Standard Practices And

STANDARD PRACTICES AND

PROCEDURES MANUAL

(SPPM)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTIONPAGE

TABLE OF CONTENTSi

FOREWORDii

  1. PHILOSOPHY AND GENERAL SERVICE POLICY1
  2. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING (IL) SERVICES4
  3. CIL SERVICE (CATCHMENT) AREA4
  4. CIL FUNDING SOURCES4
  5. CIL CONSILIATION POLICY AND PROCEDURE5
  6. CIL INTAKE PROCEDURES7
  7. ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION8
  8. IL SERVICES PLAN/ILP9
  9. NOTICE OF RIGHTS TO CONCILIATION9
  10. INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICES (I&R)10
  11. SERVICE FOR COMMUNITY OPTION DEVELOPMENT12
  12. LOBBYING POLICY13
  13. PUBLIC INFORMATION, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH14
  14. TRANSPORTATION16
  15. USE OF CIL OFFICE SPACE BY GROUPS17
  16. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE18
  17. ACCESSIBLITY POLICY18
  18. VOLUNTEER POLICY18
  19. RELEASE OF INFORMATION/CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY19

APPENDIX ADEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS, & ABBREVIATIONSA-1

APPENDIX BFORMSB-1

FOREWORD

This Standard Practices and Procedures Manual (SPPM) will serve as a guide for staff members, members of the Board of Directors (BOD), and volunteers of the CIL whenever those persons are working for or performing functions on behalf of CIL. While no such manual can possibly be all inclusive or cover the universe of situations, this SPPM should be adhered to whenever possible and practicable.

CIL recognizes that many situations that arise in the day-to-day operation of a center for independent living, as well as in the day-to-day operation of any human services agency or of any office will require independent thought, originality, and even creativity on the part of persons dealing with those situations. Indeed, if this SPPM attempted to be so specific and all-inclusive that it were only necessary to consult the SPPM to determine the answer to every question or to determine the procedure to follow in every situation, then competent staff would be irrelevant and CIL could employ robots to carry out its business of independent living (IL). Such an arrangement would be impractical, unrealistic, and undesirable. Hence, all persons are encouraged to use judgment and discretion in carrying out functions on behalf of CIL.

As a CIL serving persons with disabilities of all descriptions in the state, amongst the CIL's primary concerns in dealing with the many persons who contact CIL, whether for services, for information relating to disability issues, for information about the CIL, or for any other matter, is respectful treatment of all. Particular emphasis shall be placed on respectful treatment of persons with disabilities when they contact CIL for assistance of any kind. All persons representing CIL shall be especially alert and sensitive to any behavior, inadvertent or otherwise, that connotes ridicule, disparagement, disbelief, or otherwise may make a person with a disability feel that he or she is less than the person representing CIL.

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Language plays a powerful and important role in shaping ideas and attitudes towards people with disabilitites. The words and images we use can create an insensitive, negative portrayal or a straightforward, positive view of people with disabilities.

a.Use the term: "disability" (disabled, physically disabled) rather than "handicap" (handicapped). Although handicap is often used as a synonym for disability, it is not the preferred term. (Some people believe that "handicapped" comes from "cap in hand," as in begging.) To a person using a wheelchair, the stairs are a handicap for him or her, but he or she is not handicapped.

b.Emphasize the individual, not the disability. Say people or persons with disabilities or a person who is blind rather than disabled persons or blind person.

c.Emphasize abilities such as uses a wheelchair rather than confined to a wheelchair, walks with crutches rather than is crippled, is partially sighted rather than partially blind.

d.Avoid labeling people into groups as in "the disabled," "the deaf," or "an arthritic." Instead.say people who are deaf, person who has arthritis or person with arthritis, persons with disabilities:

e.Avoid implying disease when discussing disabilities. Although a disability may have been caused by an illness (such as Parkinson's disease) it is not a disease itself nor is the person necessarily sick.

f.People with disabilities are contributing, productive members of the community. They are people with strengths and weaknesses, abilities and limitations. Do not use terms such as courageous, brave, or inspirational to routinely describe people with disabilities. Adapting to a disability does not necessarily include acquiring these traits. The use of these words tends to set people with disabilities apart or to put them on a pedestal.

