Alva Gardner

Name:

Alva Gardner

Organization / Affiliation

The 4*3 Perspective

Mentor

Jamie Markey

Biography

As a person with a disability, who has been a Regional Center client for over 10 years and now works for a Regional Center-funded organization, I have experienced the system from both sides. This has given me the unique perspective and ability to educate both people receiving services, as well as those providing services on the others’ experience. I was fortunate to be raised by a mother who taught me to advocate for myself in a bureaucratic system that often overlooks those it’s supposed to be serving. Yet, it continues to amaze me how often people with disabilities are overlooked, unheard, or spoken for. In a system that was created in order to provide people with disabilities the supports and services needed in order to live the fulfilled life they desire, it seems only logical that they be the driving force behind what those services are and how they take place. Teaching this information and mindset, again as someone with a disability, puts a new spin on the information being taught – showing that there are no limits to what people with disabilities can achieve. I work to challenge people’s perception, especially when they are being educated about Person­-Centered Thinking by someone who looks like many of the people they serve.

Focus Areas

Intellectual / Developmental Disabilities, Physical Disabilities

Trainer Certifications

TRAINER: Person Centered Thinking

Person Centered Description