Making sure your voice is heard
Advocating for people with any disability so they can achieve equality, gain choice and control over their lives, and receive the independence and inclusion they deserve.
There’s a lot of ground to cover
In addition to being the largest minority group in the United States, people with disabilities continue to face endless barriers in the areas of housing, transportation, employment, and education.
HOUSING
50%
of households at the federal poverty level in Allen County include one or more people with disabilities, but regulations for accessibility are minimal in federally-funded housing.
TRANSPORTATION
1 in 4
people with disabilities report never leaving their homes because of lack of accessible, affordable, and adequate transportation.
EMPLOYMENT
82%
of people with disabilities are not employed, and in Indiana only 23.8% of those who are working are employed full-time. For minorities with disabilities, the jobless rate is almost 150% greater than their white peers.
EDUCATION
227%
higher rate of high school incompletion among people with disabilities than their non-disabled peers (even greater if they are living in institutions).
The list of challenges can seem overwhelming.
We’re committed to helping overcome these barriers.
Imagine a world where you are truly seen and your needs are met.
Our mission is to make that world possible through Independent Living, DeafLink, HomeCare+ & Home HealthCare+, and Benefit Enrollment Center services.
INDEPENDENT LIVING
Helping people with severe disabilities to gain the personal living skills and service support they need to remain in their home and community setting.
Services Include:
Braille services, adaptive equipment, blind & low vision services, independent living skills training, and more
DEAFLINK
Working to increase the independence and self-sufficiency of the 22,000+ people who are Hard-of-Hearing and Deaf in Northeast Indiana.
Services Include:
Advocacy, education about Deaf culture, sign language interpretation services, and more
HOMECARE+ & HOME HEALTHCARE+
Providing in-home care for people with any disability by helping with household chores, personal care and hygiene, mobility assistance, and more.
Services Include:
Respite care, attendant care, homemaker services, and more
BENEFIT ENROLLMENT CENTER
Connecting Medicare beneficiaries with limited incomes to benefits that pay for healthcare, food, and more.
Assistance Includes:
Premiums, groceries, prescription payments, heating/cooling bills, and more
Each of our services has one common thread:
They’re all tailored to YOUR goals and no one else’s.
We’ve been serving and advocating for over 70 years.
For our entire history, including the past 40 years as a Center for Independent Living, our approach has been the same.
Empowerment model versus patient model
Never forcing you to “prove” your disability
