Self-Determination

Few people know about the services offered at Centers for Independent Living (CIL’s).  I’m a board member for NEPACIL, the Northeast Pennsylvania Center for Independent Living.  My current office of president has afforded me the opportunity to do an orientation training session for new and existing members.  Of course, when you prepare this kind of work, the learning experience for the facilitator is enormous!

The overarching concepts of CIL’s are what are known as “core services”. Those core services consist of 1) Advocacy, 2) Independent Living Skills, 3) Information and Referral and 4) Peer Counseling.  More than ½ of the employees and board members of CIL’s are disabled.  CIL’s operate under the “Consumer Directed Model”, meaning that people with disabilities (PWD) receiving services actually direct the way those services are delivered.  Funding for core services comes from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) under the Department of Labor and Industry. 

In addition to core-funded services, CIL’s usually handle services under other government programs.  These might include the Department of Aging, Department of Human Services, Department of Public Welfare, etc.  But every program is operated under the consumer directed model, so self-determination ribbons through them all.

From my involvement in the NEPACIL, I can tell you that CIL’s cannot operate under core funding only.  So these non-profits are always looking for, and competitively bidding on, service contracts from sources outside of core funding.  And they do this while maintaining the focus on the mission of self-determination.  It is not easy.

As you can imagine, the services provided to PWD under these programs are life-enhancing and life-changing!  CIL’s facilitate community based living for PWD.  They do this utilizing “waiver” programs which, simply put, waive federal Medicaid rules so that states can redirect institutional funds to community programs.  It is a shame that federal monies for PWD are largely skewed toward institutions when community-based programs are less expensive and better for the consumer. 

The bottom line is this; CIL’s change people’s lives.   They are a very different kind of non-profit organization.  I’m proud to be part of it.