Services supporting people with intellectual disabilities have been addressed in a variety of ways over the years. The success of those approaches ranged from effective to not effective at all. In nearly all of the approaches, the focus of the effort has been on the person’s lack of talent and skills.

Historical approaches have typically focused on a single aspect of an individual’s life. The result has been that the remaining areas have had to be interpreted or left to chance by those working with individuals, thus many times compromising the result.

The AmeriServe Way is a process that has several components. Each part of the process adds dimension. A coordinated process addressing all areas of a person’s life provides a way to allow the talents of the individual to guide the process. It focuses on the skills and talents of each individual in a positive way.

As we mentioned earlier, The AmeriServe Way is not just a course. It is the way we think and act to help reduce people’s dependency. It’s a framework that consists of nine parts.

1. The Paradigm of Rights– The lenses we look through to check our integrity.
2. The Five Areas of Life – Functional activity clusters that address the areas of influence and action.
3. Quality of Life Principles – Principles used to guide the process of interactions of people in all areas of life.
4. RUFUSS – An acronym. Rent. Utilities. Food. Entertainment. Social. Savings.  Addressing the critical three and the quality three address the first stages of barriers many face.
5. Transformational Model – Used to identify areas preventing or issue preventing a person from achieving more independence.
6. Connections – The operational aspect of the process. People and functions that provide a community of support and value to each individual.  Provides association and relationships.
7. The Plan – Documented direction of what the person wants to achieve, do, become or experience to lead a life of purpose and pleasures.
8. Goals – The organized steps to help the person fulfill their plan.
9. The Power of Proof – The proof that activities that are being presented and worked on are making the kind of difference intended.