accessAbilities, Inc.
Helps People Live Independent Lives
by Karen Fetter
Life doesn’t have to be a struggle for someone with a disability. Instead,
life can be lived to its fullest. That is how accessAbilities, Inc. sees it,
according to public relations director Kathy Yandura. For over 50 years, this
nonprofit organization’s goal has been to help people with disabilities live
independent lives in their homes and communities.
accessAbilities, Inc serves some 1,500 people in Westmoreland, Indiana, and
Armstrong counties with an extensive team of experienced and knowledgeable
staff. “We always put the person first, not the disability,” explained Kathy.
“We want the community to realize the importance of seeing the person first
before seeing a disability.”
Services are offered for both children and adults. The program for children is
from birth through three years and involves early intervention. Each child has
specific needs, and counselors develop individualized service plans for each
child. Children experiencing developmental delays can often be helped with
physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, special instruction, or
vision and hearing therapies.
Another program for children is the Kids Klub. Kids Klub is a structured weekly
play group that provides education, socialization, and family support. The
program is free and is available in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties. The
class is staff directed but still involves the parents. The goal of the program
is for parents and caregivers to learn how to continue to work with their
toddlers outside of the group. Kids Klub also offers special activities such as
trips to the Pittsburgh Zoo, Idlewild Park, and Sea Base.
Another accessAbilities offering is the Elks Home Service Nurse Program. The
Elks Lodge founded this program to help those with a severe, chronic disability
attributed to a mental and/or physical impairment before the age of 22. (Though
people in the program can remain in it permanently.) Services include: in-home
medical case management, advocating for an individual’s rights, assessing needs,
locating equipment, assistance with goals, acting as a liaison between medical
professionals and family, assistance with residential options, and help with
home care.
As part of the Elks Home Service Nurse Program, nurses help the family with
finding resources and in making connections with other programs.
Adult services, for those over the age of 18, are also available through
accessAbilities, Inc. These services help facilitate independent living,
including attendant care, access to technology, specialized therapies, homemaker
services, community integration, non-medical maintenance support, respite care,
home modifications, and personal care assistance.
“We empower people to live on their own. One person may only need someone in
the morning and before bed to help them change, bathe, and eat. Others may need
help to clean their home, while still others may need 24 hour assistance.
Whatever services are needed, accessAbilities, Inc. works to provide them,” said
public relations Director Kathy Yandura. accessAbilities offers a wide
range of services in helping those with disabilities lead independent lives.
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For example, some people might have to renovate
their home to accommodate a new way of living. accessAbilities can assist in
these home renovations so a person can live on one floor and still remain
independent. This extra help is sometimes all it takes to maintain an
independent, happy, and safe lifestyle.
The agency’s goal is to empower individuals to live
independently when often the other choice would be to enter a nursing home.
Kathy reports that an average cost of a nursing home is $67,000 per year.
Attendant care services through accessAbilities cost on average less than
$25,000 per year, and these services are most often paid through government
waivers.
Furthermore, accessAbilities believes in consumer
choices. Therefore, each client is able to select the type of care they would
like to receive. There are two service models available: agency directed and
consumer directed. Each type of service is explained to the client or the
client’s family, and they can decide which would be best suited for them and
their needs.
accessAbilities, Inc. was founded in 1954 by four
families that each had someone diagnosed with cerebral palsy. They renovated a
three story home in Spring Church, Armstrong County so they could provide
therapeutic services for children. At that time the organization was named the
Western Pennsylvania Cerebral Palsy Institute.
In 1958 the organization became affiliated with the
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Western PA. As the years passed, the
organization’s scope of services expanded to include help for people with all
types of disabilities. However, despite its evolving scope of services, the
organization was still perceived as a cerebral palsy organization. To solve this
dilemma, the name was changed to accessAbilities, Inc. in 2004.
Also in 2004, the organization relocated its
corporate offices to the Bishop Connare Center in Greensburg, then known as the
St. Joseph Center. Currently accessAbilities, Inc serves more than 1,500 people
per year.
accessAbilities, Inc. was recertified with the
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations Seal of Excellence in 2007.
Originally certified in 2004, accessAbilities was one of the first organizations
in the state to receive such an honor. The certification process has 56
standards and eight principles that provide a benchmark for agencies. Receiving
this seal means they have the highest of standards and ethics.
If you are interested in learning more about
accessAbilities, Inc. tune into WCNS radio (1480 AM on the dial or
www.1480WCNS.com) for a monthly radio show
at 8:30 a.m. on the fourth Saturday each month. One of accessAbilities, Inc.
customers is interviewed for each show. In the interview, the person discusses
how the program has helped him or her achieve a healthy lifestyle and live life
to its fullest.
To learn more information about accessAbilities,
Inc. call 724-832-8272 or visit the website at
www.accessabilities.org.
To learn more information
about accessAbilities, Inc.
accessAbilities, Inc. call
724-832-8272 or
visit the website at
www.accessabilities.org.