Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania

The Center for Independent Living of Central pa (cilcp) Independent Living program, which includes advocacy, peer support, information and referral, skills training, youth services and nursing home transition services, served 297 consumers in 2021. The cilcp was very busy with many other projects and programs peer support the continuation of covid in 2021 brought new meaning to socialization and peer mentoring. Consumers were hungry to meet and talk with each other. But transportation cutbacks and covid scares still prohibited the one on one visits to the rescue was cilcp's grassroots advocacy group, wheels in motion (wim). -wim wim decided to start hosting social groups at least twice a month through zoom. The group is very social and welcomes everyone. They talk about what is important to them, play games and plan topics for the next time they meet. -phenom wheelchair rugby in the fall of 2021, cilcp, with the help of some cool athletes, began the development of a wheelchair rugby sports team. But it is more than just a team as one player stated, "it's a lifestyle". The team members love the game and they provide support for each other and encouragement. -young adults creating change (yacc) the young adults' group, yacc, again focused primarily on the social aspects of being a young person with a disability during the pandemic. It remained difficult for members to meet up and connect so members initially created a space on zoom to discuss what was relevant to the group and provide support for the details only other youth with disabilities would understand. Later, yacc moved the communication to the groupme messaging app where they continued conversations. Over the course of the year members participated less frequently and reduced their engagement as they aged out of the group, attended college, and transitioned to other social groups. Systems advocacy -wim in addition to wim's social meetings, wim also advocates for systems change within their community and on a state level. In 2021, wim advocated: -for transportation services, due to changes and cut backs from covid. -for easier access to waiver services. -for improved services for people whose service plan hours were reduced. -i want to see i want to see is another cilcp grassroots advocacy group. Their advocacy focus is for services for people who are deafblind. In 2021, i want to see advocated: -to expand services and stable funding for services to people who are deafblind -for a quality plan for the support service provider program -open communication with service providers and state government funding the service program i want to see also presented at the statewide il conference on their advocacy efforts, attended statewide Independent Living council (silc) board meetings, office of vocational rehabilitation (ovr) board meetings and the deaf and hard of hearing advisory meetings. Information and referral services another service that cilcp provides is information. In 2021, cilcp provided 599 individuals with information and referral services regarding disability and disability related issues. Most frequently asked questions were about accessibility, home modifications, resource management, housing, nursing home transition, and attendant care services. Innovative programs direct care worker training as a result of the direct care worker shortage crisis, cilcp applied for and was awarded a direct care worker training grant from the pa department of labor & industry. Grant goals are to generate interest in the profession and develop a training curriculum that prepares people to work in the home care field and be ready to take a position in home care as soon as they complete the training. In 2021, cilcp trained 290 people as direct care workers. It was a slow start but we expect to meet our goal of 1200 people trained by the end of the grant. Aging & disability resource Center (adrc) initiatives in addition to being the link coordinator for dauphin, perry, adams and york counties, cilcp also received cares act funds through the adrc for 3 additional programs. -perry county military share food distribution program. Grant funds transportation mileage reimbursement and meals for volunteers - serves 165 veteran families a month -social isolation - unmet needs -cilcp provided tablets and other items to address social isolation for people with disabilities. -nursing home transition -technology - to eliminate social distancing and social isolation, cilcp was able to purchase tvs, phones and other basic communication technology for people transitioning from nursing facilities. Wheelchair rugby-phenom team in 2021, Central Pennsylvania's first wheelchair rugby team was formed- phenom a group of six athletes got together on friday nights to make this happen. The team practices weekly at spook nook sports complex in manheim and continues to recruit players and volunteers.wheelchair rugby is a mixed team sport for all genders. Originally created by athletes with disabilities, it combines elements of rugby, basketball, and handball. Contact between wheelchairs is permitted, encouraged, and is an integral part of the sport mobile office cilcp converted its 12-passenger accessible bus into an accessible mobile office. This was a six-month process, with partial funding from dauphin county. It is equipped with outlets, usb ports, a generator, internet access, foldable work desk, a permanent work station, and a refrigerator. The cilcp plans to partner with businesses/agencies in 2022, to use their parking lots to reach underserved populations especially in the rural counties served by cilcp.