The new year is a time of reflection, a time for celebrating the successes and analyzing the challenges of the past year.

We at Options for Independence are beginning the new year with an attitude of gratitude. We are grateful to be located within a community filled with caring individuals who have embraced our organization and our mission. During the past year, Options has touched the lives of over one thousand individuals with disabilities, their families, friends and service providers thanks to the support and dedication of our staff, board of directors, members, volunteers and community partners.

To everyone who contributed to our success over the past year, thank you for working with us and for embracing our mission. As we look forward to 2008, Options would like to share our hopes and resolutions for the upcoming year.

Amanda A. Derby, housing advocate: Another year has come and gone. For our community, the upcoming year will bring new faces to elected positions, innovative programming, and strategies to encourage our community's growth. The new year will bring ground-breaking opportunities and new challenges to overcome. Together, we can encourage a successful and triumphant 2008!

A new year means new opportunities. As Options' housing advocate, I would like to see an increased awareness for the lack of affordable housing. Housing is instrumental in providing a stable environment for those with disabilities. Too often individuals are becoming homeless due to inadequate living arrangements, increased rent, and inability to receive services due to their disability. I would also like to see more legislative support for individuals with disabilities from our local, state, and federal elected officials. Advocating for civil change is necessary in transforming communities into equal, congruent environments. My resolution for the new year is to encourage individual support for our democracy by voting and becoming an active member in the legislative process through action alerts, strong advocacy, and involvement.

Sara Douglass, education advocate: As Options' education advocate, I would like to see an increase in social skills education. Social competence and emotional well-being are issues for some adults and children with learning disabilities. Being liked, feeling accepted and having self-confidence are all related to an individual's social skills. Social skills are those decision making, communication, problem-solving, self-management and peer relations abilities that allow people to initiate and maintain positive social relationships with others. Lack of or excesses in social behavior interfere with learning, teaching and the way the classroom functions as a whole.

The ability to thrive in social situations is linked to acceptance by peers, teachers, inclusion success and post school success. The main focus of social skills training is to build and successfully maintain positive relationships. My resolution for the new year is to advocate for an increase in social skills instruction to ensure every child feels socially competent.

The new year will bring about many positive challenges and opportunities for change. Resolutions are the motivating factors to begin community transformation. In the coming weeks you can look forward to more community resolutions from the Options for Independence staff.

Amanda Derby is the housing advocate for Options for Independence, located at 75 Genesee St., Auburn. She can be reached at Options at 255-3447.