All three groups were asked the same basic questions although it may have been phrased differently:

1. Tell me about the needs of people with disabilities in your community.

2. If you had a magic wand and money was no object, what would you change, if anything, about the Center?

3. Tell me about the strengths of the Center that will carry it through any changes. Then, tell me about any weaknesses that could present a barrier to making progress toward its goals.

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!”

Changes at the Center

Everyone deeply wants the Center to succeed in its mission. The Western Slope needs the leadership and systems change advocacy that a CIL can provide. There is no one else that fits the niche of advocacy and peer support like the Center can. Key informants stated that they felt “…the Center is IT for people with a wide variety disabilities.” However many changes were suggested.

The Board has a long list of things to choose from that were appropriate and not so appropriate wishes for what the Center should do and be. More direct services that take care of people such as increasing the Center’s ability to provide transportation services, representative payee services, case management and emergency care were suggested. Providing community transit training, teaching consumers how to live in a wired world and use the Internet were two of the less traditional suggestions. Deaf services, assistive technology training, more services for people with low vision and community transit training offered with an empowerment perspective were also suggested.

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. Many, many advocacy issues were raised which included fixing the two year Medicaid waiting period, working toward fair wages, increasing the accessible and affordable housing stock, working to remove the traffic circles in town and changing the attitudes of the general public toward people with disabilities to name a few.

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.

Up to date equipment, using the Internet for outreach and helping people find their own information as well as carefully looking at the assets of the Center 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.

Finally, 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 enough staff were there to provide services and using experienced staff to supervise volunteers and interns who could help 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.

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.  This was a terrific start.

Next Steps

The Board has scheduled a number of additional meetings between the retreat held in mid October and the end of the year.  The first step is to review and perhaps update the organization’s mission statement.  Then reviewing all programs and assets for how they empower consumers and support the mission will be the next step. From the decisions made at that step, the rest of the plan should be pretty self evident.

Thank you to all who participated in this important survey.

____________________________________________________________________

Introduction

What is the Center for Independent living?

What services should a Center for Independent Living provide?

Questions to Ask When Deciding on Services

The Vision

The Consumer Survey

What Staff, Board and Key Informants Said