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Growing up with relatives with disabilities can be inspiring. For Dennis Theede, the executive director of Home and Community Options in Winona, growing up with disabled cousins inspired him to help others and their families in as many ways as possible.
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Dennis Theede, the executive director of Home and Community Options in Winona, received the Special Board Award from the Arc of Minnesota last Saturday for the work he has done with people that have disabilities. (Photo by Andrew Link of the Winona Daily News) |
He said the experience gave him an understanding of how people were being treated. They were put into institutions or confined to their homes, segregated from the community, he said.
Theede has been a member of the Arc of Minnesota, a statewide, nonprofit organization that has advocated for people with disabilities and their families for more than 30 years.
In 1995 he became a board member and was board president for two years in 2002 and 2003.
“Being involved in the Arc has really grounded me in my daily work and my other personal responsibilities to stay focused and putting the needs of individuals first. The Arc has helped me stay focused in the real work we need to do; that is improving the lives of people,” he said.
For his dedication, Theede received a Special Board Award from the Arc of Minnesota last week at a convention in Rochester, Minn.
Throughout his years as a member of the Arc, Theede has served on numerous committees, including one that established the Arc of Southeastern Minnesota by combining county agencies, resulting in more qualified staff members and better resources.
Theede graduated from Winona State University in 1976 with a degree in elementary and special education. He continued his education at Saint Mary’s University, where he earned his master’s degree in child and adolescent development.
He worked as a special education teacher for four years. He then worked in Houston County as the first executive director for what is now known as A.B.L.E. Inc., a residential support service. In 1993, he moved on to Home and Community Options.
Home and Community Options is a nonprofit organization that provides support and residential services for adults and children with disabilities in Winona County.
“I believe strongly that my role as a professional with Home and Community Options is to be an advocate first,” he said.
He is also one of the original stakeholders in Minnesota Region 10 Quality Assurance, a program that has changed the way service quality for people with disabilities is measured. Instead of simply using regulations to test the quality of the services, customers are now asked to rate the quality of the services they have received.
Growing up, Theede’s family inspired him to help people. Today, his own family has also been active in improving people’s lives. He has been married for 30 years to a nurse and has four children, three of whom have worked in the special education or counseling field.
“I have a wonderful family, and I think that’s why I’m in the field,” he said.
As for the award, he defers credit to others in the organization.
Theede believes that in spite of the progress made by organizations like the Arc, the community still needs to establish programs and resources for people with disabilities and their families.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he said. “Arc, along with our community, really needs to continue with the advocacy.”
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