The Consumer survey was put up on the CFI website for just about 30 days in October 2007. The survey could be answered by consumers, family members and other service providers.   It was an accessible survey in that people who used screen readers (the visually impaired) could access it as well as others.  In addition to collecting demographic information such as gender, zip code, disability, and income levels, it asked questions about services that respondents would use and asked them to prioritize them.  It also presented a list of barriers that people might face in living independently and asked respondents to put a check by any they had experienced. 

Some 35 people responded to the survey - which is not enough to make generalizations. 

The services that these 35 respondents picked as important included all core services that Centers for Independent Living are to provide:
• Information and Referral
• Peer Support
• Advocacy
• Independent Living Skills Training

Additional services were regarded as important:
• Assistive Technology Training
• Employment Services
• Recreation Services

Barriers

Barriers identified by disabled respondents were “Employers won’t hire me” (35%), “Health care services are not disability friendly” (32.4%), “I cannot talk to people on the telephone” (26.5%) and “I cannot use public transportation” (26.5%).

Needs

Consistently and across the board, housing, transportation, advocacy and employment services were stated as top needs for the community. Providing information about disability awareness, rights and accommodations to the general public and to others with disabilities were often cited as an activity that the Center should do. One key informant said,

“ Please demystify disabilities so that people in the community interact with and are more comfortable with individuals with disabilities.  We hardly ever see anyone with a disability in the community!”

Center's Wish List

Suggestions were made regarding increasing the Center’s ability to provide more direct services that take care of people included:
• Transportation Services
• Representative Payee Services
• Case Management and Emergency Care

Suggestions were made regarding providing training with an 'empowerment perspective' in the following areas:
• Internet Training
• Deaf Services
• Assistive Technology Training
• Additional Low Vision Services
• Community Transit Training

Possible Changes

It was stressed that it’s important to change the way services worked so that more than the “same 100 or so people got services.” Figuring out a way to serve the outlying areas was mentioned frequently.

Advocacy
Many, many advocacy issues were raised which included:
• Fixing the two year Medicare waiting period
• Working toward fair wages
• Increasing the accessible and affordable housing stock
• Working to remove the traffic circles in town
• Changing the attitudes of the general public toward people with disabilities
...just to name a few.

Awareness
Next, many felt that the Center needed to raise its visibility in the community.  Having a “brand” on all its outreach materials would help as well as a bigger sign on the building. Having staff more visible in the community by serving on community task forces and empowering consumers to do the same would help with more collaboration, a key request by many.  Making the building a model for access was stressed as important if the Center truly wanted to advocate for access in the community. 

Equipment & Services
Up-to-date equipment, using the Internet for outreach, helping people find their own information, and assessing the Center's assets to make sure they are really supporting the mission of the organization were mentioned several times. One potential funder indicated that they were willing to pay for services “that made a difference” for people with disabilities.

Program Direction
Developing services and programs to meet the needs of persons with disabilities on the Western Slope and providing training to staff to enhance their skills in providing leadership and empowerment was brought up.  Increasing wages and benefits for staff, ensuring experienced staff with supervised support of volunteers and interns to provide services, were suggestions that came out of the interviews.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Everyone felt that the Board, the Staff and the Executive Director were all strengths of the current organization. Recent changes in both the Board and the Executive Director were applauded. The new building and its location are sending a positive new message to the community. The experience of the staff was seen as a positive. The financial stability that has been achieved was also perceived as a strength.

Weaknesses or barriers that might get in the way of the Center’s growth and new directions were varied. Lack of awareness of the Center and its mission and services were often mentioned. Lack of up-to-date training for staff so that services are sharp and fresh was cited as a barrier to success.  One key informant said,

“The perception is that the Center services little old ladies who are blind.”

The recent history of the organization, the feeling in the community of “charity giving fatigue,” and prejudice (lack of information) in the general community against people with disabilities, particularly those with Mental Health issues were also cited as barriers that needed to be addressed.

In Conclusion

The Board has the exhaustive list of suggestions; there will be no shortage of things to do and change in the coming years.  The next time the Board is ready to do a strategic plan, getting the consumers’ input may be easier through focus groups comprised of people with disabilities, family members and service providers from all 11 counties. 

Thanks to all who participated. This is a terrific start.

[Get the full text of the Consumer Survey here]