Independent Living in Kansas
Posted November 23, 2010 by Mandy Smith in Independent Living
As a Center for Independent Living (CIL), RCIL is committed to working with Kansans with disabilities to enable them to live independently in their homes and communities. But what exactly does that mean?
In Kansas, Centers for Independent Living are tasked with providing 5 core services. They are Information and Referral, Peer Counseling, Independent Living Skills Training, Advocacy – both Individual Advocacy and Systems Advocacy, and Deinstitutionalization. At RCIL, we work very hard to ensure that these 5 Independent Living Core Services are front and center in our service delivery.
Information and Referral is provided by every staff member at RCIL, it is simply getting our consumers the information they need and request regarding disability, community resources and making appropriate referrals to other agencies as needed. We have an Information and Referral team that is available to take phone calls every business day, follows up on all contacts, and works to ensure that each person who contacts us ends up with the information they need.
Peer Counseling is the opportunity for Kansans with disabilities to work with and learn from other Kansans with disabilities. RCIL facilitates this in several ways. We have RCIL Friends group meetings monthly that bring together consumers and their peers in a consumer driven support group. RCIL also employs Peer Specialists to work directly with consumers to help them live independently in their communities. For example, a Peer Specialist may assist a consumer with learning the Public Transit system. In this way people with disabilities are assisting other people with disabilities and the Peer connection helps to ensure success.
Independent Living Skills Training encompasses a lot of different things! RCIL offers this training through Independent Living Specialists as well as Peer Specialists. We work with consumers on things like budgeting, locating and using assistive devices, finding accessible housing, assistance with finding employment, navigating the health and insurance systems, and other topics as needed.
The two different types of Advocacy that RCIL provides are Individual Advocacy and Systems Advocacy. RCIL provides training and support for individuals to be able to advocate for their own needs and desires. This can be across many areas including employment, health care, housing, or education. Systems Advocacy is focused on changing the laws and policies at community, state, and federal levels.
Our final Core Service is Deinstitutionalization. This is simply assisting Kansans with disabilities to reintegrate back into their communities from hospitals, nursing facilities, or in patient rehabilitation facilities. Consumers have a choice about where they live and receive services and we make sure that they are knowledgeable about their options and support them in transitioning.
While we provide many other services, these 5 Core Services are what make us a Center for Independent Living. These services are provided free of charge to our consumers. We are an agency delivering services for Kansans with disabilities by Kansans with disabilities.
