The Access Center has decided to dedicate this month’s ACIL Happenings article to explaining what an Independent Living Plan (ILP) is and how to establish one.
An ILP is a plan that gives a person with a disability control of their independent choices and goals as well as how and when those goals are achieved. ILPs give people with disabilities the opportunity to exercise autonomy, make decisions, and lead fulfilling lives. ILPs can be created to help people with disabilities with any goal they feel is important to achieve, from learning essential life skills like personal care and household management, cooking or cleaning, to increasing social interaction or self-confidence. A staff member known as an Independent Living Specialist or an IL Specialist employed by a Center for independent Living (CIL), like ACIL, will typically help someone with a disability to develop an ILP and check in with that person at regular intervals to monitor progress as that person works to achieve the goal set.
Oftentimes, an overall or, long-term, goal is broken down into smaller or short-term goals, so that it is easier to achieve. For example, the long-term goal of finding employment within a year may be broken down into short-term goals like identifying your strengths and career interests within a month, apply to an organization like Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) to gain the help of a vocational counselor within three months, and applying to an agreed upon number of jobs each month until employment is gained. Typically, a target date or timeline for the overall goal as well as any smaller goals will be agreed upon and put in place by the IL Specialist and the person with a disability. Having a timeline or target achievement date for a goal is important because it gives the person with a disability something to look forward to and work toward. While target achievement dates are an important aspect of goals, when it comes to ILPs, it is important to remember that target achievement dates are not set in stone. The staff at ACIL and other CILs understand that life happens and will agree to adjust target achievement dates as needed as long as the person with a disability is making a conscious effort to work toward achieving the goal.
It is important for people with disabilities to understand that an IL Specialist will not complete the goals set in an ILP for them but instead will check in with them regularly and give them the tools and resources needed to successfully achieve their goals. Take, for instance, the example given above. If someone comes to ACIL and establishes an ILP to find employment, the IL specialist that person works with will suggest the person apply to OOD and advise them on how to do so. While an IL Specialist cannot apply to OOD for the person with a disability, the IL Specialist can walk the person with a disability through the application process, if needed.
The amount of help the IL Specialist provides a person with a disability to achieve a goal and how often they check in with the person will be agreed upon when the ILP is established. Check in intervals and the type of resources and tools provided will depend on the type of goal established as well as the timeline put into place for achievement. It may be appropriate for the IL Specialist to check in weekly initially while the person with a disability is working toward smaller or short-term goals and eventually check in monthly while the person is working toward long-term goals. Again, all this will be agreed upon by the IL Specialist and the person with a disability when an ILP is established.
A written goal sheet for each goal set as part of an ILP is completed and signed by the IL Specialist and the person with a disability when an ILP is established. If the person with a disability is under 18 or has a guardian, the guardian must also sign off on every goal set in an ILP when it is established. The person with a disability is encouraged to write goals in their own words when establishing an ILP. Furthermore, the person with a disability will be encouraged to choose a target completion date for each goal set as part of an ILP with guidance from the IL Specialist. The person with a disability being empowered to make his/her/their own choices when establishing every aspect of an ILP will help to make them more accountable when it comes to achieving their goals.
The staff at ACIL understands that establishing an ILP can be overwhelming for a person with a disability. Our IL Specialists want consumers to know that if you work with one of us to establish an ILP, we will work with you until you achieve every goal you set. As long as you put effort in, we will put effort in. While we can’t complete goals for you, we will work as hard as we can to encourage you and give you the tools and resources you need to successfully achieve your goals.
If you are interested in establishing an ILP, call ACIL at 937-341-5202 and explain that you have an independent living goal and would like to speak to IL Specialist about establishing a plan to achieve it. At that point, you will likely be transferred to the ACIL IL Supervisor, Tonya Banther. Tonya will assign you to an IL Specialist after getting more details about the independent living goal that you have in mind. Once you are assigned to an IL Specialist, you will be given the choice of meeting with that person in-person or virtually to establish an ILP. If you choose to meet with the IL Specialist virtually you will be sent ILP paperwork in the mail to sign and send back to the IL Specialist.
Please note that consumers may work with ACIL staff to achieve goals even without establishing an ILP, but we encourage you to establish one to ensure that you stay accountable and set yourself up to have the best chance to successfully achieve your goals.
Ready to establish an ILP with ACIL? Have questions you would like answered before doing so? Call us at 937-341-5202 or email us at [email protected].
