Among Friends

09/05/2025

Among Friends stands with LGBTQ+ youth this Su***de Prevention Awareness Month and always! 🌈
You deserve to stay, be heard, be valued, to thrive, and to belong. 🩷🧡💜
The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386

1-866-488-7386 🧡

08/24/2025

Belonging vs. Fitting In

At Among Friends, we believe everyone, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, deserves to feel safe asking questions about relationships, exploring their identity, and receiving the positive support they need around sexuality.

💔 Fitting in can feel like:
🫣 Hiding questions about intimacy
🫠 Feeling shame about your body or desires
🤐 Staying silent to avoid judgment

🫶🏼 Belonging looks like:
🩷 Having safe spaces to ask questions
🧡 Exploring identity, relationships, and sexuality with support
💜 Knowing your differences are celebrated, not silenced

When people can show up authentically, even in the most personal parts of who they are, we all move closer to a world of true inclusion.

What does belonging in relationships and sexuality look like for you or your community?

08/17/2025

Our Washington Positive Supports Program is expanding, and we’re seeking a Positive Supports Specialist to join our team on the west side of the state!!! This role is ideal for someone who thrives on building relationships, empowering individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and creating positive, lasting change.

What You’ll Do:
• Provide life skills support, staff & family consultation, stabilization, and specialized evaluation services.
• Complete required plans, reports, and documentation within state timelines
• Partner with individuals, families, and provider teams to promote inclusion, independence, and stability.
• Maintain accurate documentation and meet billable hour goals.

Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in social work, sociology, psychology, education, child development, gerontology, nursing, or related field.
• At least 1 year of experience supporting individuals with IDD
• Training/certification in crisis intervention & de-escalation
• Comfort discussing sexuality, gender, boundaries, and consent from a developmental perspective
• Strong communication skills, technology proficiency, and reliable transportation

Why Join Us?
At Among Friends, we value authentic relationships, creative problem-solving, and advocacy that sparks real change. You’ll be part of a supportive, collaborative team that believes in meeting people where they are – and walking alongside them toward where they want to be.

How to Apply
Send your resume and a brief statement about why this role excites you to positivesupports.wa@among-friends.org with the subject line: Positive Supports Specialist Application.fhe

08/15/2025

🩷 Supporting Adults with Developmental Disabilities Through Informed Consent 🧡

At Among Friends, we believe every adult with an intellectual or developmental disability deserves the right to make informed choices about their own life, with the right supports in place.

Our latest blog, “Supporting Adults with Developmental Disabilities With Informed Consent” shares practical, compassionate strategies for making informed consent truly possible.

Here’s what you’ll discover:
​🩷 Why capacity is about context, not labels
🧡 How Supported Decision-Making empowers without taking away autonomy
🩷Tips for making information accessible and person-centered
🧡 The importance of “dignity of risk” in personal growth
🩷 How to prevent coercion and ensure choices are truly voluntary

Why this matters:
When we support decision-making with empathy, clarity, and respect, we not only protect rights - we also build self-esteem, independence, and a sense of belonging.

Read the full article here:
https://www.among-friends.org/blog/developmental-disabilities-and-informed-consent

We’d love to hear from you — What strategies have you found helpful in supporting informed consent? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Those of us supporting people who experience intellectual and developmental diversity (disabilities) must learn how to address informed consent in all areas of their lives - including their relationships and sexuality!

08/13/2025

Our latest blog article, “Understanding Autism: Sensory‑Seeking & Sexuality”, invites each of us to consider how sensory needs - especially sensory‑seeking - can shape sexual expression and intimacy for autistic adults.

What does sensory‑seeking look like in a sexual context? It may include stimming, intense forms of touch, or controlled sensory experiences - sometimes even through kink or B**M that emphasize explicit consent and safety. These experiences can offer excitement, pleasure, emotional regulation, and a powerful sense of connection.

Whether you're a practitioner, caregiver, or neurodiverse individual seeking to understand these dynamics, this post offers compassionate guidance and practical tips. Learn why embracing sensory joy matters, how to support safe exploration, and why risk-awareness can empower people rather than shut them down.

Read the full article now: https://www.among-friends.org/blog/sensory-seeking-and-sexuality

Let’s foster understanding, respect, and autonomy. Please like, comment, or share to help spread this valuable perspective. Have questions or experiences to share? We welcome your thoughts!

If you’re supporting a teen or adult who experiences Autism it’s important to understand how their sensory needs might impact and intersect with their sexuality.

08/04/2025

🌟 Supporting the Whole Person – Because Everyone Deserves to Belong 🌟

At Among Friends, we believe that all people – regardless of their disability, the complexity of their needs, or their communication style – deserve access to supports that honor their full humanity.

That’s why our Washington Positive Supports Services are rooted in dignity, safety, and inclusion. We specialize in social-sexual supports and stabilization for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and complex needs — helping people live, love, and thrive in their communities.

