Staff Profile: Vanessa Bell
"I feel like Horton from Dr. Seuss. I'm helping people who no one thinks exist."
Project Specialist Vanessa Bell (PPM '07) was first inspired to work with people with disabilities when she was in high school after attending a party at a school for children with disabilities. Bell noticed her classmates stood aside awkwardly, not knowing how to interact with the children, trigger the question: Why are some indifferent to others with disabilities?
While still a student, she started working full time at a home for adults with disabilities and later became immersed in the issues, became fluent in sign language, and often witnessed that their rights were ignored or violated. "It was frustrating to see that the system had failed to protect people with disabilities and provided no education to break down stereotypes and debunk myths," says Bell.
After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh and moving to Maine, Bell became a state caseworker and a guardian representative for several of her clients where she regularly found herself having to explain, educate and advocate for their rights. "No one could tell me what guardianship meant."
Discovering that little information existed—especially anything easy to understand—about what guardians can and cannot do, Bell was motivated to help people on a larger scale and build awareness of guardianship and the rights of all vulnerable adults. "I should have had access to this information when I was a caseworker," said Bell. "I would have been able to help my clients better."
Once at Muskie, Bell worked on a project funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to increase awareness about the issue. She pulled together stakeholders from across the state, including judges, attorneys, probate court staff, aging and disability advocates, self advocates and others to develop a common understanding of guardianship and determine an effective education campaign.
As a result of her work facilitating "a fantastic team from across Maine," today, the state offers an online interactive tutorial for people considering guardianship as well as a guide that is required in every petition packet in Cumberland and Lincoln counties. The team has also influenced changes in state law that assure the rights of people with disabilities are better protected.
As next steps, Bell and her team are pursuing funding opportunities to create an online training for court visitors as well as clinicians.