WISH - Wellness, Independence, Support, Hope

WISH - Wellness, Independence, Support, Hope. WISH offers peer counseling support focusing on self-care, social connections, safety, physical and mental wellness, goal setting, independence, maintaining a positive mindset, help with technology, and much more.

LEAP - Living and Empowering Active Participation

Living and Empowering Active Participation (LEAP) is social recreation for individuals with disabilities that are 22 years and older. LEAP’s goals are to increase social interaction and recreation activities, teach new life skills, and provide new experiences for individuals with disabilities.

Below is a link for a survey that hopefully, you can take the time to fill out and provide us with your valued opinion for our social recreation program: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y39VF6V

Made possible by a United Way of Greater Fall River - Impact Grant.

Independent Living Services

Independent Living Services are provided to anyone with a disability. These services are designed to assist individuals with their ability to live independently in the community of their choosing by providing them with the needed skills and resources.

The 5 core independent living services are:

  1. (Mental Health Support) Peer Counseling: Another person with a disability acts as a peer/role model, and provides counseling in all aspects of your life from dealing with personal relationships, socialization, family, school, work, to dealing with your disability, and everyday issues and situations.

  2. Skills Training: Teaching skills necessary to be independent such as, learning to hire and manage PCAs, accessing public transportation, budgeting money, and fully accessing your community and all the available resources to the fullest.

  3. Transition & Prevention: Transition represents assisting people with disabilities in transitioning out of nursing homes or other institutional settings into a community living option of their choosing. It also represents assisting youth with the transition to adulthood. Prevention is SCIL’s effort to assist people with disabilities in staying out of nursing homes/institutions.

  4. Information & Referral: We provide information and referrals to people with disabilities, their families, service providers, and community members.

  5. Advocacy: We assist in advocating for the needs and rights of people with disabilities while teaching self-advocacy.

 

Transition into Community Living (TICL)

SCIL can assist individuals in institutions or long-term care facilities to return home or move into a new type of residence. We believe that people have the right to live in the most integrated setting possible. In fact, this is what was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999 in the case of Olmstead v. L.C.

We know that the majority of nursing home and rehabilitation hospital residents would prefer to return home or to some other residence if at all possible. The array of housing, medical, and social service resources required to make this move a reality is complicated. SCIL staff have the expertise to assist with the transition. Together we can determine what is needed and what is available to make the transition back into the community a success.

 

Transition to Adulthood Program (Tap)

SCIL works directly with students and their families to provide the students with key experiences in developing their independence, self-empowerment, and personal goals and objectives. SCIL utilizes TAP to assist students in their development of Citizenship Responsibilities, Daily Living Skills, Transportation, Money Management, Employment, Health Insurances and Benefits, Housing, and other continuing education and employment opportunities.

In conjunction with the core services provided to the students, SCIL will attend Individualized Education Planning (I.E.P.) meetings to provide support and assistance to students and their families as needed and assist the students in creating a Post-Secondary Education Vision Statement.

In order to qualify to participate in the program the students must meet the following criteria:

  • Between the ages of 14 up to their 22nd birthday

  • Have a significant disability or disabilities of any type

  • Enrolled in public high school, private school, homeschool, or any educational institution within SCIL’s service area

  • Must have an IEP or 504 Plan

  • If between the ages of 16-21 and not currently in school they may still participate but they must have a goal in their ILP to return to school.

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

SCIL administers Pre-ETS to provide students with disabilities the opportunity to gain the skills and experience necessary to be successful in obtaining employment. Pre-ETS provides students with workplace readiness training, job exploration, work based learning experiences, instruction in self-advocacy and peer mentoring, and exploration of the post-secondary education options available.

In order to qualify to participate in the program the students must meet the following criteria:

Be a potentially eligible student for MRC Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services OR a student determined eligible for MRC VR Services AND:

  • A student with a documented disability (documentation can include an IEP, 504 plan, or medical documents)

  • Enrolled in high school or post-secondary education or training; and

  • Within the ages of 14-21 (up to their 22nd birthday)

driver’s education learner’s permit classes

SCIL offers Driver’s Education Learner’s Permit Classes, to assist individuals with disabilities in passing their driver’s permit test. SCIL collaborates with the Registry of Motor Vehicles wherein they will administer verbal permit tests off registry grounds to participants, in a group setting, untimed at an identified location.

 Classes are offered to adults and youth with disabilities.

 

options Counseling

Options Counseling provides support for those individuals who are looking to return or continue to live in the community but need help identifying what services are available that can help them maintain their independence. The Options Counselor will sift through all the information that is available and provide the individual with a list of resources, services, and support that may help the individual remain in the community. Options counseling can also assist the person to plan for their future long-term support and care needs.

Budget Your Bucks: Financial Literacy Workshops

Budget Your Bucks consists of a 5-week series of workshops covering topics that include setting financial goals, understanding the difference between needs and wants, how to create and stick to a budget, understanding different types of bank accounts, how to start saving or increase savings, how to reduce debt, explaining the available types of public benefits (i.e. SNAP, SSI, etc.), and an overview of options to help with purchasing and borrowing assistive technology.

Monthly housing Workshops

Meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 1:00-2:00, unless there is a holiday. You must register for the workshop by calling (508)679-9210 between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. Registration is mandatory. The workshops cover topics such as application forms, how to work with a SCIL counselor, and any other questions you may have.

Community services

In addition to services for individuals, SCIL provides various services to the community such as:

  • Serving on committees, boards, and commissions

  • Community Advocacy

  • Community Education

  • Group/Individual computer classes

  • Social and Recreational activities

  • Collaborative Networking

  • Architectural Access

  • Training/Workshops

  • Enforcement with Americans with Disabilities Act

Volunteers & Internships

SCIL welcomes individuals to volunteer to assist us in our work. We are pleased to encourage our volunteers to develop skills that they can utilize to enhance their resumes or broaden their community engagement.

SCIL provides opportunities for students from area colleges and universities to come and gain valuable experience at SCIL to complement their studies in human services, sociology, education, and other fields relevant to our mission.

ADRC SE SM (Aging and Disability Resource Consortium Southeast & Southern MA)

SCIL is a member of the ADRC SE SM. Our member agencies are:

·          Bristol Elder Services

·          Coastline

·          Old Colony Elder Services

·         Independence Associates Center for Independent Living

·         South Shore Elder Services

We work together to connect persons with disabilities of any age and people 60 years or older with services and supports to help them live independently in the community. Our No Wrong Door philosophy means you may contact any one of our member agencies and be connected with the resources of all of our organizations.

Additional Services

  • Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Drop-Off Site

  • Available to Provide Assistance and Information with Applying for a Loan, Acquiring, and Borrowing Assistive Technology (AT)