goal statements.
Solving Problems: Navigating Problems on the Bumpy Road to Success
Chapter 2 provides the steps needed to reach the goal identified and selected in Chapter 1. Steps include using peer support to think positively about problems, planning a path to reach the goal, identifying potential problems or barriers, identifying possible solutions to problems, tracking the problem solving steps needed to work toward the goal, and scheduling time to work on the goal.
Healthy Reactions: Healthy Reactions to Frustrating Detours
Chapter 3 focuses on how participants can react to frustration by changing their thoughts, feelings, and actions when problems or barriers arise on the goal pathway. It discusses the various types of permanent or temporary detours they may encounter and how to react in a positive way that helps them stay motivated and on track. Healthy reactions help people reach their goals by approaching situations in the best way to produce the best outcomes.
Beating the Blues: Reducing Discouraging Thoughts
Chapter 4 enlarges on Chapter 3’s message that changing the way a person thinks helps him or her respond more positively to problems or detours. This chapter acknowledges that no one can eliminate all feelings of frustration, so it is important to guard against becoming discouraged. Frustration can lead to discouragement, and feeling discouraged can lead to depressed mood. Depressed mood can interrupt goal achievement. This chapter includes strategies, such as positive thinking and relying on peer support, to reduce discouragement and depressed mood, and to restore encouragement and hope.
Healthy Communication: Understanding Takes Two
Healthy communication techniques help people live well. Understanding and being understood are important to everyone. Individuals who effectively exchange clear messages with others are more likely to get what they need from service providers and others in their communities. This chapter focuses on the four elements of communication: sender, receiver, message, and context. People who are aware of these elements when they communicate ensure that they understand others and that others understand them within the context of the exchange. Good communication skills make reaching goals more feasible.
Seeking Information: Take Charge of Your Health
Chapter 6 focuses on finding health-related resources to solve problems and make lifestyle and health decisions. This chapter describes how participants can reach their goals, prevent and manage problems, and improve lifestyle behaviors by collecting, evaluating, and using information on specific topics. Seeking Information covers four basic steps: identifying the need for specific information, finding sources of information, collecting and evaluating information, and using the information. Seeking information is a way for participants to gain control over their health and choose their own paths to meaningful life goals and activities.
Physical Activity: Use It (Your Body) or Lose It (Your Ability)
Chapters 1-6 focus on developing skills to reach a goal. Chapter 7 highlights how physical health supports the application and use of those new skills. Physical activity also contributes to quality of life, so this chapter shows participants how to evaluate their current physical activity levels and develop plans to increase physical activity. The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) is a key resource in this chapter. NCPAD staff contributed disability-specific physical activity recommendations for stretching, flexibility exercises, cardiovascular activities, and strength training. This chapter’s rich resources and practical guidelines will get people moving!
Eating Well to Live Well: You Are What You Usually Eat
In addition to physical activity, diet and nutrition affect health and quality of life. Chapter 8 covers healthy food choices and portions, the effect of small dietary changes on health, and how healthy eating can prevent and reduce secondary health problems. The chapter provides tools and resources to help participants make healthy food choices and track their progress toward eating a more balanced diet. People who eat well are healthy and energetic enough to participate in enjoyable activities and reach meaningful goals.
Advocacy: Getting What you Need
Chapter 9 introduces two levels of advocacy skills. Self-advocacy skills are the foundation that allows an individual to advocate for his or her needs and desires. Systems or group advocacy skills allow groups of people to overcome barriers that seem impassible on an individual level. The workshop teaches a skill set applicable to both levels of advocacy. This includes setting an advocacy goal, identifying solvable problems, seeking useful information, communicating effectively, avoiding discouragement, and managing health to maintain stamina to pursue the goal. This chapter highlights how effective use of these skills can help solve problems for oneself and others.
Maintenance: Hanging on to the New You
This final chapter highlights the need for new healthy behaviors to become habits. Even an individual who is meeting his or her goals may slip back into old unhealthy behaviors. This is common, but manageable. Chapter 10 shows how to create a healthy environment, self-monitor behaviors and track progress, reward that progress, and combat any loss of motivation. This chapter’s message is that maintaining health and quality of life are a journey with inevitable problems, detours, and unexpected setbacks. Individuals must periodically re-evaluate what is important and redefine their goals in order to have lives filled with what they value.
The workbook includes three appendices. Appendix A has additional worksheets for workshop participants to use as they re–visit the information and resources in the future. Appendix B is a list of resources on various disability-related topics. Appendix C is an Internet Start-Up Guidebook with detailed information on getting access to a computer, turning on a computer, navigating basic commands, and creating a personal email account.
Currently under development
We provide the workbooks in the following alternative formats: large print, Braille, text-only for screen readers, or CD.