Helping individuals with disabilities and their families
Who is eligible for support services?
Adults and children with a severe disability that is there before the age of 22 and their families. (Traumatic brain injury/spinal cord at any age)
The disability can be mental, physical or both. It must be likely to continue for a very long time. The disability must be severe enough to lessen the chance for three of the following: 1) living independently, 2) making a living, 3) learning many things, 4) getting around their neighborhood by themselves, 5) speaking or hearing well, 6) taking care of themselves, or 7) making their own decisions.
The family is made up of the� people the person with the disability lives with and who takes care of them. But it can't be a nursing home or hospital or some kind of institution.
It is important to have a child grow up as part of the family. Families know better than anyone what they need to stay together. Families can be trusted to make the right decisions for their loved ones. Families know best how to stretch their dollars.
Individuals or their families can choose the support they need. I&FS provides many different types of service. These include counseling, daycare, equipment such as wheelchairs, transportation, therapy, medicines, doctor bills, and help at Christmas or Thanksgiving, or a wheelchair ramp.
An application is the first step towards getting help. You can get one from us, from CRS, from your doctor's office or caseworker.
Permission is needed for people to share disability information with the council. This would be someone, or some agency, that knows the individual.
If determined eligible, the person may receive the service they choose based on that councils' guidelines.
Assistance may be granted as long as the budget allows it.
Who decides who gets what?
The council sets the way applications are handled in your community. The council is made up of people with disabilities or their family members.