MISSION
The Blue Ridge Independent Living Center assists people with disabilities to live independently. The Center also serves the community at large by helping to create an environment that is accessible to all.
VISION
The Blue Ridge Independent Living Center, Inc. (BRILC) is a private, nonprofit corporation founded in 1989. In 1988, the General Assembly appropriated funds for a center for independent living (CIL) to serve people with disabilities who reside throughout the Fifth Planning District. A group of disability advocates including individuals with disabilities, their families, and friends formed a nonprofit corporation to respond to the Request for Proposal published by the Department of Rehabilitative Services.
BRILC began assisting individuals with disabilities in July 1989. The four core services the center was mandated to provide included peer counseling, independent living skills training, information and referral, and advocacy. The Center had a total of five staff and an annual budget of $137,500 that came from the Commonwealth’s general fund. We occupied 1,900 sq. feet of office space. Our goal for our first year was to assist 50 individuals with disabilities.
Several years later, Federal Part C funds became available for centers for independent living (CILs) in Virginia. BRILC applied for these funds and was awarded Federal Part C dollars. As a federally funded center for independent living (CIL), BRILC must comply with standards, assurance and compliance indicators as outlined in section 725(b) and (c) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. As a Federally funded CIL, BRILC is required to complete a yearly 704 Report documenting information necessary for continuation awards for qualified CILs under Title VII, Chapter 1, Part C.
The 704 Report requests information about resources received and expended during a reporting year; the numbers and types of individuals with disabilities receiving services; information about the individual independent living services provided and received, goals set and met, and outcomes achieved; evidence of compliance with the CIL’s six evaluation standards, including community options and capacity-building activities; comparison of the reporting year activities with the annual work plan for that year and a description of the work plan for the following year; and, to identify the CIL’s priority training and technical assistance needs.
Consumer control in the independent living movement means that consumers control a CIL by having at least a majority of people with disabilities on its board of directors, and represented on its staff and in its volunteer corps. During fiscal year 15/16, eighty-six (86) percent of BRILC’s Board of Directors were individuals with disabilities. During the same time period, BRILC had a total of thirteen (13) employees. Ten (10) or 77% of those were individuals with disabilities.
A CIL’s services are offered to people with disabilities only in a manner that the consumer controls and the advocacy in which a CIL engages must be decided upon and controlled by the consumers in the community served by that CIL.
Consumer control within the field of independent living is absolutely essential because it is the one concept that has been absent in the traditional service delivery system for people with disabilities. Consumer control over policies, within boards and staff and over services and advocacy, is what makes BRILC truly unique. By adhering to the consumer control philosophy at all levels BRILC demonstrates responsiveness to the needs of a constituency that has been traditionally powerless.
BRILC’s vision is to see people with disabilities truly integrated into all aspects of society. In other words, we hope someday, to put ourselves out of business.
As a part of the Virginia Association of Centers for Independent Living (VACIL), BRILC will also advocate with the General Assembly for an increase in the funds provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia to support independent living services to individuals with disabilities who reside throughout the Fifth Planning District. In addition, VACIL and BRILC will advocate with the General Assembly for funds to enable BRILC to implement a new fifth core service.
BRILC will also continue to solicit funds from municipalities throughout the Fifth Planning District to assist us in empowering individuals with disabilities to be independent within their own homes and the community. BRILC will provide outreach to area nursing homes and other institutions to provide assistance to those individuals with disabilities who with community supports are capable of living in the community.
BRILC will continue advocacy efforts in the areas of community integration, collaboration, education, housing opportunities/home modifications, information access/technology, mobility/transportation, personal assistance services, physical/attitudinal barrier removal and employment.
Currently, BRILC rents approximately 7,600 square feet of office space located within the City of Roanoke. The office is located on the bus line and has off street parking. In addition, the office space has storage for BRILC’s Loan Closet.
Each year BRILC conducts a Consumer Satisfaction Survey. As part of the survey, BRILC solicits information from individuals with disabilities in order to assist us in setting our agency priorities. The priorities identified by our consumers guide our development of our future plans and the development of this business plan.
