Anywhere, if you don’t have a good plan Where Do You Start? Anywhere, if you don’t have a good plan

Start With The Plan Needs Assessment/Evaluations Transition IEP/Support Plan Conversations with Individual, Family and others

Each agency has different eligibility criteria. And, vocabulary… Check eligibility criteria Eliminate agencies whose eligibility criteria does not match the individual and develop alternative plan for those services Social Security Blue Book - Multiple Body Systems (Down Syndrome – Trisomy 21) Services through Medicaid –waiver - Medically Necessary… Health and Safety Vocational Rehabilitation – Employment, or Career related So how will Independent Living assist with these goals? One example is My parents live in an area of town – rural area, etc. where transportation is non-existent. If I want to go to work and be successful I need to learn independent living skills.

Talk about gatekeeping: Funding is tight for all agencies. It may seem as if the whole goal of the system is to not provide services….. You are probably right. The interesting fact about ADULT services is that no one is obligated to find people in need of services and offer to provide the needed services. I see people come in all the time who have applied for a SSA disability determination and have been denied. When they show me their application and I see that their son or daughter has a learning disability and was a slow learner, I know that no one looked at the testing that showed a 53 IQ. It is a matter of language. Social Security uses the term Mental Retardation. Don’t like to use the words, probably won’t get the benefit. Call Vocational Rehabilitation and tell them that your son or daughter only has a mild disability and they will tell you that there is a waiting list. Some feel discouraged and don’t even apply when agencies tell them there is a waiting list. VR must serve those with most significant disabilities first. Like it or not Autism, Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disability, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida fall into most significant. Don’t know what services you need from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and they might not even offer you an application. If the person doesn’t have SSDI or SSI VR may charge for some of their services. And once in the door, the systems are not geared to showing you a menu of services that you order from like a restaurant. If you don’t have a clear plan of what you want to achieve, clear goals, then each agency you are eligible to receive services from has a plan for you. APD, expend as little dollars as possible. They are under a legislative directive to expend no more dollars than is in their budget. When we started this year the APD budget was around $875 million. They had service authorizations nearing 1 billion dollars, with around $910 in expected expenditures. Estimated to spend around $50 mil over budget, and the threat is that when the money runs out services will stop. VR is judged on the number of individuals receiving employment that lasts over 90 days. So, if you don’t have a clear plan you are likely to go straight to Employment Services, referred to an agency in the community to get you a job and help you keep it for 90 days. If they think that you need Supported Employment Services and you do not have ongoing funding for those services beyond the 150 days that VR will provide you might be discouraged from moving forward. They are looking for APD or Mental Health to pick up the long term follow along services that may be needed. No one thinks about the SS work incentives to pay Employment Related Work Expenses such as supported employment to help maintain employment - may be a good value, if individuals could be convinced to follow through. And, to be fair VR wants to see that their limited dollars have more lasting impact.

The Arc Jacksonville Living Independently; Finding Enrichment To allow parents and individuals with intellectual disabilities to discover the possibilities of living independently

The Arc Jacksonville On Campus Transition University of North Florida A Post-secondary Transition Program (in operation for ten years) Individual Program of Study Audit college classes Service learning, volunteer experience, internship, paid employment Social/Emotional Development Self determination Independence Participate in student clubs and organizations Experience Sports/Culture/Arts and other opportunities on Campus Serving 32 Students with Intellectual Disabilities (some have additional diagnoses of Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome) – with residential services provided to 23 students (dorm or student suites housing)

The Arc Jacksonville Summer LIFE Experience A four week independent living emersion program that assesses skills necessary for independence (in operation for nine years) Daily Living Skills : Budgeting, cooking, cleaning, sewing, safety/emergency training, household repairs, transportation Social Emotional Skills: Team building, social etiquette, conversation skills, personal boundaries, expressing and identifying emotions, stress management. Leisure: Occupy free time, plan social events, enhance time management skills, explore interest, develop hobbies, explore community Serving 32 Individuals with Developmental Disabilities in 4 bedroom 4 bath apartments each summer.

ASK at The Arc Jacksonville Community Library Information and Referral Supplemental Special Needs Trusts Guardian/Guardian Advocacy (membership benefit) Charlotte Temple Vice President Advocacy The Arc Jacksonville 1050 N. Davis Street Jacksonville, Florida 32209 (904)358-1200 With funding from the City of Jacksonville Community Development Block Grant