Our Positive Support services include:
• Life Skills Development
• Staff & Family Consultation
• Stabilization Supports
• Social-Sexual Education
• Specialized Consultation

These supports aren’t extras — they’re essential. They help individuals maintain housing, jobs, relationships, and well-being.

We also offer Monthly Meet & Greet sessions (2nd Wednesdays & 4th Tuesdays) to connect, learn more, and ask questions. RVSP Now at https://forms.gle/rP7qzvZqiNvwGFt16

🩷 Let’s build a world where everyone is seen, supported, and celebrated. 🧡

Refer someone: https://forms.gle/y3EJQKqfRaQcJaVX9

Learn more: https://www.among-friends.org/washington-behavior-services

Reach us: positivesupports.wa@among-friends.org

08/04/2025

🧡🧡🧡Let’s Talk Healthy Relationships, Sexuality & Disability 🩷🩷🩷
August 6th | 1:00–2:30 PM PT
Online

Everyone deserves relationships that are safe, respectful, and fulfilling — including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Join Among Friends for an honest and supportive conversation on Healthy Relationships, Sexuality, and Disability. Whether you’re a person with a disability, a family member, or a support provider, this event is for YOU!

✔️ Learn about boundaries, consent, and communication
✔️ Explore the importance of sexuality education for people with ID/DD
✔️ Get tips for supporting safe, meaningful connections
✔️ Ask questions in a safe, judgment-free space

This is about dignity. This is about rights. This is about belonging.
Don’t miss it!

Register Now!!

Live, interactive online session introduces parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals to our rights-based, trauma-informed approach to supporting healthy relationships and sexual development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

08/02/2025

Healthy Relationships = Stronger Communities

At Among Friends, we believe that every person deserves relationships built on trust, respect, and belonging. 💙

For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), building and maintaining healthy relationships can sometimes be challenging. That’s why we focus on:
✨ Teaching communication and boundary-setting skills
✨ Supporting families, friends, and caregivers with tools for connection
✨ Creating opportunities for real friendships and social inclusion

When individuals feel safe, valued, and connected, they thrive - and so do their communities.

How you can help:
• Encourage inclusion in everyday activities
• Model healthy relationships in your own life
• Advocate for spaces where everyone feels welcome

Together, we can build a world where relationships are empowering and meaningful for all.

Learn more about our Positive Social-Sexual Supports and trainings at www.among-friends.org.

07/23/2025

Big shifts are happening in behavioral health support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. California’s new $2 million fund isn’t just a patch for crisis care. It’s a push for real, lasting change.

Our latest article breaks down how early intervention, coordinated care, and trauma-informed approaches are becoming the standard—not the exception. These changes show that sexual self-determination and behavioral health aren’t separate goals. They work best when addressed together.

Read how new policies and practices are turning that vision into reality:
https://www.among-friends.org/blog/integrating-behavioral-health

People with IDD deserve systems built around their autonomy, not around managing perceived limitations.

07/22/2025

Build Skills. Empower Lives. Register for Tier 1 by July 31!
Are you a behavioral health professional or caregiver supporting someone with an intellectual or developmental disability? The Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS workshop offers practical tools to navigate sexuality, boundaries, safety, and autonomy with compassion and clarity.
🧠 Evidence-based strategies
💬 Trauma-informed and rights-based
🎓 Earn Continuing Education credits
💸 Scholarships available
💥 Early Bird discount ends July 31
Join a growing movement for informed, inclusive care…Register now: https://www.among-friends.org/tier-1

07/22/2025

Healthy relationships start with clear boundaries—yet for neurodiverse individuals, communicating limits can feel daunting.

On the Among Friends blog, “Building Boundaries: A Compassionate Approach to Intimacy for Neurodiverse Individuals,” offers practical tips, role-play frameworks, and reinforcement tools - such as boundary cards and reminder bracelets. Learn how to help your learners or clients gain confidence in setting and respecting personal limits

Read the full article › https://www.among-friends.org/blog/building-boundaries-a-compassionate-guide-to-intimacy-for-neurodiverse-individuals

Honoring your limits is an act of kindness toward yourself and toward everyone you meet… and a unique challenge for neurodiverse learners.

07/19/2025

Sexuality is not optional. And silence isn’t neutral.

Behavioral health professionals—if you're working with neurodiverse clients or trauma survivors, your role in supporting healthy sexual development is vital.

https://www.among-friends.org/blog/why-trauma-informed-sexuality-education-is-essential-in-behavioral-health-today

Join us for Tier 1: FOUNDATIONS
📅 Sept 24–26 (Online)
🎓💰 $100 Early Bird Discount (ends July 31)
✅ Evidence-based, trauma-informed, and deeply compassionate

Our clients don’t always know how to express boundaries, ask questions, and seek help when needed. We need the tools to approach these conversations with confidence, clarity, and deep respect.