With the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), oversight of federally funded CILs was moved from the Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration to the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Independent Living Administration. Along with that move there were several other changes affecting CILs. One of those changes included the addition of a fifth core service. The fifth core service includes services that “facilitate the transition of individuals with significant disabilities from nursing homes and other institutions to home and community-based residences, with the requisite supports and services; provide assistance to individuals with significant disabilities who are at risk of entering institutions so that the individuals may remain in the community; and facilitate the transition of youth who are individuals with significant disabilities, who were eligible for IEPs under section 614(d) of IDEA, and who have completed their secondary education or otherwise left school, to postsecondary life.”
Unfortunately, the addition of a fifth core service did not result in additional funding for federally funded CILs.
In addition to a mandate to provide a fifth core service with no additional funding, this past fiscal year continued to produce a number of challenges associated with moving from one federal department to another.
KEY PROJECTS
- Assist individuals to meet their independent living goals by providing financial assistance for home modifications and assistive devices through federal, state, local and private funding sources.
- Assist individuals with disabilities to learn about the needs and resources (federal, state and local) necessary for independent living.
- Assist individuals with disabilities by providing programs designed to teach individuals with disabilities the skills necessary for acquiring, maintaining or increasing their independence.
- Assist individuals with disabilities to develop a peer network by providing support groups organized around common concerns.
- Assist individuals with disabilities to understand and exercise their civil rights regarding employment, housing, transportation, accessibility, and other needed services.
- Assist individuals with disabilities by identifying resources, services, and service providers in public, private, and community organizations and maintaining registries that provide local options for a variety of services and a collection of resource material about disability-related issues.
- Assist the community by influencing positive changes in local, state and federal legislation and the enforcement of existing laws to promote and ensure civil rights of individuals with disabilities.
- Assist businesses, agencies and individuals wishing to make their facilities and/or services more accessible to individuals with disabilities.
- Assist the community by providing presentations about disability-related issues and concerns of individuals with disabilities.
- Assist individuals with disabilities to locate accessible and affordable housing.
- Assist individuals with disabilities to transition from nursing homes or other institutions to community housing.
- Assist individuals with disabilities by providing services through state waiver programs.
- Assist individuals with disabilities to be a part of the technological age by providing refurbished computers for a nominal charge.
- Assist individuals with disabilities by providing a Loan Closet containing aids to daily living and assistive devices to enable independence.
- Assist individuals who are deaf and/or hearing impaired by being a Technology Assistance Program (TAP) Loan site.
- Assist persons with disabilities to obtain and maintain employment while creating informed choices about the effects on SSA, SSI, and other forms of benefits.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, Blue Ridge Independent Living Center, Inc. assisted individuals with disabilities in the following ways utilizing funding from a variety of sources:
*Provided assistance to 439 individuals with disabilities.
*Assisted individuals with disabilities to develop 559 goals.
*Assisted individuals with disabilities to complete 489goals.
*Constructed ramps and/or other home modifications to allow individuals with disabilities to remain in their own homes.
*Utilized private funding for individuals to receive assistive devices including orthotics, dental services, lift chairs, and portable ramps.
*Provided refurbished computers for consumers at nominal fee.
*Provided more than 3,372 hours of community services including collaboration/networking, community/systems advocacy, community education/public information/integration, outreach, resource development and technical assistance.
*Assisted a new, nonprofit organization to provide independent living services throughout the New River Valley.
*Assisted 7 individuals to relocate from nursing homes or other institutions into community based living.
*Prevented 113 individuals from having to enter a nursing home or other institution.
*Provided Medicaid Waiver services to approximately 250 individuals with disabilities.
Community Support
Blue Ridge Independent Living Center, Inc. receives its primary funding from a combination of Federal, State, and Local entities. While funds from private foundations and individuals are nominal, we have for more than 26years been the recipients of funds from a variety of foundations and corporate sponsors for specific assistance to individuals with disabilities to further their goals of independence.
