“ISPville”
by Ann Nobis

This article is a continuation of the previous article titled “Life Beyond IEPville”.  We have moved from living with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) to living with an ISP (Individualized Service Plan).  In the adult world, the plan is directed by the services one receives. My attempt at explaining this adult world is simplified because that is how I am able to understand how this whole maze works (for us).

In order for my daughter, Brie, to participate in ISPville, she requires the services of a Service Coordinator.  A Service Coordinator, basically, is a person that one hooks up with through an existing agency such as Catholic Charities, Living Resources, ARC, Center for Disability Services, etc. to help gain access to services for your child within your community.  In order to gain the assistance of a Service Coordinator, one must go through the evaluation process which requires someone to come to your home, fill out paperwork and determine that your child is eligible to have the services of a Service Coordinator. Following the approval, voila! – you now have a Service Coordinator.  Parents do not pay for Service Coordinators.  Part of the paperwork that one fills out during the application process is something called The Waiver application.  The Waiver is what allows one to be eligible to receive a variety of services through New York State .  The Waiver is like the umbrella that covers a wide variety of services for people. OMRDD (Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities) is the State agency that is responsible for processing and approving one’s Waiver services. Agencies such as Catholic Charities, Living Resources, ARC and Center for Disability Services all follow the rules and regulations according to OMRDD.  Approval of Waiver services for your child does not automatically grant one those services.  Sometimes there is a waiting list. Waiver services are not only for people with developmental disabilities, but also for people who have mental illnesses, people who are homeless, and for people who may be of danger to themselves or others. After the fact, I learned that one can gain access to a Service Coordinator long before a child graduates from school, as there are some Waiver services available for children under 21 years of age such as respite, after school services, educational support and others.  Having access to a Service Coordinator through The Waiver is the core and the initial step to take.  If and when a parent decides to go through the process is really an individual decision based upon your child’s needs and the support required for you and your family.

Approval of The Waiver for my daughter, Brie, has meant that in addition to having a Service Coordinator to help educate us about the adult world, Brie has had access to support from a job coach who helped to train her on her jobs, learn to take the bus to and from work, cross busy State Street, and acted as a liaison between Brie and her employers.  She was able to participate in the College of St. Rose/Living Resources Program through the OPTS (Opportunities for People Through Services) and, presently, she is able to live independently with support through CSS-SD (Consolidated Support Services-Self Determination). Although OPTS and CSS-SD are Waiver services, Brie had to apply for, and be approved prior to, her participation. Once Brie left her college program, she was no longer approved for OPTS.  We then discovered another option through The Waiver called Consolidated Support Services-Self Determination.  CSS-SD is the service that Brie is now accessing through OMRDD that allows her to hire her own employees to assist her with skills that she, as an individual, needs to continue to develop to live the life that she is choosing.

Brie’s ISP is coordinated by her Service Coordinator and is updated every six months.  Her goals are based solely on what she is working towards as a young adult and ISP outlines the services she has to assist her in getting her there.  The Waiver services are numerous and this article has just addressed a very few of them.

(Future articles will talk about other services, topics and experiences we have had, and continue to be challenged with, in the adult world of people living with challenges.)