When Karen first met her Community Inclusion team, communication was the biggest hurdle. Due to her primary disability, her speech could be difficult for those who didn’t know her to understand. Her lead caretaker came along to help “translate” as needed, and Karen was endlessly kind and patient, even when she had to repeat herself again and again.
It didn’t take long to see who Karen really was underneath that first hurdle. While her movements were slow and her speech was hard to follow, Karen was quick-witted, sharp, and loved nothing more than making people laugh. She insisted on filling out her own paperwork, only accepting help when she got tired, and she carried her own limitations with a grace that was hard not to admire.
Getting to Know Karen
With her caretaker’s help, the team got to know Karen bit by bit. She was skilled at crocheting and knitting, loved meeting new people, and could hold her own in a card game. She’d been to the fair every year to ride the camel, was a devoted baseball and football fan, and even had a story about the time she spent four hours in jail. Karen had lived a full, colorful life. But by the time she connected with CAA, most of her days were spent alone at home, with visits limited to caretakers coming and going for their shifts.
Karen wanted more than that. Together, she and her Community Inclusion team set a goal: make a friend, someone she’d feel comfortable enough to invite over to her apartment.
Finding the Right Fit
The search led to Desert Fiber Arts, a Kennewick nonprofit that creates space for people who work with fiber, whether that’s yarn, wool, reed, or seagrass. At first, it seemed like a natural fit would be their “Sticks & Hooks” group, where members crochet and knit side by side. Karen was interested, but she wanted to push further; she asked to try their Basketry Group too. Neither Karen nor her team had ever made a basket before, and neither knew quite what to expect. Karen wanted to try anyway.
From the very first visit, Karen was welcomed by the group. There were a few curious questions about who her support person was, and the answer was simple: someone there to be her hands and eyes when she needed them, and her voice when necessary. That gave Karen room to be fully herself, and over time, the group has watched her come into her own.
A Turning Point
In her first couple of months with the Basketry Group, Karen was focused, determined to finish her projects, and less tuned in to the social side of things. Then came an unexpected setback that ended up changing everything: an injury at home that left her temporarily unable to use her arm. The Basketry Group heard the news and sent Karen a card while she recovered, a small gesture that meant a great deal.
When Karen came back, something had shifted. She leaned into the social side of the group in a way she hadn’t before: remembering names, joining conversations, asking questions, and sharing her own victories right alongside everyone else’s.
Karen had also started visiting the Sticks & Hooks group just before her injury. That group took a little longer to warm up, but Karen didn’t let that slow her down. She kept showing up as her bright, sunny self, and today she’s just as social and engaged there as she is with the Basketry Group. These days, she often has someone else help finish a knitting project while she focuses on catching up with the people around her, a complete shift from where she started.
A Member of the Community
Karen has since signed up as an official member of Desert Fiber Arts and looks forward to every meeting. Watching her build this community for herself has been one of the true joys of this work. She hasn’t quite reached her original goal of inviting a friend over to her apartment just yet, but she’s closer than she’s ever been, and it’s only a matter of time.
Community Inclusion is one of the ways Columbia Ability Alliance helps individuals build meaningful, lasting connections in their own neighborhoods. Learn more about our Community Inclusion services or reach out to our team to see how we can help.
