I haven't decided how I feel about this approach to forming an Optimist Club. During the 2008-2009 administrative year, a pilot club was formed in Faulkner County, Arkansas within a developmental disability agency. Named the Sunshine Optimist Club of Conway, Arkansas, the membership was made up of clients, developmentally disabled adults, who were receiving services from the agency.
Eight or so months later the former president of the sponsoring Optimist Club has taken on the oversight of the program within the Independent Living Services Developmental Disabilities Agency. His focus will be advocacy and outreach for developmentally disabled students and their parents.
For the most part, I believe that providing individuals of all abilities the opportunity to participate in community service is a good idea. My concern lies in the fact that a separate but equal club could possibly segregate them even more.
I also question if this approach is truly separate but equal and I am pretty sure that the members would enjoy a more satisfying experience if they were embraced as fully engaged members of a traditional service club.
One of the most attractive features of an Optimist Club is that they are self directed. The members determine how they will serve their community based on the needs that they perceive around them. For a service provider to perform a needs assessment and determine advocacy of their own existing and potential clientele to be their greatest need is not the purpose of an Optimist Club. There are other organizations, including the developmental disability agency itself, who have this charge.
Using the Optimist Club affiliation to carry out private interests is distasteful to me. Am I being too harsh? Please share your thoughts.