In addition to procedures and practices.to be followed when representing CIL to members of the community, this SPPM will provide guidance on administrative matters such as opening and closing the office, maintenance of temperature comfort levels in the CIL offices, telephone usage procedures, and others. All persons representing CIL are urged to use the guidance provided in this SPPM and to respect the rights, feelings, and comfort levels of all persons present in the CIL offices at all times.

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I.PHILOSOPHY AND GENERAL SERVICES POLICY

THE CIL SERVICES PHILOSOPHY

Independent living is more than a collection of services and procedures: it is a way of life, a state of mind, and a belief in civil rights for people with disabilities. As eastern The state's only cross-disability and consumer-controlled Center for Independent Living, CIL is dedicated to expanding life choices by directly providing or by empowering consumers to access the services and supports necessary to maximize their chances to live "just like everyone else."

CIL is committed to the principle of consumer control in all aspects of independent living service planning and delivery, including staffing, management, and governance of our center. The majority of CIL's service staff and board of directors have disabilities, while all CIL's peer counselors have disabilities. CIL also provides a range of support services through volunteers.

MISSION

Our mission is to empower persons with disabilities in the state to live as independently as they choose and to improve the quality of their lives as well as to effect positive change that promotes the inclusion of all persons with disabilities in society.

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

No consumer shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefit of, or subjected to any form of discrimination in services and activities, including any disparate treatment because of age, race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status.

SERVICE PRIORITIES

CIL is dedicated to the promotion of life with independence for all persons with disabilities in the state, regardless of disability. CIL's #1 service priority has always been and continues to be assisting persons with disabilities in avoiding institutionalization or in getting out of institutions and integrating into community life. CIL does not have "programs" as such, but offers independent living services. In its service development and staff allocation practices, CIL responds, within resource limitations, to persons who face accessibility barriers with' services designed to eliminate those barriers. The core services of advocacy, peer support, and independent living skills training are available to any person with a significant disability who is in CIL's catchment area of the state. Information and referral is available to any person requesting it.

DEFINITIONS

Person With A Disability

CIL uses the definition of a person with a disability for purposes of eligibility to receive independent living services contained in the 1992 Amendments to the Federal 1973 Rehabilitation Act which reads:

"an individual with a severe physical or mental impairment whose ability to function independently in the family or community or whose ability to obtain, maintain, or advance in employment is substantially limited and for whom the delivery of independent living services will improve the ability to function, continue functioning, or move towards functioning independently in the family or community or to continue in employment, respectively."

In addition, with respect to discrimination on the basis of disability, CIL gives consideration to the definition of person with a disability contained within the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) which means an individual who:

·has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; or

·has a record of such an impairment; or

·is regarded as having such an impairment.

Major life activities include, but are not necessarily limited to: communication, participation in education, mobility, use of transportation, self-care, socialization, employment, vocational training, and obtaining and keeping housing. The terms "substantially limited" and "substantially limits" include environmental features that prevent a person with a disability from exercising choice, freedom, and independence in "major life activities."

ConsumersofCIL Services

For all practical purposes, "consumers," "consumers of service," and "participants" are interchangeable terms. In general, consumers are persons who have disabilities and who have requested some service or services from CIL or have elected to participate in CIL activities. CIL believes that consumers have the right to define "independence" for themselves and to determine what services they will receive from CIL. CIL staff, when requested by consumers, provide information, referral, guidance, advocacy, and support, but consumers determine their goals, whether to receive services, and which services to receive. While not all persons with disabilities are consumers, all consumers rnust be persons who have disabilities.

