It is the mission of Options & Advocacy to enhance and protect the lives of children and adults with disabilities.
Options & Advocacy for McHenry County was incorporated in 1991. We opened our doors in 1994 providing pre-admission screening and case coordination services to people with developmental disabilities. Our staff included two full-time and two part-time staff members. Our initial budget was a mere $125,889.
As we grew so did our services we provided which include; Bogard Service Coordination, Home Based Support, WRAP Service Coordination for children with severe mental illness, Waiver Case Coordination (now known as ISSA - Individual Services and Support Advocacy), and Project Success. The addition of the Child & Family Connections (CFC) program expanded our staff and the focus of Options & Advocacy to provide services through the lifespan of our clients. Child & Family Connections is the State of Illinois Early Intervention System for infants and children under the age of three.
Today we have grown to twenty-eight employees. We have two programs running out of Options and Advocacy – Child & Family Connections (CFC) for children under the age of three and Community Access Coordination (CAC) which serves everyone over the age of three.
At Options and Advocacy, every person that we serve has an individual service plan which reflects the goals, strengths, and needs for that particular individual. For our Child & Family Connections clients, that plan centers around the family and reflects the developmental goals that each family has for its young child. For persons served in our Community Access Coordination, individual plans also reflect goals, strengths, and areas that need further development. Their plans also incorporate the values of self advocacy, self direction, community inclusion and choice. We believe that every individual has the right to live, work, and play in the community of his or her choice.
With the help of our trained and dedicated staff our clients and their families obtain critical information and guidance. Our CFC division served over 1,200 children experiencing a delay in their development or who have a diagnosis known to lead to developmental delays. The families learn to integrate activities that promote typical development and learn how to effectively participate in the development of service plans.
Community Access Coordination (CAC) currently serves approximately 320 individuals. CAC provides educational advocacy to our families who need help in accessing services within the school system, while promoting positive relationships between families and school districts. A pre-admission screening helps us to determine potential eligibility for state funded services to our families. We also provide screening for individuals hospitalized or placed in nursing homes for short term rehabilitation. Individuals found eligible are given a variety of service options. Part of this program includes monitoring health, safety and services for people in residential and community settings.
Some of the many challenges Options and Advocacy faces daily is the ability to access state funds for all supports (community and residential) which is limited to crisis situations. Young adults are transitioning from special education to no services at all. Without increase in our funding - we struggle to address the rising cost of doing business. Unfortunately Illinois is ranked 51st in how it supports persons with disabilities. There is an increasing demand for services, with diminishing resources and competition for public fundraising dollars.
Options and Advocacy works closely with other community and state entities, including but not limited to; McHenry County Behavioral Healthcare Network, McHenry County Local Interagency Council, Child & Adolescent Local Area Network, Human Service Network, Illinois ARC, McHenry County Transition Committee, and Illinois Association of Independent Service Coordination Agencies.
Above and beyond what we are funded for, Options & Advocacy provides other opportunities for our individuals and their families. We host a Parent Conference every other year that provides key educational and support opportunities to our families with well respected experts on a wide range of topics. We hold Hot Topic Breakfasts for our younger families. We have play groups in collaboration with NISRA for our younger children and their siblings. These playgroups provide opportunities for families to learn how to play in ways that promote the healthy development of their little ones. We hold monthly developmental screenings and vision screenings. We have monthly hearing screenings with audiologists from Sedom for our CFC children. Each year we have a holiday party for CFC families complete with Santa and Mrs. Claus. This provides a unique opportunity for our little ones to meet Santa in a low key controlled environment that is not threatening. Most of our children would have a very difficult time going to see Santa in a mall or other large setting. With a lot of love and compassion from a local parish, our families that are experiencing financial challenges have received a generous outpouring of gifts for the holidays. These gifts include underwear, flannel shirts, coats, toys, gas and food cards.
Our strength comes from our very dedicated and knowledgeable staff, a very supportive Board of Directors, and collaborative community relationships. With these strengths we strive to continue to expand and improve our services we provide to our clients and their families.
Our Mission Statement is very poignant and taken very seriously in the hearts of all staff members - It is the mission of Options & Advocacy to enhance and protect the lives of children and adults with disabilities.
Families in need of guidance, finding services and hope for the future can contact our offices at 815-477-4720 to learn more on how they can improve their child’s quality of life. To download an agency brochure click here.
Cindy Sullivan
Executive Director
Options and Advocacy for McHenry County
|
