UCP/CLASS’ Attendant Care Program - Successfully Supporting Others

When it comes to organization, Jude Blank can teach you a few things or at least give you a few “How to” tips on the subject. Not your ordinary 40 - something woman, Jude has lived an exciting life and credits her involvement with UCP/CLASS’ Attendant Care program for keeping her on the path to independence.

In a recent interview with Jude, it didn’t take long to notice her uniqueness. The uniqueness as it turns out had nothing to do with her disability. However to gain a better understanding of Jude and learn more about her family, it is important to share some of that information.

Without doubt Jude’s family is the cornerstone of her foundation. Jude has two older brothers, Dan and Michael and a younger sister named Julia. She has an identical twin sister, Becky. Jude and her family grew up in Highland Park and her mother currently lives in Fox Chapel with Jude’s stepfather Paul. Jude’s biological father lives in New York City. When Jude speaks of her family it is evident that they support her decisions and the choices she makes.

At 11 months old, Jude experienced encephalopathy which lead to a 10 day coma and later resulted in the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. While Jude presents some physical challenges as a result, it would seem that someone forgot to mention that to Jude. Jude believes one reason for her confidence in her abilities is a direct result of her twin sister Becky. Becky was born with severe mental retardation. Jude recognizes that Becky has not been given the same opportunities and wants to take advantage of her abilities by experiencing new things and sharing what she has learned with others.

As a child she was mainstreamed at the Highland Park McEwan Open School (currently Kentucky Avenue School). She attended the Falk School for 3 years, and attended Sacred Heart through high school. Education is very important to Jude, she believes that her time at the Perkiomen Prepatory School was a great decision as it helped prepare her for her studies at Muskingum College. Muskingum College located in New Concord, Ohio offers a Plus Program for individuals with Learning Disabilities. This is where Jude received her Bachelor of Arts in English Poetry.

Jude studied abroad in England at Richmond College where she received an award for a literary magazine she founded entitled, The Emperor’s New Clothes. She enjoys traveling and has hiked throughout Wales, Ireland, France, Scotland and Spain (with a 60 pound backpack she adds). Jude’s grandmother was a travel director and being a journeyer was commonplace for Jude. In addition to visiting England several times, Jude has taken a boat down the Amazon, been to Guatemala on a mission trip and actually lived in South America when she was 6 years old.

Jude dreams of going to Oxford or Cambridge one day but is currently focused on her writing. Jude recently received her Masters of Arts, from Chatham University, in Children’s and Adolescent writing. She is in the midst of rewriting her thesis, Ruby Skies - An Environmental Mystery. She also wrote a science fiction thriller entitled, Trapstone, based on a stone cut for her grandmother by her grandfather. Jude was wearing the stone the day we met. When asked what inspires her to write, Jude referred to her Ruby Skies novel sharing that it was a story she wrote in college based on an underground poster she saw in England that she never forgot. Jude has written a 4 series novel based on Ireland and Wales entitled, Barren Tree Farm.

Jude credits the assistance of a family friend and UCP/CLASS’ attendant care program for giving her strategies and teaching her the skills necessary to stay organized. Jude says that she was fortunate to have the support of a family friend for eleven years who assisted her with light housekeeping tasks and other areas of daily living. When the family friend was no longer able to support her, Jude then learned about the UCP/CLASS Attendant Care Program. Jude has been receiving services for four years and states, “My attendants are wonderful people. They have helped me through back surgeries and hospitalizations, with my organization skills and meal preparation, activities of daily living and even balance issues in the shower.” Jude shared that her attendants taught her to “let go of things.” She was able to become more organized as a result and also was appreciative that the attendants helped her prepare for her move to another apartment. They assisted her with packing and boxing her belongings.

In her spare time, Jude sings second Soprano at the Church of Ascension, which she has been a member of for the past 15 years. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a volunteer at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. She is also a fan of Kiva Han, a coffee shop that she insists has the best food and drinks. Jude credits her mother for her success as well. Jude’s mother is a licensed psychologist who Jude quoted as saying, “My first job is being a mother.”

When asked to summarize how she felt UCP/CLASS’ Attendant Care Program has affected her life, Jude responded, “It’s helped me become a more independent person. I’ve gone from someone who used to say, have I taken my medicine or where are my keys to, medicine’s are taken, keys are on the door, everything has a place.” 

Jude continues to dream and currently aspires to learn to play the Cello, get her works published and find a husband some day. “I may have Cerebral Palsy but I don’t let it stop me. There is no reason anyone with Cerebral Palsy should let it stop them. If you have a dream you need to go for it. The only thing that is going to stop me is death.”

UCP/CLASS’ attendant care program provides services to eligible adults who have physical disabilities and are able to supervise and train an attendant to assist in performing tasks that they would otherwise do for themselves.

To read one of Jude's poems, please see below.  To read more about our Attendant Care Services, visit our website or contact us at info@ucpclass.org. 

Journey