Shared Support Stories: Gail Godwin
When the state of Maryland made the decision to invest in and support self-directed services seventeen years ago, Gail Godwin, Shared Support Maryland founder, knew that this commitment to self-directed services was going to be a gamechanger, but it wouldn’t happen overnight. After a start in learning what not to do – sheltered workshops, endless pilot programs, and person-centeredness in name only, Gail was aware of the need for direct support, as well as the pushback.
“People like to say, ‘oh, progressive support, that’s not for everybody,’ which means it’s unattainable,” she said. “You know, you can say that and be off the hook. I didn’t want to be off the hook.”
Shared Support Maryland was founded just months after the State’s announcement, and then a little after that, Gail’s daughter Violet arrived. It was a family affair from the start. “The whole family's involved. We have never looked back.”
Long before her role at SSMD, Gail’s life’s work became making sure that other people knew what was at stake in people’s lives, and what it actually looked like to be person-centered. Every new job position along the way took her closer to what she would eventually build at SSMD.
“I wanted to make sure that each time [working somewhere new], I got closer to the person being in charge – and really progressively moving towards that. This was my role in every organization, whether they realized they really wanted it or not,” said Godwin. But, she admits, it was no easy task. “There was a lot of arguing, there was always a lot of butting heads. There still is, and now it's at a systems level.”
At the end of the day, Gail knows what makes the work attainable is having a person-centered mindset, and Godwin lives it.
“What’s different at Shared Support is that we mean what we say. We actually operate this way - the way we’re training it, the style of training, the examples we use,” she said. “It’s not just a paper plan -- we use the tools to execute something, we hope to be teaching people how to stay in the lead of their plans and services. That’s really the Shared Support experience.”
Today, SSMD serves over 100 people.
“We are still working for some of the people that started in the very beginning, which is just phenomenal,” said Godwin. “Just a few weeks ago we had four referrals saying, ‘We're ready for self-directed support and we heard to call you guys.’”
These days, Godwin and the SSMD team are not only supporting people with disabilities in self-directed services, but reaching support professionals, too. With the launch of the Training and Development Institute, SSMD is advancing other organizations and support brokers by sharing their unique knowledge set and decades long experience. Gail knows her experiences have been unique, and many well-intentioned people are unclear as to where to start – so she strives to be the catalyst in others’ journeys.
“From the very beginning, what made all the difference is knowing there is something different – and knowing there's a network of people who truly [care] about people with the most significant and multiple disabilities having a life and organizing around that,” she said. “With hard work, the support is so different, and the network, too. Stick with people who try to know better, and you will see examples of great support and great lives.”