Continuation grants come from the following sources:
US Department of Health & Human Services Part C & B
Commonwealth of Virginia
Additional funds are frequently received from:
City of Roanoke, Virginia
County of Roanoke, Virginia
Community Development Block Grants
Greater Alleghany United Fund
Foundation for Roanoke Valley
First Fridays at Five
Financial Sustainability
In the past, Centers for Independent Living (CILs) such as BRILC received Federal Part C funds through the U.S. Department of Education as authorized by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. In the past year, CIL funding was moved to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. BRILC has been receiving these Federal funds since 1993. In addition, Virginia’s CILs are a separate line item in the Governor’s Budget and have been receiving state funds since 1982. BRILC also receives funding through local cities and counties, as well as through contributions from individuals and surrounding communities.
In addition, BRILC also provides waiver services for the Department of Medical Assistance Services and other services through a fee for service arrangement that have also provided a source of income. BRILC actively engages in applying for funding from both the public and private sectors and has been a viable source of support to the disability community since its inception in 1989. BRILC has weathered occasional reductions in governmental funding through economic streamlining, seldom requiring the loss of employment for our staff or cutting back on services to the individuals with disabilities that we serve.
During FY 14-15, BRILC successfully become an approved provider for three insurance companies commonly referred to as Commonwealth Coordinated Care. We have successfully completed contracts with three (3) additional insurance companies who will become a part of Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus. We have also been approved to provide Social Security Representative Services and continue to operate as an Employment Network assisting those in the Ticket to Work program to become employed or to work additional hours.
Partners/Resources
Services
BRILC could not possibly provide the breadth of services to individuals with disabilities without the assistance of several partner agencies. Some of these include:
Virginia Housing Development Authority
Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority
disAbility Law Center of Virginia
Legal Aid of Roanoke Valley
Local Office on Aging/ Area Agency on Aging
Council of Community Services
Shelter Plus Care
Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare
Department for Aging and RehabilitativeServices
Virginia Western Community College
Radford University
Multiple Sclerosis Society
Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia
Renovation Alliance
Social Security Administration
Western Virginia Workforce Development Board
Department of Social Services
Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired
Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment & Endowment
City of Roanoke
Roanoke County
Greater Alleghany United Fund
Veterans Administration
Foundation for Roanoke Valley
Community Housing Resource Center
RADAR
CREDENTIALS & AWARDS
*501(c)3 tax-exempt organization incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia
*Nominated three times for the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award of the Year
*Approved provider of Department of Medical Assistance Services, Virginia Premier, Humana, and Anthem HealthkeepersElderly and/or Disabled with Consumer Direction Service Facilitator
*Continued compliance with requirements of Workforce Improvement Opportunity Act (WIOA), U.S. Dept. of Health and Human services, Administration on Community Living
*Approved provider of Department of Medical Assistance Services, Virginia Premier, and Humana Transition Coordination services under Money Follows the Person
*Approved provider of Certified Work Incentive Coordinator services through the Social Security Administration
*Approved provider of Work Incentive Specialist services through the Department of Rehabilitative Services
*Approved provider of Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Employment Network services
*Approved provider of Social Security Administration Representation services
BRILC Board of Directors
Chair:Charles Harlow
Vice-Chair:Bill Poe
Treasurer:Dolores Daniels
Secretary:Karen Willis
Members:Garrett Brumfield
Peter Pearl
Bill Poe
Terry Winborne
BRILC STAFF
Executive Director:Karen Michalski-Karney
Program Services ManagerKatherine Wells
Community Services Manager:Antwyne Calloway
EDCD Waiver Service Facilitator:Darlene Rice
Mary Worthington
MFP CoordinatorHolly Clyburn
Employment Services Manager:Rob Roberts
Independent Living Coordinators:Bill Duncan
Jon Weems
Finance and Operations Manager:Sallee Ebbett
Administrative Office Assistant:Avis Collins
Morning Receptionist:Monchella Bannister
Afternoon Receptionist:Alice Chase
11/16/2018
BRILC BUSINESS PLAN
11/16/2018
BRILC BUSINESS PLAN