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Independent Livina (IL) Services

CIL offers the following IL services to individuals with disabilities:

- Information and Referral (I&R) - this is a service that is available to individuals with or without disabilities and to groups that request it. Essentially, this consists of information about any disability-related matter, whether referral to another service-provider is involved or not. Issues are as wide-ranging as income, benefits, services, discrimination, housing, support groups, information about

IL centers, technical assistance, accessibility, adaptive technology, employment, education, and many others. I&R is provided by all CIL staff and is CIL's most frequently provided service.

- Advocacy - CIL's most common way of defining advocacy is that it is representing another person's point of view. It is important to differentiate this from representing another person's "best interests" because "point of view" and "best interests" may differ both in someone's opinion and in actuality.

Advocacy at CIL means representing and advocating for what the consumer wants, not what is "safe" or "appropriate" for the consumer. Some of the topics on which CIL advocates are: non-discrimination, employment, housing, benefits, transportation, mobility, equipment, recreation, and community integration, pro. Of course, there are limits to advocacy. CIL advocates on disability-related subjects. CIL will not assist anyone in a negative, aggressive, or destructive goal, such as a vendetta against another person or organization. Finally, CIL only advocates with the permission and at the express request of the consumer of CIL services.

- Peer Support - CIL recognizes that individuals with disabilities need to work through the emotional aspects brought about by acquiring and/or having a disability. It is our belief that the most appropriate person to assist with this process is another person who has a disability. This sharing of information and life experiences empowers the individual with the knowledge and skills needed to live as independently as they choose. CIL uses two methods to accomplish this task: one-to-one peer mentoring and peer support group facilitation.

- Independent Living Skills Training - CIL provides life skills training to individuals with disabilities who may lack certain skills due to their experience of having a disability. Topics may range from budgeting and management of personal finances to rights as a voter, accessing transportation or developing self-advocacy skills. These skill trainings are performed either on a one-to-one basis or in a group setting.

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  1. GENERAL ELIGIBILITY FOR

INDEPENDENT LIVING (IL) SERVICES

In general, persons who have significant disabilities as defined in Person With A Disability (see section I) who live in CIL's catchment area are eligible to receive IL services from CIL.

III.CIL SERVICE (CATCHMENT) AREA

CIL provision of services is dependent on our funding sources. In general, CIL provides services to individuals throughout the state. Specifically, our core funding encompasses the towns in New London County. Our other two funding streams, Title VII, Part B of the 1992 Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act and the Assistive Technology Act, encompass the service area of the Norwich District of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services. This includes New London and Windham Counties and the towns of Union, Willington, Coventry, Mansfield, and Columbia.

IV.CIL FUNDING SOURCES

CIL has a variety of funding sources. When applying to various funding sources, consideration must be given to whether or not the grant proposal and funding requirement are consistent with independent living philosophy. The following are three sources of funds CIL received under a contract with the state Bureau of Rehabilitation Services.

CORE FUNDING: This is the funding for CIL's general operating expenses as a Center for Independent Living. It is authorized by Title VII, Part C of the federal 1992 Reauthorization to the Rehabilitation Act and Public Act 87-563, The state General Statutes - An Act to Promote Independent Living.

PART B SERVICES: These are services funded by Title VII, Part B of the 1992 Reauthorization to the Rehabilitation Act. These services are intended to assist individuals with disabilities who are at risk of institutionalization to remain in their communities and must be time-limited (not on-going). Services under Part B may not exceed a value of $500 per individual per year and must be related to an individual's disability. An administrative exception may be made by the Executive Director, but cannot exceed $1000 to any one individual in any year.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES: These are services funded by the Assistive Technology Act of 1988, amended as of 1994. These are services which help individuals in identifying assistive technology, and funding sources, and in locating vendors from which to purchase the devices.

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V.CIL CONCILIATION POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Consumers who believe they have been unfairly judged ineligible for services, or are not satisfied with the services rendered, or have a conflict with a staff member and have not resolved the problem through informal methods have access to the formal internal conciliation process.

