Hunkesni Owicakiyapi (Helping people with disabilities) Idenpendant Living Flyer 2011 I.L. Brochure 2010 An inter-tribal Independent Living (IL) Center program that has come together to provide IL services to individuals with disabilities living on reservations/tribal land and unserved areas throughout South Dakota.
In order for IL services to benefit Native individuals with significant disabilities living on reservations, the services must be provided on a local basis for the individual to become independent in their own environment rather than having to leave their home, family and communities.The IL Services and support systems are provided by Native individuals with disabilities or a local/tribal service provider.
The purpose of IL Services is to enable individuals with disabilities live more independently and make choices that lead to a more independent and satisfying lifestyle.
We provide four core IL services to consumers with disabilities.
Four Core services of IL are: Information and Referral, Independent Living Skills training, Advocacy and Peer Support. They are defined as follows:
Information and Referral services inform and guide individuals to seek out, and identify and make use of various services and programs available that are of special interest to persons with any type of disability or other interested individuals or groups at the local, state, federal or tribal level. Information such as: accessible housing, accessible transportation, employment opportunities, personal assistant services, reader services and visual aids, along with resources to provide personal assistive devices.
Independent living skills training is provided to teach individuals with significant disabilities to function more independently in their home, community, or at work. These skills may include: food preparation and shopping, grooming, interpersonal skills/communication skills, homemaking skills, leisure activities/recreational, budget management and other skills as needed.
Advocacy efforts teach persons with significant disabilities to represent themselves. Individuals will be guided through the confusing tangle of benefits, paperwork, and hearings, if needed so that they will receive the benefits they are entitled to. There are three types of advocacy services: 1) advocating on behalf of an individual; 2) teaching the individual to become their own self-advocate; and 3) systemic advocacy which results in changing systems or making changes in the community.
Peer-support is an opportunity for individuals with significant disabilities to gain understanding and information from others with significant disabilities who’ve gone through similar experiences. The objective is to explore options and to solve problems that sometimes occur for people with disabilities, for example making adjustments to a newly acquired disability, experiencing changes in living arrangements, or learning to use community services more effectively. Peer counseling is available to individuals, extended family members and groups.
Tiwahe (Family) Access Program Home Modification
This program provides consumers, who meet income and independent living services eligibility and live in South Dakota, with devices and home rehabilitation to address their accessibility needs. The scope of services are limited to those home modifications and devices that are necessary to overcome barriers that substantially limit a consumer’s ability to function independently in the family or community or to obtain, maintain, or advance in employment. The program purchases adaptive devices (reachers, doorbell indicators, eating utensils, personal hygiene & dressing aids, driving hand controls, environmental controls etc.) and home modifications (ramps, widened doorways, bathroom and kitchen modifications.) The scope of services does not include medical, prosthetic, or orthotic devices (hospital beds or related equipment, wheelchairs, artificial limbs, devices for supporting or assisting limb functions) medical supplies, medication.
Through NAAP Telecommunications Adaptive Devices (TAD) program IL staff are able to purchase and distribute telecommunications devices to make telephone services accessible for individuals with disabilities other than the deaf, hard of hearing deaf-blind and speech-impaired. (These persons may access services through the state office of the deaf services.) Persons who have disabilities (other than those specified to receive services from the office of the deaf services) that prevent them from using a telephone without a telecommunication device must be a state resident and must have phone service. Devices are electrical or mechanical for use that enables the individual to communicate through the telephone. Click here for a printable IL Consumer Handbook. Every year the IL staff have their consumer complete a consumer satisfaction survey as a apart of funding requirements and to help the staff see and understand where they currently stand with their consumers if there are areas that need to be improved on and where they made a difference in a consumers quality if life. Click here for 2009's consumer satisfaction survey results. Independant Living Services
Staff
Charles Bull Bear Il Specialist
Ilspec1@nativeamericanadvocacy.org
Peggy Hockett Il Specialist
Ilspec2@nativeamericanadvocacy.org