“We All Get to Pick”: A Thursday Night Out with Lisa, Jay, Aaron, and Abbey
Each week, nine small groups — and counting — head out from Ken Anderson Alliance to spend the evening in the Greater Cincinnati community, each group deciding its own plans.
This is one of them.
At 4 p.m., Lisa, Jay and Aaron leave KAA’s office in Silverton with Abbey, their dedicated direct support specialist. James isn’t with them tonight — he had plans — but he comes up in conversation more than once before the evening is over. He usually does. He’s the one who brings the laughs.
Most of this group has been together for a while now. Long enough to have connected in a lot of ways, and long enough that they all know what each other likes.
Which is how dinner gets decided.
Four People, One Restaurant to Decide On
Over time, they’ve worked out what makes a restaurant work for all four of them: gluten-free options on the menu and a meal that comes in around $20 or less. They eat first, too — some places have early dinner specials, which is one more good reason not to wait.
Tonight, Lisa has a suggestion: she saw a TV ad for Outback’s dinner specials and thought it was a good deal for the budget-minded.
Compromise is a big part of how decisions get made here. This group gets along great, and it shows — they’re understanding of what their friends need and want, and considerate about working around it.
With dinner settled, they head out. The drive is its own part of the evening.
“Abbey is good finding cool music on the radio,” Lisa notes. “She changes the station when there are too many commercials.”
It’s become a running joke — there always seem to be too many commercials right when they’re driving to dinner.
Everyone is listening for something. James doesn’t often get to hear Buddy Holly or Elvis on the airwaves. Jay likes the Project alternative rock station, hoping for the Talking Heads.
“We all get to pick.”
At the table, they order and settle in. Lisa likes to eat breakfast for dinner — “so if they have it, she gets it,” Jay shares — which is how Bob Evans and Cracker Barrel became two of the group’s favorite spots.
Then the catching up starts.
“I remember, Aaron, when you brought that puzzle when we went to the park,” Lisa recounts. “That was fun.”
Aaron smiles. “Yah, it was puzzle 32.”
James comes up next.
“James has a new job at Skyline,” Jay shares. “We like to joke that every time we go to a Skyline, even though it’s not the one he works at, that James is going to go in and say that he’s here reporting for work.”
There’s news, too. Aaron and his family are thinking about getting a puppy — a brown Lab. He’s already settled on the name: Marcy.
Already Planning Next Week
The food hasn’t arrived yet, and that’s when next week starts taking shape.
Abbey pulls out their list of places the group wants to visit. Sometimes they use the list. Other times, someone already has an idea. Sometimes it’s about trying something new. Other times it’s about the tried and true.
Tonight, it’s a bit of both.
Everyone wants to hit the Root Beer Stand before it closes for the season — they love the prices and the root beer floats. But they haven’t been to Target in a while and want a peek at the Halloween decorations, and Aaron likes Paxton’s because his niece works there.
So they make a plan.
Rain next week? Target and Paxton’s.
Clear night? The Root Beer Stand and then the park.
This group isn’t big on walking, but they love to play games at the park, preferably in the shade. And there are always the swings. James and Abbey like those the most.
More Than a Night Out
Tonight has a second half, too, and it’s Rookwood.
“Sorry boys, we’re going shopping!” Lisa jokes.
Nobody objects.
They tend to land in the same place on this kind of thing: nothing too physical, nothing too expensive, and usually some shopping.
Aaron is fond of games and puzzles and likes Half Price Books for the selection and prices. Jay likes the T-shirts and bracelets at Spencer’s, and James likes the cool socks. Jay doesn’t mind browsing, either — especially when it means getting some steps in with friends.
That’s the evening. Four friends making decisions together, finding common ground, appreciating their similarities and their differences, flexing their social skills and having fun.
It’s how independence gets built, and it’s how friendships do. The care they have for one another is easy to see, and every one of them takes the time to tell Abbey they’re grateful for her.
For people of all abilities, this is a proven formula for building friendships and experiencing connection through life experiences. It’s the heart of what Ken Anderson Alliance does through our community-based evening and day programs to empower adults with disabilities thrive in Greater Cincinnati.
Next Thursday, they’ll do it all again. They’ve already picked.
Interested in KAA Night Out or our other Community Evening Programs? Contact John Marquart at jmarquart@kenandersonalliance.org.