NOTIFICATION OF RIGHTS TO CONCILIATION

  1. All consumers of CIL must be informed of the existence of the conciliation process at the time of service delivery.
  1. At the time of application, prior to the delivery of services, the consumer shall be presented a copy of the Notice of Rights To Conciliation (see Appendix B). When appropriate, the presentation shall be adapted to meet the needs of the consumer; for example read aloud, interpreted through sign language, presented in a large print version.
  1. The process and its access shall be explained and the consumer shall indicate understanding of the process, at which time the consumer will be asked to sign the form where indicated.
  1. The original form shall be placed in the consumer’s file. A copy of the signed form shall be given to the consumer.

CONCILIATION PROCEDURES

  1. Whenever possible, conflicts with consumers should be resolved prior to conciliation
  1. If the consumer desires resolution through conciliation, the following steps can be taken:

LEVEL I: Referral to Executive Director

  1. Consumer or service provider shall refer the complaint to the Executive Director.
  1. Within 3 days, the Executive Director will contact the consumer by mail with regard to the situation.
  1. Within 7 days, the Executive Director shall send to the consumer 2 copies of the completed Report of Conciliation along with a postage paid envelope for return of one signed copy. This copy along with any rebuttal submitted by the consumer shall be placed in the consumer’s file.

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LEVEL II: Presentation to a Conciliation Panel

  1. If the complaint remains unresolved, the Executive Director shall ask the President of the Board of Directors to present it to the Executive Committee, which shall serve as the Conciliation Panel.
  1. The Executive Committee shall convene within 30 days of the request. The consumer shall be notified in writing of the date and time of the meeting and shall be provided full accessibility services, including transportation, in order to attend and be a full participant. With prior notification, the consumer shall be permitted to bring one additional person (in addition to his or her personal care attendant) to assist in the presentation of the complaint.
  1. After all parties have been heard, the Executive Director shall convene to consider the evidence and render a decision. Within 14 days of the executive session, the decision shall be communicated to the consumer, with copies to the Executive Director, via registered mail, from the President of the Board.
  1. In the letter, the Board President shall summarize the complaint, the steps taken to resolve the complaint, and the final decision of the Executive Committee. The consumer will also be notified of his or her rights to the external grievance procedure of the state Office of Protection and Advocacy.

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VI.CIL INTAKE PROCEDURES

The word "INTAKE" means the process or procedure by which a person with a disability becomes an active "consumer" of CIL services or "participant" in CIL programs. For all practical purposes, "consumer" and "participant" are synonymous.

Frequently, the intake process will begin with a person with a disability calling CIL and asking for information. At this stage, it will be appropriate to treat the contact as a request for Information and Referral (I&R) and to communicate as extensively as necessary with the caller to determine whether he or she will require longer term services from CIL. Most often, callers will have no idea of just what is available from CIL and will not request a specific service beyond information over the telephone or occasionally, in person. CIL staff will use judgment and discretion in such a situation and when, in their opinion, more comprehensive services are warranted, will offer them to callers. Not all inquirers will accept services, but the offer should, be made whenever the staff member deems it appropriate.

Frequently, the caller will not be the person with a disability but will be another service provider, a friend, or a relative. CIL policy is to respond to a request for assistance from the person with a disability. However, this should not be adhered to so rigidly as to screen some people out. Some will not be able to use the phone because one is not available to them or because of disability-related reasons. In such cases, a third party may be the person actually contacting a CIL staff person to inquire about or to request IL services. When this happens, the CIL staff member should inform the caller of CIL policy and determine whether the person with the disability is aware that CIL has been called on his/her behalf, whether the person is in agreement with CIL being called, and why the person is not calling for himself/herself. If the CIL staff member is satisfied with the appropriateness of a third-party call, follow-up can be undertaken. In no case should a CIL staff member attempt follow-up when it is evident that the caller's agenda is counter to the choice of the person with a disability.)

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